Region

Wrestler of the yearMike Babiak, John Carroll, Sr. (27-4): Ranked No. 3 at 189 in the state; defeated Tom Staab in their only meeting; lost twice to No. 1 Greg Plitt.Wrestler of the yearKevin Carter, Aberdeen, Sr. (22-2): Two-time county champion was regional champion. He reversed only regular-season loss in state 1A-2A semifinals, before losing in final, 3-0.Coach of the yearDick Slutzky, Aberdeen: The No. 11 Eagles (9-2) won a 12th straight county title and were region runners-up with a squad of freshmen (five starters)

Maura Smith was 21-for-21 serving with seven aces and added six kills to lead No. 9 South River (13-2) to a 15-5, 15-4, 15-7 win over host City in a state Class 2A East Region semifinal yesterday.South River will travel to North Caroline tomorrow at 1:30 for the region championship game.

Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association high-point standings for PHRF sailors, by far the largest contingent of the Handicap Division, which also includes IMS, MORC and Multihull competitors, have been finalized.Like other high-point standings, the PHRF scores represent an overview of each qualifying sailor's season of racing, with certain minimum requirements, such as the completion of at least five races and membership in CBYRA, PHRF of the Chesapeake and a CBYRA-member yacht club.Like other divisional scoring systems, in PHRF the final score is determined by dividing the actual number of points earned for starting, finishing and beating other starters, by the number of points it would have been possible to earn had a competitor won every race he or she started, plus 30.Bonus points for long-distance races, ranging from five for races of 20 to 49.9 miles, to 16 for races over 200 miles, but not exceeding a total of 30, also are included in the formula, and up to three races, one for every six completed, can be dropped as a worst-race throwout in the final calculation.

If the weather holds, Catonsville will play in the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association's Class 4A semifinal game for the first time in 15 years tonight. “I'm so excited for my team, so eager to get on the field and play, it feels like the night before Christmas,” Catonsville coach Lindsey Springer said. “We're as prepared as we're ever going to be.” The Comets, 12-3 and the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A North region, face No. 2-seeded Walter Johnson (13-1)

WASHINGTON -- Citing a new era of peace and democracy across Latin America, President Clinton lifted a 20-year ban on advanced weapons sales to the region yesterday.The White House said the decision, made after months of internal debate and intensive lobbying by U.S. arms manufacturers, reflects the region's graduation from a continent dominated by military dictators to one in which civilians control the generals.The move was heralded by U.S. arms exporters, who see billions of dollars in potential sales of fighter aircraft, air defense systems and other sophisticated gear.

President Bush's failure to persuade Latin American and Caribbean leaders to approve a U.S.-backed free trade agreement during the recent Summit of the Americas is an indication of waning U.S. influence in Latin America after years of diplomatic neglect by his administration, and a reminder of why it is important to nurture ties in that region. The outcome of the two-day summit in Argentina, attended by 34 Western Hemisphere countries, was further signal of a growing willingness among those nations to assert political independence from the U.S. and express unease with U.S. assurances that the agreement will benefit the region.

Winning the county and Class 4A, Region IV girls cross country titles was expected at Severna Park this fall, but not the boys Region IV championship.After a second-place finish in the county meet to Old Mill by 39-53, the Falcons of veteran coach Ed Purpura edged the Patriots, 63-68, to repeat as Region IV champion.Purpura is The Baltimore Sun Anne Arundel County cross country Coach of the Year for coaching the Falcons girls to their 10th straight county title and seventh consecutive regional and for leading the boys to their third Region IV title in five years.

As part of a $225,000 federal grant, Carroll County will receive $20,000 to fund transportation studies.The United Transportation Program is distributed to Carroll and all other metropolitan counties inthe Baltimore region and is funneled through the Baltimore Regional Council of Governments. Carroll County pays nearly $60,000 a year to be a member of the council.Council representatives from the region met Friday to approve thefunding as well as offer more support for regional cooperation on relieving congested roads.

Friday afternoon's late rainstorm forced the suspension of the Class4A Region IV baseball semifinals and the postponement of the final until tomorrow.The two semifinal games halted Friday were scheduled to be resumed yesterday, with No. 2 Old Mill leading No. 3 Severna Park, 4-2, and No. 1 Arundel ahead of No. 4 LaPlata, 10-2.The Patriots, who rallied from an early 2-0 deficit, had just been retired in the bottom of the third inning as lightning prompted theumpires to halt play. Heavy rains soon followed, and after a 20-minute delay, the decision was made to suspend play.

Housing sales in Harford County increased for the third consecutive month over 1992 figures, according to information provided by the Central Maryland Multiple Listing Service.A total of 276 contracts were settled in August, an increase of 54 percent over August 1992, when 179 contracts reached settlement. The increase ranked second only to Carroll County's, which topped the area with 215 settled contracts, up 65 percent over 130 in August 1992.Settled contracts for the region, which takes in Harford, Carroll, Howard and Baltimore counties along with Baltimore City, rose 23 percent over August 1992 figures, with 1,912 settled last month.