Owings Mills

After a seven-year delay, Randallstown residents cheered Monday over an announcement that a Walmart will open on Liberty Road next year. Officials and residents have long hoped that the store — a planned $9 million, 160,000-square-foot supercenter with groceries and a pharmacy — would revitalize the aging commercial corridor, encouraging other national retailers and restaurants to set up shop in the affluent, largely black community....

Alexander Ludlum "Lud" Michaux Jr., a decorated career Marine Corps officer who fought in three wars and later presided over the transformation of McDonogh School into a coeducational institution, died May 20 of heart failure at Brightview Mays Chapel retirement community. Colonel Michaux, who formerly lived in Rodgers Forge, was 90. Born in Richmond, Va., Colonel Michaux was descended from French Huguenots who had settled in Powhatan County, Va., on a land grant from King William III of England in 1700.

A 23-year-old Owings Mills man stabbed his father multiple times during a fight in the family's home on Friday evening, according to Baltimore County police. When officers arrived at the home in the unit block of Melissa Court in Owings Mills shortly after 6:30 p.m., they found the father, who is in his mid-50s, with multiple stab wounds and the son subdued, said Det. Cathy Batton, a police spokeswoman. "I don't believe the fight was going on when (officers) arrived," Batton said.

A Baltimore County councilman withdrew a bill Thursday that would have given a wide range of exemptions on development regulations to the Metro Centre at Owings Mills. Councilman Kenneth Oliver plans to reintroduce the measure June 4. It would give special exceptions to the huge project on matters including building sizes, parking, open space requirements and signage. Oliver, a Randallstown Democrat, said he did not have enough votes on the council to pass the bill. Some on the council and in the community had called the bill a "blank check" for the project's developer, Howard Brown of David S. Brown Enterprises.

A Baltimore County councilman withdrew a bill Thursday that would have given a wide range of exemptions on development regulations to the Metro Centre at Owings Mills. Councilman Kenneth Oliver plans to reintroduce the measure June 4. It would give special exceptions to the huge project on matters including building sizes, parking, open space requirements and signage. Oliver, a Randallstown Democrat, said he did not have enough votes on the council to pass the bill. Some on the council and in the community had called the bill a "blank check" for the project's developer, Howard Brown of David S. Brown Enterprises.

When Baltimore County officials gathered for a news conference in the fall to reveal plans to revitalize the half-empty Owings Mills Mall, a cheery slogan lit up a screen behind them: "Owings Mills — it's happening!" The mall event was one of three major economic development announcements within six months for an area that has long awaited a makeover. But behind the scenes, a battle is brewing between the prominent developers investing in the projects. Plans for Owings Mills include a $65 million revamping of the mall; a huge, mixed-use development called Metro Centre near the end of Baltimore's subway line; and Foundry Row, an upscale retail complex anchored by a Wegmans grocery store at the Solo Cup manufacturing site off Reisterstown Road.

The state Board of Public Works has declared the Rosewood Center in northwestern Baltimore County surplus and made the 178-acre property available to prospective buyers. Stevenson University, whose Owings Mills campus adjoins Rosewood, has expressed interest in the former state hospital property, which offers vast green space ideally suited for the college's growing athletic programs and a few newer buildings that could be used for its school of education. "Making the property surplus is a great first step for us and allows us to begin negotiations with the state," said Tim Campbell, Stevenson's chief financial officer.

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.

Air National Guard Airman Reginald Fairley Jr. graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio. He is the son of Reginald Fairley Sr., of Catonsville, and the brother of Kellie Pindell, of Owings Mills. Fairley graduated in 2006 from Woodlawn Senior High School. Air Force Airman Aaron Springer graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio. He is the son of Trevorline Springer, of Columbus, Ohio, and the nephew of Caseta Mangal, ofPikesville.

After receiving several mailing pieces and listening to Baltimore County Council District 2 candidate Vicki Almond at many public forums, I feel it is time to get the facts out about the lack of need for a new middle school in Owings Mills ("Democrats line up for 2nd District seat," Aug. 16). This is not my opinion, but rather, the facts disseminated by the Baltimore County Department of Education which state: "Based on enrollment projections…The middle schools in this part of the county are under capacity, and the ten year projections do not indicate that more capacity is needed to accommodate middle school students at this time".

