Staff Members

Several buildings at the U.S. Naval Academy were evacuated for nearly two hours Thursday afternoon after a suspicious package was found just outside of the downtown Annapolis campus, according to a Naval Academy spokeswoman. The package was found outside of Gate 3 on Maryland Avenue about 1:30 p.m., according to Judy Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Naval Academy. Four buildings were evacuated, including administrative offices and the Naval Academy Club. Staff were allowed to return to their offices shortly after 3 p.m. The Naval Academy Police assisted Annapolis Police in the investigation.

Most staff members at four Baltimore schools must reapply for their jobs for next school year under restructuring plans approved by the city school board. The plans call for replacing "all or most of the school staff" at Ashburton/Nathan Pitts Elementary/Middle School, Highlandtown Elementary School No. 237, Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy and Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts. Officials said the staff replacement decisions will be based on student achievement data. No teachers will lose their jobs, but they might be reassigned to other schools.

WASHINGTON - As White House staff members battled the humidity during a three-mile run yesterday, some found themselves caught between competitive fire and political caution. Should they or shouldn't they try to beat President Bush? Some took the plunge, relegating the commander in chief to 26th place in the inaugural President's Fitness Challenge. Nearly 400 people signed up to run three miles or walk 1 1/2 at Fort McNair along the Potomac River. Still, Bush clocked in at 20 minutes and 29 seconds, less than 7 minutes per mile - pretty good for a guy who turns 56 on July 6. "It felt great," Bush said after crossing the finish line, surrounded by less-winded Secret Service agents.

A youth in state custody at the Charles H. Hickey School in Baltimore County was assaulted last month by two staff members who held him in his room and repeatedly punched him in the face, according to police records. One of the staff members offered the victim's roommate, who witnessed the incident, free telephone calls and a CD player to keep quiet about the beating, the roommate told police. It is the second case to come to light in the past week in which staff have been criminally charged with assaulting a youth at a state-owned juvenile detention center.

In an 18-year career of service in homes, on yachts and on ocean liners, Andrew Lowrey has seen it all - upstairs, downstairs and at the captain's table.He has served wine to cruise passengers wearing bathrobes in the dining room, set tables for 20 on the deck of a yacht. He can pack a perfect suitcase, properly address people with titles, even fire a machine gun (a skill he picked up when his cruise ship became a troop ship during the Falklands dispute).He knows how to remove a disorderly guest from a dinner party discreetly (tell them they have a phone call to get them out of the room, then send them home in a taxi)

"Shooters to the line. Load and lock one round. Is the line ready?" asks Steve Gregory, director of shooting sports at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation in Harford County. "The line is ready. Commence firing!" But there is only an eerie silence, as the eight boys, propped on their elbows, take careful aim with their .22-caliber rifles at circular targets 40 feet away. Thirty seconds later, sporadic pops pierce the heavy air and brass bullet casings are ejected from the rifles, making a hollow metallic ring as they hit the wooden platform on which the boys are lying.

UPPER MARLBORO - A 17-year-old special education student died yesterday after tumbling to the ground and going into cardiac arrest during an altercation with a school staff member, officials said. The student, Carlton Eugene Thomas, was bruised about the face during the incident, said his mother, Sheila H. Bracey, who sped to the hospital and identified her only child. Her son, who was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds, complained last week that he had been physically abused by staff members at the school, she said.

Jose Marquez was building a swing set in his back yard with three seats, one for each of his children. Now, he is unsure what to do. "Daisy's gone, so I don't know how many seats we need now," he said, staring at the half-finished structure at his Columbia home. Life doesn't make much sense for Marquez these days. Daisy Ruby Marquez, his 8-year-old daughter, died on the evening of Aug. 12 in an accident on Coleman Thomas Road while bicycle riding with her half-brother, Marcos Ochoa, 13. Police said Daisy and Marcos pulled their bicycles onto the side of the road as a pickup truck and trailer approached.

Right now Rick Abbruzzese works at a desk a few feet from Gov. Martin O'Malley's office in the State House. In two weeks, he'll report a few blocks away to the Annapolis law firm Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver LLC, where he will likely lobby his soon-to-be former boss. Ditto for Joseph C. Bryce, a State House staffer for nearly two decades and O'Malley's influential chief legislative officer for the past six years. Last month he announced his departure and has moved into a new office at Manis, Canning and Associates where he'll cajole, pressure and maneuver on behalf of corporate clients.

The uncertain fate of the Columbia Horse Center is causing upheaval at the facility and, some say, taking a toll on the health of its animals. The number of horses boarded at the barn has fallen by more than half since January, resulting in a loss of about $10,000 a month in revenue. Workers say lameness and illness among the remaining animals have increased - including an outbreak of life-threatening colic that required surgery for one horse. Staff members attribute the problems to poor maintenance and a sudden switch to a cheaper feed.