West Main

For a month, Debbie Finch has tolerated noise, dust and the inconvenience of being unable to park in her driveway and three-car garage, thanks to state highway crews. For eight more months -- until about Thanksgiving -- construction will surround Finch and her neighbors on Westminster's West Side as the state reconfigures, repaves and landscapes West Main Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Route 31. The project includes new sidewalks, a storm drain system and temporary traffic snarls. "It's been a burden and an annoyance, but we've managed," said Finch, whose sweeping front porch offers orchestra seating for the drama of bulldozers and hard-hatted construction workers.

In the wake of rampant drug activity on Westminster's west side, residents, police, prosecutors and politicians have taken up a united fight to rid the area of dealers and addicts -- one street at a time.A check of police reports, court files and recent indictments by a Carroll County grand jury showed the same streets and, in some instances, the same addresses keep appearing in drug activity: Sullivan, Pennsylvania, Kemper and Wimert avenues, and Union, West Main, Green, Liberty and Carroll streets.

A 52-year-old Woodlawn woman was charged with stealing more than $1,000 worth of clothes from a Westminster department store.Westminster police charged Gladys S. Basilio of the 2900 block of Silver Hill Ave. with felony theft, conspiracy and providing a false statement to a law enforcement officer after an officer saw a woman standing between parked cars with clothes "dropping from underneath her dress" Friday afternoon, Carroll District Court records show.Officer...

Harry "No Tofu" Sirinakis plans to renovate and enlarge his West Main Street eatery to make the most of the casual-dining restaurant boom in Westminster.He might even add a sprig of parsley once in a while, he said.Sirinakis, 37, is the third-generation owner of Harry's Main Street, which celebrated its 50th anniversary downtown in 1996. Harry's is known for its chili dogs, which some Baltimore Colts ate by the dozens during summer training camps at Western Maryland College."It's a big step for us in our business," he said.

In 1960, Heinz Luesse told his wife he'd like to go to the United States "for a couple years, for an adventure" before they settled down in his native Germany.So far, the adventure has lasted 36 years.In the latest chapter, Mr. Luesse is retiring from the bakery he has owned for nearly 24 years at the corner of West Main and John streets in downtown Westminster. He is selling the Hummel figures and Steinbach miniature ornaments and beer steins that have been a sideline. The sign, "Heinz Cake & Gift Haus" will come down.

No rain date is planned, they're serving free cider instead of pure corn whiskey, and organizers have high hopes for Westminster's first Business History Walking Tour tomorrow.To promote Main Street merchants, Greater Westminster Development Corp. devised the attraction featuring historic buildings and businesses in the heart of town.The self-guided tours run from at 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., beginning at the Historical Society of Carroll County at 210 E. Main St. -- the first of 12 buildings featured on the walk.

Carroll school staff will present the Board of Education today with a five-year plan for school improvement, culled from the recommendations of a 70-member task force of parents, teachers, administrators and others.A staff committee has reviewed the task force's recommendations, which included reducing the student-teacher ratio, strengthening math skills, and promoting a strong working relationship with parents and the community.The recommendations, unveiled last fall, were prioritized by the board before the staff's review.

Singapore wants a Main Street. Developers in Baltimore County spent millions building one. And a delegation from Australia recently traveled 9,803 miles to Carroll County for a chance to see real small-town charm on some of its main streets.As localities near and far try to capture that charm, Westminster, Taneytown and the county's other towns are seen as models for an era of small shops, shady sidewalks and welcoming smiles.State officials also have taken notice of the towns by touting them as the "Main Street Loop" on the state's scenic byways map."

FIRE* Mount Airy: Mount Airy assisted Frederick County investigating a fire alarm sounding in a building on West Main Street in New Market at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday. Units were out for five minutes.