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There wasn't a Grinch in sight at the 100 Black Men of Maryland's 10th annual Christmas Brunch. As soon as you walked in the door at Martin's West, you were greeted with sparkling Christmas trees, four-foot toy soldiers, a mountain of poinsettias and a huge gingerbread castle. The goodies and good cheer continued inside the banquet hall, where guests shared in a sumptuous buffet and later worked off the meal with a few turns on the dance floor. Even the football fans could relax and have a good time because the Ravens game was being broadcast on two big screens.

Mars, an acronym for Music and Recording Superstore, will open its second Baltimore-area location -- and 18th store nationally -- today in Catonsville.The 35,000-square-foot store on Powers Lane, in a former Circuit City location west of Rolling Road and U.S. 40 West, will be designed around a concert stage and will feature learning centers, demonstration rooms for musicians and a recording studio. Shoppers at Mars are greeted by "Martians" who allow customers to bang on drums or croon into dozens of plugged-in microphones.

Boy, 5, hit and killed by Jeep is identified A 5-year-old boy killed Saturday when he darted in front of a vehicle while chasing after a group of teenagers was identified yesterday. Anne Arundel County police said Colin Matthew Cunningham of Stevensville had run onto Whispering Woods Drive in an Annapolis-area townhouse community around 6:30 p.m. and was struck by a Jeep Wrangler driven by an 18-year-old who lives in that community. Police said a group of seven teenagers had crossed the road ahead of the Jeep on their way to play football in an open area, and Colin suddenly ran after them.

K.J. Choi banished three long years of losing with one outstanding, four-hole stretch in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro yesterday. The South Korean star birdied the first holes in the final round, giving him all the cushion he needed in a two-shot victory over Shigeki Maruyama. It was Choi's first PGA Tour victory since 2002, when he won two tournaments during a breakthrough season. He finished with a 6-under-par 66 yesterday for a 22-under 266 total, one stroke short of Jesper Parnevik's tournament record, set in 1999.

Do initial public offerings tempt you? Be careful. Working Woman, June, says, "Hype aside, `hot' new issues aren't always what they seem. Ninety percent of hot deals go to big institutions, and the remaining IPOs offered to individuals are the riskiest of all. Rule of thumb: You probably don't want any IPO you can get shares of." After being bounced around in this wild market, many investors are looking for conservative growth stocks. The American Association of Individual Investors Journal lists these choices: Sara Lee Corp.

A home-furnishings store will fill the last major vacant space at the Westminster Crossing Shopping Center, the developer said. Gavigans Home Furnishings will open its first store in Carroll County, possibly as early as August, said Mark A. Bomse, vice president of Greenberg Commercial Corp. of Owings Mills. The 22-year-old, family-owned Gavigans, with stores in Dundalk and Glen Burnie, has signed a lease for 27,500 square feet in the shopping center. Westminster Crossing was developed from two properties on Route 140 at Englar Road -- the former Lowe's home improvement store and the old Englar Shopping Center anchored by Kmart -- since being purchased in 2003.

Got electronic junk? This summer you'll have another option for getting rid of it. Best Buy Co. announced yesterday that Maryland is one of eight states where it is testing a pilot program that allows consumers to get rid of old computers, televisions, cell phones and other outdated electronic gadgets for free. Consumers will be able to bring two items per day to a Best Buy store for recycling under the program, which began Sunday. The test program is expected to run at least through the summer and, if it works, will be expanded to the retailer's 922 other stores, said Kelly Groehler, a spokeswoman for the company, the nation's largest electronics seller.

Contours Express gym's grand opening scheduled tomorrow Contours Express, a new women's fitness center, has opened at 250 Englar Road in Carroll Plaza Shopping Center, Westminster. A grand opening will be held from noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow. Reservations are required. Information: 410-871-2895. Mall events include photo, sports memorabilia shows TownMall of Westminster has announced events for this month: The Carroll County Camera Club Inc. will hold its annual exhibit tomorrow through Jan. 16 in the court outside Steve & Barry's University Sportswear.

They're not expensive or extravagant, but the tokens of encouragement given to the recovering drug addicts are meant to carry a valuable message of support. "A lot of these people have never been rewarded," said Janet Simpson, coordinator of Anne Arundel County's Drug Court. For the first time in its four-year history, the court has started giving out small presents - diploma frames, movie tickets, meal vouchers - to reinforce the efforts of addicts working to graduate from Drug Court and rebuild their lives.

McCormick & Schmick is known most days for its seafood, but this time of year its menu more resembles that of an Irish pub. In celebration of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, the Inner Harbor restaurant brings in Irish steppers and adds corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, and mussels steamed in Guinness beer to the menu. "In our company, St. Patrick's Day has become like a national holiday," general manager Kevin Bonner said. Once celebrated most widely in Irish enclaves such as Boston, St. Patrick's Day is becoming more mainstream - and more commercial.