Patapsco River

Maryland will revel in its War of 1812 history with a two-year celebration of the pivotal battles, enduring sites and hometown heroes that played a role in the conflict that culminated in America's defeat of the world's strongest military force. Boston remembers annually the events that sparked the Revolutionary War and Virginia recently marked the 400 t h anniversary of its founding at Jamestown. Now the 200-year-old war with the British that ultimately ended on Maryland's shores will take on renewed significance as communities across the state focus on stories many have forgotten.

A warning against water contact in the lower Patapsco River issued nearly two months ago has been lifted, the Anne Arundel County health department announced Monday. Health officials had ordered an emergency closure of the river downstream from Annapolis Road in Brooklyn and warned against swimming or other water contact after sewage spilled March 25 from a Baltimore County pumping station. Workers halted the spill soon afterward, according to a spokesman for the county public works department.

Two people were rescued from a 38-foot fishing boat after it collided with an object in the Patapsco River near Fort Smallwood State Park in Anne Arundel County on Friday, Coast Guard officials said. Thomas H. Tolson Sr., 49, of Severn and John L. Sullivan Jr., 60, of Columbia were pulled from the boat at about 2:30 p.m. When the Coast Guard crew began pumping water from the boat, the water was already up to the boaters' knees and began to wash over the sides. The crew was forced to remove the lines and the fishing boat capsized, officials said.

Anne Arundel County police responding to a report of a shooting in Pumphrey found a man who had been shot and killed early Sunday, according to a release from the department. Officers were called to the 200 block of Bolivar Ave., in the northern part of the county near the Patapsco River, around 1:12 a.m., police said. There, they found Bryant Donell Bagley, 46, of the 800 block of N. Rose St. in Baltimore, lying shot in the road. The county fire department pronounced him dead at the scene.

Baltimore police Wednesday morning pulled a body out of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River near South Hanover Street, according to a department spokesman. A passer-by spotted the victim shortly before 10 a.m. floating near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge and Cromwell Street, just off the southern edge of Port Covington. Police were still at the scene at 10:15 a.m., and no further details were immediately available. peter.hermann@baltsun.com

An algae bloom appears to be the culprit behind dead fish found floating in the Inner Harbor yesterday morning, according to state environmental investigators. The fish kill - the second in the harbor in two months attributed to an algae bloom - was first reported by residents who complained about a stench Monday night. Most of the fish appeared to be scattered on the south side of the harbor near the marina and Rash Field. There were other fish closer to the Constellation, including some that washed up onto the concrete barrier.

A partially buried body was discovered by a fisherman in a wooded area of Anne Arundel County Saturday. State police said a fisherman stumbled upon the body about a half mile from River Road, near the Patapsco River in a wooded area in Linthicum. Police have not released the person's identity or a cause of death. jkanderson@baltsun.com

Baltimore County utility crews dealt with yet another sewage spill at the Patapsco Sewage Pumping Station in Baltimore Highlands. About 525,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a 54-inch concrete pipe Saturday into the lower Patapsco River. The county spent $500,000 to replace aging pipes earlier this month after a main conduit ruptured in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and poured about 100 million gallons of raw sewage into the river over the course of a week. Crews discovered a joint failure in the new piping last week and the overflow occurred during the ensuing repair for a few hours early Saturday morning.

In the end, it was chicken on a string that brought a wayward "alligator" out of the Patapsco River. A two-hour search on Monday evening by Natural Resources Police failed to find a trace of the critter. But Eric Hammack Jr., the 16-year-old fisherman who first reported the reptile on Sunday, returned to the pond off Belle Grove Road in Patapsco Valley State Park on Tuesday. He had decided to try luring the gator with a hunk of chicken on a string. "It was a chicken wing," said Hammack, who lives nearby in Pumphrey and fishes in the park often.

