Males

Baltimore radio personality Bob Lopez, an iconoclastic newsman and talk-show host at 98 Rock (WIYY-FM) for 27 years and member of its popular Kirk, Mark & Lopez morning team, died of lung cancer yesterday at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. He was 52. Mr. Lopez, who preferred to be called by his last name, had first informed the station's listeners of his illness in an on-air interview from a hospital bed 14 months ago. He had since undergone chemotherapy and other treatment while continuing to take part in the morning show -- often using his illness as a source of humor -- when his health permitted.

The city school board is considering proposals for seven charter schools that include two named for female trailblazers, another attempt at an all-male, college-preparatory program in East Baltimore, and an elementary school for at-risk youths. The new programs were presented to the Baltimore school board Tuesday as part of the district's annual charter application process. The applicants, the majority of which want to open in 2014, had made it through at least one round of interviews with a district charter advisory board.

THE "handgun" episode of the television show "Roc," -- overrated and overhyped -- aired for the second time last Thursday. I was as unimpressed with the second showing as I was with the first.Maybe I'm too curmudgeonly to see the merits of this particular show. Or maybe I just have a different view of things from down here where the bullets are actually flying.It's not that Charles S. Dutton, the Baltimore-born actor who plays Roc, and the writers and producers of the show didn't mean well.

It's springtime, and with the beautiful weather and perfect light comes an age-old ritual as artists set up their easels around Maryland. You can find them working in a variety of mediums in Druid Hill Park, roadside in the Green Spring and Worthington valleys, along the winding stone-lined streets of Ellicott City, or on the wharves of St. Michaels and Rock Hall. And among the artists will be many members of the Baltimore Watercolor Society, the nation's third-oldest such organization.

Minority males between the ages of 14 and 29 will have an opportunity to tell officials how Baltimore services can better meet their needs at a conference today and tomorrow.The "Minority Male Charette" will be held from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. both days at the Baltimore Urban League headquarters at 512 Orchard St.The event is free, but seating is limited; call 396-6422 to reserve a seat."We really want to hear from these young men," said Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who mentioned specifically the issue of police-community relations.

These are tough times for the middle-class white male. He discovered a vaccine for polio, split the atom and landed on the moon. But he seems to have an empathy deficiency that no multivitamin can cure. The poor guy can now add "no meaningful life story" to a list that includes sexist and clueless. I can see a third act for Defending the Caveman, the one-man show about a guy in love with a television set, in which he talks about growing up in a suburban cul-de-sac in an intact family.

AS I PACKED for my first visit to Las Vegas, I was sure that watching old ladies pour their life savings into slot machines would depress me. Within a day, I learned how to play craps and fantasized about walking away with my own stack of $100 chips. When you're feeling lucky, chips seem like play money, making it easy to rack up hundreds of dollars in losses in a matter of minutes. Alcoholics need at least a weekend to go through $100 of cheap wine. Although most people are able to gamble responsibly, 1 percent to 2 percent of the adult population have a diagnosable gambling problem, according to Christine Reilly at the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School.

Here is the full text of the introduction of the report last week by the Governor's Commission on Black Males, chaired by Del. Elijah Cummings.African-American males make-up more than 500,000 of Maryland's total population. As a group, they have a significant and undeniable impact on the society and economy of Maryland. However, the research completed by this Commission provides clear evidence that African-American males have, and continue to, fare poorly in Maryland when compared to the remainder of the population.

Two males and a bystander were shot last night when an argument broke out between two groups of males who were throwing eggs at a Southwest Baltimore bar, police said.Detective Robert Duhony said the groups were throwing eggs against the front of Rosie's Bar in the 400 block of S. Bentalou St. about 6: 20 p.m. when the argument broke out.A man in one of the groups pulled a semiautomatic handgun and started firing.A boy, 14, was shot in the left leg; Michael Paskel, 24, of the 1900 block of Breitwert Ave. was shot in the stomach; and Patrick Healley, 52, a bystander, of the 2500 block of Ashton St. was shot in the right wrist, Duhony said.

DETROIT -- The school board's plan for all-male schools is unconstitutional, and the district must work out a compromise that would allow girls to enroll if the programs are to open as scheduled, a federal judge says.School officials said they would meet with plaintiffs, the American Civil Liberties Union and the legal defense fund of the National Organization for Women to comply with yesterday's ruling by U.S. District Court Judge George Woods.But school board President Lawrence Patrick Jr. also said the board would consider an appeal.

