Register

Goodness knows how many unregistered pets are running around Baltimore. A lot of them, that's for sure. So maybe the citiy could take a cue from Chicago, a city that's come up with a potentially genius little scheme to get folks to register their dogs. It amounts to this: Register your dog, have a chance to win jewels. Yes, jewels. People who make their dogs legal beteween by March 31 have a chance to win the title of Chicago's Dog of Distinction. And the first place prize -- besides the title of course -- is a custom-designed Chicago dog tag with real rubies and topazes created by Sherry Bender of The Goldsmith, Ltd jewelers.

Though some compared the explosion that followed Tuesday's CSX train derailment in Rosedale to the earthquake that rattled the region in 2011, it did not register on U.S. Geological Survey monitors. That is according to data from the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. There was no sign of seismic activity in the Baltimore area around 2 p.m., when a freight train, carrying chemicals that later exploded, crashed into a truck. The explosion sent a shock wave felt for miles across the region, breaking windows, knocking pictures off of walls and dropping ceiling tiles in areas closest to the blast.

Fall soccer. Greater Laurel United Soccer Club, ages 4-16. Girls born between August 1997-July 2001 pay reduced fee of $47.50. Players guaranteed play time each game. Teams based on gender and school. No tryouts. Teams practice once or twice weekly, games Saturday, occasional Sundays and weeknight evenings. Practices and games on fields in greater Laurel area. Register at eteamz.com/greaterlaurelunitedsoccerclub. Space is limited. An all-volunteer organization. Coaches needed for all age groups.

Loyola's Chris Layne has been diagnosed with what is being described as a “testicular mass,” but the senior midfielder still plans to play in the team's NCAA tournament first-round contest at seventh-seeded Duke this Sunday. The school made the announcement via a statement from Layne's family, who revealed that the mass was discovered earlier in the week. It is unclear if the mass is cancerous, but it apparently will not prohibit him from trying to help the Greyhounds (11-4) retain the national championship they won last spring.

State officials say all Maryland recreational anglers must register with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before fishing in 2010. The requirement is part of a federal initiative to help ensure the long-term sustainability of America's fisheries. Although the survey is focused on saltwater species, some ocean fish travel between salt and fresh waters, so anyone fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries and coastal waters must register. Anglers must provide their name, birth date, address, telephone number and the regions they plan to fish.

The city's annual Breakfast with Santa will be held Saturday, Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. at the Partnership Activity Center, 811 Fifth St., adjacent to the Laurel Police Department. Strolling carolers will entertain during breakfast. Families are encouraged to bring their own cameras for holiday photos with Santa, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The cost is $7.00 per person; pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, call 301-725-7800.

Time is running out. If you want to make a difference in the presidential election, if you want to cast your vote on this most vital national decision, you must register. Monday is the deadline.State officials have made it relatively easy. You can show up at your county or city election board till 9 p.m. on Monday and fill out a form. You can sign up during working hours at the Motor Vehicle Administration offices in Gaithersburg, Laurel, Waldorf, Bel Air or Annapolis. And you can get an application form at state health, social services and motor vehicle offices, as well as at post offices, libraries and local schools or colleges.

The Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber will hold its 65th annual meeting Thursday, April 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hotel at the Arundel Preserve, 7795 Arundel Mills Road, in Hanover. Freeman Hrabowski III, president of he University of Maryland Baltimore County, will give the keynote address, titled "America's Economic Future at the Crossroads: Education, Innovation and Learning. " Registration and networking begins at 11:15 a.m. Registration is $65 for members pre-paid; $100 for non-members pre-paid; and $125 at the door for all. To register online, go to bwcc.org/events . For more information, contact the BWCC at bwcc@bwcc.org .

The statewide deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 3 general election is 9 p.m. today. Forms are available in most state and local government offices, as well as post offices, libraries and public schools. Applications must be brought to your local Board of Elections by 9 p.m. today or postmarked by today and received by 4 p.m. tomorrow. To register, you must be 18 by Nov. 3, be a U.S. citizen and not be under court guardianship. Voters can register as a member of the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian or Alliance parties or decline to list an affiliation.

The Savage Boys and Girls Club is holding registration for flag football and fall soccer. To register, or for more information, go to http://www.savagebgc.org.

