Mercy Hospital

A fire broke out in a room on the 14th floor of the Mercy Medical Center at 1:10 p.m. today, causing the evacuation of patients to the 12th floor, fire officials said. There were no injuries reported. Traffic on St. Paul and Calvert streets was snarled by the 20 pieces of firefighting equipment that surrounded the hospital. Fire officials called for backup equipment as a precaution for possible total evacuation of the hospital.

A monthly fee charged to Maryland parolees often grows to a burdensome debt that hinders their attempts to build a life after prison and runs counter to the mission of the parole program, according to a study that will be released this week. More than 80 percent of parolees do not pay the state parole supervision fee on time and some consider committing crimes to pay the fee, which amounts to an average of $750, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School.

AMID THE BAD news and uncertainty, it's easy to overlook signs of a fundamental change in downtown development: For the first time in decades, a flurry of construction activity is taking place north of Baltimore Street, along the Calvert Street corridor. Most encouraging is the mix of intended uses. Mercy Hospital's $110 million expansion plan includes a new seven-story outpatient center and an 800-car garage to be built on currently vacant lots. But while those additions will take five years to complete, several other projects are already under way in the vicinity: The Munsey Building, near the Court House complex at Fayette Street, is being converted into 150 apartments.

Millions of women may suffer from incontinence, which can interfere with their everyday lives. But many are too embarrassed to report their symptoms or think that nothing can be done to ameliorate the condition, says Dr. Warren T. Oberle, a urologist with the Urology Specialists of Maryland at Mercy Hospital. Incontinence, however, is treatable in the majority of cases. How is incontinence defined? Incontinence is unwanted leakage of urine. There are two types: One is called urgency incontinence and occurs when the bladder squeezes in, and the woman doesn't make it to the bathroom on time.

A man was found burning early this morning in the small public park across the street from Mercy Hospital in downtown Baltimore, fire officials said. The man, who authorities have yet to identify and believe was homeless, was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the fire was under investigation, and the cause of death will not be known until an autopsy is completed, according to James Gardner, a spokesman for the city Fire Department. Two hospital workers initially attempted to put out the fire at Preston Gardens park with a fire extinguisher, Gardner said.

Sister Helen Amos is this year celebrating her 50th anniversary of coming to Baltimore and her 50th year as a Sister of Mercy and is helping to lead an important effort to end or sharply reduce homelessness in the city over the next 10 years. Born in Mobile, Ala., she came here to become a novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy at Mount St. Agnes College, which in those days was on a hillside in Mount Washington. She later taught for a while in Georgia and lived in Silver Spring for eight years when she was president of the Sisters of Mercy.

On May 7, 2005, GEORGE J. BARROW, beloved brother of Rita Kormann, Joan Halstad, Lawrence, David, James, Robert and Catherine Barrow. Cremation private. Memorial services will be held on Wednesday May 11 at 1 P.M. at the Grace & St. Peters Church, 707 Park Avenue. Interment Parkwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Stella Maris Hospice at Mercy Hospital. Arrangements by Cvach/Rosedale Funeral Home.

Where: Preston Gardens on St. Paul Place When: 7:30 p.m. today and Sept. 29 Why: Watch a romantic comedy and help rejuvenate the park near Mercy Hospital and the Standard Oil apartment building. Tonight's film is Hitch (Will Smith, Kevin James and Eva Mendes), and Sept. 29 it's Finding Neverland. Information: 410-244-1030, www.godown townbaltimore.com. Admission: Free. Food and drink will be sold.

Dorothy Piquette Macatee, a former Mercy Hospital nurse who was active in charitable endeavors, died Friday at Johns Hopkins Hospital following complications of heart and brain surgery. She was 75.A mass of Christian burial for Mrs. Macatee will be offered at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, Calvert and Madison streets.A graduate of the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, she worked in the emergency room at Mercy and as a private duty nurse for a few years before World War II.The Guilford resident, who stopped working after her children were born, was particularly active in charitable causes.

A Mass of Christian burial for Dorothy Piquette Macatee, a former Mercy Hospital nurse who was active in charitable endeavors, will be offered at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, Calvert and Madison Streets.Mrs. Macatee died Friday at Johns Hopkins Hospital following complications of heart and brain surgery. She was 75.A graduate of Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, she worked in the emergency room at Mercy and as a private duty nurse for a few years before World War II.Mrs.

