Packs

A man stole three packs of batteries and several packs of cigarettes from a Safeway store in the 4100 block of Mountain Road Saturday morning and escaped by pushing an employee aside and running from the store, county police said.Tammy Sheetenhelm, 39, a store employee, told police she saw the man enter about 11 a.m., take several packs of cigarettes, then put six packs of batteries into his coat pocket. The man picked up three more packs of batteries and tried to leave the store without paying, Ms. Sheetenhelm said.

The recent article about smoking is no different that 1,000 other articles written about the dangers of smoking ("Up in smoke," Jan. 19). It amazes me that this product is still legal. If anything in this world is certain, the suffering smoking is causing is preventable. Smoking should be outlawed. Usually smokers rationalize, saying it is their life and they will smoke, so the warning on cigarette packs are useless. The reason I quit was evidence that my smoking was harming others.

Edward DeHart, 71, a tobacco industry consultant who in 1962 helped craft the first surgeon general's warning label printed on all cigarette packs sold in the United States, died Wednesday of lung cancer in Miami.Pub Date: 9/29/97

A Baltimore man was arrested Tuesday after $40 worth of merchandise was stolen from a Caldor store in the Cromwell Field Shopping Center, police said.About 9:30 a.m., the store manager approached a police officer patrolling the light rail stop across the street from the shopping center and told the officer he had seen a man steal merchandise and hide it under a white coat, police said.The manager told the officer he had followed the man to the light rail stop and watched him get on the train's last car, police said.

Leaf's new design features action photos, front and back. There will be two 264-card series in 15-card packs but no factory sets. Randomly inserted Gold Leaf Rookie cards are back. New is a Gold Edition version of each card, one of which will be included per pack. Because of new uniforms, all Phillies will be in Series Two, and only two Expos are in Series One.

Someone stole nearly $140 worth of cigarettes from a High's store in Severna Park on Tuesday, county police said.Alen Widmann, a clerk, told police he was helping a customer about 1: 45 p.m. when a man walked into the store in the 500 block of Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd., picked up 65 packs of cigarettes and left, police said.

`Art+Fun=BMA Packs' It all adds up to extreme fun at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Visitors can try out the new "Art+Fun=BMA Packs" -- interactive, portable kits created to help folks explore museum exhibits. The packs come in three different themes. Children ages 4 through 12 will take interest in the Costume Pack that lets them dress up to match select paintings. Teens and adults will enjoy the Sketch Pack that comes with pad and paper for their own interpretive doodling. And visitors of all ages will enjoy the Song Pack, which features a collection of original songs inspired by BMA artwork.

Military wife, Marine mom and cookbook author Susan Slack offers these suggestions for preparing and sending foods packages to soldiers overseas:Unbleached, all-purpose flour produces sturdy cookies for shipping; bread flour produces crisper cookies. Cookies made with vegetable oil do not spoil as quickly as those made with butter. Cookies with little moisture work best. Avoid icing cookies; avoid using syrups and brown sugars. Use recipes with longer cooking times to create drier, sturdier treats.

A New York City man was charged with transporting $13,668 worth of untaxed cigarettes after his 2002 Dodge Intrepid was stopped along Interstate 95 in Harford County, authorities said. Alkayed K. Hamali, 25, was released Friday on $1,500 bail. He was charged with transporting untaxed cigarettes, a felony that can carry up to a two-year jail sentence and/or a $50 per carton fine. He also was charged with unlawful possession of untaxed cigarettes, a misdemeanor that can carry up to a one-year sentence and/or a $1,000 fine, authorities said.

T ax Revenue Up in Smoke In 2007, Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Maryland General Assembly enacted a number of tax increases designed to close the state's budget deficit. As this year's General Assembly session illustrates, these tax hikes did not fix the state's spending problems. Instead, they created problems for many Marylanders. For instance, the cigarette tax is driving smokers to purchase their cigarettes in other states, hurting local businesses and depriving the state of tax revenue.