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Four passengers were injured when a bus driver crashed into parked cars on the Alameda early Wednesday morning, a spokesman for the Maryland Transit Administration said. The bus hit one parked car on The Alameda near 33rd Street at 2:42 a.m. that triggered a domino effect, said spokesman Terry Owens. Eight parked cars were damaged as a result, he said. Four passengers were taken to Union Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Owens said.

After losing to perennial powerhouse Severna Park in last year's Class 4A/3A state championship game, the Westminster girls' lacrosse team had waited for the chance to play the Falcons again. The Owls arrived at UMBC Stadium Wednesday night, but had to hold off for another day when lightning storms forced the postponement of the scheduled meeting between last year's state finalists. But an extra day to prepare for the rematch didn't matter, as Severna Park took an early six-goal lead and cruised to its second consecutive championship victory over the Owls, 13-6, on Thursday at UMBC Stadium.

The whole thing started when Diane Zidek parked her car on a street in Baltimore. A simple maneuver; thousands do it every day. But little did Ms. Zidek know how such a simple, even mundane thing as parking her car could lead to a three-day headache.Ms. Zidek strikes me as a bright, efficient and conscientious person. She had an idea to leave her car parked in midtown, near her office, while she took a bus to a convention downtown.She did all the right things toward that end, too. She parked her 1983 Nissan at a meter on the south side of East Eager Street, between St. Paul and Calvert, about a block from her business, International Marketing Group.

This racetrack and gaming venue is one of three venues on the East Coast to offer parlay sports betting on professional football. This destination offers racing, slots, table games, sports betting, golf and dining. Casino hours: 24 hours a day. Closed Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Games to play: Table games include blackjack, craps, roulette, poker and baccarat, among others. Delaware Park's slot machines range from denominations of half a cent to $50. Reels and video machines are available, as well as progressive slots and electronic table games.

The handicapped space was clearly marked, but the judge parked there anyway. Soon his car had company: Two sheriff's deputies parked in a neighboring handicapped space. Howard County Circuit Judge James B. Dudley said yesterday that he would have paid a ticket if deputies had written him one. Instead, the two law enforcement officers got out of their car and walked past his, carrying a takeout dinner into their office next to the courthouse in Ellicott City. Dudley, who is not disabled, said he parked in the spot about 4: 50 p.m. Thursday to be closer to the courthouse.

PoliceWestminster: An employee of Len Stoler on Baltimore Boulevard told police Wednesday that someone took property from a car parked on its lot. Loss was estimated at $1,800.Westminster: A Taneytown resident told police Wednesday that someone damaged her vehicle while it was parked at Cranberry Mall. Damage was estimated at $200.Pub Date: 1/08/99

PoliceWestminster: A resident of Shaeffer Avenue told police that someone damaged her vehicle while it was parked on the street. Damage was estimated at $250.Westminster: A resident of Wakefield Valley Road told police that her vehicle was damaged while it was parked at Cranberry Mall. Damage was estimated at $200.

This championship was for Tracy Vander Kolk. The sophomore on the Severna Park girls lacrosse team died of undisclosed reasons May 10. Even though her teammates have been in mourning, the Falcons still managed to advance through the state playoffs, finding strength from one another and the support of the Anne Arundel community. Their resilience culminated in Thursday night's Class 4A-3A state championship game at UMBC, where No. 8 Severna Park knocked off Westminster, 13-6.

Baltimore's historic park system ranks 15th among the nation's 40 largest cities in a new rating released Wednesday, which credits the city's foresight in carving out public spaces over the past two centuries but faults its more recent leadership for not maintaining that investment. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land gave Baltimore's 4,900 acres of parks three out of a possible five "park benches," or stars, in its ParkScore rating system. The city got high marks for the accessibility of its parks, with 85 percent of residents able to reach one within a 10-minute walk.

Joanna Sullivan knows what she saw Saturday night as she and her husband peered through the window of their home overlooking Patterson Park - more than 20 youths involved in a "melee" on the tennis courts. But police statistics and incidents reports won't show that any such incident took place. The reason points to a disconnect between residents' experiences with crimes and longstanding police policies. The incident occurred at about 9 p.m. on the Patterson Park tennis courts.

The Friends of Patterson Park are holding their 8th annual Wine Tasting at Sunset event on Thursday night around the historic Marble Fountain and Pagoda. Wine tastings and food samplings are coming from Chesapeake Wine Co. , DiPasquale's , Bistro Rx , V-No and  Todd Conner's . The evening includes an acoustic performance by Rob Fahey and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased on the Friends website or by calling the Friends office at 410-276-3676.

In its fifth year, the Park Quest program run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources closed its registration for 1,000 families in less than two hours Monday. Told that the spots went as fast as Springsteen tickets, program director Barb Knisely said, "That's what everyone is saying. " Those signed up for the free program have between May 26 and Sept. 3 to complete 10 quests at the 23 participating state parks to qualify for the program's Rendezvous extravaganza at Patapsco State Park on Sept.

Draw possession and their own patient offense proved equally effective as No. 8 Severna Park held No. 11 Catonsville to its lowest offensive output of the season en route to a 15-10 victory at Franklin in the Class 4A-3A state semifinals. The defending champion Falcons (17-2) advance to the state final for the 13th time and will go after their 11th title Tuesday or Wednesday night at UMBC against the winner of Saturday's semifinal between Westminster and Churchill. The Falcons defeated Westminster, 14-7, in last year's championship.

The master developer of Columbia's Town Center aims to begin construction by early next year on a $100 million apartment and retail complex, the area's first new housing in a decade. The Metropolitan Downtown Columbia will be a six-story, 380-unit development that the Howard Hughes Corp. plans to build in a joint venture with Kettler of McLean, Va., and Orchard Development of Ellicott City, on land next to The Mall in Columbia. Rents are expected to range from $1,600 a month for a one-bedroom apartment to $2,800 for a three-bedroom unit — making them among the highest in the region.