Lexington

As Memorial Day month comes to a close, we join the nation in offering a very belated salute to William H. Cornish. Mr. Cornish, 87, served in World War II with the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black bomber unit. After the war, the Tuskegee Airmen slipped too quietly back into a segregated society. The unit's extraordinary and valiant record put the lie to deeply ingrained racial segregation, so it had to be forgotten. For decades, the Tuskegee Airmen were at most a footnote in the story of World War II for most Americans.

Attempting to become the first Harford County team in the Cal Ripken 12-and-under World Series' five-year history in Aberdeen to win two games and have a shot at the playoffs, Emmorton dropped a 4-2 decision to College Point, N.Y., yesterday at Cal Sr.'s Yard. Southeast Lexington, Ky. (3-1), qualified as the top seed in the National Division with a 10-2 rout of Tampa, Fla. (2-1), but Emmorton (1-2) and the other division teams are still alive for the other berth. It's Southeast Lexington's fifth straight appearance in the playoffs.

Midweek, late summer, it is quiet under the shade of tall, old trees in the Lexington, Va., historic cemetery. It seems only the stern, straight-backed statue of Old Stonewall -- marking his final resting place and appropriately facing south -- stands in the sun.And that is as it should be. This is, after all, Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. And the oddball Confederate general, one must conclude after even the most desultory wander about town, is Lexington's hero. Never mind that his commander, Robert E. Lee, lies entombed only a few blocks away.

A motorcyclist was killed last night in West Baltimore when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a car and two children before he slammed into a tree, police said.Police did not release the name of the victim, but said that the man was operating a Honda motorcycle at high speed about 6: 45 p.m in the 2100 block of W. Lexington St. when he hit a 1997 Kia that was traveling west on Lexington.The motorcycle bounced off the car and onto the sidewalk, where it struck two boys, 6 and 7, and then crashed into a tree, police said.

LATE ONE NIGHT I was reading this paper's account of Baltimore's appalling homicide rate. Other cities have cut murder rates; not us.There, in a warm bed, I turned the paper's pages and felt more fTC than a twinge of embarrassment for the city I've lived in all my life. Are we really that bloodthirsty? I wondered. Is this such a terrible place to live? Am I in danger? I live but six blocks from North Avenue, four from Greenmount and three from Barclay, all streets frequently named in news stories as being drug-selling, killing-zone nightmares.

I was snapping up half-price Christmas ornaments as the word spread around the old Stewart's department store that it would be closing in a few weeks. It was the last days of 1978, and all I could think about was bagging enough blown-glass snowmen and ice castles to replace those that had smashed when that year's tree suffered an unfortunate Christmas night plunge.It fell the morning of Dec. 26 into a shattered mess of glass and balsam needles. I consoled myself with the thought that the Stewart's sale would take some of the sting out of the situation.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Coughs. Sniffles. Aches. Pains. The croup. The grippe. Why, you might even come down with the dreaded epizootic.The whaaa?The epizootic. Or, if you're less formal, the epizooty.Not so long ago, in many parts of the country, if you sneezed, coughed or otherwise showed signs of catching a cold or the flu, someone probably would say, "Watch out, you're getting the epizootic."The word was a catch-all folk expression for any kind of cold or similar illness. When you got the epizootic, you went to see the doctor.

CITY OFFICIALS are still searching for a site to replace the less-than-adequate Baltimore Arena downtown. Three locations are under active consideration: the existing site at Howard and Baltimore streets, two options near the new Ravens football stadium and the AlliedSignal reclamation area in Fells Point.All of these alternatives have problems. Nevertheless, the city is about to advertise for a consultant to help in the planning of a $200 million arena that could have seating for up to 20,000 people.

Owen Carlson, a retired computer engineer who lived in Baltimore for more than 50 years, died of Alzheimer's disease Wednesday at a veterans hospital in Columbia, S.C. He was 82.Born in Calumet, Mich., Mr. Carlson earned an associate's degree at Michigan Technical College before working in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He was a first lieutenant in the Army, serving in World War II and Korea.Mr. Carlson moved to Baltimore after World War II and worked for many years for what was then the Glenn L. Martin Co. He then was a computer engineer at Informatics Inc. in College Park for more than 15 years.

BALTIMORE CLEARLY has money to burn. Why else would the city hire a consultant to study bringing cars back to Lexington Mall when another set of advisers has not reported on a plan to revitalize the troubled Howard Street retail corridor?In 1974, when cars were banned from three blocks of Lexington Street between Cathedral and Eutaw streets, pedestrian malls were an urban craze. In city after city, the shared belief seemed to be that marginal retail areas would thrive again if shoppers jTC could stroll in landscaped areas without having to dodge traffic.

