Manatee

An endangered manatee paid a visit to the Chesapeake Bay this summer -- the first confirmed sighting here in six years, marine mammal experts said. And they suspect the stealth visitor was Chessie, the celebrity manatee who won hearts along the East Coast during a 1995 jaunt to Rhode Island. Acting on a tip from a pair of startled water-skiers, marine animal rescue coordinator David Schofield of the National Aquarium saw a manatee Aug. 23 in Cornfield Creek, a tributary of the Sassafrass River, which divides Kent and Cecil counties on the Upper Shore.

All right already. Enough with the manatee.This is yet another story about Chessie, the spunky sea cow who sought out the Chesapeake Bay in summers past for his annual migrations from Florida.Rarely has there been so much hype over a 1,200-pound creature with a brain the size of a very small lettuce.For the third year in a row, folks along the Maryland shore are claiming they have seen him.If this keeps up, once again Chessie will get eaten up by the public (well, not literally because that's illegal)

A marine biologist for the National Aquarium will scan the waters around Rock Creek in northeast Anne Arundel County today, searching for Chessie, the manatee that first wandered into the Chesapeake Bay in 1994.Two people reported seeing the 10-foot, 1,500-pound sea cow Monday in the Patapsco River tributary.Dave Scofield, the marine biologist, said yesterday that the reports, while unconfirmed, are consistent with the profile of Chessie.Both callers described seeing round swirls about the diameter of a bushelbasket on the surface of the water, said Scofield.

It's between an incumbent who dyes his hair gray to look mature and a challenger who dyes his black to look spry.Scientists speculate that life may have existed on Earth, but died out eons ago.Broadcasters promise to provide a little educational television, which children do not promise to watch.Chessie the Manatee has been spotted in the Patapsco, Prettyboy and Loch Ness.Pub Date: 8/19/96

On February 8, 2006, EARL E. CLARK, JR., age 70, of Parrish, FL, formerly a resident of Bel Air, MD. Earl retired from the Baltimore City Public School System in 1993 after serving 30 years as a vocational teacher and administrator. Earl was an alumni of the University of Maryland and Florida State University. He was a member of Phi Delta Kappa Educational Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Florida State University Manatee Seminole Club. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, the former Carolyn Brookhart; his son, Scott, of Tampa, FL and two daughters, Sheryl Metzbower, of Hunt Valley, Cathi Kreis, of Gainsville, VA and four grandchildren.

The Orioles will play an exhibition game against State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota on April 3 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. The game follows the Orioles' last Grapefruit League game -- April 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays -- and an exhibition vs. Florida Southern on April 2, both at Ed Smith Stadium. The team is likely to travel to Norfolk, Va., to play its Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, on April 4 before heading to Baltimore ahead of its Opening Day game against the Minnesota Twins on April 6. "The State College of Florida is extremely grateful to the Orioles for enabling us to continue our tradition of facing a major league team," State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota athletic director Matthew Ennis said in a news release.

Man dies in Laurel crash; passenger critically injured A 20-year-old man died Wednesday after his car veered off a road and hit a utility pole in Laurel, Anne Arundel County police said. Oscar Ivan Patrinos Lara was driving his 1997 Volkswagen Golf with one passenger, Angelica Guillen Tovilla, 18, police said. Lara and Tovilla shared an address on Shiloh Court in Laurel, according to police. Lara was driving north in the 8300 block of Brock Bridge Road about 1:15 p.m. when the car crossed into the oncoming lane, nearly hitting other cars, police said.

Welcome back, old friend. In a summer of discontent across the United States from the record heat wave that's plagued much of the country to the icy deficit reduction talks in Washington, it's good to see a familiar (and might we add unflappable) figure has returned to the Land of Pleasant Living. Let us rejoice in the return of Chessie, the celebrity manatee recently sighted in Calvert County. Thanks to Morgan State University's Estuarine Research Center, the 1,200-pound marine mammal has been positively identified as none other than the one first seen in the Chesapeake Bay 17 years ago. Back in 1994, Chessie's first appearance caused such an uproar - and raised such breathless concern that he wouldn't survive as local water temperatures dropped in the fall - that he was "rescued" and air-lifted back to his native Florida on a U.S. Coast Guard C-130.

A few weeks ago, Marylanders were drawn to the plight of an endangered Florida manatee, which somehow had wandered into the Chesapeake Bay. After an exhausting and frustrating week, rescuers were able to save the creature from the chilly water, fly it back to Florida and release it in a wildlife refuge.A few days later, marine biologists celebrated the release of a loggerhead turtle, which had been given a new chance for life after undergoing unprecedented cataract surgery.The turtle was found floating off Virginia Beach a year ago, almost dead from starvation because it was unable to see its prey.

We're asking readers to show us a souvenir from their recent summer travels. Some of the best vacation souvenirs are the least tangible, such as the smell of the sea or the color of a sunrise. But we're not talking about those. We're talking about that manatee snow globe from Key West. Or the sequined sombrero from Mexico. The real mementos of a perfect (or not-so-perfect) trip. Send us a photo of the souvenir along with a few words about why it's a favorite. We'll include as many as we can in a future Travel section.