Mount Washington

Fresh Fields, an upstart health-food supermarket chain, confirmed yesterday that it plans to open its first Baltimore grocery in the Mount Washington area, offering an alternative for the organically inclined shopper.The privately held company based in Rockville expects to open an estimated 18,000-square-foot store off Interstate 83 on Falls Road in March or April, becoming the largest tenant in a proposed retail-office complex near Roland Park."Since we opened the company five years ago, we've been very aggressively searching for a site in Baltimore," said Chief Operating Officer Jack Murphy.

Bringing specialty pediatric medicine into a growing organization that has moved nimbly to thrive in the era of managed care, Mount Washington Pediatric Health System will join the North Arundel Health System, the two institutions announced yesterday.Both will retain their names.Based at the 329-bed North Arundel Hospital in Glen Burnie, the North Arundel system also owns all or part of more than 100 physician practices, several "family care centers," a pharmacy, a medical equipment company and an organization that contracts with HMOs.

Mount Washington Elementary School's quest for more independence has raised a nagging issue for the school system: How do you keep middle-class families happy with their schools? Mount Washington's staff and parents are asking the city school board to let them become a "new school," a designation that would make them an independently run public school. But unlike other such schools, Mount Washington has long been considered one of the city's best elementary schools. So why, school board members asked last week, does the Mount Washington community want out?

An influential association that represents Mount Washington homeowners has voted to take a hard-line stance against allowing slot machines at Pimlico Race Course. The Mount Washington Improvement Association decided at a meeting late Tuesday to alter its previous position on expanded gambling for the racetrack, which borders Mount Washington. The group previously said that it was opposed to slots "unless certain conditions were met" to mitigate the impact on the neighborhoods, said association President Jan Franz.

City police were searching for clues yesterday in the fatal stabbing of a 68-year-old man during an apparent burglary in Mount Washington - a crime that stunned residents unaccustomed to violence in their neighborhood. "We're all very upset about it," said Jan Franz, president of the Mount Washington Improvement Association. "It's very scary." Police say the killing occurred about 2 p.m. Sunday when a caretaker living in a home in the 5600 block of Greenspring Ave. confronted a burglar.

When hordes of uninvited guests park in their streets, driveways and yards today for the Preakness, the Mount Washington neighborhood will be braced for the invasion. In fact, the local lemonade stands show that in a weird way, residents almost welcome it."Plenty of people in Mount Washington say they hate it, but it's amusing at the end to watch," said Peter Garver, a past president of the Mount Washington Improvement Association. "From the porch, it's quite the scene."There's also a serious reason for putting up with the party.

The Maryland Horsemen's Assistance Fund, which benefits backstretch workers at the state's thoroughbred tracks, will conduct its spring fund-raiser tomorrow at Mt. Washington Tavern. Racing memorabilia will be offered in a live auction at 7 p.m., as well as during a silent auction throughout the evening. Live-auction items include an autographed, framed photo of Lance Armstrong, bronze statuettes and a date with personable jockey Ryan Fogelsonger. Guest bartenders will include jockey Steve "Cowboy" Hamilton and trainer Janice Nini.

USF&G Corp. yesterday officially began construction on the first of several planned buildings at its Mount Washington campus for a consolidation that was nearly thwarted, an event that could have resulted in the insurer's departure from the region.USF&G Chairman and Chief Executive Norman P. Blake Jr. said the consolidation will allow the company to remain competitive in an intensely competitive industry."This represents a rebirth, part of what we're trying to accomplish with the company," Mr. Blake said during a ceremonial groundbreaking.

Eric Fulton was fighting a losing battle.Born prematurely, the 1-pound, 9-ounce East Baltimore baby had spent two months in neonatal intensive care at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.After his release in the summer of 1990, the frail infant struggled with breathing problems and asthma. He was readmitted several times, returning this past summer with pneumonia.Finally, doctors told his mother that she might want to try Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital. Her reaction, Louella Fulton recalled, was one most in Baltimore might share: "First time I've heard of it."

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage plans to temporarily move out of its office in Mount Washington after a heavy weekend rain left water and possibly mold damage inside its leased building, company workers and their landlord said yesterday. Himmelrich Associates Inc., which owns the property at 1340-A Smith Ave., said the 50 people who work in the first-floor office should be able to return soon. "We learned [yesterday] they believe they have mold," said Samuel K. Himmelrich Jr., the landlord.