The owner of downtown Baltimore's tallest office building, at 100 Light St., has agreed to an early termination of a lease with USF&G Financial Services Corp. - which has been subleasing to money manager Legg Mason Inc. - in a deal valued at $27 million. As part of the agreement with tower owner Lexington Realty Trust, USF&G, now a subsidiary of St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co., also will transfer ownership of land under the tower valued at $16 million to Lexington, the real estate investment trust said in a news release issued late Monday.

I am a fan of fruitcake. I used to make my own -- a process that required a lot of nuts, a lot of candied lemon peel, a sizable amount of molasses, and brandy. As a result, I have a healthy regard for real fruitcake, and virtually no tolerance for would-be comedians who think they are so clever when they recite the line about fruitcake making a good doorstop, or how there is really only one fruitcake that gets passed from home to home. Berger's Bakery Address --Lexington Market, 400 W. Lexington St. Phone --410-727-3685 Hours --6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday Brightly wrapped in red and green ribbons, this long, blond loaf, $3.99, was chewy and mild.

Oct. 12 1870 Gen. Robert E. Lee died in Lexington, Va., at age 63. 2000 Seventeen sailors were killed in a suicide bomb attack on the destroyer the USS Cole in Yemen.

Attempting to become the first Harford County team in the Cal Ripken 12-and-under World Series' five-year history in Aberdeen to win two games and have a shot at the playoffs, Emmorton dropped a 4-2 decision to College Point, N.Y., yesterday at Cal Sr.'s Yard. Southeast Lexington, Ky. (3-1), qualified as the top seed in the National Division with a 10-2 rout of Tampa, Fla. (2-1), but Emmorton (1-2) and the other division teams are still alive for the other berth. It's Southeast Lexington's fifth straight appearance in the playoffs.

As Memorial Day month comes to a close, we join the nation in offering a very belated salute to William H. Cornish. Mr. Cornish, 87, served in World War II with the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black bomber unit. After the war, the Tuskegee Airmen slipped too quietly back into a segregated society. The unit's extraordinary and valiant record put the lie to deeply ingrained racial segregation, so it had to be forgotten. For decades, the Tuskegee Airmen were at most a footnote in the story of World War II for most Americans.

Trevor Gott lets his arm do his talking. The right-hander struck out nine in three innings, didn't give up a hit and walked one to lead Southeast Lexington, Ky., to a 2-0 victory over West Raleigh, N.C., in a matchup of 2-0 teams in the Cal Ripken 12-and-under World Series in Aberdeen yesterday. "I just don't like to talk, but, yes, I expected it to be a good game with them," said the shy Gott, who kept his head down as he barely responded, though several of his teammates were standing around him. The win clinched a berth out of the American Division for Friday's single-elimination playoffs.

Where: The Sidebar Tavern, 218 E. Lexington St. When: 7 p.m. Sunday Why: Cough up a five-spot for a good cause and come out to an all-night extravaganza featuring three bands and a fashion show. Hear punkish outfits the Headwounds, the Lexington Arrows and Mongolodian Glow play, see beatboxer Dominic ShodeKeh work the mike and watch a fashion show by local designers Meredith Page, Rachel Anne Warren, Nicolette Le Faye and Emily Sader-Murray. The proceeds benefit Ann Metz, a cancer patient who writes the local comic strip Adventures in Chemotherapy.

Kody Kundick said that he "wasn't having a good tournament" until yesterday. His two-run double sparked a nine-run inning to propel Lexington, Ky., into the Cal Ripken 12-and-Under World Series playoffs, which start today in Aberdeen. Kundick, who plays golf, used his driving swing for the bases-loaded double, breaking a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning and leading to a 12-3 rout of Waite Park, Minn. "It felt really good because I had not hit the ball well since our first game," said Kundick, whose team took second in the American Division.

Lexington is a handsome little village with good buildings. - Isaac Burr, traveling in Virginia in 1804 The night was dark, the narrow country road deserted. The lights from the few houses along the way looked like distant stars. I'd never been to Clark's Lumber Yard, but I'd heard things got hopping out there on Friday nights. The Saw Mill Band, led by 82-year-old Bruce Clark, started playing at 7:30 p.m., and the dancing started at 7:31. Or so I'd been told. Quite frankly, I couldn't imagine anything "hopping" down this remote road, 15 miles north of Lexington, Va., in rural Rockbridge County, except maybe a frog or two. But then again, the Lexington area can surprise you. Bluegrass and Bach mix comfortably here, and visitors will find a thriving intellectual community in the midst of a gorgeous rural setting.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Here in the heart of tobacco country, where farmers have nurtured fields of rich burley leaf since the 1700s, Lexington has done the unthinkable: Banned smoking. Karl Evans sat on a stool at Nicholson's Cigar Bar and stared at the clock, grimacing as the minute hand ticked toward 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Teeth clamped down on a Marlboro cigarette, he took a deep, determined draw. In just under an hour, he would have to stub it out or be in violation of a new local ordinance banning smoking.