Kane

HOW MANY people must Kane bite before the Animal Control Commission realizes that he's a threat to the Millersville community? The 5-year-old pit bull is racking up a list of victims. If he gnashed a notch into his collar for each person he's attacked, he'd have four right now. When the dog was a year old, he scratched a 66-year-old woman who was trying to protect her cat. He bit a 7-year-old boy last year. In August, according to a police report, the dog and another pit bull owned by the same person mauled a 14-year-old girl, biting her leg, nose and arm. Since, a man has reported that Kane recently attacked him. Neighbors told the commission that the dog runs loose through their community.

Gary Kane of Johns Hopkins is the third-ranked Division III soccer goalkeeper in the country, but he says his success lies mostly with the three defenders who play in front of him. Senior Chris Brown and juniors Jeff Grosser and Traver Davis have helped the 16-0 Blue Jays to the nation's No. 2 ranking by restricting teams to a mere 35 shots, an almost unheard-of average of 2.2 a game. "There's definitely something magical there with those guys," said Kane, a senior who has 12 shutouts and a .191 goals-against average.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. named Mary D. Kane secretary of state yesterday, replacing R. Karl Aumann, who took a seat on the Workers' Compensation Commission. Kane had served as Aumann's deputy and chief legal counsel since 2003, and she was widely expected to be elevated to the post. Her appointment requires confirmation by the state Senate. Ehrlich swore Aumann and Kane into their new positions at a noontime ceremony yesterday, praising them for their service. The secretary of state is responsible for overseeing and registering charitable organizations; administering the Maryland Charity Campaign; and recording executive orders and registrations for condominiums, notaries public and trademarks.

John M. Kane, a Montgomery County business leader and a highway construction advocate, has emerged as a potential contender for the Republican nomination for governor if Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. decides not to run. Kane, of Potomac, owner of a moving and storage company based in Elkridge, said he would form an exploratory committee to consider a long-shot race if Ehrlich decides to remain in Congress. The 40-year-old businessman has never run for public office, but Republicans take his potential candidacy seriously.

Fourteen applicants are vying to fill a Howard County Circuit Court judgeship vacancy that will be created when Judge Raymond J. Kane Jr. retires June 1. Kane, 66, has served as a Howard circuit judge for 22 years and has been the chief judge of the bench since last year. The Maryland Judiciary released the candidates' names last week after the application deadline. The Judicial Nominating Commission is scheduled to interview them May 9 and then offer its recommendations to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. The governor will select a judge at a time of his choosing, and the appointed judge will then have to run for election in 2006 for a 15-year term.

John M. Kane, the Montgomery County businessman who said in June that he was willing to run for governor as a Republican if Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. does not, ended his shadow campaign yesterday. Kane, 40, said he believes Ehrlich will run despite polls showing the 2nd District congressman far behind Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the Democratic front-runner. "I said from the beginning that Congressman Bob Ehrlich is the strongest candidate the Republican Party can offer Maryland's voters for the governor's job," he said.

Howard County Circuit Judge Raymond J. Kane Jr. has announced he is retiring June 1, leaving a second vacancy on the five-member bench this year. Kane, 66, has served as a Howard Circuit Court judge for 22 years and has been the chief judge of the bench since 2004. "I have mixed emotions," Kane said yesterday. "I enjoy what I'm doing; I've always enjoyed being a judge. I find its challenges rewarding, but I think it's time for me to step down and pursue some other interests." Kane said he wants to spend more time with his three grandchildren and travel.

The first mystery senior defensive end Denis Kane has to clear up is why he is wearing No. 14 on his Naval Academy football uniform."That goes back to spring practice my sophomore year when I was still listed as a quarterback," Kane said. "By the time they switched me to defense, all the high numbers had been given out, so I've stuck with 14."But Kane, who was an all-Philadelphia choice as a quarterback for Germantown (Pa.) Academy, has not regretted the move for a moment while becoming an integral part of a Navy defense that ranks 20th in the nation.

The fate of a planned 300-acre regional park in Columbia might not be decided for at least 11 months under a ruling yesterday by a Howard County judge.Circuit Judge Raymond J. Kane Jr. postponed trial of a lawsuit that has held up development of the land, which the county and state jointly purchased in August 1998 with the goal of creating baseball and soccer fields. Unless Kane throws out the suit, the next trial date would be November 2000 at the earliest.His decision yesterday surprised both sides in the suit, brought by a friend of the late Elizabeth C. "Nancy" Smith, who owned the land straddling Route 175 in the heart of Columbia.

Find Gregory Kane's column archive at baltimoresun.com/kane