Spectators

Bob Markey, president of the White Rose Motorcycle Club in York County, Pa., just wanted the spectators at the Jefferson Hill Climb motorcycle race to have a good time Sunday.But a troublemaker with a powerful firecracker spoiled it, permanently injuring a Carroll County woman."You put your heart and soul into getting these events started," said Mr. Markey, whose club has sponsored the event since 1956. "From day one, it has been a family-oriented event. People who make trouble are not welcome."

Frank James MacArthur, the blogger known as the Baltimore Spectator, could go on trial in May after pleading not guilty Monday to gun and resisting-arrest charges that have kept him in jail for months. MacArthur is accused in connection with a December standoff as Baltimore police tried to arrest him on a probation violation charge. During the standoff, MacArthur protested his arrest on an online radio station and live-streamed his telephone discussions with a police negotiator over the Internet.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Former President Ford lived up to his reputation by hitting a spectator and scattering the gallery with errant golf shots, but he was upstaged by partner George Bush -- who hit two people.Playing yesterday with the former presidents in the Bob Hope Desert Classic were President Clinton, Mr. Hope and Scott Hoch, last year's winner.On the 10th hole, Mr. Bush slapped a shot from the rough to the fairway -- smacking 71-year-old Norma Early of Vista, Calif., in the face.

A power outage darkened the Superdome in the third quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday night, an unnerving experience for a stadium that had been the refuge of last resort for many when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. The 34-minute outage seemed to halt the Ravens' momentum, coming almost immediately after Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a touchdown to start the second half. The Ravens had led 28-6, but the previously sluggish San Francisco 49ers went on to score two touchdowns and a field goal in the third quarter.

IF THERE was any doubt that golf is a game for a lifetime, it was liberally dispelled by the Senior PGA tournament at Hobbit's Glen in Columbia last weekend.The delightfully sunny weather and unusually low humidity drew a good crowd to the competition of the over-50 touring pros."Good crowd" doesn't just mean numbers, either. The spectators were enthusiastic, appreciative, courteous and even reverent of the threesomes that toured the fastidiously maintained course.The overall caliber of golf didn't match that of the PGA Tour, but that made little difference to the fans.

MOST Americans are troubled about our country's civic and moral condition. During the past generation, many of our families have crumbled. Neighborhood and community ties have frayed. Many of our streets and public spaces have become unsafe. Our public schools are mediocre for many students and catastrophic failures for many others. Our character-forming institutions are enfeebled. Much of our popular culture is vulgar, violent and mindless.Political participation is at depressed levels last seen in the 1920s.

CHASKA, Minn. -- Davis Love III had, perhaps, the best perspective on yesterday's opening round of the U.S. Open at the Hazeltine National Golf Club."I wasn't quite as worried about my golf game after we came back from a delay," he said.He was referring to a thunderstorm, laced with lightning, that resulted in the death of one spectator and seriously injured another. Four other spectators were listed in stable condition.The tragedy occurred early in the afternoon as play was suspended for 2 hours and 41 minutes because of the hazardous weather conditions.

Nine people were taken to area hospitals last night with injuries that were not life-threatening after fireworks landed in the middle of a crowd at a rescheduled Fourth of July celebration at Catonsville High School, police and fire officials said. Firefighter Tim Robinson said witnesses described a shell landing amid a crowd of spectators about 10 p.m., just before the display's grand finale. "The way people were saying it, it came right down and exploded and was shooting fire 40, 50 feet in the air," he said.

For the next several months this column will be almost exclusively devoted to covering equestrian competitions.There are many such types of events, and they all welcome spectators -- usually at little or no charge. Here is a brief guide to horse competitions for those ofyou thinking of attending some of these events.Besides racing on the flat -- such as horses do at Laurel or Pimlico -- horses also race over fences at point-to-point or steeplechasemeets. In the United States, point-to-point is the term given to amateur races over fences.

A killer named "Obvious" was on the loose.Peering down the barrel of his rocket launcher, the killer slid through a gloomy corridor, spraying death at his foes with a deadly arsenal of chain guns, rocket launchers and grenades. His enemies screamed in pain as his shots connected."Obvious" is the nom de guerre of 28-year-old Kevin Bane of Baltimore. His killing spree took place not in a real corridor but in cyberspace in a computer game called Quake II. Saturday, Bane was among 14 crack computer gamers to compete in the first national high-speed cable Internet gaming tournament held at CompUSA in Columbia.

