Van Buren

Annapolis police are investigating two robberies and an attempted robbery that were reported over the weekend.John William Green Jr., 31, of Galesville, told police two men wielding a knife and a bottle attacked him in the 1900 block of Copeland Road early Sunday and demanded his money.Mr. Green said he gave the men $6, but one of them struck him in the face with the bottle before fleeing. Mr. Green was treated at Anne Arundel Medical Center and released.On Friday night, a man armed with a handgun robbed a 20-year-old Annapolis man.Jacob Ostrosky, who lives in the 1200 block of McKinley St., told police he was in his car on President Street at Van Buren when a man pointed a gun in the passenger window and demanded money.

For additional Baltimore convention information, call the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association at 659-7300 (local) or (800) 343-3468 (out of state).JAN. 4-6: Mid-Atlantic Nurserymen's Trade Show Inc. at Convention Center. Contact Carville Akehurst, P.O. Box 314, Perry Hall, Md. 21128. Expected attendance: 6,500.JAN. 6-8: Maryland Turf Grass Council at Festival Hall. Contact Vanessa Jensen, 7620 Bend St., St. Leonard, Md. 20685. Expected attendance: N.A.JAN. 8-10: American Mathematical Society at Convention Center.

The Annapolis Convalescent Center is suing to stop a 133-bed nursing home proposed for land off Hilltop Lane.The Annapolis City Council approved Meridian Healthcare's plans for the nursing home last month, after three years of planning and several months of hearings on the project.But the 91-bed convalescent center, which is located on Van Buren Street, opposed Meridian's plans throughout the process, saying a second nursing home in the city wasn't needed and would hurt the center economically.

For the record The quiz TWIN TRIPLETS -- Justin Morneau last week became the first Twin to hit 30 home runs in a season since three players did it in 1987. Name them. Answer below Moves Baseball ASTROS -- Placed P Brandon Backe on 15-day DL with sprained right elbow. Recalled P Wandy Rodriguez from Triple-A Round Rock. BLUE JAYS -- Recalled C Jason Phillips from Triple-A Syracuse. GIANTS -- Placed IF Kevin Frandsen on 15-day DL, retroactive to Friday, with fractured jaw. Purchased contract of IF Tomas de la Rosa from Triple-A Fresno.

Diesel daysThe "All Aboard Days -- Diesel Weekend" will offer train fans an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the diesel railroad equipment housed at the B&O Railroad Museum this weekend.Some of the exhibits usually are not open to the public. Theweekend activities include tours, educational programs, musical entertainment and films. Other highlights include HO model diesel train demonstrations and N-Gauge layout in the roundhouse.The B&O Railroad Museum is at 901 W. Pratt St. and will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.

Eliot A. Caplin, 86, a writer who devised the plots for a number of well-known comic strips, died Feb. 20 in Stockbridge, Mass. He cooperated with artists who produced strips such as "Heart of Juliet Jones," "Big Ben Bolt" and "Dr. Bobbs." He was the brother of "L'il Abner" cartoonist Al Capp. Although the brothers never collaborated on a strip, Mr. Capp conceived two strips that he passed along to Mr. Caplin. One, "Abbie an' Slats," drawn by Raeburn van Buren, lasted 23 years. The other was "Long Sam," drawn by Bob Lubbers.

Learn how to make a gingerbread house Learn how to make gingerbread houses Sunday at Mount Clare Mansion. Visitors will assist Sally Johnston in constructing houses with gingerbread, candy and icing. Children may also decorate gingerbread men and gingerbread women. In addition, visitors can learn the history of gingerbread, which traces back to medieval Europe. Tours of Mount Clare will be offered at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The event runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Mount Clare Mansion, 1500 Washington Blvd.

A 25-year-old man was fatally shot early yesterday in Annapolis. He was the third homicide victim in the state capital this year, which recorded five for all of 2005, police said. Benjamin Phillip Evans of the 1300 block of Van Buren St. was shot about 1:24 a.m. in the Robinwood public housing complex. He was transported by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center suffering from a single gunshot wound to the upper body. He died at 6 a.m., police said. Evans was visiting a friend in the 1300 block of Tyler Ave. when he was shot, police said.

Hundreds of votes were cast online. Scores more arrived by mail and e-mail. We got more advice on advice columnists than we imagined. The decision: Dear Abby, the venerable column once penned by Ann Landers' sister, and now by Ann's niece, will succeed Ann Landers as The Sun's daily advice column. For the Dear Abby column, it's a kind of homecoming. The column appeared in the morning Sun for many years before the paper merged with The Evening Sun several years ago. It is still the most widely syndicated column in the world, with about 90 million readers in more than 1,200 newspapers every day. The column was written from its beginning in 1956 by Pauline Phillips (left)

Old Tippecanoe, the ninth president of the United States, was born 240 years ago today. He remains the president with the shortest term in office, having died a month after his inauguration. An elderly gentleman, he insisted on making a prolonged and unremarkable inaugural address in bad weather, caught a bad cold, and succumbed, bequeathing executive authority to John Tyler, "His Accidency," who would later distinguish himself as the only former president to make his allegiance to the Confederacy.