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WJZ meteorologist Bernadette Woods is leaving the CBS-owned station to join a non-profit firm in New Jersey focused on climate change, she said Wednesday night. Woods, who has been with WJZ for seven years, said she will remain at the station helping with the transition for the next month. After that, she, her husband and their two children will be moving to Princeton, N.J., where she will join Climate Central as staff meteorologist. "I'm very excited about the opportunity in Princeton," she said.

It took two unexpected turn of events for former Gilman lacrosse standout Gordie Koerber to end up playing at the University of Denver, one of four teams left in this year's Division I NCAA men's lacrosse tournament. Until seventh grade, Koerber was the goalie for his lacrosse team before suffering two injuries made him change his mind about the position. After taking two close range shots to his chest just days apart, Koerber's parents, Bryan and Gillian, were fearful of additional injuries, especially as he faced larger, stronger players.

Jimmy Patsos' flirtation with the Big Apple turned out to be brief. The Loyola coach said this morning he has declined an opportunity to join Steve Lavin at St. John's and will remain in Baltimore. "I'm very lucky to be at Loyola, and I really want to coach at Loyola," Patsos said. "I think the future is really bright, and we're on the verge of being really good." Lavin was named St. John's coach on Wednesday. On Thursday, Patsos met with his former boss, Maryland coach Gary Williams, in Indianapolis at the Final Four to gain perspective.

Right-handed hitter Danny Valencia has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk and will be with the Orioles at Camden Yards on Sunday, according to an industry source. The 28-year-old, who did not play for the Tides on Saturday, is batting .306 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 40 games this season. In his past 10 games, Valencia is batting .356 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He hit two home runs last Tuesday against Lehigh Valley.

Keep the autonomy Chris Dufresne Los Angeles Times No doubt things have changed since 1999, the last time the Big Ten made a run at Notre Dame and Notre Dame said no thanks. The Big Ten, with its growing television network, is more powerful now and Notre Dame football is less powerful. Since 1999, the football program has toiled in mediocrity as it fumbled through the last decade. It has bungled coaching hires and posted one lousy bowl win in Hawaii. But does that mean Notre Dame should be forced into joining a conference?

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- After decades of unorganized Elvis worship, the Prophets of Presley want fans of the King to join their church.The tenets of Presleyterianism are simple: eat six meals a day (with frequent snacking in between), face Las Vegas once a day, make a pilgrimage to Graceland and fight against the evil anti-Elvis, Michael Jackson.About 200 people have joined the organization, which holds weekly services in cyberspace.Mort Farndu and Karl Edwards, of Hoboken, N.J., founded the First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine as a joke and marketing ploy in 1988.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have joined the Seattle Mariners in pursuing Orioles left-handed starter David Wells as baseball approaches tomorrow night's trading deadline, major-league sources said yesterday.Major-league club officials said the Rangers have talked to the Orioles, but the Mariners have the inside track because they're willing to part with top catching prospect Chris Widger."[A trade] is always a possibility," said Rangers general manager lTC Doug Melvin, a former assistant GM with the Orioles.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- At the end of a long and emotional campaign, Sweden yesterday voted solidly to abandon its Arctic isolation and join the European Union.Sweden's approval follows similar yes votes in Austria and Finland this year and is expected to give a boost to a referendum at the end of the month in neighboring Norway, where opposition has been strong.The addition of all four countries would make the EU the world's largest and richest free-trade bloc, surpassing North America, and could help speed the integration of the Eastern and Central European countries hoping to join.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has asked Magic Johnson to join the National Commission on AIDS, the federal agency established to develop a consensus on AIDS policy.Johnson's agent is expected to discuss the proposed appointment today, said Connie Horner, a White House personnel officer.The commission studies AIDS policies and reports on them.Johnson, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 12 seasons, announced his retirement Thursday because tests show he has been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Positioning the Ryland Group to capitalize on "emerging international housing opportunities," Chairman Roger W. Schipke announced yesterday that the company has appointed the former chairman of MNC Financial Inc. to join its management team and formed a new company to develop overseas markets for Ryland products and expertise.Alan P. Hoblitzell Jr., former chairman and chief executive of MNC, will join Ryland as an executive vice president and chief financial officer Monday.Mr. Hoblitzell resigned from MNC, parent of Maryland National Bank and American Security Bank, in late September as losses and bad loans mounted at the state's largest banking company.

