Upton

Robert Chung has never been on welfare. Nor has anyone else in his extended family. They've never spent a food stamp or lived in public housing. But in the furious debate over welfare reform in Washington, their livelihoods are at stake.They all work in the family grocery store on Pennsylvania Avenue in Upton, a grid of worn-down streets and sagging facades that was once the cultural hub of black Baltimore -- the city's "Broadway."Where Billie Holiday once sang the blues, now teen-agers hawk crack cocaine.

A West Baltimore community garden - suffering from years of neglect after contractors used it to dump building materials - turned into a political stump yesterday as some of the city's top officials vowed aggressive prosecution of illegal dumping and announced a renewed focus on preserving gardens to help quell crime and revitalize neighborhoods. Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilman and mayoral candidate Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. and City Council hopeful Adam S. Meister, who is campaigning to replace Mitchell in the 11th District, gathered in Upton to mark a rebirth of the decrepit garden near the 1200 block of Shields Place.

When President Abraham Lincoln appointed General Ulysses S. Grant overall commander of federal forces in March 9, 1864, he hoped that Grant would be able to coordinate the Union effort and bring the Confederacy to its knees.On May 6, just before Grant engaged Gen. Robert E. Lee at the Battle of the Wilderness, he gave a message for Lincoln to a reporter headed back to Washington: "If you see the president, tell him for me that, whatever happens, there will be no turning back."In 1862, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan stopped just short of Richmond, Va., overestimating the size of the army before him. In 1863, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker sustained major casualties and turned back just beyond the Rapidan River.

An electrical fire on a Metro train forced the evacuation of about 100 passengers last night at the underground Upton Station in West Baltimore, fire officials said.No one was injured, the officials said.The fire was detected about 8: 45 p.m. as the southbound train approached the Upton station, in the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Ave., the officials said.Passengers smelled smoke as the eight-car train neared the Mondawmin station north of Upton, witnesses said. The smoke became visible when the train reached the Upton station, where it was stopped and passengers were ordered off as smoke filled the cars, fire officials said.

The fatal shooting by police of a gunman on Saturday night continued to be questioned by Upton residents yesterday as top police commanders staunchly defended the officers whose actions nearly triggered a riot.Neighbors and family members of 24-year-old Sean Freeland Sr. have doubts about the police version of the events and were angry with the way police dealt with them after the shooting."Everybody is in shock," said Arlene Weeks, a neighbor and family member. "We can't believe this happened."

EVEN SEAN FREELAND's mother will admit that her 23-year-old son, shot and killed Saturday night by police, had a history of trouble with the law. But maybe neighbors who violently protested the shooting that night weren't ignoring his record. Their actions, in a sense, acknowledged his criminal record and served as recognition that Mr. Freeland was like a lot of other young men they know in West Baltimore -- sons, brothers and fathers who easily could have been in his place.That fact is as tragic as Mr. Freeland's death.

Arundel Junior Josh Upton overcame a shaky start on the back nine and rallied for pars on the final three holes to claim top individual honors in yesterday's Anne Arundel County Public Schools Golf Tournament at Eisenhower Golf Course.Upton's round of 78, combined with consistent scores from teammates Brian Wade (80), JonnyHanczaryk (85) and Ryan Hughes (86), helped the Wildcats capture the team title with a 329 total.Broadneck, which won the less competitive B Division title this fall, took second in the team competition with 339, followed by upstart Old Mill (342)

Lena Boone looks around her beleaguered Upton neighborhood and sees the fruit of 30 years of her labor: a school and recreation center where nightclubs used to be, and basketball and tennis courts in place of some derelict housing.But the cornerstone of her generationlong effort to resurrect her beloved West Baltimore neighborhood is the renovated Avenue Market on Pennsylvania Avenue, which officially opens today."This is our Harborplace, the place where our people will come to shop, to eat. It's something we can be proud of," said Boone.

If country houses are supposed to be hallmarks of Merchant-Ivory films, romantic novels and Sunday-night episodes of "Masterpiece Theatre," then what is the Greek Revival mansion doing within sight of vacant and abandoned houses?There in the heart of West Baltimore, at 811 W. Lanvale St. off Fremont Avenue, is a public school building. Look more closely and you'll see this is no ordinary schoolhouse. Use a little imagination (check out the rose-and-thistle pattern cast-iron work) and you'll get a hint that this was a 19th-century residential showplace.

