Lyons

The House of Wisdom By Jonathan Lyons Bloomsbury / 272 pages / $26 Dust will never gather on Jonathan Lyons' lively new book of medieval history - the opening page of his The House of Wisdom cites a cleric scandalized by the Crusader ladies of Antioch and their penchant for the plunging neckline and the bejeweled merkin. If this is the Middle Ages, thinks the reader, bring it on! But this pleasure gradually gives way to another beguilement, to be found in Lyons' subtitle: "How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization."

On a Tuesday night, about a dozen people have taken refuge from the cold in a Fells Point restaurant to discuss a 1970s book by a dissident Czech writer. Some in the group hadn't quite made it all the way through The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera. But that doesn't stop them from debating whether they should laugh or maybe cry about this tale of a communist Czechoslovakia now vanished into history. Oprah Winfrey may have put book clubs in the news, but while she has been creating best-sellers and taking James Frey to task for making up stories, Maryland book clubs ranging from the Dear Sisters Book Club of Upper Marlboro to the Ruth Enlow Libraries in Garrett County, have long been quietly selecting, dissecting and endorsing their favorite reads.

The Rev. John L. Wright, a Baptist minister and civil rights activist, has become a candidate for vice president of the National Baptist Convention, the largest African-American denomination in the country.Wright, the pastor of First Baptist Church of Guilford in Howard County, is running for a slot as a vice president at-large on the ticket of the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson, a candidate for the denomination's presidency from Mount Vernon, N.Y.The president of the denomination has several ministers who assist him as vice presidents.

J. Herbert Lyons, 86, service manager at auto dealership.J. Herbert Lyons, a retired auto dealership service manager who was active in Masonic affairs, died Monday from complications of a stroke at Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick.The former Westminster resident was 86 and had lived at Asbury Methodist Home in Solomons since last year.The native of Owings, Calvert County, came to Baltimore in the 1940s and worked at several auto dealerships, including Sherwood Ford in Govans, where he retired in 1979.

LARGO, Fla. -- After two weeks of testimony about luxury shopping sprees, hidden love affairs and secret bank accounts, lawyers for the Rev. Henry Lyons open their defense of the embattled Baptist leader today.Lyons, 57, and his alleged mistress, Bernice Edwards, are charged with swindling more than $4 million from corporations that hoped to do business with the National Baptist Convention USA, one of the country's largest African-American denominations.Lyons is president of the group, while Edwards served as its public relations director.

LARGO, Fla. -- The head of the United States' largest black religious organization was found guilty yesterday of swindling millions of dollars from companies trying to do business with its members and of stealing donations intended to rebuild churches in the South destroyed by arson.The Rev. Henry J. Lyons, the powerful president of the National Baptist Convention USA, was convicted of racketeering and grand theft in Pinellas County Circuit Court yesterday afternoon after a monthlong trial that mixed law and religion and, his lawyers said, was an attack on the separation of church and state.

THE REV. Henry J. Lyons has had his day of reckoning, and now he's sitting in prison. About two weeks ago, a Florida judge sentenced the former president of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A., the nation's largest black religious nomination, to a 5-year jail term for embezzling $4 million. In June, he faces additional prison time when he's sentenced on related federal charges.For the National Baptist Convention, which has been bitterly divided between Lyons loyalists and those who wanted to replace the St. Petersburg pastor after he was indicted, it is time for healing.

HOLIDAYS SEEM to invoke a nostalgic feeling in adults, and I'm certainly no exception. I've spent my entire life in Glen Burnie, and like many of us who grew up in the '60s, I grew up in an idyllic suburban setting where neighbors became close friends.Oxford Drive was filled with kids my age. Most of us attended Holy Trinity School, which has since been renamed Arthur Slade.During the school year, we spent our Saturdays in the youth league at Greenway Bowl. In the spring, we played softball, and in summer we swam in backyard pools.

The owner of a company that shelters recovering drug addicts and alcoholics in Harford County says a proposed Bel Air zoning bill would ban group homes such as his and violate federal housing law.Jack Lyons, president of Maryland Recovery Partners Inc., said the ordinance would violate the Federal Fair Housing Act by permitting some types of group homes but excluding facilities that treat those recovering from drug or alcohol addiction."

