Owings Mills

The Baltimore County planning board on Thursday approved the rezoning of a 52-acre site in Owings Mills to allow for a large-scale development project that will include a Wegmans grocery store, according to a news release from the developer. Foundry Row, a 385,000-square-feet mixed-use project to be built on the former Solo Cup property along Reisterstown Road, will also include a fitness center, a sporting goods store and shops, restaurants and offices. The project, estimated to cost $140 million, is being developed by Greenberg Gibbons and Vanguard Equities.

Paul L. Ensor, a retired Baltimore County police officer, died Thursday from colon cancer at Sunflower Assisted-Living in Westminster. He was 95. The son of farmers, Paul LeRoy Ensor was born and raised in Sparks. He attended Baltimore County public schools. Mr. Ensor was working at Bendix Corp. when he joined the Baltimore County Police Department in 1952. He was assigned to the Garrison Precinct, where he drove the patrol wagon, family members said. He retired in 1975. The longtime Owings Mills resident, who had lived in Upperco for the last 22 years, enjoyed fishing, crabbing and gardening.

Baltimore County marked the start of work Thursday on a long-delayed library and community college facility in Owings Mills — construction designed to jump-start a billion-dollar project that includes homes, stores and offices. Promoted as an economic engine, the project near the Metro station was proposed in 1998 as a "Main Street" hub where residents would live, shop and play. But development got only as far as the massive parking garage, built in 2007, that overlooks Interstate 795. But with construction on the community college and library starting this week, there are great expectations once again — and some lingering concerns.

Why is it that since the current president has been in office everything that is proposed by his or Gov. Martin O'Malley's office has had to be a major change? We've had an "overhaul" of the finest health care system in the world. We've had "sweeping" new gun control legislation. The examples of "sweeping," "overhaul," and even "major overhaul" and "sweeping overhaul" go on ad nauseum. What ever happened to tweaking a current law or program? Why does everything that worked well now have to trashed and started over?

For Lisa and Stuart Schabes and their family, Passover is a time to celebrate the tenets of their faith. It's also a time when Lisa Schabes spends several days preparing festive, sumptuous meals in her spacious kosher kitchen. These specialty kitchens have layout and design elements that aid Orthodox Jews in upholding traditional dietary laws. "I've had it about seven or eight years, and it was a long time coming — my husband was very generous to me," said Schabes, a mother of five and educator who resides in the Cheswolde community in Northwest Baltimore.

Federal agents found 500 pounds of marijuana and more than 10 kilograms of cocaine, along with an AK-47 and body armor, during raids on homes in Baltimore County and northeastern Baltimore as part of a cross-country drug investigation.  At least two men have been charged through a federal complaint in connection with the raids - Harold and Joseph Ibreham Byrd. Both men have had initial appearances in federal judge before a magistrate judge and are being detained; attorneys are not listed in court records.

Send sports notices a minimum of two weeks before the requested publication date to Patuxent Publishing/OMT Sports Notices, Third floor, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278; e-mail tworgo@tribune.com . Include date, time, location, contact information and subsection. Competitive Northwest Area Spring Lacrosse Program holds registration for teams from ages 7/8 to 17/18. nwasports@aol.com or http://www.cmsasoccer.com. Pipeline Soccer Club holds spring academy for boys and girls, ages five to 10. http://pipelinesoccerclub.com.

Brandy Smoot is an Army ROTC cadet involved in cadet language and cultural immersion training. After a weeklong training session at Fort Knox, Ky., the selected cadets are deployed to partner nations where they are immersed in the local cultures and languages. The cadets spend three weeks assisting Army missions that range from building community projects to teaching English to local children. Smoot is currently a student at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg. She is the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Smoot, of Reisterstown.

As a former resident of Reisterstown for many years and now a resident of Pikesville, I am very excited at the prospect of Foundry Row and the Owings Mills Mall revitalization and Metro Centre coming to our area. It has been many years since I have been able to shop in my own area instead of traveling to White Marsh, Columbia, Towson or Hunt Valley. It is very frustrating to see development in all other areas of Baltimore County and not the Pikesville, Owings Mills, Reisterstown area.