Maryland Natural Resources police have interviewed the young fisherman who reported spying an alligator in the Patapsco River. And they say they believe him. But a preliminary search of the area late Monday failed to turn up any further evidence of the tropical reptile. "We believe the gentleman. That's why we sent an officer out to investigate," said Sgt. Art Windemuth, spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources Police. Animal control officers also joined the search. But no alligator appeared.

A 24-year-old man fell off a 30-foot cliff in Patapsco Valley State Park Sunday afternoon, landing in a remote area of the park and sustaining injuries that required his rescue by a Baltimore County Fire Department team. It took the team an hour to reach the man and hoist him back up the cliff to a waiting State Police helicopter. Elise Armacost, spokeswoman for Baltimore County police, said the man and his female companion were sitting atop the cliff about 4:40 p.m when he fell.

Baltimore County utility crews dealt with yet another sewage spill at the Patapsco Sewage Pumping Station in Baltimore Highlands. About 525,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a 54-inch concrete pipe Saturday into the lower Patapsco River. The county spent $500,000 to replace aging pipes earlier this month after a main conduit ruptured in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and poured about 100 million gallons of raw sewage into the river over the course of a week. Crews discovered a joint failure in the new piping last week and the overflow occurred during the ensuing repair for a few hours early Saturday morning.

Even mild flooding in Ellicott City gives anyone who lived through Hurricane Agnes the shivers. I went looking for Hurricane Agnes stories in the Sun's archvies and found this. The editor's note is from 2007, mabye from 35th anniversary coverage of the storm. I can only guess at the mixed feelings of the reporter who heard Omar Jones utter that opening quote. (Editor's note: On June 21-22, 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes destroyed much of historic Ellicott City and areas of Elkridge.

A body was pulled from the Patapsco River near Harbor Hospital Wednesday afternoon, fire officials confirmed. Fire officials could not immediately provide details but said that a call was received around noon from the hospital reporting a body in the water. A fire rescue boat, an engine company and an EMS unit investigated and found a body near the hospital. It was unclear if the body was related to reports Sunday that someone had jumped from the Hanover Street bridge. Justin.fenton@baltsun.com > > Most recent updates Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Quick response by high school friends and a nearby kayaker likely saved the life of a 16-year-old Carrollton teen who was pulled from the swollen Patapsco River during the heavy rains of Sept. 7 at the village of Patapsco near Finksburg. Three teens - David Rugemer, Tyler Hartman and Abraham Ramos - had been floating on the river, but at the confluence of the Patapsco and Aspen Run, the current became intense. All three swimmers were pulled toward the south bridge across the river.

A pipeline carrying raw sewage from a western Baltimore County pumping station to a treatment plant in the city has spilled more than 70 million gallons into the Patapsco River since it ruptured over the weekend. The county said the breach, reported late Sunday, would be repaired by Friday at a cost of about $250,000. A neighbor of the Patapsco Pumping Station on Old Annapolis Road in Baltimore Highlands reported the spill soon after it occurred, officials said. Baltimore County hired Spiniello Companies, Inc., a concrete contractor, to replace the 54-inch concrete pipe and another smaller pipe was found to be damaged.

An article in the July 17, 1936, edition of The Catonsville Herald and Baltimore Countian discouraged businesses from displaying their wares on the sidewalk. Arthur Shipley of Monumental Avenue, Lansdowne, died last Saturday, July 11, at St. Agnes' Hospital, due to injuries sustained when he was overcome by the heat and fell from a twenty-foot ladder striking, his head against a sign on the pavement at Peter's Garage, Frederick Avenue, Catonsville, where he was painting.

A woman's body was found Saturday morning in the Patapsco River in Baltimore County, police said, but the death is not being investigated as a crime. Baltimore County Police Cpl. John Wachter said police were called at 9:46 in the morning by someone who found the body near River Road in the Avalon section at the southern end of Patapsco Valley State Park. He said the medical examiner will have to determine the cause of death, but he said neither the homicide nor criminal investigations divisions were involved in the case.