Promotion

If you're thinking you need a little more meow in your life, consider taking advantage of the Baltimore Animal Welfare Alliance's Baltimore 500 promotion. A joint effort of the Maryland SPCA, Baltimore Humane Society and Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, the promotion aims to find new homes for 500 homeless felines during the month of June. And apparently, the shelters are full of adoptees of all ages, sizes and adorable fur colors.  What this means to you: No adoption fees in June.

Right-handed hitter Danny Valencia has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk and will be with the Orioles at Camden Yards on Sunday, according to an industry source. The 28-year-old, who did not play for the Tides on Saturday, is batting .306 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 40 games this season. In his past 10 games, Valencia is batting .356 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He hit two home runs last Tuesday against Lehigh Valley.

After publishing The Inner Harbor Network, for eight years, I'd like to comment on Jake Stern's observation ("Inner Harbor is for Baltimoreans too," May 9) about Baltimore's premier tourist attraction. It's a great place to visit and even a better place to live. I've called the Inner Harbor home for close to 20 years and wouldn't move anywhere else. However, most Inner Harbor residents are apathetic about the area — have no interest in promoting it, and often denigrate the location stating fear of crime and lack of parking.

Michelle Obama encouraged the graduates of Bowie State University on Friday to live up to the legacy of their university's founders and the leaders of the civil rights movement by promoting the importance of education in the black community. "Just think about this for a moment — for generations, in many parts of this country, it was illegal for black people to get an education," Obama told the predominantly black crowd, referring to the period in which Bowie State was founded. "Slaves caught reading or writing could be beaten within an inch of their lives.

Once again the official promotion of breast feeding as the only choice is being touted by my friend Fran Phillips at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ("Maryland seeks to improve support for mothers to breast-feed," Feb. 11). No one disputes some of the advantages of breast feeding, but many claims for benefits in health care cost savings are way off. No one has looked at the cost of the number of extra visits to my office to reassure distraught parents with children who are doing poorly with the nursing process.

Howard County's summer restaurant promotion is set for July 25-Aug. 8 Howard County Farm-2-Table Restaurant Weeks asks participating restaurants to use locally grown products in their menus. The promotion coincides with the weeklong Buy Local Maryland Challenge , which is scheduled for July 23-31.   A kick-off event for the summer dining promotion will be held again this year at Clark's Elioak Farm. The event, which will include a farmer's market and food samples from restaurants participating in Farm-2-Table, is free, but you have to register in advance here .    

Beth Colley, certified expert résumé writer and career management coach of Chesapeake Resume Writing Service, will present "How to Create an Engaging and Exciting Elevator Speech," Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., at the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber, 312 Marshall Ave., Suite 104, in Laurel. In this seminar sponsored by BWCC's Business Tools Group, learn proven strategies for promoting your brand; find out what people want and need to know quickly; capture interest and generate solid leads in 15, 30, 60 and 90 seconds; and take your elevator speech from the basement to the penthouse.

The last time the Orioles had an announcement like Wednesday night's, it was late May 2009, when then-club president Andy MacPhail took to the airwaves to announce that Matt Wieters would be coming up to play that Friday, May 29. This one is close. The Orioles announced late last night that Manny Machado, the club's top pick in 2010, will be called up Thursday. He likely will start tonight, although Wieters' debut was set and this one officially isn't. So if you want to be there for Machado's debut, you'll have to buy a ticket for Thursday and keep your fingers crossed.

Baltimore County's winter restaurant promotion is on its way. So far, 34 restaurants have signed up to participate in the county's second go-round, which is being held Jan 12-21, 2012 Again this year, participating restaurants can fix their restaurant week lunch or dinner menus at $10, $15, $20 $25, $30 or $35. This year's Baltimore County Restaurant Week winter promotion is five days shorter than last year's, the debut, which ran...

After Lee Coppersmith's three-goal performance in Johns Hopkins' 12-11 win against Virginia on March 26, 2011 while spelling then-sophomore midfielder John Greeley who had left because of a concussion, the clamoring for Coppersmith to join the starting midfield had begun. With Greeley suffering on April 21 a season-ending injury in the left knee in which he had torn the anterior cruciate ligament last summer, Coppersmith has gotten his chance, joining sophomore Rob Guida and junior John Ranagan on the first line.

