La Plata

LA PLATA -- Aiming to ease Charles County's growing pains by building more upscale housing, local officials are considering an unprecedented size requirement for new homes -- a move that is drawing fire from developers and community activists.The commissioners of the rapidly growing Southern Maryland county have proposed requiring that detached, single-family homes have at least 1,650 square feet of floor space if they are to be built in the northern fifth of the county, which is designated for development.

Anne Arundel County rivals Meade and Arundel would have preferred playing against each other in today's championship game of the Holiday Hoops Girls Invitational.Instead, the two teams will return to Anne Arundel Community College today playing for a very respectable third place in the talented eight-team field.Meade provided a good test for St. John's-D.C. before falling, 59-51, in last night's first semifinal. Suitland got a 25-point effort from senior Kiki Wimbush to roll past No. 3 Arundel, 69-47.

A Charles County man was killed yesterday when he lost control of his 1987 Ford Aerostar van and crashed into a tree on Route 488 in La Plata, said state police at Waldorf.John Abell, 30, of the 9800 block of Royal Oak Drive, La Plata, was driving west on Route 488 about 1: 15 a.m. when the crash occurred west of Hawkins Gate Road, police said. Abell died at the scene. Abell's passenger, Charles Lattisaw, 30, of Edelen Road in La Plata, was in serious condition at Prince George's Hospital Center.

During the course of this season, the C. Milton Wright Mustangs used equal doses of pitching and defense to cruise to a Harford County championship.In last night's Class 3A state semifinal, however, the Mustangs could have used a stronger prescription.The Mustangs committed five errors and allowed five unearned runs in their 6-2 loss to La Plata of Charles County at Randazzo Park."Mistakes happen, but it's an unfortunate place for them to happen," said Mustangs coach Joe Dunch. "It's kind of unlike us to make this many.

WASHINGTON -- In a move that Ute tribal leaders say may force them to sue the federal government for their water rights, the Clinton administration announced strong opposition yesterday to a water settlement bill for southern Colorado and northern New Mexico and called for the measure to be rewritten."

LA PLATA -- Trying to cope with runaway development, Charles County's commissioners voted yesterday to halt all townhouse construction for six months while they tighten building standards and raise fees on developers to ease school overcrowding."

Wilde Lake's nine seniors refused to lose a third straight state title game yesterday at Old Mill High.Instead, the No. 6-ranked Wildecats, with major help from two freshmen and a sophomore, defeated the La Plata Warriors of Charles County for the Class 3A title, 2-0."We lost two heartbreakers in a row, but finally got the monkey off our back," said Wilde Lake coach Dave Nesbitt, who also coached the Wildecats' 1991 state championship team. Wilde Lake also lost a state final in 1993.The victory, Wilde Lake's ninth shutout, completed an unlikely hat trick of 1A, 2A and 3A state titles in one season for Howard County schools, a feat that only one other county has accomplished -- Baltimore County in 1974.

FREDERICK -- For the Wilde Lake and Walter Johnson soccer teams, the similarities were many. Both shared the same nickname, lost in state finals last season and clad themselves in green uniforms.In last night's Class 3A state semifinals at Linganore High School, however, that's where the comparisons ended.Freshmen Ian Rodway and Michael Dello-Russo each scored goals, and Wilde Lake controlled the midfield most of the way in a 2-0 victory.With their eighth shutout this season, the Wildecats (12-2-2)

With four second-half goals, the No. 1-ranked River Hill Hawks broke open the Class 2A championship game against Easton of Talbot County to win their first state title yesterday at Old Mill High, 5-1.The second-year Hawks were sparked by two goals from sophomore Adom Crew.Wilde Lake 2, La Plata 0: The No. 6-ranked Wildecats (13-2-2) ended a streak of two consecutive losses in the state finals by defeating La Plata of Charles County in the Class 3A championship game.Glenelg 1, St. Michaels 0: Brian Musgrove's goal off two posts 13: 43 into the game lifted the Gladiators (12-6)

It is 4: 50 a.m., and already there is stirring in the tent city. The hungry are rising, noisily striking camp and moving fast to beat the long lines that will soon curl through a dim cafeteria. Others are wobbling to their feet from bedding scattered on a gymnasium floor.Soon, 1,200 people will be up and ready to travel. And in the heat of a 96-degree day, they will cover nearly 60 miles under their own power. Then they will again pitch tents upon a sun-blasted field and line up for food.