Milwaukee. -- City officials are understandably euphoric over Baltimore's success in securing one of the federal government's six $100 million urban-empowerment-zone grants. Mayor Schmoke will now be able to spend the next nine months launching project after project in the city's empowerment zones as he campaigns for a third term.But in the long run, how much of a difference will the grant make to the future of city neighborhoods? Are we about to witness the dawning of ''The Baltimore Renaissance -- Part Two?

Dr. Barbara Jean Upton In lieu of flowers, condolences may be sent to the Family of Dr. Barbara Upton, 1298 Whirlaway Court, Gambrills, MD 21054. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, One Charles Center, 100 North Charles Street, Suite 234, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Dr. Barbara Jean Upton In lieu of flowers, condolences may be sent to the Family of Dr. Barbara Upton, 1298 Whirlaway Court, Gambrills, MD 21054. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, One Charles Center, 100 North Charles Street, Suite 234, Baltimore, MD 21201.

CHICAGO - For a franchise that had just won its first postseason series, the Tampa Bay Rays showed they certainly know how to celebrate. The champagne-soaked visitors' locker room at U.S. Cellular Field resembled a frat party after the 6-2 victory yesterday over the White Sox had clinched the American League Division Series, three games to one. "To do this in my hometown ... my family was all here," Rays outfielder Cliff Floyd said. "We look forward to the next round." The Rays parlayed the pitching of starter Andy Sonnanstine and the hitting of B.J. Upton, who homered twice, and Carlos Pena, who went 3-for-4, to dispatch the Sox. "I just tried to keep an even keel and work to my strengths," said Sonnanstine, who went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits.

A new city commission has been given the task of devising a plan to renovate and reuse P.S. 103, a historic West Baltimore elementary school attended by Thurgood Marshall and other African-Americans during the days of segregation. Built in 1877, P.S. 103 sits at 1315 Division St. and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Marshall attended P.S. 103 from 1914 to 1920, and it is there he first experienced the inequities of school segregation. From P.S. 103 he rose to become a legendary civil rights lawyer, acclaimed for his role in Brown v. Board of Education, the legal case that outlawed school segregation.

A 31-year-old man was shot in the buttock about 11 p.m. Wednesday in West Baltimore's Upton neighborhood, city police reported. The victim was walking in the 400 block of W. Mosher St. when another man passed him. The shooter looked at the victim and then, unprovoked, fired several rounds, police said. The victim ran home, near the shooting scene, and called 911. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police did not identify the victim because his family had not been notified.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays just wouldn't allow themselves to give up on B.J. Upton, even though he struggled in the infield, couldn't crack a crowded outfield and batted only .251 in two limited big league stints. Good thing for the Rays. Upton, the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, was leading the American League with a .381 average heading into Friday. Just 22, he also was among the league leaders in on-base percentage and slugging and led the Rays in RBIs and was tied for the lead in homers.

A West Baltimore community garden - suffering from years of neglect after contractors used it to dump building materials - turned into a political stump yesterday as some of the city's top officials vowed aggressive prosecution of illegal dumping and announced a renewed focus on preserving gardens to help quell crime and revitalize neighborhoods. Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilman and mayoral candidate Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. and City Council hopeful Adam S. Meister, who is campaigning to replace Mitchell in the 11th District, gathered in Upton to mark a rebirth of the decrepit garden near the 1200 block of Shields Place.

Rows of plump red tomatoes and crisp green beans have sprouted for more than a decade from the grounds of a West Baltimore alleyway that was once a haven for drug dealers, providing fresh organic produce to some of the city's less fortunate residents and instilling a sense of pride in a community where boarded-up rowhouses abound. But as a stretch of homes in the area has been touched by revitalization - selling now for more than $300,000 - the community garden in its midst has once again become a dumping ground.

West Baltimore's Gervonta "Tank" Davis took three fierce jabs to the face in the second round, but the 2006 Silver Gloves national champion managed to hold his own yesterday against cross-town upstart Mack Allison IV. Of course, Tank has an unfair advantage: at age 11, he's got two years on Mack, who turned 9 last week. The two baby-faced fighters traded rather adult blows yesterday in a three-round exhibition match at the ceremonial reopening of the city-run Upton Boxing Center, which recently completed a $400,000 renovation.

The light in his eyes goes out when you mention Manny Ramirez. But Hanley Ramirez? That name makes him so excited he seems ready to spout a sonnet on the spot. He is your fantasy league's "prospect guy." Come on, you know the type. In auctions, these guys reserve about 70 percent of their budgets for up-and-comers. They all picked Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez in the third round this year. I'm pretty sure the "prospect-guy" traits are hardwired. These dudes are as helpless to battle their urges as the rest of us are to escape the baldness or beer gut passed down by dad. How do I know?