Residents

Renee Washington says she's not asking for special treatment from City Hall. The 58-year-old paraplegic just wants to make sure she and her neighbors are reimbursed for the stoves and water heaters damaged during a Valentine's Day gas main break that caused water to rush into their appliances. "We want to make hot meals for our families," says Washington, a resident of the Southwest Baltimore neighborhood of Mill Hill, who is attempting to organize her neighbors to action. "We want to take hot showers and baths.

Dale Lucas' horse farm in Baltimore County lost power during Hurricane Irene last year. It lost power for six days when the derecho blew through in June. And it lost power again Monday night. Losing electricity has become such a problem for the 22-horse boarding facility that Lucas went out at first light Tuesday to try to resolve the issue himself. He found crossed power lines and a blown breaker - problems he couldn't fix himself but could at least point out to the power company.

A unified crowd of more than 300 Rivers Edge residents Monday night told state highway officials not to limit access to Route 29, the only way in or out of their Howard County community. The meeting at Atholton High School drew a standing-room-only crowd for the latest State Highway Administration plans to widen northbound Route 29 from the Patuxent River north to Route 175 in Columbia. That four-mile section remains a two-lane road, causing bumper-to-bumper slowdowns every afternoon rush hour.

I read the article written by Michael Dresser "Increases in bridge, tunnel tolls cruel but fair" (June 13) and, although I rarely respond to articles I read in the paper, felt a needed to respond to this one. I was born and raised in Baltimore City but moved to Cecil County in 1973. I am a huge supporter of the city and its sports teams and always wish the best for it in the eyes of outsiders. However, Mr. Dresser's one-sided view of the proposed toll increases elicited a response.

An overflow crowd showed up at Sykesville's Town Council meeting on Nov. 14 - nearly all of them coming to register their disapproval of the town's Nov. 1 firing of Jean Maher, longtime manager of the Sykesville's downtown post office. The Sykesville Old Main Line Visitor's Center and Post Office has been shuttered since Nov. 5, when its remaining three employees - Connie McKay, Kathy Gambrill and Judy Lettie - resigned in protest of Maher's dismissal. In an open letter to the community posted on a local blog, sykesvilleonline.com, McKay, Gambrill and Lettie voiced support for Maher, saying they were "baffled" by the circumstances surrounding the dismissal.

Harford Day School students and staff recently performed several activities to help others, including families in New Jersey affected by Super Storm Sandy and Harford Family House.

A heartfelt thank you to the congregants, volunteers and friends at Christian Temple for continuing the long-held tradition of hosting an opportunity to join in fellowship and Thanksgiving at their annual holiday gathering. We are so blessed to be your neighbors across the street! We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.   Ridgeway Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Glynn Taff Assisted Living residents Catonsville  

A leaf-removal program has been discontinued after 25 years, saving Prince George's County $2 million. Some county residents say they raked their leaves to the curb as they had for years and expected they would be vacuumed up by the county. But they were surprised to learn the leaf-removal program had been cut. Susan Hubbard of the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation says a notice about the program being discontinued went out to community representatives over the summer.

The Carroll County Public School System will host its final Education Forum on Wednesday, April 3, 7 to 9 p.m., at Westminster High School, 1225 Washington Road. Residents are invited to attend the session, at which Superintendent Stephen Guthrie will provide information about the school system, which is the ninth largest in the state, with more than 27,000 students; its achievements; and the challenges to its finances and education programs.