Lawn Mower

ABERDEEN -- There is, in sports, a nobility that comes from effort, a beauty and grace that emanate from the intricate movement of the body, a serenity that comes from having withstood the competition. Then there's . . . this stuff.Lawn-mower racing.On the other hand, if your thing is watching heavyset men in windbreakers and flannel shirts atop riding mowers, their guts jiggling violently as they race around a grassy, tire-laden course, the place to be yesterday was at Harford County Airpark, site of the STA-BIL East Coast Regionals of the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association.

A 2-year-old boy is in critical condition after the lawn mower he was riding on with his grandfather in Westminster overturned into a creek Sunday morning, according to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said the man and his grandson were cutting grass on the riding lawn mower in the 600 block of Jasontown Road shortly before noon when the mower crossed an embankment next to a stream and overturned, briefly trapping the child in the water until the grandfather could free him. Lt. Robert Cromwell of the sheriff's office said the child's injuries were from inhaling water and from the tractor overturning onto him, but the boy was not injured by the mower's blades.

A 92-year-old man was flown to a regional trauma center late Saturday night after being injured by a lawn mower. The accident happened around 10 p.m. Saturday in the 4400 block of St. Clair Bridge Road in Street. The man was flown to a regional trauma center, according to Rich Gardiner, a spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association. No further information was available.

Great music has been happening at the Parkville Senior Center. On April 3, members were treated to a wonderful concert when tenor Rodrigo Garciarroyo and pianist Richard Dowling presented well-known opera and stage musical selections in the center's dining room This hourlong program, sponsored by the Baltimore County Department of Aging, was made possible by the Piatigorsky Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is...

A 2-year-old boy is in critical condition after the lawn mower he was riding on with his grandfather in Westminster overturned into a creek Sunday morning, according to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said the man and his grandson were cutting grass on the riding lawn mower in the 600 block of Jasontown Road shortly before noon when the mower crossed an embankment next to a stream and overturned, briefly trapping the child in the water until the grandfather could free him. Lt. Robert Cromwell of the sheriff's office said the child's injuries were from inhaling water and from the tractor overturning onto him, but the boy was not injured by the mower's blades.

Laurel police report felonies, arrests and property crimes. Prince George's County police report violent crimes and property crimes. Anne Arundel County police report major crimes. Howard County police report major crimes, break-ins and car thefts. City of Laurel Ninth Street, 200 block, Jan. 11. Police on routine patrol observed riding lawn mower tractor and snow blower outside building, and identified them as items reported stolen Jan. 8 from St. Mark's United Methodist Church.

A 17-year-old Lineboro youth was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore yesterday after suffering leg injuries when the lawn mower he was riding was hit by a sport utility vehicle, Maryland State Police said. The teen-ager of the 4600 block of Water Tank Road was riding the mower near his home when he was struck by a 1998 Chevy Blazer, police said. They would not release the teen's identity because he is a juvenile. Kathy Marie Hale, 41, of Manchester, the driver of the Blazer, and several witnesses said the teen-ager pulled out in front of the SUV, which was traveling south on Water Tank Road about 1 p.m. No charges will be filed against Hale, police said, adding that they did not know if charges would be filed against the teen-ager.

WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration launched an assault yesterday on a new public enemy: the lawn mower.The Environmental Protection Agency gets a headache at the thought of those deafening grass-cutting machines belching thick blue smoke. It wants lawn equipment to start meeting tough new standards by the time manufacturers release their 1996 models.All makers of gasoline-powered lawn mowers, garden tractors, chainsaws and weed-whackers would be required to reduce exhaust significantly by 2003 under proposed rules, which could become law by the end of the year.

Do you treat your lawn mower or tractor with proper respect?It may seem an odd question, but Harford farming and lawn equipment experts say that a little respect, and basic common sense, could prevent many of the equipment-related injuries that occur each year."

Here's your chance to get rid of that gas-guzzling, oil-burning, pollution-spewing four-wheeled clunker in the garage -- not the family car but the worn-out lawn mower.The state wants those old machines. It's actually offering rewards.The first 100 people who turn in gasoline-powered mowers tomorrow at an environmental festival in South Baltimore will receive $75 rebates toward a new, "environmentally friendly" machine of their choice -- either an electric one or an old-fashioned reel mower without an engine.