I read with interest James Maxeiner's op-ed, "The Bavarian case for registering guns" (April 28) in The Sun. Mr. Maxeiner advocates for the licensing of gun owners and registration of firearms, what he calls "sensible regulations on firearms. " He rationalized that if Bavarians "...accept that they must be licensed to own and operate their Ultimate Driving Machines, so too do they accept, without objection, that they must be licensed to own and shoot firearms," so should the citizens of the United States.

No one player makes - or breaks - a team. That is especially true for No. 11 Maryland, where the concept of team is emphasized in nearly every comment from the players and coach John Tillman. John Haus is one of the Terps who fully endorses that model. But if anyone is looking to cast blame for the team's recent offensive woes, the senior midfielder is prepared to absorb the criticism. “I think all over, we've been low in production. As a senior, I take some of that on my shoulders,” he said Tuesday.

Leave it to Stevenson coach Paul Cantabene to find a scoring threat in a former defensive player. After spending the first three years of his career as a short-stick defensive midfielder, Peter Green has blossomed as a weapon for the No. 4 Mustangs (15-2), leading all midfielders with 27 goals and 38 points. The Hereford native and graduate has scored three more goals than the combined number of shots he took in his first three seasons, but to hear Cantabene - who has built some of Division III's most prolific offenses in recent years  - talk, this is what he and staff anticipated from Green.

Besides drinking beer, there are two other pastimes that Bavarians love: driving and sport-shooting, including hunting. Bavarians build BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machines. " Bavarians' national dress is hunter green. No one who visits Munich is likely to miss the German Hunting and Fishing Museum in the middle of the main shopping street. When in Munich, I saw the world's best-known opera devoted to shooting and hunting, Carl Maria von Weber's " Der Freischütz " ("The Marksman"), with its unforgettable Hunters' Chorus singing, "What on earth can equal the pleasure of hunting?"

The Maryland Small Business and Technology Development Center, Central Region, is offering a three-hour course, Smart Start Your Business — Howard County, Thursday, May 2, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, 9250 Bendix Road North, in Columbia. The course is recommended for new start-up businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Presentations will be made by an attorney, an accountant, a banker and an insurance professional, covering topics such as business legal structure; registering business name; federal, state, county and local tax information; and how to obtain funds for investment.

Marshall Norval "Buzz" Ragsdale, a retired National Cash Register sales executive, died of complications from multiple myeloma Saturday at his Timonium home. He was 91. Born in East Orange, N.J., he was a 1939 graduate of East Orange High School and attended Bucknell University, where he played freshman basketball. In July 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and attended Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Va. He then served with Marine Fighting Squadron 314 on Midway, Ie Shima and Okinawa.

In the most sweeping change for Maryland anglers in 25 years, tens of thousands of residents and vacationers who fish in the Chesapeake Bay or wet a line in the Atlantic Ocean or its coastal bays will be required to register with the federal government. The National Saltwater Angler Registry, authorized by Congress, is a new tool for scientists to get a better handle on the numbers of recreational anglers and migratory fish caught - part of their effort to protect species and rebuild dwindling stocks.

Small grain certifications for Carroll County farmers are due June 1, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service officials announced this week.Farmers involved in the program must report the acres and intended uses of their wheat, barley, oats, rye and other fall-seeded crops to ASCS by June 1 to remain eligible for benefits.However, all farmers can benefit from certifying their crops and land uses, acting ASCS county executive director Mavis Robertson said. Producers ensure eligibility for future programs when they register acres by building and protecting a crop acreage base, she said.

In his first start, T.J. Hanzsche posted three goals and one assist in Navy's 12-11 decision against Lafayette Saturday. Not surprisingly, the freshman is expected to make his second consecutive start Tuesday night against Towson, joining junior attackmen Sam Jones and Tucker Hull. “Most likely, yeah,” coach Rick Sowell said Monday afternoon of whether Hanzsche would start. “He obviously provided some good production for us on Saturday, but we expect [junior] Austin Heneveld to play and even [freshman]

What pesticides are Maryland families exposed to on a regular basis? Good luck finding out. There's simply no way for the average person to discover what chemicals are being applied to farm fields or even backyards. Worse, it's nearly impossible for anyone in the public health field to find out either. Should doctors discover an unusually high incidence in Maryland of leukemia or other cancer that might be associated with environmental exposure, they'd be hard-pressed to analyze the risk from pesticides.