As a resident of Owings Mills for the past 10 years, I can tell you that I am very excited about the three planned developments ("No 'courtesy' for Wegmans," May 27). I am looking forward to taking my daughter to the Metro Centre's library. After years of becoming a ghost town, it is about time the mall receives a makeover. And with Solo Cup abandoning its factory, it makes sense that it become a retail center. I support all three projects because they will bring much-needed retail to the Owings Mills community.

Doesn't anyone realize that in this dreadful economy and with the equally dreadful Obamacare looming, an increase in the minimum wage would result in even more unemployment? ("Labor official brings minimum-wage push to Baltimore," May 13.) Simple arithmetic shows that a small business that is currently struggling to meet payroll will simply fire enough employees to be able to give the others their governmentally mandated "raise. " That's the only way to keep their payroll within reason.

Augustine H. "Humpy" Stump Jr., a retired Baltimore insurance executive who had been president of Stump, Harvey & Cook Co. Inc. and an active churchman and volunteer, died Sunday of complications from a fall and pneumonia at Springwell, a Mount Washington senior-living community. He was 87. "He was smart, worked hard and liked people," said his brother, Dawson Stump of Owings Mills, who had been vice president and secretary at Stump, Harvey & Cook. "He had a great outgoing personality and liked the job and worked hard at it. " Augustine Herman Stump Jr. was born in Baltimore and raised in Owings Mills.

Although this is the first time these programs will meet in the NCAA tournament, they have met nine times in the regular season since 2006. Stevenson has won five of those contests. Lynchburg (14-5) - ranked 13th in the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll - is 0-1 in the quarterfinal round, losing to Roanoke, 10-9, in 2005. Senior Vin Curran has won 55.8 percent (129-of-231) of his faceoffs and ranks third on the team in goals with 29. No. 4 Stevenson (19-2)

When the Stevenson men's lacrosse team last tangled with Lynchburg, the two sides went to overtime before the Mustangs escaped with a win. Stevenson made sure that scenario was not repeated. Sophomore attackman Mark Pannenton scored all three of his goals in the first half and senior midfielder Peter Green chipped in two goals and two assists to lift the No. 4 Mustangs to a 13-7 victory over the No. 13 Hornets in a NCAA tournament quarterfinal Wednesday night. An announced 1,276 at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills — the second-largest crowd to watch a lacrosse game at Stevenson — watched the Mustangs earn their fourth trip to a national semifinal in the last five seasons where they will meet No. 12 Salisbury at 7 p.m. on Sunday in Owings Mills.

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.

The Kenwood boys lacrosse team isn't filled with Division I college prospects and doesn't have near the depth than most teams. In fact, its roster only consists of 19 players, 17 of which are seniors.  But that hasn't stopped the Bluebirds from enjoying a breakthrough season. After claiming Baltimore County's Division II championship last week with a 12-2 win over defending champion Owings Mills, the Bluebirds enjoyed the program's biggest win when they upset longtime Baltimore County power Catonsville, 7-6, to open their region playoff run.  After knocking off Poly in the quarterfinal round, the Bluebirds (12-3)

A new Sofi's Crepes is opening Thursday (Bastille Day) at 11 a.m. in the Valley Village Shopping Center, at 9123 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills. Ann Costlow's original Sofi's Crepes opened next to the Everyman Theatre around the turn of the century. Costlow also owns the location on the lower level of the Woman's Industrial Exchange. As is the Sofi's in Annapolis, which is owned by Stephanie Hans, the Owings Mills store is a franchise operation. The owner of the new Sofi's is Nina Knocke.

Donald M. Cohen, a retired credit manager and magician who was known as "Magic Don," died May 1 from a heart attack at his Edgewood home. He was 87. The son of a bar owner and a homemaker, Donald Martin Cohen was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Pimlico neighborhood. He was a graduate of city public schools. After serving in the Army during World War II, Mr. Cohen returned to Baltimore. He worked as a credit and collections manager for Farber's Inc., a North Eutaw Street furniture store, for 20 years until retiring in 1992.

Stevenson's 18-2 record and No. 4 ranking in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll has been aided by Division III's sixth-ranked offense and 14th-ranked defense. But another pillar of the program's success this season has been ground balls. The Mustangs entered the week ranked second in the nation in ground balls per game (47.4), and that number will improve after the team collected 70 loose balls in an 18-6 pummeling of Christopher Newport in the first round of the NCAA tournament Wednesday night.