Timonium

Always, there were those lovely old country estates and gracious manor taverns with roaring fireplaces, but in the old days fine dining was associated with the city. Not so anymore. Now, there are more compelling reasons than ever for diners to cross county lines for a good meal. The 50 best county restaurants in Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County is a mix of the old and the new, destinations for special occasions and joints for Monday night suppers, the chef-driven and crowd-pleasing.

Big Huge Games , a studio in Timonium that designed rich, immersive video games, has closed its office and only a skeleton crew of employees remained as its parent company in Rhode Island appears to have gone out of business, according to online reports.  The Timonium office, which is on the fifth floor of an office building on Greenspring Drive, was dark and locked. An employee ferrying boxes on a cart in the lobby of the fifth floor told me I needed to call the Rhode Island office for comment.

Pamela C. Florenz, a retired commercial artist who also painted landscapes in watercolors, died Sept. 15 from complications of Alzheimer's disease at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. The longtime Timonium resident was 85. Pamela Callahan, the daughter of dairy farmers, was born and raised in Easton. She was a 1940 graduate of Easton High School. After graduating in 1944 from the Maryland Institute College of Art , she worked as a commercial artist where her specialty was women's fashion.

The Marine Corps Mamas met while training for the 1990 and 1991 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington. More than 20 years later, they still gather every Saturday morning for a 5- to 7-mile walk and potluck breakfast. Rain or shine, the group has set out on a journey from Grace Cunningham's house in Timonium every week for about 12 years. "In the years we have been together, one friend moved away, two others have joined us," Cunningham said in an email. "Four of us lost our mothers, two of those four also lost fathers.

Christine Shultz , of Lutherville and Isabel Galupo , of Towson have been named to the dean's list at Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y., for the fall 2011 semester. Stephanie Hogge , of Baltimore has earned a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga. Alexandra Price , of Timonium, a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University's College at Florham, Madison, N.J., has been named to the dean's list for the fall 2011 Semester.

Today marks the start of the 111th Maryland State Fair, as it kicks off its traditional 10-day run at the fairgrounds in Timonium. You always know the end of summer has arrived when the state fair comes to town.What a delight it is to re-visit the fair every year. Stopping at the familiar Farm and Garden, 4-H and Home Arts buildings, the Cow Palace, the Horse Show Ring and, of course, the Midway, is a reminder of youthful days gone by and of the agricultural heritage that still remains an important part of modern-day Maryland.

Today: Believe I Wood, unbeaten in two starts at Laurel, heads the field in the fourth running of the Bobby Hale Stakes, the opening-day feature at Timonium Race Course.Ten 2-year-old colts and geldings passed the entry box for the 6 1/2 -furlong event, which carries a $30,000 purse.Serious challenges are expected from Enchanted Ghost, a son of Silver Ghost, who won his debut at Laurel earlier this month. Wild Explo, who returned with an excuse in the Primer Stakes, should also be respected in the wagering.

The following is compiled from police reports from the Towson and Cockeysville precincts. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. Cockeysville Pickburn Court, unit block, between 6:45 a.m. and 9 p.m. Jan. 24. Laptop computer stolen. Front door destroyed. York Road, 10800 block, between 5 p.m. Jan. 14 and 1:16 p.m. Jan. 15. Cash, jewelry and postage stamps stolen from Robyn's Nest Clothing Consignment Shop.

Baltimore County Councilman Todd Huff has postponed consideration of a housing development near Timonium that has drawn strong opposition from neighbors. Huff has pulled his resolution seeking council approval for 33 attached homes on Pot Spring Road near Old Bosley Road, the first of several approvals the developer will need to complete the project. The matter will not go before a council work session next week or come up for a vote the following week, as had been scheduled. An aide to Huff said he wanted to give the developer, Jeffrey C. Kirby, time to revise the proposal after a Monday night meeting that drew a crowd of about 200 residents, most of whom were opposed to the plans.

Bieber-mania hits Timonium this weekend. And the Maryland State Fair may never be the same. "We've never had anything like this before, not for the state fair," says Andrew Cashman, the fair's assistant general manager. "It's unbelievable. " How unbelievable? The 12,000 general admission tickets to Sunday's concert sold out in 18 minutes. Plenty of tickets remain available for those willing to pay scalpers' prices, which start at about double the original cost of $47.50 and head up from there.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was slow at Linwood Road and Madison Street, due to an accident. Cleanup from an accident was slowing traffic on Washington Boulevard near I-195 in Baltimore County. A disabled vehicle was blocking traffic on U.S. 29 south at Old Columbia Road in Howard County. Debris in the road was blocking traffic on the inner loop of I-695 near Greenspring Avenue in Baltimore County. Light rail service is suspended between the Timonium and Hunt Valley stations due to construction work.

