Open Door

Last year on April 29, our son Brandon died after losing his fight with vasculitis, an auto immune disease that attacks the blood vessels. We, his family, were in shock and did not know where to honor Brandon's life in a memorial service since we haven't been attending a church on a regular basis. Brandon's mother suggested Cardinal Gibbons High School, where both Brandon and his younger brother graduated. This seemed like the perfect choice since both young men have a real heart connection to Gibbons.

Senior defenseman Parker Bratton is fully expected to make his customary start when No. 4 Stevenson welcomes No. 13 Lynchburg to Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills for Wednesday night's NCAA tournament quarterfinal. Whether the Baltimore native and McDonogh graduate plays the entire 60 minutes is a different matter. Bratton, who is tied for fourth on the team in caused turnovers with 17 and ranks seventh in ground balls with 47, has been bothered by a turned ankle suffered about two weeks ago. Coach Paul Cantabene said he is not too worried about Bratton, who has missed two games this season.

Charles I. Ecker is a very nice man. When he ascended to the Howard County executive's seat -- and he would not like the analogy to a throne -- Mr. Ecker pledged that he would maintain an open-door policy, unlike his predecessor, Elizabeth Bobo. No aide or public relations specialist would act as an intermediary between him and his constituency, he said.Many observers, particularly those of us in the press, winked knowingly at one another, convinced that the realities of holding office would put a quick end to any promise about openness.

Is the Iraq war to blame for the mess we are in? Now, I should qualify that question by explaining "mess" and "we. " By "mess," I mean the dawn of Barack Obama's second term, the predictably catastrophic rollout of Obamacare, the exploding debt and deficit, the stimulus boondoggles, etc. By "we," I mean conservatives (particularly those, like me, who supported the war), but also anyone else who doesn't think President Obama has done a bang-up job. There seems to be a growing consensus that the answer to that question is "yes.

The Rev. Shelton L. Smith preaches a farewell sermon today at the Church of the Open Door, a place he has called home and nurtured for nearly 17 years.Dr. Smith is leaving the independent Westminster church with its 3,000 members and broadening his ministry to the media and pulpits around the country.As the newly named president and editor of The Sword of the Lord, a semimonthly publication with a worldwide circulation of 100,000, the 52-year-old pastor and his wife Betty will move to Tennessee, where he will supervise a staff of 63 and write "a salvation presentation" in each issue.

The Open Door drug treatment center is easier to reach, now that it is in a new location on Crain Highway, along the No. 14 bus route."You've got to go where people can get to you," said Dr. Steven R. Katkowsky, director of Anne Arundel County's Division of Mental Health & Addictions.The center opened at its new address, 407 Crain Highway, on Monday. It offers outpatient treatment for drug addiction and counseling.The move consolidates services, meaning adults no longer have to go to the old center in an industrial park on North Langley Road and children don't have to go to a center housed at the Arundel Center North building.

An article in Sunday's editions of The Sun on school-age child care incorrectly said that a program for children at Hernwood Elementary School in Randallstown was new this school year. That program, Hernwood Kare, is in its 11th year.The Sun regrets the error.When Jeanne Page opened the doors to her school-age child care program, six youngsters came in. Two of them were her own.In the second year, the center at Pine Grove Elementary School in northeastern Baltimore County attracted 22 youngsters, more than half of whom had transferred to the school because Ms. Page could take care of them before and after classes while their parents were at work.

They rush into Woodbridge Elementary's cafeteria every afternoon, minutes after the final bell at the Baltimore County school -- four dozen or so pupils who are done with their day's classes, but not yet done with learning.For children enrolled in Open Door's before- and after-school care programs, academic skills -- particularly reading -- are receiving extra attention every day.Open Door was founded in 1983 by psychologist Jeanne M. Page after she struggled to find child care for her children.

Pastor Norris Belcher strides to battle Satan not in a bejeweled robe but in a conservatively cut gray business suit. He goes unarmed but for a simple black Bible. He takes his campaign against the devil seriously, and he needs few trimmings to wage it. Satan is real, Belcher believes. Take the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. "I look at this thing on a grander scale," he said. "It's not Osama bin Laden against America; it's the devil against God, and the devil takes many forms, including this radical brand of Islamic theology coming out of Afghanistan."

