Storm

Enough snow fell around Harford County during Monday's last gasp of winter storm to force the county to spend more than $100,000 on snow removal efforts. According to figures released by the county Wednesday, 135 personnel worked the storm from approximately 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. Monday. In addition, 60 personnel reported for duty at 4 a.m. Tuesday to begin salting the roads for the morning commute, county government spokesman Bob Thomas wrote in an e-mail Wednesday. Thomas said 130 pieces of equipment were used the duration of the storm coverage and 405 tons of salt were spread over the course of the two days.

Before it became "The Wall That Ate Some Cars," it was just a stone wall on Mulligans Hill Lane, bracing a 20-foot-high embankment - stalwart as the steep hills that give Ellicott City's historic district much of its character. Then in early September 2011 came the rains of Tropical Storm Lee, and in the dead of night a section of the wall that had stood since before the Civil War collapsed. Six cars parked along the wall were crushed or damaged. Parking spaces vanished under tons of stone quickly trucked in to shore up the embankment.

Now that it's clear Harford County is obliged to levy a storm water management fee on just about every home in the county, the time for political diatribes about the state being over-reaching is over. Harford County should make the best of the situation by establishing an efficient and effective storm water management operation with the dual goals of bringing storm water management facilities up to a high standard and putting itself out of business. First, a little background is in order.

Baltimore area residents can expect some precipitation, possibly including small amounts of snow, overnight Sunday, with the greatest likelihood of wintry weather occurring in the predawn hours Monday, according to Greg Schoor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. "We're expecting a mix of snow and rain in periods [overnight Sunday]. We don't have an official prediction on accumulation at this point, but our current track of thinking suggests it would be light in both the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas," said Schoor, who was monitoring conditions early Friday evening.

A proposal to levy storm-water fees on many state-owned properties has cleared the House, setting the stage for shrinking a loophole in the year-old law that requires private landowners pay to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Delegates voted unanimously for HB508 , which partially removes an exemption for state lands in the law enacted last year mandating that Baltimore city and Maryland's nine largest counties levy a storm-water cleanup fee...

The following is the Friends of Harford testimony before the Harford County Council in support of Bill 13-12. levying a storm water remediation fee. A copy was provided for publication. Friends of Harford supports the purpose and philosophy behind Bill 13-12 "Storm water Remediation Fee" because past storm water management practices have proven inadequate to protect our properties, our streams, the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay. Just as these past inadequacies accumulated over time, so too will correcting them take time -- and money.

Forecasters are cautiously keeping an eye on the potential for snow Sunday night into Monday. National Weather Service officials call it a "tricky forecast" in their forecast discussion : "MID-ATLANTIC LOOKS TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRANSFER OF DOMINANCE FROM ONE LOW TO ANOTHER. THIS COMBINED WITH MARGINAL TEMPERATURES MAKES FOR A TRICKY FORECAST. " Baltimore area forecaster Eric the Red said he is treading carefully in speaking about the potential for snow. He says there's a large room for potential storm busters that could affect the "coastal jump" hitting the mid-Atlantic.

Edmondson guard Darius Walker learned from something that happened earlier this season, and that lesson helped the Red Storm win its first state title Saturday night. Walker snaked through traffic and made a driving left-handed bank shot as time expired to give No. 5 Edmondson a 56-54 victory over Wicomico in the Class 2A state title game at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center, the school's first championship in basketball. Fresh in Walker's mind was his choice at the end of regulation in the Baltimore City title game against No. 1 Dunbar last month.

If you first don't succeed, try again. And then, if needed, try yet again. The Edmondson boys basketball had the final possession at the end of regulation and again in the first overtime with the score tied against Oakdale, from Frederick County, but the No. 5 Red Storm was unable to convert the needed points that would send it to the Class 2A state title game. In the same spot in the second overtime, Edmondson senior guard Darius Walker changed the plan. Once again appearing to hold the ball for the final shot, Walker attacked the basket earlier than expected, hitting a running layup with 31 seconds left to give the Red Storm a two-point lead.

When he's not on the basketball court, Edmondson senior guard Darius Walker is more laid back than loud. But there was one exception recently when he simply couldn't help himself. It came last Thursday at Randallstown, when he helped lead the No. 5 Red Storm past the host Rams, 73-63, to capture the Class 2A North regional championship. After falling in the regional title game in the past four years, the Red Storm had just advanced to the state semifinals at Comcast Center and it was something to yell about.