Library

The east Columbia 50+ Center at the east Columbia library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, will offer a new Bridge Night for advanced players from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, starting this week. Admission is free. "Simplified Yang's Tai Chi," 24 gentle, ritualized moves taught by Ping Mao, will be offered from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. once or twice a week. The cost is $6 a class. An introductory class will be offered Thursday. A series of classes is to begin on a date to be determined. A "Harmonize Your Body" exercise class featuring the 4-S Method (Stamina-Strength-Stretch-Synergy)

THE RECENT closing of Haussner's robbed the Highlandtown neighborhood of its 73-year-old landmark restaurant. That's why a wave of development on Eastern Avenue is so encouraging.The Enoch Pratt Free Library has announced plans to construct its first regional "super library" at Eastern Avenue and Eaton Street. The $8 million library should open in 2003.The multimillion-dollar conversion of the old Patterson Theater into a cultural arts center has started. When completed in 2001, the complex will include a 150-seat theater, an art gallery and caf plus 11 studios for artists.

They cannot read by themselves, and some have difficulty even standing. But on certain mornings each month, they can be found in the library, learning the value of good books.All under the age of 2, these are the youngest members of the Catonsville and Howard County central libraries.Two to four mornings a month, they arrive eager to listen to new books and to clap and dance along with new songs. Whether accompanied by mothers, fathers or nannies, these children come ready to enjoy learning at the local library.

Looking for the perfect gift for an older relative?Try a computer.That's what William Miller's sons gave him for his 90th birthday in January. Now Miller is a volunteer at the Pikesville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, where he spends 10 hours a week teaching younger folks -- in their 60s, 70s and 80s -- how to use the Internet."

All branches of the Howard County Library will be closed May 31 in observance of Memorial Day. Regular service will resume June 1.The central library and the East Columbia and Miller branches will be closed on Sundays beginning May 30. Sunday hours will resume on Sept. 12.

In Baltimore CityBaltimore native to oversee daily operations at NAACPThe NAACP has hired a new Chief Operating Officer to oversee daily operations from its national headquarters in Baltimore, officials announced last week.Baltimore native Alexis C. Davis was formerly Chief Financial Officer of Spectera Inc., a Baltimore-based health service provider.Davis, a graduate of the University of Baltimore, is a certified public accountant.Youth's death from beating is ruled homicide by policeThe death Saturday of a Northwest Baltimore teen-ager who suffered serious head injuries during a fight nearly three weeks ago has been ruled a homicide, police said yesterday.

Fearful of losing their library the way Charles Village did last year, about 170 Roland Park residents -- parents with babies, elderly people and some highly paid professionals -- crowded into a church basement Wednesday to vote on how best to keep the library building open.After two hours of discussion, about 70 percent of those who voted expressed support for doubling the size of the gray stone two-story building to 8,000 square feet. Opened in 1924, it is in the heart of their neighborhood, in the 5100 block of Roland Ave. Enoch Pratt Free Library officials, who were not available for comment yesterday, have not said the library is doomed, but the Roland Park Civic League has taken pains to avoid the same fate as the Charles Village and Morrell Park branches, which were abruptly closed last year.

Last-minute snags have forced Howard County officials and a private contractor to re-examine plans for a western Howard County library as its construction deadlines loom.The library, part of a regional park to be located at Carrs Mill Road and Route 97 in Cooksville, should be finished by late next year and open in early 2000, officials said yesterday.But three construction bids by outside contractors have come in too high, they said, pushing the project's cost to $4.4 million, or $700,000 over budget.

More than three years after a devastating fire destroyed the library at Lake Clifton Eastern High School, school officials plan to unveil today a state-of-the-art, $4 million media center that houses 300,000 new books and periodicals.It was critical to replace the library because the Jan. 30, 1995, fire that was blamed on faulty wiring harmed more than textbooks, officials said: it threatened the dreams of students who relied on it for research projects and the opportunity to experiment with new technology.

HEBBVILLE -- Where are the 500 students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities who attended Hebbville Educational Center during the 1970s? Organizers of a reunion of students, teachers and counselors at the federally funded center want to know.Students with difficulty learning to read -- but with above-average IQs -- attended the school, traveling from all over western Baltimore County to the center at 3113 Ridgewood Ave., said Janice B. Levitt, a counselor who worked in the program.