Shuttle buses will replace light rail trains at five stations north of Timonium from May 5 to about June 30 as workers upgrade crossings in Hunt Valley. Riders who use the Warren Road, Gilroy Road, McCormick Road, Pepper Road and Hunt Valley stations should either board buses or bypass the closures and park at the 850-car space Timonium Road station, the Maryland Transit Administration said Thursday. Crews will replace worn track and shore up rail foundations — the first major work on the section since it opened in 1997.

Sarah "Virginia" Littleton, a retired nurse and part owner of a Baltimore County pharmacy and nursing home, died Thursday at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson of renal failure complicated by a stroke. She was 83. Mrs. Littleton, born Sarah Meyer in Baltimore, was raised in Highlandtown by a grandmother, Sarah Pugh Meyer. Mrs. Littleton's father, a shipbuilder for Bethlehem Steel, also lived with them. As a young woman, Mrs. Littleton worked for General Motors as an operator of a comptometer, a mechanical calculator, but she quit her job to care for her terminally ill grandmother.

From The Aegis dated April 30, 1987: A Harford woman was sentenced 25 years ago to five years in prison, which equated to "one year for each bullet she fired into her husband's body. " The woman never denied shooting her unemployed husband, but said she did it because she feared the man she had lived with for 19 years and feared for her children. Not only did her husband abuse his step-daughter, he also fought with his two sons with the woman. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Baltimore County Public Safety officials are crediting a passer-by who alerted a family in the 300 block of Quaker Ridge Road in Timonium of a fire in their house. The fire occurred Friday afternoon, April 13, and Elise Armacost, director of communications for the public safety agency, said a man who was in the area saw smoke and banged on the door. "Two kids were inside and, happily, got out right away," she said. Armacost said the cause of the fire was still under investigation as of April 16. The one-alarm fire caused an estimated $150,000 worth of damage she said.

John R. Regalbuto Sr., a retired contractor who had been a jockey at Maryland racetracks, died of Alzheimer's disease April 11 at Stella Maris Hospice. The former Essex resident was 80. Born in Vineland, N.J., he was raised on his family's small farm. Friends and family encouraged him to become a jockey, and he practiced at local farms. News articles often noted that his brother, Joseph Anthony Regalbuto, also rode horses. In 1948, he made his debut at Monmouth Park in New Jersey aboard Hasty Mabel.

Baltimore County Public Safety officials are crediting a passer-by who alerted a family in the 300 block of Quaker Ridge Road in Timonium of a fire in their house. The fire occurred Friday afternoon, April 13, and Elise Armacost, director of communications for the public safety agency, said a man who was in the area saw smoke and banged on the door. "Two kids were inside and, happily, got out right away," she said. Armacost said the cause of the fire was still under investigation as of April 16. The one-alarm fire caused an estimated $150,000 worth of damage she said.

Baltimore County police are asking for the public's help in finding a 23-year-old woman who has been missing since last week. Jerryell Myesha Foster has not been seen since she left her home on Hazy Morn Court in Timonium at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Relatives told police that Foster did not attend a family Thanksgiving dinner and they are concerned about her. They said it was out of character for Foster to miss a holiday with family members and to not be in touch with them. Foster was described as black, 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds.

The Rev. Dorris D. Alcott, a retired Unitarian Universalist minister who had been director of religious education at Towson Unitarian Universalist Church, died April 3 of heart failure at Oak Crest Village retirement community. The former longtime Timonium resident was 91. "Dorris was ordained at a time when there were not many women Unitarian Universalist ministers," said the Rev. Clare Petersberger, pastor of Towson Unitarian Universalist Church. "She was a trailblazer.

Specialty golf store Golfsmith, opening Friday morning in Lutherville Station in Timonium, is promising "a golfer's paradise" --  with a mission. At what will be the largest golf store in the Baltimore area at 22,000 square feet, golf enthusiasts can take a swing on an indoor putting green, try out a hitting simulator, take a video recorded golf lesson, get fitted for golf clubs, or maybe even buy a club or two. "Our goal is to help golfers...