Today and tomorrow over at Adventure World in Largo, you'll have a chance to see -- and do, if you dare -- the "extreme" sports: professional skateboarders careening down pavement at 60 mph with no brakes, bikers soaring 18 feet above ground, jumpers plummeting from a 200-foot tower attached to a bungee cord.ESPN has thrown up a small city of ramps and jumps for the third annual X Games Experience, a traveling exhibit spinning off the annual X Games competitions. The cable network is inviting "everyday athletes" to show off their talents.

The head of Baltimore's FBI field office has left to become the assistant director of the bureau's Inspection Division. Amy Jo Lyons, who was named Baltimore's special agent in charge in April 2008, is now responsible for internal investigations within the agency and ensuring that its programs work and are in line with FBI goals, Director Robert S. Mueller III said in a statement. Lyons was a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration before joining the FBi in 1990. Since then, she's investigated drug-money laundering operations, Italian organized crime and international terrorism and terrorists, including Zacharias Moussaoui, the only person tried by the U.S. in connection with the Sept.

Richard L. Lyons, Jr. 'Ricky' The family will receive visitors at the family-owned Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services, 1 2nd Ave S.W. (at Crain Highway), Glen Burnie from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM on Wednesday and Thursday. The funeral ceremony will be held on Friday at 12 noon in the funeral home chapel. Interment Glen Haven Memorial Park. For further information, please visit www.singletonfuneralhome.com

The House of Wisdom By Jonathan Lyons Bloomsbury / 272 pages / $26 Dust will never gather on Jonathan Lyons' lively new book of medieval history - the opening page of his The House of Wisdom cites a cleric scandalized by the Crusader ladies of Antioch and their penchant for the plunging neckline and the bejeweled merkin. If this is the Middle Ages, thinks the reader, bring it on! But this pleasure gradually gives way to another beguilement, to be found in Lyons' subtitle: "How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization."

Aileen P. Lyons A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 6, 2008 at 1:00 P.M. at the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin. Friends may call one hour prior to the service. Rev. Anthony Pileggi will officiate. Interment will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Dagsboro, DE.

Amy Jo Lyons, the new special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore field office, believes she has her priorities in order. "Terrorism is at the top of the list," she said in a recent interview. "It is the top threat here in Baltimore." Ms. Lyons' bosses in Washington will be glad to hear that she has a clear understanding of her agency's primary focus since the tragedy of 9/11, but her choice is likely to be less inspirational to local officials. There are plenty of likely terrorist targets in Baltimore's sprawling port and the federal facilities scattered across Maryland.

Amy Jo Lyons does not appear easily daunted. As the new chief of the FBI's Baltimore office - which oversees Maryland and Delaware - Lyons is only too aware of the devastating crime rate of the area's biggest city, one of the worst in the country. "It's a huge task," Lyons said yesterday as her third week at the helm of the regional office drew to a close. "I see there's a great need for strong law enforcement, and we're ready to fill it, along with our partners. It means there's a calling for us to be here."

All-America junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis will enter the NBA draft, joining teammate Derrick Rose in leaving early for the pros. The school announced the decision yesterday. Douglas-Roberts led Memphis with 18.1 points a game last season. Also entering the draft is UCLA junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. More college basketball -- Pat Flannery retired after 14 years as Bucknell's coach. He led the small Patriot League school to two NCAA tournaments, highlighted by a victory over Kansas in 2005.

Moves Baseball METS -- Acquired P Johan Santana from Twins for OF Carlos Gomez, P Philip Humber, P Kevin Mulvey and P Deolis Guerra. Agreed to six-year contract with Santana . NATIONALS -- Agreed to two-year contract with P Jon Rauch . College MISSOURI -- Reinstated F Leo Lyons and F Marshall Brown to men's basketball team.

On September 4, 2007, Tracie Ronette. Friends may call the WYLIE FUNERAL HOME P.A OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, 9200 Liberty Road on Monday from 6-8PM. First Mount Olive FreeWill Baptist Church will hold services for Ms. Lyons on Tuesday Carter Memorial Church Of God In Christ, 745 W. Fayette Street 10:30am wake, 11:00am Funeral Interment Following. Inquiries www.wyliefuneralhome.com .

On June 15, 2007 ROY T. LYONS, JR. beloved husband of Willa R. Lyons. On Wednesday, Mr. Lyons will lie in state at St. John Baptist Church, 8910 Old Annapolis Road (Route 100), where the family will receive friends from 9:30-10:30 a.m. services to follow. Interment at Crownsville VA Cemetery. Inquiries to 410-233-2400.