On January 3, 2007, JONATHAN FRANKLIN, of Hampstead, MD. Beloved husband of the late Mary Margaret Thompson (nee Albany) and Dorothy Thompson; devoted father of Linda Joyce Rill, Jonathan "Frankie" Thompson, III, and Mary Margaret Hayes; brother of the late Pete Thompson and Lovera Sparrow. Also survived by sic grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Services at Church of the Open Door, 550 Baltimore Blvd., Westminster, MD Saturday at 12 P.M. Interment in Hampstead Cemetery. Friends may call Friday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. at the Eline Funeral Home, 934 S. Main Street, Hampstead, MD 21074 and Saturday, 11 until time of services at Church of the Open Door.

Given how low the expectations were for President Barack Obama's highly publicized trip to the Middle East, it may not be saying much to declare that he exceeded them. But given the precarious state of Israeli-Palestinian relations, it would also be easy to underappreciate just how crucial his efforts may prove to be in the long quest for a lasting peace in the Middle East. When Mr. Obama arrived in Israel, he faced many who believed that the possibility of a two-state solution was on its death bed, if not gone already.

The second in the Historical Society of Harford County's tours of historically significant or interesting buildings and homes in Harford County will take place this Sunday, March 17, at the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club in Monkton. The clubhouse will be the focus of the day's tour, according to the society. Designed by prominent New York Architect James O'Connor, the clubhouse was built on the foundation of an older structure destroyed by fire. The public is welcome to stop in and see the home of the second oldest recognized foxhunting club in the United States.

When the 137th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show arrives in New York City next week, even the small breeds will be living large. That's because pet travel is booming across the United States, with more travelers than ever taking along their four-legged friends on vacations near and far. Dogs and cats that in the past might have been confined to carriers or hidden in the hotel bathroom are instead getting the five-star treatment as they...

Michael Waddell didn't plan on being famous, at least among the hunters who now watch his weekly "Bone Collector" television show on the Outdoor Channel. He never thought about people buying his camouflage hats, T-shirts and other merchandise. He still can't believe that he has his own trademark muzzleloader with his now-recognizable logo engraved on it. "I never even really had a dream of being a television personality," Waddell said last week in Frederick, where he was one of the main attractions at the National Rifle Association's Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show.

That was no small development heard the other day from the longtime president of the Maryland Senate, Thomas V. Mike Miller. The white-haired gatekeeper of the General Assembly said he would allow a vote to repeal the death penalty on the Senate floor, presumably bypassing the committee that usually blocks the legislation from getting there. This from the politician who once declared: "If there's a gallows, I'll pull the lever. If there's a gas chamber, I'll turn the valve. If it's lethal injection, I'll insert the needle.

Few would argue that the University of Maryland's decision earlier this week to join the Big Ten isn't about the money — $24 million a year in television revenue. But university officials are helping to sell the deal with what they argue is a significant academic benefit to joining the athletic conference. The 12 universities that make up the Big Ten Conference, plus the University of Chicago, constitute an academic consortium called the Committee on Institutional Collaboration.

on December 15, 2009 Leroy. Miriam G. Holmes Services at Church of the Open Door, 550 Baltimore Blvd, Westminster on Friday at 11:00 A.M. Interment in Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Finksburg Friends may call Friday 10 A.M. until time of service at the church. Arrangements are by the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home in Westminster.

The U.S. Supreme Court takes up the issue of racial preference in college admissions on Wednesday, and that ought to be a concern for those who believe such policies have provided countless opportunities for minorities - and enriched the educational experience for whites. There is a growing movement in this country to eliminate affirmative action on the grounds that it's no longer needed - or was even helpful in the first place. Granted, this can be a complex issue, and even the most liberal interpretations of the race-conscious policy acknowledge that a balance must be struck to make colleges diverse but also keep the admissions process fair and merit-based.

PHILADELPHIA -- In the offseason, Dave Toub of the Chicago Bears, Joe Decamillis of the Dallas Cowboys and Brad Seely of the San Francisco 49ers were candidates for head-coaching vacancies in the NFL, and all of them are special teams coordinators. That may not seem like much and none of those coaches got the promotions, but Philadelphia Eagles special teams coordinator Bobby April said Ravens coach John Harbaugh deserves credit for opening doors for special teams coaches. “I think he's made a big mark because over the last five years or before he was hired, no special teams coaches were ever even interviewed,” April said of Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator with the Eagles.