Racine

Venable LLP, the law firm that traces a 100-year history to its origins in Baltimore, announced yesterday changes in its highest ranks that elevated Karl A. Racine to managing partner, making him one of only a handful of black lawyers to lead a major firm. Racine replaces James L. Shea, who will succeed Benjamin R. Civiletti as chairman. Civiletti, a former U.S. attorney general, will remain on the firm's board and lead its charitable foundation while continuing his practice. The 470-attorney firm, which is based in Washington and has offices from New York to Virginia, specializes in corporate law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs.

Editor: I read the nice article regarding the Teal Line linking transit bus service between Harford and Cecil counties. I must point out there is a rather glaring omission in that article. There is no mention regarding the personal dedication and long-standing efforts by Mr. Kevin Racine, a Harford County citizen and resident of Havre de Grace. Mr. Racine has been a relentless citizen advocate on behalf of the public for bus and rail transit connections. I believe it is through his continuous and tireless efforts over the years that this day has finally come for us all. He has personally ridden most of the region's bus lines and has attended countless meetings throughout the East Coast.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - For someone used to going downhill fast, it still stuns Olympic bobsledder Jean Racine how quickly she got to the bottom last winter. In a blink, the young woman with the bright eyes and quick wit, the athlete with a future paved in endorsements, was turned into a soap opera villain, "Mean Jean," who elbowed aside her teammate and best friend in a greedy grab for the gold. "I knew I was going to take heat, but when it came ... " her voice trailing off and her lower lip quivering slightly.

The passion that Phedre, queen of Athens, feels for her stepson Hippolytus has so consumed her that she can barely keep still. She's twisted into knots, prone to spasms; words pour out in edgy bursts. But when Phedre, portrayed by Helen Mirren in the National Theatre of Great Britain production of Racine's 17th-century tragedy, finally decides to open her heart to Hippolytus, she enters the stage walking slowly backward. Suddenly, she's a girlish maiden, all demure and sweet, hesitant to face the one she loves.

A New York man accused of leading a state trooper on a high-speed chase on Interstate 95 was critically injured yesterday when his van smashed into a parked tractor-trailer at a Maryland rest stop. State police said they recovered about 2 pounds of marijuana in eight bags from his van, as wekk as 180 grams of cocaine. No charges had been filed last night. The accident occurred about 2: 15 p.m. in the Chesapeake House parking lot, off Interstate 95 near North East in Cecil County, state police said.

FOR PAT HAMILTON, Cub Scouts is about more than learning how to light a fire, tie knots and pitch a tent. "Cub Scouts is a very worthwhile program for young boys. It teaches them independence, how to think for themselves, good sportsmanship, citizenship, teamwork and good behavior," he said. Hamilton is the committee chairman for Cub Scout Pack 615 and roundtable commissioner for the National Pike District of the Scouts. He began his affiliation with the pack 12 years ago when his son, Jason, was in the third grade.

Don't worry about the afterlife -- it's a comedy.That's according to one version of the final reward offered by Columbia resident Bob Racine, who's written "The Hosting."The two-act play will be performed for the first time tomorrow by the Kittamaqundi Theater in Columbia with two performances next weekend.Mr. Racine describes his play as a comedy and fantasy with all of the action taking place after the main character, Charlton Mays, has shaken his mortal coil.Charlton -- Chip -- is a conceited songwriter killed in a car crash who finds out that he does not land in the heaven, hell or oblivion of his preconceptions.

TODAY'S teen-agers, writes high school freshman Jeannette Fornadel in the Reading Eagle/Times, ''are assumed to be juvenile delinquents, shoplifters or worse.'' And the media make things worse, she charges, portraying teen-agers ''as brainless, bubble-gum chewing, hormone-laden slobs whose concerns center only around the opposite sex.''But recently the National League of Cities pegged growing youth crime as the top concern of 406 municipal officials polled. Some 62 percent said youth crime was worsening.

Commuter bus line No. 420/731 from Perryville to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the only metro bus line in Harford County in the midday, is proposed to be cut by the end of the month. Alonza Williams, Maryland Transit Administration spokesman, said the decision to discontinue service results from low ridership - an average of 33 people a day ride the bus. He said fares must cover at least 40 percent of a bus line's costs, which this line is not doing. The MARC Penn Line serves Perryville, Aberdeen, Edgewood, Martin Airport and Baltimore's Penn Station with continuing service to BWI. Bus route 420/731 began running Nov. 5, 2001, and operates Monday through Friday.

Ja-Ra and J-Da are splitsville, and the Olympic world is a-buzz. Jean Racine and Jen Davidson, the two-time world champions in women's bobsled and closest friends, were everyone's pick to take the gold medal in Salt Lake City. The pair had already done ads for the "Got Milk" campaign, gotten their faces on cereal boxes and appeared in Sports Illustrated, GQ and Glamour magazine. Then a little thing like winning got in the way. Last weekend, Racine, as the driver of the sled and team leader, abruptly ended the four-year partnership with Davidson, the braker and pusher, because, Racine said, Davidson wasn't measuring up. Davidson was replaced by Gea Johnson, a former NCAA champion heptathlete and a walk-on this season.

