Washer

We've all been there: The utility or appliance dealer says you must be home within some large window of time on a certain day for its employees to come hook up your phone or deliver your refrigerator. Then they don't show up. When that happened to Baltimore County lawyer Joseph T. Williams, he called Sears Roebuck & Co. to complain. He learned that no one could have come to fix his washing machine during most of the four-hour span he was told to be home because Sears technicians were in a regularly scheduled staff meeting.

Environmentalists and economists alike are hoping Maryland's version of the rebate program known as Cash for Appliances entices residents to invest in super-energy-efficient appliances — boosting the economy while reducing electricity use. The state's version of the federal stimulus-funded program begins Thursday — Earth Day — and it will continue until the $5.4 million has been distributed, which could take several months, depending...

Barbara Snyder's gas range has quite a few unusual features. There are the burners with the extra holes that make a nice flame and can be turned way down, the handy shelf over the stove and the open space underneath that's perfect for storing pans, the green marbled trim that creates a crisp contrast to the off-white enamel surface. Then there's the dual-functioning oven. In winter, it also serves as a space heater. It doesn't bother Snyder that the uninsulated oven puts out so much heat that she can't use it in summer.

Joseph M. Bolewicki Jr., an appliance dealer who was recalled as the "last of the old-school Highlandtown retail giants," died July 21 of cancer at Stella Maris Hospice. He was 84 and lived in Northeast Baltimore. "He ran a great neighborhood business," said Patrick Michael McCusker, owner of Nacho Mama's restaurant in Canton. "His store brought me back in time. When you bought an appliance from him, you also bought a piece of his character." Born in Baltimore, he grew up in Canton and attended St. Brigid's Parochial School and was a 1944 Loyola High School graduate.

It's just equal piles of boulders and sand right now, pieces of a puzzle. But by the time the water warms and the anglers return to Sandy Point State Park, the pieces will be in their proper places as part of a $548,000 fishing platform jutting into the Chesapeake Bay. The idea belonged to Severn angler Skip Zinck. The spark was supplied by Maryland Parks Superintendent Nita Settina. The financial juice came from the Waterway Improvement Fund, which consists of the five percent tax collected when a boat is titled in the state.

POLICE LOG* Marriottsville: 2500 block of Marriottsville Road: Someone stole an $18 blue trash can with wheels between 9 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. Monday. There are no suspects.* Woodbine: 15300 block of Frederick Road: Someone entered a vacant house for sale between Thursday and Monday, and stole a washer and a dryer.

POLICE LOG* Severna Park: A refrigerator, washer and dryer were stolen from a house under construction in the 700 block of Cottonwood Drive between Friday and Sunday. The appliances were valued at $5,342.

POLICE LOG* Lothian: Someone broke into a truck parked in the company lot of Sales Edge Group Inc. in the 5400 block of Southern Maryland Blvd. over the weekend and stole a generator, a pressure washer, a dirt blaster, a motorcycle helmet, a portable air tank and six motorcycle riding jerseys, valued at $2,300.

POLICE LOG* Glen Burnie : Someone apparently came through an unlocked window in the back of a house in the 6800 block of Fort Smallwood Road between Friday and Tuesday and stole an electric snake, a power washer and an extension cord, county police said. The items are valued at $4,000.

* Hickory Ridge: 10300 block of White Washer Way: Someone kicked opened a front door between 1 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday, and stole several VCRs and coins.6200 block of Cardinal Lane: At about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, a woman heard something striking her house and heard juveniles laughing. On checking the outside of her home the next day, she discovered that at least 2 dozen eggs were thrown againsther home.