What kind of regular maintenance should I do to prepare my home for spring? Jim Embe, Baltimore district manager for Home Depot, suggests these spring chores for around the home. •Now is the time to put down lawn fertilizer and pre-emergent weed killer. If you want to seed your lawn, there are now products that allow you to do both. •Clean out the gutters and downspouts and make sure they haven't pulled away from the fascia during the winter. •Now is the time to power-wash the deck or the siding.

Two and a half years ago, I wrote a column about getting nailed by a speed camera in Baltimore for the first time, and, let me tell you, did the righteous readers of this newspaper - people who never ever ever drive over the speed limit - give me a load of grief. They accused me of being a danger to society and of using precious space to grind a personal ax in public. They believed in the machines. Around the 50th email, I had to stop reading what a loathsome guy I was on account of my delicate condition.

Baltimore County Poice report that laptop computers were stolen in two seperate incidents last week in Towson. The first occurred 11 p.m., Sept. 19 and 6:25 a.m., Sept. 20 in the 400 block of Hopkins Boulevard. According to the police report, someone entered through an open window while resident slept, stole a aptop and left out front door. The second incident was between Sept. 21 and Sept. 22, times unknown. This theft occurred in the 8400 block of Charles Valley Court, and happened when a car was broken into.

A 92-year-old man was flown to a regional trauma center late Saturday night after being injured by a lawn mower. The accident happened around 10 p.m. Saturday in the 4400 block of St. Clair Bridge Road in Street. The man was flown to a regional trauma center, according to Rich Gardiner, a spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association. No further information was available.

I wrote today about a 5-year-old Harford County girl who lost her feet after her father accidently backed into her with a lawn mower. It is an accident that could have been prevented, but one that is not all that  uncommon in the summer months. Parents are out doing yard work while kids play nearby creating a bad mix. Lawn mower injuries are the leading cause of amputations in adolescents, according to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Most injuries occur because the mower doesn't realize the child is behind them and backs over them.

It's a parent's worst nightmare. A father from Forest Hill accidentally backed his lawn mower into his five-year-old daughter, severing her feet. The accident happened at about 6:30 p.m. Monday when many in the neighborhood were out doing evening yard work, said Rich Gardiner, spokesman for The Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association. The father didn't see the child when he put the mower in reverse, Gardiner said. He only heard her screams. The girl was flown to Johns Hopkins Children's Center where her feet could not be saved, he said.

A 3-year-old Finksburg girl lost two toes and suffered severe lacerations on her right leg and foot yesterday when she was run over by a power lawn mower that neighbors said was operated by her 5-year-old sister.A neighbor identified the victim as Emily Le Roy of the 3500 block of Pleasant Plains Road. The accident happened about 5:30 p.m.The girl was flown to the Johns Hopkins Hospital Children's Center, said one of the paramedics from the Reese fire company who treated the girl while the ambulance crew waited for the state police helicopter that took her to Baltimore.

Mention autumn to some people and they will gush about harvesting pumpkins with Grammy and Grampers, decorating the door to their home with corn husk do-dads and uncontrollable urges to do domestic things with apples. Although I have read about things like this, I must admitthat this time of year touches me on a somewhat different level.While others may listen for the crunch of leaves under their feet, I listen to the whooshing sound of corduroy-encased thighs -- a subtle reminder that three leg lifts a month may not be quite enough.

Laurel police report felonies, arrests and property crimes. Prince George's County police report violent crimes and property crimes. Anne Arundel County police report major crimes. Howard County police report major crimes, break-ins and car thefts. City of Laurel Ninth Street, 200 block, Jan. 11. Police on routine patrol observed riding lawn mower tractor and snow blower outside building, and identified them as items reported stolen Jan. 8 from St. Mark's United Methodist Church.

Abell Avenue 3300 block, between 8 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7:45 a.m. Oct. 7. 1995 Ford Taurus with Maryland tags 17987 HT stolen. No color reported. Churchwardens Road 100 block, between 10:40 and 10:47 a.m. Oct. 4. Break-in reported, but no property taken. Entry gained by standing on patio chair, climbing onto rear roof and prying open second-floor window. Intruder fled when alarm sounded. East Cold Spring Lane Unit block at 10:56 a.m. Oct. 3. DVD stolen from unlocked vehicle and recovered.