Older Brother

Nathan Kraisser is a freshman at Centennial High School who has already become a standout in the Eagles' wrestling program. According to Wrestling 411.com, he is the No. 9-ranked wrestler in the country at the 103-pound weight class and is ranked No. 1 in his weight class by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. "His work ethic sets him apart," said Centennial coach Dave Roogow. "I've never seen a kid at this age work as hard as he does. Last weekend, he went through a two-day tournament Friday and Saturday in which he made it all the way to the finals, and I'm almost positive he wrestled at a local club on Sunday.

By now, you are probably savoring memories of a traditional Thanksgiving holiday spent dancing to disco hits, swimming in the frosty Atlantic and hang gliding off huge sand dunes. Huh? Well, my parents have spelled "vacations" a-d-v-e-n-t-u-r-e for as long as I can remember, so this range of strange is normal to me. A brief review of my vacation memories reveals my earliest one: my dad pulling off the road somewhere in upstate New York when he saw a hand-lettered sign that read "Piper Cub Ride's $40."

City police were investigating two overnight homicides yesterday, including the stabbing of a 17-year old boy allegedly at the hands of his older half brother, a police spokeswoman said. The two brothers, one age 17 and the other 27, got into an alcohol-fueled brawl outside their mother's house about 3:42 a.m. in the 3700 block of Liberty Heights Avenue in Northwest Baltimore, Officer Nicole Monroe said. At one point, their mother tried to break up the fight, but she was unsuccessful, Monroe said.

The physical differences between E.J. and Erin Henderson are mostly subtle, mostly slight. Six years, maybe five pounds and perhaps two inches are all that really separate these football-playing brothers. Personality, now that's a night-and-day story. "He's a little more introverted, I'm a little more extroverted," Erin said when he met with reporters in February at the NFL's scouting combine in Indianapolis. That became apparent with the next question. How long did it take to get the reserved E.J. out of his shell?

Nearly a week after six masked gunman forced their way into a Catonsville home and three days after the teenage brothers they kidnapped were dropped off at Baltimore County police headquarters, authorities say they are no closer to answering the most basic questions about the incident - including whether the alleged crimes they are investigating actually occurred. Although the teenagers spoke briefly with detectives Friday afternoon, Stephon Blackwell, 16, and his 15-year-old brother, Sterling Blackwell, declined to tell officers anything other than their identities and that they were "alive and well," said Cpl. Michael Hill, a county police spokesman.

The intense search for two brothers who police said were abducted earlier this week as part of a home invasion ended yesterday, when a relative brought the teens to Baltimore County police headquarters in Towson. The teenagers were quickly ushered into interviews with detectives seeking answers to the most basic questions surrounding the case: Who were the six masked men who burst into a home on a quiet suburban block? What happened during the eight-hour siege? And where were the teenagers the last few days, as authorities at all levels of government frantically searched for them?

The Marriotts Ridge football team, in its second year of varsity play, has grown up immensely this season. After coming away with just one win in their inaugural season, the Mustangs closed out this season at 6-4. Senior quarterback Kevin Seker is a microcosm of the team's growth. Seker, who says he is on the shy side, knew he had to step up and take charge with his play on the field and voice as a leader. Seker, who attended Centennial his freshman year, was reluctant to come to Marriotts Ridge when the school opened in 2005, but now he said it was the best thing for him. Also a guard on the basketball team, he is a self-proclaimed sports junkie.

A 27-year-old Annapolis man was recovering at Johns Hopkins Hospital yesterday after he was stabbed three times in the stomach while trying to save someone from being beaten in Charles Village. The stabbing is the latest in a string of violent assaults in the neighborhood that borders the Johns Hopkins University and is known for its colorfully painted townhouses, busy restaurants and active community association.

Family says excessive force by police killed bipolar man A mentally ill Middle River man died Friday night after police, responding to a domestic violence call, fired on him with a Taser stun gun, officials said yesterday. Ryan Lee Meyers, 40, of the 4000 block of Keeners Road, was shot with the weapon after he refused police orders to drop a baseball bat, authorities said. Meyers briefly continued fighting after being stunned but then went into cardiac arrest, according to Baltimore County police.

HAVANA -- It was a side of Raul Castro that Cubans rarely see. Known as a dour, distant and austere general, Cuba's interim leader spoke Wednesday evening to hundreds of university students about his youth, his leadership style and his older brother, the ailing Fidel Castro, whom he described as "irreplaceable." After remaining mostly in the shadows since Fidel Castro ceded power to him in late July after undergoing surgery, Raul Castro explained in the nationally televised speech that, unlike his older brother, he is a man of few words.