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's decision to lower the standard for blood lead toxicity to 5 micrograms per deciliter was based on accumulated evidence that even the lowest levels of lead have devastating effects on the developing nervous systems of young children ("We need a war on lead," May 21). Your well-timed article and editorial on lead prevention comes at the time of year when windows and doors are opened and the opportunity to create lead dust in affected homes increases.

With residents being bombarded by fliers, robocalls, even a telephone opinion survey, the fight over the future of the former Solo Cup site in Baltimore County is taking on the trappings of a political campaign. As the debate continues about whether the county should allow a Wegmans supermarket and other development at the former manufacturing plant on Reisterstown Road, two other developers in the area are fighting the project — and each side is trying to rally community support.

Stephanie Posey and Ryan Dougherty were joined in marriage on Feb. 11, at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, in Baltimore. The Rev. Martin H. Demek celebrated the nuptial Mass. The bride is the daughter of J. Steven and Debra Posey, of La Plata. The groom is son of Thomas and Robin Dougherty, of Parkville. Presented in marriage by her father, the bride was attended by her close friend, Cara Myers, matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Brianna Twait, Caitlin Dougherty, Amy Ziegler, Jessica Watts, Taryn Igoe, Megan Loewe, and Stephanie Cox. Best men were Kevin Stern and James Hardesty.

A 23-year-old Owings Mills man stabbed his father multiple times during a fight in the family's home on Friday evening, according to Baltimore County police. When officers arrived at the home in the unit block of Melissa Court in Owings Mills shortly after 6:30 p.m., they found the father, who is in his mid-50s, with multiple stab wounds and the son subdued, said Det. Cathy Batton, a police spokeswoman. "I don't believe the fight was going on when (officers) arrived," Batton said.

You keep hearing this mantra repeated by those who would prevent same-sex couples from marrying, "God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman. " Where do they get this stuff? Have they never read their Bible? It is clear from Genesis on that God intended marriage to be between one man and many women. All of the patriarchs had numerous wives, and King Solomon, who apparently was wealthy enough to afford them, had one thousand. We may question his wisdom, but not his stamina.

Owings Mills senior guard Carjahn Jenkins has made a commitment to play basketball at Bowie State University. The 6-foot-3 Jenkins, a three-year starter, averaged 14.7 points, five rebounds and three assists as a senior to lead Owings Mills to a 17-7 mark.  Jenkins helped the Eagles reach the state championship game in 2010 and the state semifnals in 2011. 

Farmers Insurance is opening an agent recruiting and training center in Owings Mills as it breaks into the Maryland market. The Los Angeles-based company, which sells auto, home, life and other insurance products, has about 20 employees on staff at its new location on Red Brook Boulevard. It expects to double the number within 12 to 18 months with trainers, customer service representatives and clerical staff. Farmers wants to get at least 250 agents - independent contractors rather than employees - trained and working across the state in the next five years, said Gregor Scott, a regional vice president with the company.

The idea was to make career counseling, addiction services, individual and group counseling and parenting resources more accessible to the northwest Baltimore community. And, so far, in the first week after the new Jewish Community Services office opened April 30 at the Jewish Community Center in Owings Mills, nearly 70 people inquired about services and hundreds more picked up brochures and other materials about the new facility. "Being at the JCC makes us much more visible and accessible to the community," said Barbara Levy Gradet, executive director of JCS, about the Owings Mills facility at 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave. "On an average Sunday, 1,000 people use the JCC. " JCS has existing offices in Baltimore and Howard County.

Wooden stakes mark the path that a proposed underground gas pipeline would cut through Jonathan Guth's property in Baltimore County along its 21-mile route northeast to Harford County. The project would take out about half a stand of woods that Guth says makes a fine noise and privacy buffer between his four-bedroom house and the main road, and he's not happy about it. "If all that wasn't here, we probably wouldn't have bought the house," said Guth, pointing to about an acre of 50-foot-tall trees along Ridge Road that provide accommodations for deer, cardinals, blue jays, foxes and at least one red-tailed hawk Guth has grown rather fond of. He and his wife moved in 2009 to this spot southwest of Oregon Ridge Park from a more densely populated county neighborhood, in part for "all the benefits of the natural environment.