Kick

It's the dead of winter, which means that while the rest of us get ready for spring, high fashion is already showing us fall. Photos from recent shows in Europe left us mostly breathless - except for a disaster from Chanel. From the monochromatic patterns by Marc Jacobs, and floral frocks of Prada, to the iridescent garments from Alberta Ferretti, Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton, designers ran the gamut of colors, textures and shapes. Expect nothing less in New York City this week for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which runs Feb. 7 through 14. September's spring shows brought us collections filled with airy fabrics, metallic-dipped materials, pants and flared skirts.

Dr. Carlyn Buckler, director of the Mastodon Matrix Project in Cornell, N.Y., visited the Bel Air library Jan. 7 to share her enthusiasm for mastodons with replicas of a few finds her team had excavated in New York. Teeth and tusk examples were the highlights of the evening as she explained to more than 50 audience members how important it is for regular citizens to get involved in citizen science projects. Buckler was invited to Harford County to kick off the library's involvement in the Mastodon Matrix Project in which Harford residents will help trained investigators sort through and analyze the sediment or "matrix" found around the bones from a real mastodon dig and submit their results to the Museum of the Earth.

The Ravens might not have won Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday night without Jacoby Jones. The return specialist-wide receiver made the critical move on a last-minute 70-yard touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round that tied the game. And Sunday night, he accounted for two touchdowns, including a 108-yard kickoff return on the first play of the second half as the Ravens pulled out a 34-31 victory against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedez-Benz Superdome to capture the franchise's second Super Bowl title.

Gardiners Furniture might be eating its Super Bowl bet but couldn't be happier about it. Gary Mullaney, co-owner of the Baltimore chain, said Monday that his phone has been ringing off the hook and reporters have been clamoring for interviews since an improbable offer came true. Gardiners told customers all furniture bought between Jan. 31 and 3 p.m. on the day of the game would be free if the Baltimore Ravens returned a kick for a touchdown during Sunday evening's Super Bowl . And then Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown to open the second half, forcing the store to give away $600,000 in furnishings.

The owners of a local furniture company that declared free goods if the Ravens returned a kick for a touchdown at the start of the game or just after halftime found themselves having to make good after Jacoby Jones did just that. Gardiners Furniture, a Baltimore company, offered customers the throwdown, saying if such a kick return happened, all furniture bought between Jan. 31 and 3 p.m. on game day would be free. And then Jones opened the second half with a 108-yard kick return.

Lyndsey Darling and Erin Stump huddled on the beach Friday at Sandy Point State Park, sipping cups of hot chocolate and looking skeptical. Both wore sweatshirts and boots, but within an hour they planned to swap their heavy layers for bathing suits and wade into the Chesapeake Bay, kicking off the weekend of the 17th annual Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge. Stump, 15, said the swim was against her better judgment, but Darling, 16, had one idea to stay warm. "I'm going to wear my socks," she said, "because I've got another pair.

NeNe Leakes is back in Hollywood with Gregg, renting a fabulous house alongside the celebs. As she tries to get settled in a new zip code, Kenya sent NeNe over some furniture she can use temporarily, including some “interesting” looking statutes. NeNe is hoping that Gregg will be her support system as she is busy with the new move and all of the projects she is working on. NeNe said Gregg needs to be “Mr. Mom and Mr. NeNe too.” Gregg doesn't mind stepping to the plate, but said NeNe needs to release control to Gregg so he can get some things done.

Baltimore County Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through Jan. 27. Chefs and owners from some of the 44 participating restaurants were expected to join Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce President Keith Scott on Thursday morning at Patrick's of Cockeysville for a Restaurant Week kick-off event. The county's version, unlike the city's, allows restaurants to set the fixed-price for their menus anywhere from $10 to $35 for anywhere from one to four courses.

A 25-year-old Woodlawn woman has been charged with arson, assault and destruction of property after allegedly setting fire to her own home Saturday morning, then kicking out the window of a police patrol car and assaulting an officer after her arrest, according to Baltimore County Police. Police initially responded to the home of Ashley Joy Davis, in the 1600 block of Langford Road, about 5:44 a.m. for a report of a suicidal person, but upon an initial investigation determined a simple assault had occurred at the residence, said Cpl. John Wachter, a police spokesman.

The start of Atlantic Coast Conference play had seemed so long in coming for Maryland and its excitable freshmen. But when the anticipation ended and the first game finally arrived on Saturday -- in front of the high-octane sellout crowd for which the Terps players and coaches had been hoping -- it all seemed worth the wait. In a game that felt unmistakably different from Maryland's previous 13 contests this season, the Terps -- and freshmen Jake Layman and Seth Allen, in particular -- upped their energy level and passed their first ACC test in striking fashion, dismantling Virginia Tech, 94-71.