As the son of a woman, the husband of a woman and the father of daughters and granddaughters, I celebrate the record number of females who are now United States senators. However, I do see some differences in the way these and other women are treated, depending on their party, policies and beliefs. Diane Sawyer broadcast a celebratory report last week on ABC's "World News Tonight" on which she gushed about the "record number" of 20 female senators. Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland also praised the Senate female population.

Baltimore police have charged a man in the Christmas Day beating of Kenni Shaw, though it was not announced for several days as the city's gay community remained on edge amid fears of violence. Shaw says he was attacked because he is gay, though police have not suggested a motive in the case. The beating, illustrated by images taken in the hospital of his badly swollen face, helped spur a rally Saturday in East Baltimore that included Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts. Records show Marcus Evans, 26, was picked up two days before the rally on a warrant filed Dec. 29. When asked about the case the day of the rally, police said it remained under investigation.

A male was shot in the leg Saturday on N. Gay Street, Baltimore police said. The shooting occurred in the 1000 block of N. Gay St. The victim was transported to an area hospital. No further information was immediately available. Police had earlier believed the shooting occurred in the 1800 block of Orleans St. ywenger@baltsun.com twitter.com/yvonnewenger

An assault on two males shut down The Block to traffic late Tuesday as police detectives sought information on the apparent altercation, according to Baltimore police. Police responded to the scene in the 400 block of East Baltimore Street about 8:45 p.m. and found two males of unknown ages who appeared to have been assaulted outside "with an edged weapon," said Detective Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman. Silbert said he did not know whether the victims were stabbed, cut or injured in some other way. The victims were transported to an area hospital, Silbert said.

A male victim with multiple gunshot wounds was found in Towson on Sunday night, according to Baltimore County police. Police responded to the 7000 block of Lachlan Circle about 6:55 p.m. after a resident called to say a male victim who had been shot was outside at the location, said Cpl. Cathy Batton, a police spokeswoman. Upon arrival, officers located the male, and he was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, Batton said. She could not immediately confirm the age or the exact condition of the victim, she said.

Junot - and Yunior - are back. Junot Diaz is the MacArthur Fellowship-winning writer whose work reflects his Dominican roots and his Jersey youth, and who has dazzled critics and audiences with a virtuosic narrative voice that weaves tales of young men similar to the ones he grew up with. Yunior is one of Diaz's most indelible characters - brilliant, posturing, alienated, self-destructive and, for better or worse, unable to fully inhabit his own mask. Readers previously met Yunior in the 2006 short-story collection "Drown" and in the novel "The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize.

Black males are suspended or expelled from school at a much higher rate than their white counterparts. Black males score significantly lower on tests than their white counterparts. Black males are jailed at a higher rate than their white counterparts.An Annapolis community organization says the overwhelming statistics have become repetitive and it is time to start looking at solutions."This is probably one of the most important community meetings we will be having prior to school opening," Annapolis Alderman Carl O. Snowden told members of The Bibleway Community Outreach Program Wednesday night.

It's time for equal time. A recent column about date rape brought in a flood of letters this week.A Green Bay, Wis., man wrote:Most of the time I look forward to reading your column, but once again someone in the media has referred to "middle-aged white males" in terms of our supposed reprehensible, sexist mind-sets.Even if some of my white male counterparts are guilty of the sins of sexism, of which they stand accused by you and the rest of the media, how dare you stereotype the majority of us because of the ignorance of a few?

Calvin Maddox was buried today, in the city where he won acclaim. The point guard on Dunbar's 1977 and 1978 Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference basketball champions, he was 54 years old. Maddox, who lived in Baltimore, died Nov. 2 after battling diabetes for a number of years. A three-sport standout at Dunbar, he was The Evening Sun's Male Athlete of the Year in 1978, after earning All-Metro honors in basketball, winning the MSA long jump and starring in football as a running back.

Baltimore County police released images Monday of a forensic artist's reconstruction of a skull belonging to a man found in the Back River over a year ago. Police released the images to help identify the man but said the facial features might vary. The victim is a white male and 40 to 60 years old. The victim had no upper teeth and may have worn dentures, police said. The cause of death is undetermined but police said there were no signs of foul play. The body had been in the water for a significant period.