Laundry

For years, investors have largely ignored the properties near the old American Brewery in East Baltimore, choosing to buy rundown real estate elsewhere in the city in hopes of capitalizing on appreciating values. But in recent months, interest has picked up. A former commercial laundry that has been vacant for nearly a decade has been sold to a Northern Virginia investor who says he wants to turn the nearly block-long building into a bakery or other business. Separately, two recently created corporations - one composed of a mother and daughter from Baltimore the other headed by an eye doctor in Prince George's County - have purchased a total of more than 80 discounted tax certificates from the city on vacant lots and rowhouses near the brewery and have begun foreclosure proceedings to take control of the properties.

THIS COLUMN IS ABOUT underwear. Specifically, my underwear. So you might want to avert your eyes now, or send the children out of the room. My question is this: How many pairs of underwear do I need to buy in order to find one in my dresser drawer when I go to get dressed in the morning? A dozen, a hundred, a thousand? I thought this was my problem until a conversation with my friend, Kate, revealed that she has the same complaint. Upon further discussion, an additional coincidence emerged: Our husbands do the wash.

I've talked often in this column about how poetry can hold a mirror up to life, and I'm especially fond of poems that hold those mirrors up to our most ordinary activities, showing them at their best and brightest. Here Ruth Moose hangs out some laundry and, in an instant, an everyday chore that might have seemed to us to be quite plain is fresh and lovely. - Ted Kooser "Laundry" All our life so much laundry; each day's doing or not comes clean, flows off and away to blend with other sins of this world.

Workers at a Baltimore industrial laundry accused the company's management yesterday of sexually harassing female employees and discriminating against black workers.The company, Up-to-Date Laundry Inc., denied the charges, saying they were manufactured after union officials failed in their bid to organize the work force.Wilma Neal, an organizer for the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, said 34 workers and former workers signed a complaint against the company with the Maryland Commission on Human Relations and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

At the Twin Rivers Laundry yesterday, the buzz was all about could-have-been, should-have-been and why-wasn't-it-me, after Maryland Lottery officials announced that the winning ticket for the $36 million Big Game jackpot was purchased in the Middle River coin-operated laundry.But it was Fred Albert Wise Jr. of Middle River who picked the magic numbers 07-16-18-35-47 and 23 and walked away with the prize. Choosing the cash option, Wise will take home $18.3 million all at once."I'm shaking and sweating.

Federal agents arrested 21 allegedly undocumented workers from Mexico at a commercial laundry in the 2200 block of Frederick Ave. in Southwest Baltimore yesterday.Workers apprehended at Up to Date Laundry were earning between $5.50 and $7 an hour, according to John Shallman, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The 13 women were being held last night at the York County, Pa., jail and the eight men were at the Howard County Detention Center in Ellicott City, he said.

WASHINGTON -- Reading is almost as important as eating around Martha's Table.Though not as gnawing, perhaps, as an empty stomach, the need to read ranks among life's necessities recognized at the community center for needy people on 14th Street N.W.Books are set out like extra loaves of bread, and children and adults are welcome to take them home for a while -- or a lifetime. They are also encouraged to partake of formal and informal literacy programs served day and night."Once you feed people, you very quickly realize you can do other things," said Veronica Parke, president of the 18-year-old center that has stretched into five bright yellow storefronts in an otherwise dingy block.

John Yook Hong Chin, 73, laundry owner, churchmanJohn Yook Hong Chin, who owned and operated a hand laundry and was an active churchman, died Nov. 18 of undetermined causes at Harbor Hospital Center. He was 73.Born and educated in Canton, China, he immigrated to Baltimore in 1941.The 50-year West Baltimore resident established the Charles Hong Laundry on West North Avenue in 1949 and operated it until he retired in 1984.He was long active in the affairs of Grace & St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon, where services were held Monday , and served as vestryman, thurifer and chalicist.

Hampstead residents should store clear drinking water today -- and procrastinate on laundry -- because Hampstead will begin flushing its fire hydrants about 9 p.m."If you need water for coffee or [orange juice], draw it now," Town Manager Neil Ridgely said yesterday. Otherwise the water might be murky: safe to drink, but not visually appealing.He also suggested that town residents wait to do laundry until tomorrow morning -- first running the washer on empty for a short cycle to remove anything that might stain clothes.

The kid who was told he was too small to play professional soccer still is in uniform, and in his element. Like the famous battery-driven rabbit, Billy Ronson keeps going and going.Ronson, who turns 40 today, continues to make his early detractors eat their words. And while he says that isn't his motivation for playing professionally for the past 25 years, Ronson admits that the diminutive boy from England who turned pro at 15 probably would have gotten a kick out of it."I've had a great life, living and playing soccer all over America, but I've had to work hard for it," said Ronson, who will be in uniform Saturday night when the Baltimore Bays play host to the Delaware Wizards at Du Burns Arena.