Racine Williams stretched out her arms and began rotating like a pinwheel in slow motion. With a rhythmic, tick-tock quality, the 41-year-old perfectly cartwheeled to the left, and back to the right across the conference room of her Millersville office. Despite huffing and puffing through the last 50, she kept going until she reached a new personal record of 300. Her third annual cartwheel-a-thon Friday raised only $1,100, a third of her first outing. But Williams still takes on this odd, seemingly dizzying challenge because it's a cause she works for daily.

Venable LLP, the law firm that traces a 100-year history to its origins in Baltimore, announced yesterday changes in its highest ranks that elevated Karl A. Racine to managing partner, making him one of only a handful of black lawyers to lead a major firm. Racine replaces James L. Shea, who will succeed Benjamin R. Civiletti as chairman. Civiletti, a former U.S. attorney general, will remain on the firm's board and lead its charitable foundation while continuing his practice. The 470-attorney firm, which is based in Washington and has offices from New York to Virginia, specializes in corporate law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs.

Commuter bus line No. 420/731 from Perryville to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the only metro bus line in Harford County in the midday, is proposed to be cut by the end of the month. Alonza Williams, Maryland Transit Administration spokesman, said the decision to discontinue service results from low ridership - an average of 33 people a day ride the bus. He said fares must cover at least 40 percent of a bus line's costs, which this line is not doing. The MARC Penn Line serves Perryville, Aberdeen, Edgewood, Martin Airport and Baltimore's Penn Station with continuing service to BWI. Bus route 420/731 began running Nov. 5, 2001, and operates Monday through Friday.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - For someone used to going downhill fast, it still stuns Olympic bobsledder Jean Racine how quickly she got to the bottom last winter. In a blink, the young woman with the bright eyes and quick wit, the athlete with a future paved in endorsements, was turned into a soap opera villain, "Mean Jean," who elbowed aside her teammate and best friend in a greedy grab for the gold. "I knew I was going to take heat, but when it came ... " her voice trailing off and her lower lip quivering slightly.

SALT LAKE CITY - Bonny Warner, the veteran bobsled driver whose ride to the Olympics was derailed by the athletic equivalent of corporate raiding, found a soft landing. Warner, who did commentary during the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan, will resume that line of work for NBC. She will be providing the color for her event. "They realized that bobsled is going to be a huge story, and who can tell it better in an objective format than me?" she said. But given the soap opera that surrounded the selection of the women's team, can Warner bite her tongue?

Ja-Ra and J-Da are splitsville, and the Olympic world is a-buzz. Jean Racine and Jen Davidson, the two-time world champions in women's bobsled and closest friends, were everyone's pick to take the gold medal in Salt Lake City. The pair had already done ads for the "Got Milk" campaign, gotten their faces on cereal boxes and appeared in Sports Illustrated, GQ and Glamour magazine. Then a little thing like winning got in the way. Last weekend, Racine, as the driver of the sled and team leader, abruptly ended the four-year partnership with Davidson, the braker and pusher, because, Racine said, Davidson wasn't measuring up. Davidson was replaced by Gea Johnson, a former NCAA champion heptathlete and a walk-on this season.

The passion that Phedre, queen of Athens, feels for her stepson Hippolytus has so consumed her that she can barely keep still. She's twisted into knots, prone to spasms; words pour out in edgy bursts. But when Phedre, portrayed by Helen Mirren in the National Theatre of Great Britain production of Racine's 17th-century tragedy, finally decides to open her heart to Hippolytus, she enters the stage walking slowly backward. Suddenly, she's a girlish maiden, all demure and sweet, hesitant to face the one she loves.

SALT LAKE CITY - Bonny Warner, the veteran bobsled driver whose ride to the Olympics was derailed by the athletic equivalent of corporate raiding, found a soft landing. Warner, who did commentary during the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan, will resume that line of work for NBC. She will be providing the color for her event. "They realized that bobsled is going to be a huge story, and who can tell it better in an objective format than me?" she said. But given the soap opera that surrounded the selection of the women's team, can Warner bite her tongue?

FOR PAT HAMILTON, Cub Scouts is about more than learning how to light a fire, tie knots and pitch a tent. "Cub Scouts is a very worthwhile program for young boys. It teaches them independence, how to think for themselves, good sportsmanship, citizenship, teamwork and good behavior," he said. Hamilton is the committee chairman for Cub Scout Pack 615 and roundtable commissioner for the National Pike District of the Scouts. He began his affiliation with the pack 12 years ago when his son, Jason, was in the third grade.

A New York man accused of leading a state trooper on a high-speed chase on Interstate 95 was critically injured yesterday when his van smashed into a parked tractor-trailer at a Maryland rest stop. State police said they recovered about 2 pounds of marijuana in eight bags from his van, as wekk as 180 grams of cocaine. No charges had been filed last night. The accident occurred about 2: 15 p.m. in the Chesapeake House parking lot, off Interstate 95 near North East in Cecil County, state police said.