Novotny

In years past when County Auditor Joseph H. Novotny presented his recommendations to the County Council, he wielded the budget ax with a heavy hand.This year, reflecting the surprisingly harmonious budget session, Novotny and County Executive Robert R. Neall's administration have already agreed to nearly $1 million in cuts to the proposed $711 million operating budget.Mr. Novotny said there was little controversy because the budget is lean, thanks to reduced revenues caused by the property tax cap and income and recordation taxes that brought in less than estimated.

A familiar lament among boxing fans is the relative absence of exciting, young fighters, resulting in the likes of former champions George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Roberto Duran still being showcased.Dwindling neighborhood gyms coupled with the reluctance of promoters to stage small club shows has restricted the flow of new ring talent. But there are always exceptions, and three examples from the Baltimore area will be on display in preliminary bouts on tomorrow night's fight card at Martin's West featuring cruiserweights Jason Waller and Vincent Boulware.

Jennifer Murach, a Bel Air senior, and Katy Novotny, a freshman from Fallston, were the individual standouts, and Fallston, John Carroll and Bel Air dominated the relays as the county swimming season opened Thursday.The top event was the girls 100-yard freestyle, as the standard of 54.83 seconds was broken twice, by Murach at Edgewood Middle School, 54.80, and by Novotny at North Harford Middle School, 53.92.Murach also lowered the county record in the girls 50-yard freestyle from 24.70 to 24.66, and was part of a record-smashing girls 200-yard medley relay team, which dropped the mark from 1:59.

In Support Of Diane EvansCouncilwoman Diane Evans is doing what an honest two-party system is supposed to do; that is, make the business of public officeholders public business.The Democratic leadership . . . is crying foul. That's not the way we do business, that's not the way "we" always did things. What's foul is the stink for the past years of the Democratic back-room deals and blatant cronyism. . . .Auditor Joseph Novotny said he couldn't stop the pension bill, he could count to four.

Anne Arundel County Councilman Carl G. "Dutch" Holland couldn't let County Auditor Joe Novotny's press conference Tuesday end without reminding him of something."

It wasn't the effect of a 1989 bill that drained Anne Arundel County's pension fund for elected and appointed officials, but all the appointees County Executive Robert R. Neall brought with him the next year, Joseph H. Novotny, the county auditor, argued yesterday.And he didn't tell the County Council in 1989 that the bill, which increased benefits and lowered the retirement age, would empty the fund because he didn't believe that it would, Mr. Novotny angrily told the current council during a tense 90-minute session.

BasketballThis summer, members of the Fallston 15-16 basketball team, organized by coach Paul Brennan, played against tough Baltimore competition in the Project Survival League at Lake Clifton High School.The team finished the regular season 10-0, becoming the first Harford County team to win the Project Survival League.In the championship game, Fallston, missing few players, lost to Dunbar-based Cecil Kirk A, 55-51. Fallston earlier had beaten that team in the regular season.Sean Brennan, Mike McCormick and Ben Brusini (Fallston)

In the four days out the first week of the trophy rockfish season, at least one trophy fish had been hooked per day, and three trophies had been caught and released -- including a 49-incher taken on a white spoon at the south side of the mouth of Eastern Bay.But early last week the fishing slowed, for me at least.The channel edges off Poplar Island and Bloody Point did not yield a keeper during short trips Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Frankly, I began to think I might not catch another fish above the 36-inch minimum.

Crofton Boxing Center owner and promoter Jeff Novotny is one of those people who finds something positive even when things appear negative."There were some very good fights and it was a good tuneup for most of the boxers. It's a shame more fans didn't turn out," said Novotny after a crowd of a little less than 100 showed up for his amateur boxing show at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie last night.In amateur boxing, the bouts are three rounds and the boxers wear thumb-less gloves (designed by ex-Navy boxing coach Emerson Smith of Eastport)

Josh Hall and Victoria Savaliski, the Round One boxing promoters, have scheduled their next dinner/boxing show at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie for March 11.Les "White Lightning" Johnson (26-2) of Rockville and Eric Rhinehardt (12-10) of North Carolina will headline the card.Johnson, a crowd-pleaser with a punishing style, will face Rhinehardt in the middleweight division in a scheduled eight-rounder."Les is tall and rangy, an up-and-coming young boxer," said Hall, whose last show in January took on a big-time atmosphere with the appearance of Lou Duva.