I covered the story when Ben Roethlisberger was injured in a motorcycle crash. His football career and perhaps his long-term health seemed in serious jeopardy. And so, outside Mercy Hospital, on a street overlooking the Monongahela, a small gathering did what comes naturally to Steelers fans. They tailgated, cooking hot dogs on a grill. A few fans calmly held vigil into the night. I remember looking at the lighter fluid and the bottle of French's mustard and thinking this was the most surreal thing I'd ever experienced.

Sister Helen Amos is this year celebrating her 50th anniversary of coming to Baltimore and her 50th year as a Sister of Mercy and is helping to lead an important effort to end or sharply reduce homelessness in the city over the next 10 years. Born in Mobile, Ala., she came here to become a novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy at Mount St. Agnes College, which in those days was on a hillside in Mount Washington. She later taught for a while in Georgia and lived in Silver Spring for eight years when she was president of the Sisters of Mercy.

Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) will consider granting landmark status today to a row of historic downtown homes slated for demolition by Mercy Medical Center. Preservationists are trying to prevent the hospital from razing the 1820s-era houses in the 300 block of St. Paul Place, some of the oldest downtown, for a planned $292 million expansion. City housing officials gave Mercy a demolition permit Friday, and Baltimore Heritage, a preservation organization, immediately appealed, arguing that a law paving the way for Mercy to quickly get the permit passed the City Council improperly.

An amendment quietly added and approved by the City Council at the request of Mercy Medical Center strips all protections from a row of downtown historic houses that the hospital has long wanted to demolish. Baltimore's preservation board was not aware that City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. changed the bill, and the public was not given an opportunity to comment before the council passed the measure and Mayor Martin O'Malley signed it into law this month. Irate, preservationists are calling the move an end run against open government and demanding that the city restore the protected status of the buildings, which are owned by the hospital and are some of the oldest left downtown.

With two teammates still lying in hospital beds, Duquesne University's basketball team tried to return to normal yesterday, three days after five players were shot during a terrifying outburst of gunfire that followed a school dance. The players went to class, lifted weights and were scheduled to work out later in the day. On Tuesday, police arrested Brandon Baynes, 18, of Penn Hills, Pa., on five counts of criminal attempted homicide. William Holmes, 18, also of Penn Hills, turned himself in yesterday, police said.

On August 27, 2006, DIANE LEE NADOLSKI of Millersville, beloved wife of Thomas Nadolski, devoted mother of Dana L. Krawczyk and Thomas F. Nadolski, dear sister of Charles A. Wood and Joyce L. Malone. Friends may call at the family owned Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home, P.A., 421 Crain Highway, S.E., Glen Burnie, MD, on Wednesday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Services will be held on Thursday at 11 A.M. Interment will be at Glen Haven Memorial Park. If so desired, donations can be made to the Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit at Mercy Hospital, 227 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD, 21202.

On September 16, 2005, BRIAN THOMAS KOWAL; beloved son of Andrew T. Kowal, Sr. and the late Mercy E. Kowal; dear brother of Andrew T. Kowal, Jr.; good friend of Shirley Lewis and many other loving friends. A Memorial Mass will be held at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, on Thursday 10 A.M. If so desired, contributions may be made to the Stella Maris at Mercy Hospital, 301 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Arrangements by the Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk, Inc.

On Ben Roethlisberger's official Web site, there are a handful of photos of the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback astride a gleaming motorcycle. And there's no helmet to be seen. Roethlisberger's affinity for big, powerful cycles and his refusal to wear a helmet while riding have become part of the NFL star's swashbuckling image. But that mind-set appeared to contribute to the injuries the 24-year-old football star suffered yesterday when his Suzuki Hayabusa, a high-performance motorcycle, collided with a Chrysler New Yorker on a Pittsburgh street.

On January 18, 2006, MARY L.(nee Brune); beloved wife of the late Clifton L. Titter and the late Clifford C. Hisker, Jr.; devoted mother of Patricia Heil, Sarah Hastings, Clifford Hisker III, Lillian Zucconi and Mary J. Gue; dear sister of George, Francis and Louis Brune. Also survived by seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Services and interment private. Arrangements by CONNELLY FUNERAL HOME OF DUNDALK, P.A., 410-285-2900. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Stella Maris Hospice or Mercy Helping Hands both located in Mercy Hospital.