COLLEGE PARK -- Pikesville's Paul Burgin was the only player from the Baltimore metropolitan area to advance to a championship final at the state tennis tournament Saturday at the University of Maryland. Burgin, the second seed, faced top seed Timothy Klanke of Walt Whitman. Burgin won the first set 6-1, then lost 5-7 and 1-6 in the second and third sets, respectively. He was hampered by leg cramps, and at one point in the third set, he fell to the court and had to be helped by a trainer.

When Randallstown's girls basketball team started the season 6-6, it didn't appear the Rams would get back to the Baltimore County championship game, but they learned a few things that helped them finish the regular season with eight straight wins. That run earned the Rams a return trip to the county final Friday at 7 p.m. at home. They will get another shot at No. 8 Catonsville, which beat Randallstown last season for the title. "If you look at the way our schedule is set up, the games early on were going to be tough," Rams coach Ellen Fitzkee said, "and I think we learned a lot from our losses in terms of getting on the glass every night and playing good defense.

Tyrone Bryant's Old Mill teammates were in tears after his thrilling victory sealed the Class 4A-3A dual-meet state championship for the No. 3 Patriots last night at Marriotts Ridge. Bryant, a senior and a first-year varsity wrestler, entered the last match of the night with his team trailing La Plata by a point. He responded by pinning Mitchell Keith in 53 seconds to give Old Mill a 32-27 victory. It was Old Mill's third dual-meet state crown since 1998. "I was just going out, knowing I could contribute for my team," Bryant said.

2008 La Linda Torrontes From: Cafayate, Argentina Price: $12 Serve with: White-fleshed fish, appetizers Torrontes might not exactly be a household word in most of the world, but in Argentina it is by far the best white-wine grape. This clean, fresh, vibrant, fruity but dry wine from Luigi Bosca would be ideal to sip along the Rio de la Plata in summery Buenos Aires right now, but even we ice-bound norteamericanos can thoroughly enjoy its orange, pear, apricot and minty flavors indoors until the winter departs.

Ice happens in any season. Steve Zubrick, science officer at NWS Sterling, was asked about the largest Maryland hailstones ever recorded. He found a science journal report on a storm in Annapolis on June 22, 1915, that dropped 12 stones averaging 3 to 3-5 inches in diameter. Two 4-5 inch stones were reported -- in Baltimore on June 18, 1970 and in La Plata, linked to the F4 tornado on April 28, 2002.

So now that we've made it through one major holiday, with all of its attendant traffic woes, we've got another two staring us in the face. My first advice about holiday travel is: Don't. My backup advice is: Don't try to drive south on Interstate 95. With the traffic on I-95 in Northern Virginia, you'll be lucky to reach Richmond in less time than it took General Grant's army. Last week, this column explored the only even theoretically viable route: U.S. 301 through Southern Maryland.

WALDORF - South River coach Bruce Bowen said what separates Josh Eure from other golfers is his commitment to the game. Eure spends most of his offseason chipping, putting and driving golf balls to perfect his swing. That practice paid off yesterday at Potomac Ridge in Waldorf as Eure won the boys state title with a two-day score of 147, five strokes better than second-place Jay Dove of La Plata. "Coming back this year, I wanted it more than I ever have before," Eure said. "It was my senior year, and I was one of the favorites coming into it. I really wanted to win this one."

650 workers at APG might strike Sunday 1 About 650 contract workers at Aberdeen Proving Ground are threatening to strike, starting Sunday. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted all day yesterday on a contract that they said does not offer even a cost-of-living raise. Results of the vote were not made public yesterday. In an e-mail, Henry Scott, a union representative, said the weekly pay raises offered in the three-year contract "don't even amount to a tank of gas."

There was a lot of red in the stands at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen last night to watch Patapsco in its first appearance in a state baseball final, but the Patriots' fans were left to watch a bitter loss. Senior right-hander Mike Boyden struck out 14 and allowed just four hits as La Plata of Charles County won the Class 3A state championship, 8-2, over Patapsco. Facing Boyden's excellent pitching, Patapsco did not help itself by committing six errors. Down 5-0, Patapsco got to Boyden in the bottom of the sixth for two runs on Vinnie Tiburzi's fielder's choice and a single by Rob Wilson, but Boyden weathered the situation by recording his 10th and 11th strikeouts to end the inning.

Games at Ripken Stadium Class 1A Harford Tech (15-7) vs. St. Michael's (17-5) Time -- 1 p.m. Outlook -- Making their second straight appearance in the state final four, the Cobras are facing the Saints of Talbot County. The Saints, who won their only state final in 2001, ad vanced to today's game with an 11-2 romp over Sparrows Point in the semifinals. The Cobras defeated Clear Spring of Washington County in the state semifinals. Junior P-SS Ryan Neukum and seniors Chris Peacher, Bryan Legarda and Jared West lead the Cobras.