Merkle

BaseballAstros: Purchased the contract of P Joe Slusarski from Triple-A New Orleans.Brewers: Activated P Jeff D'Amico. Fired assistant GM Fred Stanley and scouting director Ken Califano.Reds: Activated 1B Hal Morris.Rockies: OF John Cangelosi retired.BasketballMavericks: Named Kiki Vandeweghe assistant coach.CollegeAmerica East: Named Boston University's Allison Merkle (Catholic) women's soccer Rookie of the Week.Loyola: Brianne Higgins and Kristin Longo were named to first-team collegiate honor roll by US Rowing.

Advertising * MGH announced the appointments of Robyn Bowers as media assistant, Katie Beach and Rusty Walters as word-of-mouth account coordinators, and Christopher LaRoche as traffic coordinator for the Owings Mills-based marketing communications agency. Education * John Hopkins University appointed Alison G. Milligan as senior director of its engineering for professionals program. She was formerly an engineering manager with LSI Logic Inc. Legal * McGuire Woods LLP announced that Jessica D. Fegan joined the law firm as an associate in the business and securities litigation department of its Baltimore office.

Mario Russell is sitting at the piano in Marjorie Liss' fourth-floor studio at the preparatory school of the Peabody Institute listening intently to the viola part in the piece he is working on with fellow student Paula Merkle."

BaseballMajor League Baseball: Arizona Diamondbacks won coin toss and will make second and third selections in expansion draft Tuesday. Tampa Bay Devil Rays will get first and fourth choices. Arizona will have all odd-numbered picks rest of draft.BasketballMagic: Promoted Stephen Giles to scouting coordinator.Nets: Placed G Lucious Harris (broken bone in his right hand) on injured list. Activated F Jack Haley from injured list.WNBA: Signed F Cindy Brown.CollegeBig South: Named UMBC junior outside hitter Lisa Cline volleyball Player of the Year, UMBC's Megan McNamara to first team and teammate Lanne Baker to second team.

CHICAGO -- Japanese-based manufacturers remained the most efficient vehicle producers in North America last year, but the domestic Big Three are catching up. Nissan reclaimed the top spot from Toyota after falling to second in 2004, and Honda ranked third in the Harbour Report, an annual productivity assessment by Harbour Consulting of Troy, Mich., that is closely watched by Wall Street and manufacturing experts. Productivity and quality go hand-in-hand, said Michelle Hill, Harbour's North American director and one of the authors of the study.

Bryn Mawr Mawrtians1997 record: 12-6Coach: AnneMarie MerowTop players: Sarah Cook, Sr., M; Elizabeth Knight, Sr., F/M; Teresa Sherry, Jr., F; Sarah Isaacs, Jr., D; Nadia Chornodolsky, -- Jr., M; Katie Mack, Jr., F.Outlook: The Mawrtians lost just three seniors and they should be a team to reckon with in the Catholic League B Division. In addition to returning a skilled, balanced squad, Merow has added some solid freshmen. The midfield is solid all over, Sherry (22 goals) will pace the attack and Isaacs and returning keeper Charlotte Elder anchor the defense.

Wayne Hizer's 52-inch striped bass was the winning catch in the eighth annual Chesapeake House Inn and Restaurant Pro-Am Fishing Tournament on Tuesday.Hizer, a businessman from Pittsburgh, landed the fish from the ++ deck of Captain John Motovidlak's Retriever II charter based out of Tilghman Island. The 45-pound rockfish hit a trolled 9/0 green Crippled Alewive near the C&R Buoy.The trophy fish already had spawned -- she was empty of her eggs -- when she lost the battle to Hizer.I have been fortunate to be an invited pro at this tourney since its inception.

My husband and I live in Baltimore and last fall we took a cruise to Bermuda. While touring the island, we climbed the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Built in 1844, it is the oldest cast-iron lighthouse in the world. Standing 117-feet tall, it offered an unparalleled view of the island and its distinctive architecture. This shot was captured 185-steps later amidst brisk winds along the gallery. The Baltimore Sun welcomes submissions for "My Best Shot." Photos should have been taken within the past year and be accompanied by a description of when and where you took the picture and your name, address and phone number.

On December 1, 2005 EDWARD DANIEL SCHWARTZ loving son of the late Edward M. Schwartz and Margaret E. Merkle; beloved brother of Joan E. Schwartz. Visitation to be held at the HUBBARD FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4107 Wilkens Avenue on Monday from 12 to 2 p.m. and where funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Interment in Loudon Park Cemetery.

Carroll Community College will continue offering courses in Mount Airy, even though Frederick Community College has decided to pull out of a partnership that created a joint satellite campus last year.This fall will be the last semester in which Frederick participates in the joint program in the college-credit courses. It already has pulled out of participation in the noncredit courses.The partnership had seemed a natural, because Mount Airy straddles the two counties, and the drive to the main campus of either college is about 30 minutes from the town, said Karen Merkle, vice president for continuing education at Carroll Community College.