Westminster

Inside Westminster Abbey, eight 20-foot-tall live trees lined the center aisle during the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The trees transformed the space, doing what even the most elaborate floral arrangement could not — providing a natural, living sense of permanence and an air of drama. The move was unexpected, unpretentious and bold. A potted tree on your patio or deck can have the same effect. While not every tree is well-suited for a container, there are a surprising number of options, ranging from crape myrtles to hollies.

Steven M. Smith, a respiratory therapist and outdoorsman, died Saturday from cancer at the Golden Living Center in Westminster. He was 56. The son of a United Methodist minister and a social worker, Steven Montgomery Smith was born in Laurel. He was raised in University Park and Edgewater before settling with his family in Mount Airy. While attending South Carroll High School, where he played football and soccer, he worked on a dairy farm. After graduating in 1975 from South Carroll High School, he worked at Carroll County General Hospital, now the Carroll Hospital Center, while attending the University of Maryland, College Park.

A Westminster man accused of attempted murder in an exchange of gunfire with state troopers last month has been ordered held without bond and transferred to the state's maximum-security psychiatric hospital, officials said. Earl W. Delker Jr., 38, of the first block of Wimert Ave. had been hospitalized at Maryland Shock Trauma Center with wounds in the right arm and torso. On Tuesday, he was served with warrants alleging 31 crimes, including multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder and assault.

Ryan Drenner Westminster, senior, attackman After the Owls' heartbreaking 10-8 loss to South River in last year's Class 4A-3A championship, Drenner was determined to lead Westminster to the state title this year. The senior accomplished his goal in impressive fashion, scoring four goals and adding five assists as the No. 8 Owls (19-0) avenged the defeat and completed a perfect season with a 13-10 win over the No. 9 Seahawks at UMBC Stadium last month. It was Westminster's first state championship in boys lacrosse.

Gilman's Shane Cockerille wasn't the most touted quarterback heading into the Nike Football Training Camp at McDaniel College, but the future Terp finished Sunday as the event's most impressive signal-caller. Cockerille, who committed to Maryland before the Red-White Spring Game at Byrd Stadium last month, earned QB MVP honors over Eastern Christian's David Sills , who committed to USC as a seventh-grader. Cockerille told ESPN.com that he " had a mindset to be the best . " Many schools had recruited Cockerille as a safety, not a quarterback.

A man who unleashed bullets and obscenities at police in a July 2001 standoff outside Westminster wept and apologized to some of the officers yesterday in a Carroll County Circuit courtroom, where he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Earl William Delker Jr., 40, a Westminster-area drifter and former truck driver, repeatedly asked police to kill him early on the morning of July 29, 2001, saying "I want you to shoot me," a prosecutor said. Yesterday, Delker thanked the officers for not fulfilling his request.

Stamina may be the most important part of Dan Johnson's game, because he almost never comes off the field. While most of his teammates play just one way, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior is primarily a linebacker and running back, but he also punts and plays receiver or safety for the No. 6 Owls, who are 3-0 heading into Friday night's home game against Martinsburg (W.Va.), which has a 32-game winning streak. Johnson has 23 carries for 128 yards and 10 receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown this fall.

A 27-year-old Finksburg man was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of stabbing another man in the middle of E. Main Street in Westminster on Monday, according to Westminster police. Frank Anthony Douma Jr., of the 1600 block of Deer Park Road in Finksburg, was arrested about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday without incident at his girlfriend's apartment, which is in the same 200 block of E. Main Street where the stabbing occurred, said Lt. Patrick Bassler, a police spokesman. Police had first responded to the block about 5 p.m. Monday after reports of a fight between five or six people, and found Jack Hohn, 37, stabbed in his left side in front of a Pizza Boli's restaurant, Bassler said.