Jair Jurrjens, who will make his Orioles debut Saturday , spoke with the local media after arriving in the clubhouse Friday. Here's the Q&A: What are your thoughts being back in the big leagues? This is everyone wants to be. When you are playing professional ball everybody wants to play in the big leagues. I just happen to be back and am ready to help the team out. What have last 6 weeks been like? I've been just trying to get my stuff back together and just keep working and trying to have fun again playing baseball.

The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse program plans to surrender its status as an independent and join a conference, the university announced Friday. The Blue Jays have competed independently for 130 years, winning nine NCAA championships and qualifying for 41 consecutive NCAA tournaments before getting left out of the postseason earlier this month. In a letter to the Johns Hopkins community and posted on the school's website, president Ronald J. Daniels said he accepted the recommendation of a seven-member special committee that proposed that the program pursue a conference affiliation.

Only five programs have repeated as national champion - most recently in 2009 when Syracuse collected back-to-back NCAA titles. Loyola may have been one of the last teams to earn an at-large berth in the upcoming NCAA tournament, but the team has a chance to join the Orange, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, North Carolina and Princeton. “Obviously, that's the ultimate goal,” senior midfielder Davis Butts said Thursday. “The thing is, we have to take it one game at a time with the opponent that is ahead of us and not think about too far down the line because at this point, it's one game or you go home.

Two more bidders emerged Friday — one a surprise — to compete against MGM Resorts International for the right to build a casino in Prince George's County, which stands with the state to reap millions of dollars from the project. Penn National Gaming, which operates the Hollywood Casino brand, and Greenwood Racing Inc., which owns Pennsylvania's most successful casino, submitted proposals to Maryland's gaming agency by the 2 p.m. deadline. The winner is expected to be chosen by the end of the year by the Maryland Video Lottery Facility Location Commission, which will review the proposals.

Residents of Dundalk and Mays Chapel say they plan to join forces for a Saturday rally to protest the sale of the North Point Government Center in Dundalk. Although they live on different ends of the county, residents in both communities are angry about land decisions made by county officials. Some Mays Chapel residents have fought to stop the county from building a new elementary school at a park. In Dundalk, some are fighting the planned sale of the North Point Government Center.

A volunteer firefighter who joined the Reisterstown Volunteer Fire Company as a teenager more than a decade ago died Thursday of injuries sustained in a fire last week that also killed another man. Gene Kirchner, 25, died at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, officials said. "Everybody is extremely shocked by this," said Craig Hewitt, assistant chief of the fire company. "They're missing Gene right now. He was a very key part of our fire company, and he will be greatly missed. " Kirchner was one of the first firefighters to respond to the house fire on Hanover Road early on the morning of April 24. He tried to save a man trapped inside, officials said.

James T. Brady, former secretary of the state's Department of Business and Economic Development, has joined the board of directors at spice giant McCormick & Co. Inc. of Sparks.Brady, who resigned from his job as secretary in April, sits on numerous boards and serves as a consultant to the Johns Hopkins University."I think McCormick is a first-rate company and I enjoy being involved in strategic policy-making," Brady said. "McCormick is aggressively pursuing strategic alliances all around the world and hopefully I can be helpful in some of that strategizing."

The Justice Department said yesterday that it planned to pursue civil fraud claims against famed money manager Mario J. Gabelli, contending that he orchestrated a scheme to deceive the Federal Communications Commission in its auctions of wireless spectrum licenses several years ago. The government is seeking to take over a civil lawsuit filed by a lawyer involved in the auction process in 2001 that accused Gabelli of creating a series of sham companies that...

Under Armour plans to hire hundreds of workers at its Locust Point headquarters this year, expand facilities on its campus and bring its brand of sports apparel and footwear to new markets in the U.S. and around the world. CEO Kevin Plank outlined the goals Tuesday while promising shareholders more of the rapid growth that has defined the $1.8 billion company in recent years. During an annual meeting in which Under Armour pitchman and record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps made a surprise appearance, Plank said the company is just beginning to make inroads in areas such as athletic footwear, women's sports apparel and international markets, with room to grow.

The 90 Club has its newest members for April 2013. Ted Hoke celebrated his 93rd birthday on April 16, Alice Jones celebrated her 93rd birthday on April 20 and Louise Pinkney celebrated her 90th birthday on April 21. More than 100 family and friends enjoyed themselves at the Bayou Restaurant in Havre de Grace for an afternoon of food and fellowship.