With the recession bearing down on wallets, many people are looking for discounts on dry cleaning to avoid getting soaked by laundry bills while still looking sharp. You could always limit the financial and environmental impact of dry cleaning by not buying clothing that demands such treatment. But what about the stuff already in your closet? Please post a comment at www.baltimoresun.com/consuminginterests with your suggestions for dry cleaners in your community that offer discounts on off-peak days or deals for large loads.

Here's a way to cut your electricity bill and help the planet: Fire your dryer. Running a clothes dryer four hours a week costs $2 or $3 and draws juice from polluting electricity plants. Unfortunately, some believe clotheslines are visual pollution. Many communities restrict or ban clotheslines. In the Columbia village of Wilde Lake, you can use only umbrella or retractable lines. Your application must include "a sketch of the clothesline showing style, color, materials and operational techniques," and a "plat plan showing the intended location" of the line.

Last month, Colgate-Palmolive began marketing several phosphate-free dishwashing detergents under the name eco+. It's not hard to understand the new product's appeal. Many states, including Maryland, have required that dishwashing detergent be rid of the phosphates that are threatening to destroy aquatic life. So why did the General Assembly last month approve legislation postponing Maryland's phosphate ban for six months from January to July 2010? Environmental groups say it was to benefit one company, Proctor & Gamble, which hasn't yet released its own version of a phosphate-free product.

Around the house Replace five of your most frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs use less energy, last longer and ultimately save you money on your energy bill throughout the year. The laundry room is a great place to save energy and money. As winter approaches, use cold water to wash clothing and choose a laundry detergent that is formulated for use in cold temperatures. Also, cleaning the lint trap after drying each load of laundry will increase the efficiency of your dryer.

Prosecutors say he is guilty of a horrific crime that could send him to prison for life: raping a 62-year-old woman on the floor of a coin-operated laundry, then stealing $6 from her purse. But Anne Arundel County Judge Paul A. Hackner found Christopher Parr, 27, of Baltimore not competent to stand trial yesterday on charges of first-degree rape - or of assaulting jail employees on two occasions - in a case that illustrated the difficulties of prosecuting mentally ill criminal defendants.

I've talked often in this column about how poetry can hold a mirror up to life, and I'm especially fond of poems that hold those mirrors up to our most ordinary activities, showing them at their best and brightest. Here Ruth Moose hangs out some laundry and, in an instant, an everyday chore that might have seemed to us to be quite plain is fresh and lovely. - Ted Kooser "Laundry" All our life so much laundry; each day's doing or not comes clean, flows off and away to blend with other sins of this world.

THIS COLUMN IS ABOUT underwear. Specifically, my underwear. So you might want to avert your eyes now, or send the children out of the room. My question is this: How many pairs of underwear do I need to buy in order to find one in my dresser drawer when I go to get dressed in the morning? A dozen, a hundred, a thousand? I thought this was my problem until a conversation with my friend, Kate, revealed that she has the same complaint. Upon further discussion, an additional coincidence emerged: Our husbands do the wash.

For years, investors have largely ignored the properties near the old American Brewery in East Baltimore, choosing to buy rundown real estate elsewhere in the city in hopes of capitalizing on appreciating values. But in recent months, interest has picked up. A former commercial laundry that has been vacant for nearly a decade has been sold to a Northern Virginia investor who says he wants to turn the nearly block-long building into a bakery or other business. Separately, two recently created corporations - one composed of a mother and daughter from Baltimore the other headed by an eye doctor in Prince George's County - have purchased a total of more than 80 discounted tax certificates from the city on vacant lots and rowhouses near the brewery and have begun foreclosure proceedings to take control of the properties.

This is a story of how not to fix a clothes dryer. It is a tale full of lint and disappointment. If you are looking for an account of epic victory, of man over machine, look elsewhere. I fought the dryer and the dryer won. This domestic conflict began, as so many do, on a weekend. Last Sunday night, as is my custom, I was touring the grounds, emptying wastebaskets in preparation for the Monday morning arrival of the municipal trash truck. In the laundry room, I noticed that there was a load of damp clothes in the dryer.

An Anne Arundel County grand jury indicted yesterday a Baltimore man accused of raping a 62-year-old woman at a Brooklyn Park coin-operated laundry. Christopher Parr, 27, of the 4000 block of Barrington Road was indicted on nine counts, including first- and second-degree rape, assault and car theft. Police said Parr followed the woman into the Village Laundromat on the 700 block of Church St. at 10 p.m. July 19, assaulted her, stole $6 from her purse and $90 from the business, grabbed her keys and drove away in her car. The Sun does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.