Seniors

The talk in Washington and among opinion leaders around the country's budget issues today centers on "balance" and "responsibility. " Many conservatives declare that these terms mean that there should be no new revenue, only spending cuts to programs such as Social Security and Medicare. They also propose to reduc cost of living adjustments for all Social Security recipients, a group of Americans who have seen traditional pensions eliminated and savings devastated by the Great Recession - and who rely more and more on our Social Security system, into which they paid during their entire working lives.

The Greens at Irvington Mews, a 100-unit residential community for seniors and adults with disabilities, celebrated its Grand Opening on Monday. The four-story structure is in the 4300 block of Frederick Avenue across from Mount Saint Joseph High School in the Irvington neighborhood of southwest Baltimore. The $16 million project was developed by Enterprise, an affordable housing finance and development firm that was founded by J ames W.  Rouse, who conceived Columbia. Of the 100 apartments, 85 are already occupied, Enterprise said.  The community was designed by the Baltimore-based architecture firm  Hord Coplan Macht Inc. The contractor was Harkins Builders Inc., headquartered in  Marriottsville.

Forward John Grant Jr. finished with three goals and two assists as the visiting Colorado Mammoth defeated the Minnesota Swarm, 16-14, on Saturday night before a season-high announced 12,243 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Mammoth (7-9), which led 8-7 at the half, clinched a National Lacrosse League playoff berth earlier in the evening when the Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Bandits in Buffalo. As the No. 4 seed, Colorado will visit the top-seeded Calgary Roughnecks in a semifinal next Saturday at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Zach Palmer's availability for No. 13 Johns Hopkins' home contest against Navy at Homewood Field in Baltimore this Saturday is still uncertain. The senior attackman suffered an unspecified injury during practice on April 10 and did not play in the team's 7-4 upset of No. 6 Maryland last Saturday. Asked about Palmer's status, coach Dave Pietramala replied, “Day to day.” Pietramala declined to say whether he was optimistic that Palmer would return for Saturday's game. “I don't know one way or the other,” Pietramala said.

When officials in Washington evaluate the consequences of the sequester, Tiara Bland wants them to consider the sixth-grade girls at Mother Seton Academy. Bland, a 22-year-old AmeriCorps member at the Baltimore academy for low-income children, said the decision by government leaders to impose across-the-board spending cuts will shortchange the urban youths who turn to her for advice on math problems and life. Bland, who aspires to be a school psychologist, is one of 17 AmeriCorps members performing education and literacy work in Baltimore for the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers.

Calendar These activities will be offered at the Annapolis Senior Activity Center, 119 S. Villa Ave. Information: 410-222-1818: Concert Last Chance Entertainment performs Motown, jazz, R&B and oldies but goodies at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23. 'Ask the Undertaker' Ryan Helfenbein, who writes a column for Outlook by the Bay magazine, will give a talk at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 25. Topics include the emotional and financial advantages of...

Owings Mills senior Alyssa Taylor, an All-Metro first-team selection in cross country, has made a commitment to run at Kentucky. Taylor finished third in the Class 2A state championships this fall. With her time of 19 minutes, 55.4 seconds, she was one of only 14 runners among all four classifications to finish under 20 minutes at states. Taylor also runs indoor and outdoor track for the Eagles. She capped her indoor season with a second-place finish in the 1,600 meters at the Class 2A state meet.

Senior defenseman Brock Hurley sees something unique with the North Harford boys lacrosse team this season. The Hawks have 15 seniors - and many played together long before high school. It's a bond that Hurley believes can lead to a special season for North Harford. In his second year on varsity at close defense, Hurley is a team captain and responsible for shutting down the opponent's top attackman. Hurley maintains a 3.75 grade point average and plans to study environmental science while playing for Stevenson next year.

Kathryn Ledwell turned at the boom and stared, confused in her fatigue by the plume of smoke rising behind her, the screams and the crowd - not just her fellow athletes but everyone - running in different directions. Then the second explosion occurred, not too much farther down the Boston Marathon course, and Ledwell, a 22-year-old Charles Village resident and Johns Hopkins University senior, knew something was wrong. "Honestly, the fact that I just completed a marathon was immediately gone from my mind.

The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team may look back on April 13 and point to that date as the program's watershed moment of 2013. After losing their last two games and three of their past four, the No. 15 Blue Jays upset No. 4 Maryland, 7-4, at Byrd Stadium on Saturday. An announced attendance of 10,233 watched Johns Hopkins (7-4) keep alive its hopes of qualifying for the NCAA tournament with its first signature victory of the season, defeating a Terps squad that had lost just once and entered the week at No. 4 on the first Rating Percentage Index list released by the NCAA.