Reader

During 37 years as a feature writer, sometime editor and longtime restaurant critic at the Sun, I had many proud moments and even a few awards. But I don't think anything pleased me as much as being named The Sun 's Best Blogger by the City Paper in the fall of 2007. A few months before, my editor had told me I would be joining the digital age. I would write a food and restaurant blog, to be called Dining@Large. I wasn't sure I knew what a blog was. Being a restaurant critic was a fabulous job, but I'd done it for a long time.

I was just beginning my career at The Sun when the paper (and, yes, it was just a paper then) marked its 150th anniversary. Everything seemed startlingly new to me, and the festivities around May 17, 1987, were a heady part of that. Twenty-five years later, I'm honored to be running the newsroom as we turn 175. Readers may not know it, but we're older than The New York Times , The Washington Post and The Boston Globe . Leafing through the magazine published to commemorate the 150th, I was struck by how many companies that advertised in it no longer exist in the Baltimore area.

Somewhere the wild things are roaring their terrible roars and gnashing their terrible teeth and rolling their terrible eyes and showing their terrible claws. They're mourning their creator, children's book author Maurice Sendak, who stepped into his private boat on Tuesday and waved goodbye. The 83-year-old Sendak died Tuesday morning at a hospital in Connecticut, four days after suffering a stroke. "When I heard the news on the radio, it was just a punch in the gut," said Selma Levi, who supervises the children's department of the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library . "I know he was older.

Meet Emily Savopoulos and the educators at Clarksville middle school in Howard County who get in a little exercise after classes. Type of workout: Full body workout: upper body, lower body, cardio, weight training, balance, etc. Who's in the group: The group varies from five die-hard participants to a full classroom. The age range varies, but the core members of the group are in their 40s and 50s. When they do it: Monday through Friday after classes are over for 40-60 minute sessions.

"Ace of Cakes,"a Food Network favorite, followed Remington's Charm City Cakes through 10 seasons of stress and laughter. Owner Duff Goldman and his talented team introduced viewers to the fast-paced world of custom cake-making, creating edible masterpieces such as the Hogwarts castle for the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and a replica of Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes. Now, a year after the show's final season and currently busy with a new line of wedding cakes, executive chef Geof Manthorne, 37, reflects on life after the show, how the staff has changed and the future of Charm City Cakes.

The mother and daughter relax on a cushy sofa, laughing quietly as they speak of their unusual yet utterly normal life together. "Sometimes I get a little frustrated [with you], don't I, Talynn?" the mom asks. "Yes, but we always work it out," the 9-year-old replies, leaping onto Traci Lucien and applying a huge hug. "Nobody's taking my Mommy. She's tooken. We're together forever!" Talynn exclaims. It's an especially tender moment, considering the two met just two years ago. That was when Lucien, a single professional who was then 49, adopted Talynn (pronounced Tay-LINN )

Here are your 2012 favorites! Harford County is home to some of the most diverse businesses, restaurants, and organizations in Maryland. The readers have made their voices heard. Here are the votes that express all that is great in Harford County. BEST LIQUOR STORE            Winner: -Ronnie's Beverage Warehouse Runners-up: -Wine World Beer & Spirits            -Jim's BottleWorks            -Bel Air Liquors   BEST SALON/SPA Winner: -Jordan Thomas Salon & Spa Runners-up: -Infinity Salon & Spa            -Color Lounge Salon & Spa            -Bella Amici   BEST HEALTH CLUB            Winner: -The Arena Club Runners-up: -The Bel Air Athletic Club            -Planet Fitmess            -Y of Central Maryland   BEST HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTOR            Winner: -Home Depot Runners-up: -Bel Air Construction (BAC)

Adam Sahhar spends his days prowling the waters of the Inner Harbor, looking for plunder and teaching passengers a lesson in Pirating 101. As general manager of Baltimore's Urban Pirates, Sahhar, aka Capt. Peppercorn, leads the crew aboard The Fearless, a pirate-themed, children-friendly tour boat armed with water cannons. This is the first week of pirate season, which runs through Oct. 31. Sahhar, a 27-year-old who lives in Fells Point, and the rest of the crew will be on hand for Saturday's Privateer Day in Fells Point.

I read the very brief article "Managing news editor Sunni Khalid out at WYPR-FM" (March 19). I really expected more. Was this an example of censorship/McCarthyism at the public radio station? Criticize the Israeli occupation on Facebook, and your head must roll? Does the station believe in the First Amendment right to free speech? Why can't an employee express his personal belief on Facebook as long as his perspective does not affect the work he does for the station? And it was a journalistic low for The Sun to claim that Mr. Khalid made an obscene gesture to a former Sun employee who refused to name the alleged individual.

Who doesn't love pictures of cute pets? I know I do. My name is Rachel Martin, and I'm a features intern for The Baltimore Sun. Along with another intern, Krishana Davis, I will be contributing to Unleashed . As if everyone didn't already enjoy browsing through pictures of adorable pets, readers can now submit profiles and photos of their furry friends to be featured in The Baltimore Sun's new online Collared photo gallery. Previously, Collared has been a weekly story for Unleashed . With the new photo gallery, though, you can submit the following information to Jill Rosen at jill.rosen@baltsun.com to share why your pet is so special: pet name, owner name, how you met your pet, age, hometown, breed, best trick, favorite activity, favorite food, funniest moment and motto for life.