Some came with their kids, not wanting to miss the opportunity to impart a message of political leadership in a live civics classroom hundreds of thousands of people strong. Others arrived with their own place in history in mind, considering President Barack Obama's second inauguration a second shot to celebrate the significance of the nation's first black president and be a part of it themselves. Whatever the reason, Maryland residents joined people from all across the country on Monday who braved the cold weather and long security lines to be on the National Mall for Obama's ceremonial swearing in. 'A piece of history' Matt Jacobson, 30, and friends Chris Franzoni, 31, and Stan Kimmel, 32, were on the mall early after celebrating the Ravens' win the night before at a D.C. bar, where they'd put a Ray Lewis jersey on an Obama cut-out.

A Baltimore grand jury has indicted Frank James MacArthur, the blogger known as the Baltimore Spectator, but he no longer faces the most serious gun charge brought against him, according to electronic court records. The charges stem from a December standoff between MacArthur and Baltimore police trying to serve an arrest warrant connected to an alleged probation violation. MacArthur streamed the incident live over an online radio service. Police said that when they later searched his Waverly home they found a sawed-off shotgun, which formed the basis for two gun charges.

A Baltimore circuit judge denied another bail request Friday for the blogger who held a publicized standoff with city police this month that was broadcast live to thousands of listeners. Judge Lynn K. Stewart said Frank James MacArthur, also known locally as the Baltimore Spectator, posed a continuing threat to public safety and should remain jailed without bail. It was the third time that MacArthur, 37, who lives in the Waverly neighborhood, has been denied bail. MacArthur's attorney, Jill P. Carter, called the revocation a knee-jerk overreaction when many other suspects facing similar charges are often offered bail.

Frank James MacArthur always said what was on his mind. But sometimes, his sister told him, that wasn't the best idea. "Frank is the kind of person who once in a while you wish he would lie because it wouldn't get him in trouble," Jean Arthur said. "Unfortunately for good or bad, he likes to give you his opinion. " "And when it comes to police officers," she added, "they don't like to hear your opinion. " MacArthur's confrontational, brash persona drew thousands to his Baltimore Spectator blog and Twitter page, where he railed against the city of Baltimore, police and the mainstream media.

Coming up this Saturday is the 18th Annual Malibu's Classic. We've already told you that Malibu's Surf Shop is one of the best surf shops around. Well, this contest is one of the best surfing competitions around. The week leading up to the contest, all of Ocean City is talking about it. And the event is really spectator friendly- just come down to the beach on 8th Street and check it out for free. The annual contest, sponsored by the Delmarva chapter of the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA)

The new team that's organizing the Baltimore Grand Prix faces two big challenges. The first is overcoming the logistical difficulties of throwing together the complicated enterprise that is a three-day street racing festival in less than four months. And the second is overcoming the skepticism of race fans, sponsors, vendors and Baltimore residents who are wary after last year's organizers left millions in bad debts and the city's handpicked replacement team collapsed just months before this year's event.

MOSCOW - A Ukrainian fighter jet, swooping low in the middle of an aerobatic stunt, crashed into a large crowd at an air show near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv yesterday, killing at least 78 spectators on the ground. The jet, a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-27, appeared to lose control as it rolled and then banked as it approached the Sknyliv airfield. It clipped a strand of trees before skidding in flames across tarmac and into the crowd, according to officials and television film of the crash.

Tiger Woods would have been impressed. St. John's College senior Tristan Evans-Wilent raised a croquet mallet and smacked a softball-sized sphere 20 feet across patchy, uneven grass and through a wiry wicket. It doesn't take much to figure out that the Ithaca, N.Y., resident has a knack for croquet, a centuries-old, genteel game played mainly in backyards as a recreational activity but also competitively among clubs and colleges throughout the country. Evans-Wilent is a member of the popular St.

Shrieking children covered their ears and adults flinched as the Blue Angels made a low pass over Fort McHenry, only to stretch their necks and shade their eyes to track the Navy jet fighters as they soared into the sun. At the Inner Harbor, crowds lined the waterfront for unobstructed views of the aerial maneuvers as the Angels ducked behind office buildings and hotel towers, their roar none the quieter. The air show represented a crescendo for the Star-Spangled Sailabration, a weeklong event that also included 19 tall ships and other military vessels moored in Baltimore's harbor to mark the start of a two-year-long remembrance of the War of 1812.

As many as 1 million people — far more than fought over Fort McHenry 200 years ago — will cram Baltimore's waterfront and squeeze their boats into narrow crannies around the harbor this week to welcome Navy vessels and tall ships, kicking off the state's commemoration of the War of 1812. There will be no shortage of cannon salutes, screaming jets, period ditties and bonnet-wearing, gun-toting re-enactors for what is called the Star-Spangled Sailabration. But there will be a dearth of open spaces, restaurant tables and, quite possibly, patience.