Race For County

Coach: Helen Derwin, seventh yearAssistant Coach: John ZiomekLast year's record: 10-5 overall, 7-5 in the Central Maryland Conference, 3-3 in the countyTop returnees: Seniors, Meredith McCullin, Kelly Foreman, Patti Bouver, Laura Hennessey.Top newcomers: Juniors, Emily Hall, Laura Veise, Chrissy Primavera, Kari Myers; sophomore, Calin Lawlor.Coach's comments: "I think we look pretty goodthis year. The girls know where they've got to be and what they've got to do."The Carroll County Sun's outlook: Liberty is coming offa successful season looking to improve and make a lot of noise in the county and CMC. The have the talent to do it, starting with four returning seniors.

From the clothes they wear to the way they speak, from their political histories to their personal lives, 5th District County Council hopefuls Diane Evans and Linda Gilligan could not be any more different.And, with the Nov. 6 general election just two weeks away, the race between Gilligan, an admittedly non-political Democrat, and Evans, who lives and breathes Republican ideals, could not be any closer."It's neck and neck," said Gretel Derby, president of the Cape St.Claire Improvement Association.

If politics is a horse race, then pollster Patrick E. Gonzales risks becoming the 300-pound jockey of Anne Arundel County.After leaving a job two years ago with Mason-Dixon Opinion Research to start his own consulting business, PEG Research, he has ridden two Democratic campaigns into the dirt.Gonzales was first thrown from his mount last year after suiting up as the pollster for Annapolis Mayor Dennis M. Callahan's losing primary bid for re-election.And last week, he never approached the finish line as campaign manager for County Councilman Michael F. Gilligan, who pulled up lame in the primary race for county executive.