May 29 has been dubbed 529 College Savings Day -- get it 5/29 and 529, as in the part of the tax code that allows the savings plan? -- and the College Savings Plans of Maryland (CSPM) is teaming up with the Maryland Zoo to promote awareness of the plans.  Here's what they say they have in store:  "First, on Wednesday, May 29, CSPM will be hosting a free, interactive webinar at 12:00 p.m. for anyone who is interested in learning more about Maryland's two tax-advantaged 529 plans - the Maryland Prepaid College Trust and the Maryland College Investment Plan.

Advertisements praising Maryland's new gun control law will appear on Baltimore-area televisions soon after the measure is signed Thursday - the first volley in a two-pronged effort to defend the legislation and the politicians who voted for it. The gun control advocates behind the ads want to bolster support among Maryland voters in case there's a referendum next year. But they also want to counter a campaign to oust lawmakers who backed the bill in the General Assembly. "We know that the other side will be attacking the legislators who voted for it, and we want people to know those legislators were doing the right thing to save lives in Maryland," said Vincent DeMarco, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

WINNIE: Navy Seaman Apprentice Paul M. Winnie, son of Pamela A. and David B. Winnie of Joppa, was recently promoted to his rank upon graduation from recruit training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Winnie received the early promotion for outstanding performance during all phases of the training cycle. Training included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

Donald A. Krach, former general counsel for the Maryland Port Administration who was an advocate and goodwill ambassador for the port of Baltimore, died May 4 of complications from pancreatic cancer at his Timonium home. He was 80. "Don was a real cheerleader for our port, and he really worked hard with our clients to put more business through here," said James J. White, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration. "He had such a big personality. " "Don was one of those attorneys who came up through the state system, and he was absolutely enthusiastic about the port.

Charles Stembler, long-time assistant principal at Calvert Hall College, has been chosen the next principal of the Catholic high school in Towson. Brother Thomas Zoppo, president of the school's board announced Stembler will assume his new duties July 1. He replaces Louis Heidrick, who retired after 48 years at the school, spending the last 12 as principal. A 1983 graduate of Calvert Hall, Stembler has been assistant principal for student affairs since 1990. He has coordinated the summer school program and overseen student fundraising, and has taught Advanced Placement government, leadership, English and social studies courses.

Howard County and Economic Development officials will visit more than 100 area businesses during the week of May 6 as part of Howard County's Business Appreciation Week. Business visits are expected to take approximately one hour and will begin at 8 a.m., each day, with the last business visited at 4 p.m. Space is now limited, but businesses interested in participating in Business Appreciation Week should contact the Howard County Economic Development Authority at 410-313-6500.

The renewed proposal to form a marketing and development board to promote Westminster's downtown is a good idea that deserves support -- even if the money is not yet available.The idea of a private, non-profit advisory board to stimulate the city's economy was among the recommendations of the 1990 Advisory Task Force on Downtown Renaissance. While other task force plans to revive the downtown were addressed, the promotion board got lost in the shuffle. The economy's downturn and city budget squeeze also helped to dampen interest.

MAYBE A LIGHT goes on in classrooms across the city now. Maybe, after three decades of academic catastrophe, the public schools make good on the promise to prepare children for productive lives. Maybe it's part of the grand anticipated rebirth of life in the city.Maybe, and maybe, and maybe.Two nights ago, the Baltimore school board voted unanimously to set new promotion standards for children in grades one through eight. No more pushing kids along just to salvage the last remaining nerve endings of emotionally tapped-out teachers.

As a physician at the April 11 public hearing on proposed changes in the HCPSS Wellness Policy, I left with an appreciation for the articulate students who expressed concern about the nutrition value of some foods offered in school during and after classes. A Centennial High student thanked Booster Club efforts to fund uniforms and trips for athletic teams.    Clearly we have in Howard County extraordinarily committed students, adults and...

The promoter of last year's Starscape Festival says a new event he's marketing that targets a similar audience won't have the safety problems associated with last year's June concert. Promoter Evan Weinstein says he wants to disassociate the new Moonrise Festival from the issues of Starscape last year. City officials said Starscape, the long-running electronic dance event at Fort Armistead Park, could not return because of issues at last year's concert, including overcrowding and drug overdoses.