Head-on collision kills 2 in Harford County Two drivers were killed in a head-on collision Friday evening in Belcamp, Harford County, state police said. Jared Todd Church, 34, of Bel Air, was driving a 2006 Honda Civic northbound on Route 543, south of Goat Hill Road, when the vehicle crossed the center line and hit a 2004 Nissan Titan driven by Mark David Stoneberg, 39, head-on about 9:50 p.m., according to investigators. Church died at the scene; Stoneberg was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Baltimore County's busiest library will become its smallest this week as the Cockeysville branch undergoes a $2.2 million renovation that will add space, materials and equipment. The library, in a 23,000-square-foot building on Greenside Drive since 1982, will close Monday through Friday and reopen as a mini-branch Saturday in what had been its meeting room. The condensed space will offer basic services, allowing patrons to borrow, return and reserve items. Eight computer stations will be available, and patrons will have use of two self-serve check-outs.

Four decades ago, when Columbia pioneer Andrea Gruhl worked part-time at what was then called the Frederick Road Library in Ellicott City, then-county commissioner Charles E. Miller's cattle grazed right outside the small red brick and glass building, she said. "I was sure I was the only librarian in the whole United States who had that view, and now we're going back to that," she said, delighted. Gruhl was among about 35 people who Monday night attended the first of two meetings at what is now called the Charles E. Miller library to find out more about the mega-replacement building set to rise next year just behind the current, outmoded library.

Facing a $65 million shortfall in next year's budget, Mayor Sheila Dixon has warned she may have to cut back the hours or close some libraries and neighborhood recreational centers to balance the books. That's especially painful during an economic downturn, when demand for these services generally goes up as people seek less-expensive alternatives to ticketed cultural and sports events. If cuts become necessary, they should be part of an overall strategic plan to strengthen these institutions over the long term, not just respond to the current crisis.

Howard County wants to spread civility fever to a larger audience. In the next year, organizers of the program want to strengthen the campaign on the local level before spreading the concept to the state and national level. The plans were unveiled last week during a news conference that attracted a slew of community leaders and residents. "It's going beyond what we expected," said Valerie Gross, chief executive officer of the county library, which is leading the effort. "It's become a hallmark."

The line of buyers at the Enoch Pratt Free Library book sale stretched more than half a block, but no Black Friday-style madness erupted yesterday, the opening of the three-day annual event. Collectors, dealers and readers lined up at the main entrance of downtown's Central Library before the doors opened at 10 a.m. "We've seen a lot of talk about the Wal-Mart incident," Tim Doyle, a Sykeville dealer and collector who was first in line when he arrived at 7 a.m., said, referring to a fatal stampede last week in New York.

Community services group publishes 2009 directory The Association of Community Services has published its new 2009 community resources directory, Looking for Answers? A Directory of Services. The free 2009 edition of the directory is available in schools, libraries, banks, community centers and elsewhere in Howard County. The directory lists more than 140 Howard County public and private agencies, their services and contact information. It is available at ACS offices, 10480 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 920, Columbia, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Information: 410-715-9545 or visit www.acshoco.

The Carroll County Public Library's new bookmobile is a 21st-century full-service library on wheels, complete with satellite capability and low-floor accessibility for wheelchairs and baby strollers. "That's the beauty of it. With the satellite, we can hook into the library system, and people can place their holds, and we can do searches for books," said Connie Wilson, who supervises the bookmobile staff. "Anything they can do in a branch, they can do here." The satellite dish folds flush with the roof when traveling or not in use, then can be raised when needed.

Inside Edition's Deborah Norville is scheduled to discuss and sign copies of her new book at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave. Norville is the author of Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You, which contends that "giving thanks can make you happier and healthier," according to library official. Information: www.prattli brary.org.

The A-OK (Assisting Our Kids) Mentoring/Tutoring Program, a project of Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, is recruiting and training volunteer mentors and tutors to work in elementary and middle schools with individual children and small groups. Opportunities are available during school hours, directly after school and in elementary school homework clubs. No skills are required; volunteers should be willing to commit to one hour a week during the school year. Information: Chaya Kaplan, 410-730-6030 or Joe Willmott, 410-730-0229.