Owen Brown

Three men were indicted this week on charges that they broke into a house in Owen Brown on Jan. 17, hid in the basement until the owner and his girlfriend returned and threatened to kill them while stealing $50,000 in electronics, jewelry and cash. Deron Maurice Webb, 24, of Elkridge, Tjon M. Johnson, 25, of Columbia and Shamal I. Chapman, 26, of Laurel are each facing 20 charges ranging from armed robbery and assault to burglary and false imprisonment. They are being held in the Howard County Detention Center on bails ranging from $250,000 to $1 million after their arrests in late March.

Classes planned on Jewish home life Rabbi Susan Grossman of Beth Shalom congregation will offer a two-session drop-in class, "How to Build a Jewish Home for You and Your Children," from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday and March 18 at the synagogue, 8070 Harriet Tubman Lane, Columbia. "Lights, Spices, Blessings: Happy Home Rituals" will be the topic Sunday. "Kid-friendly Seder Tips" will be discussed March 18. Admission is free. Everyone is welcome. Rabbi Amy Scheinerman will discuss the Passover Haggadah in a workshop, "You Shall Tell Your Children -- But How About Yourself?"

The Long Reach, Owen Brown and Hickory Ridge community associations will offer their annual Holiday Lights Tour for senior citizens from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 10. This year's event will feature a bus tour through the Symphony of Lights, a reception, a gift for participants and a guest appearance by Santa Claus. The event is free, but reservations are required. Buses will pick up seniors at Longwood House, Owen Brown Place and Hickory Ridge Place. Reservations on a first-come first-served basis will be accepted starting Nov. 13. Information or to reserve a place: 410-730-8113.

Thirty years ago when Ruth Bohse started working as a receptionist for the Owen Brown Community Center, one of her first assignments was to clean out a closet. "So I neatened it up and I didn't throw anything away, because what did I know?" she said, thinking that some things could be important. Three decades later, Bohse still is at the community center, preparing to retire tomorrow from a career that has included 27 years as the Owen Brown village manager. She knows a lot more now, but she is still reluctant to throw things away.

The Owen Brown Community Association will celebrate Ruth Bohse's 26 years as village manager and four years as an employee of the association with an open house, to be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at 6800 Cradlerock Way. Bohse will retire Oct. 26. "We will definitely miss her. The village grew up with her because if you look at it, Owen Brown is a little over 30 years old, and she's had a major impact on how Owen Brown developed," said Andy Stack,...

The Lake Elkhorn Festival has been troubled over the years by poor weather - so bad, in fact, that the event was canceled in 2003 and 2004. So few were surprised that one of Columbia's longest-running annual events began last Saturday under threatening skies. "It was typical and expected," said Ruth Bohse, Owen Brown village manager. "My husband said it was going to be good on Saturday and I said I didn't believe it." Owen Brown officials had decided to make this year's festival - its 33rd - the last one. Low attendance, the lack of volunteers and the loss of revenue all contributed to the decision.

Owen Brown Village officials are seeking the assistance of a third party to help organize a public forum to discuss what should be done with the Lake Elkhorn tot lot, a village official said. Neil Dorsey, chairman of the Owen Brown Village Board, said the panel will meet with members of Howard Community College's Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center next month. "We wanted a third party to facilitate the meeting," said Dorsey, who has not selected a date for the forum. "This takes away concern people may have that if I was running it or somebody else on the board was running it, it would be biased or directional, and we don't want that.

The Owen Brown Community Association will hold its 33rd and final Lake Elkhorn Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Lake Elkhorn Park. The Columbia Concert Band will play at 11 a.m. Singer Iris Hirsch will perform at 12:15 p.m. and Dean Turner will present a magic show at 1 p.m. The Kinderman is scheduled for 2 p.m.; a pet show (all animals welcome) for 3 p.m.; and Eyes of Alice, a teen band, will play at 4 p.m. Bingo, games for children, a pet show, pony rides, an auction, arts and crafts, raffles, international food and drinks, a bake contest, big wheel races, a German band, vendors and other treats are planned.

When the Columbia Association honored the Owen Brown Village Board's request to display safety design concepts for the Lake Elkhorn tot lot, one model was excluded from the package. But the design, labeled "F," which would fence the entire playground, will be on display at the village community center because the association board voted Thursday night to send it over. In response to the death of a 23-month-old boy who wandered from the playground and drowned in the lake in September, the association board ordered staff members to create safety design concepts -- labeled "A" to "F" -- for the tot lot. Plan "F" was heavily discussed during previous association board meetings and was voted down last month.

Owen Brown village has set up a display of seven safety options and a comment box for the Lake Elkhorn tot lot to get more community opinion on whether the playground should be fenced, village officials said. "One of the big issues was that people did not know there were other options there," said Neil Dorsey, chairman of the Owen Brown Village Board, adding that residents have told him they knew of only two options - fencing the area or leaving it as it is. "This shows there are many more options than the two."