The senior attackman helped the No. 12 Owls remain undefeated with two victories over Carroll County opponents last week. Drenner scored two goals and added two assists as Westminster cruised to a 14-1 victory over Liberty on April 16, but the team captain's best performance came two days later. In a surprisingly easy 18-5 victory last Thursday over defending county champion Winters Mill, Drenner outscored the Falcons by himself. He had six goals and four assists, including five points (two goals, three assists)

Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Guthrie will be the featured speaker at a Family Forum hosted by the CCPS Parent Guides group on Monday, Jan. 7, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the Board of Education offices, 125 N. Court St., Westminster. The topic will be "The Future of Carroll County Public Schools. " Light refreshments will be served, and child care and activities for children will be provided. Those attending are asked to RSVP before Jan. 3 by calling Pat Levroney at 410-386-1680, or email ptlevro@carrollk12.org .        

Wedding date: April 20, 2013 Tom's story: Tom Gloss, 59, grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. He is a retired federal employee. His mother, Wilma, is a homemaker and his father, Norman Gloss Sr., is deceased. Jim's story: Jim Flower, 63, grew up in LaSalle, Ill. He owns James E. Flower Insurance Agency in Owings Mills. His mother, Darlene, and his father, James E. Flower Sr., are deceased. Their story: Tom and Jim met in July 2001. Both had been previously married, gotten divorces and were looking for love.

Westminster senior Deryk Kern made the most of his opportunity as the Owls' new starting quarterback last fall, passing his way to several records. Catholic junior Ellie Gonzalez came into the school year as an established distance runner who then decidedly separated herself from the rest of the pack. On Wednesday, Kern and Gonzalez added to their lengthy list of athletic accomplishments this year by being named The Baltimore Sun's Male and Female Athletes of the Year at the 47th annual awards luncheon at the newspaper's downtown headquarters.

Westminster standout attackman Ryan Drenner had an extra day to think about his yearlong obsession. That turned out to be just fine. After lightning suspended play in Wednesday's Class 4A-3A state final against defending champion South River, Drenner and the No. 8 Owls had to sit through another brief weather delay on Thursday before playing their best lacrosse of the season. Drenner scored four times, dished out five assists and the Owls claimed a 13-10 win over the No. 9 Seahawks to avenge a loss in last year's final, bring home the program's first state title and complete a perfect 19-0 season.

The Class 4A-3A boys lacrosse championship between defending champion South River and Westminster was suspended Wednesday night due to lightning at UMBC. The game was slated to pick up where it left off on Thursday, with the South River leading, 8-7, and just over a minute remaining in the first half. The first sight of lightning prompted an automatic 30-minute delay. Just as the players returned to the field and play was expected to continue, lightning was again seen in the area, forcing the suspension.

After surrendering a seven-goal lead in a loss to South River in last year's state championship, the Westminster boys lacrosse team vowed to return to the final game this season. The No. 8 Owls will do that with a chance to finish with a perfect record. A dominating offensive performance in Saturday's Class 4A-3A state semifinal against Winston Churchill assured the return trip for the Owls, who scored the first 11 goals in the second half against the Bulldogs, from Montgomery County, to pull away for a 23-9 win at Franklin.

Yale goalie Eric Natale doesn't want his dream to become a nightmare. During most of his childhood days while playing for the Gamber recreation program in Westminster, he dreamed of playing in a NCAA Division I tournament game against one of the top teams in the country. He gets to live that out at 3 p.m. Saturday at Byrd Stadium when unseeded Yale (12-4) plays No. 1 Syracuse (14-3) in the NCAA Division I lacrosse quarterfinals. When it comes to offense, there are few teams that can match the Orange, which has five players with more than 30 points - midfielders JoJo Marasco (19, goals, 36 assists)

Monday may have been the final day of spring break for most students in Carroll County, but not for players on the Winters Mill lacrosse team. With a game against rival Westminster just a day away, coach Sal Picataggi kept his players in the classroom for 90 minutes, watching film and game-planning, and then took them outside for a two-and-a-half hour hour practice. On Tuesday, all the hard work paid off. The host Falcons held the No. 9 Owls scoreless for the final 19 minutes, 36 seconds, taking the lead for good on midfielder Jacques Mercer's goal with 1:08 to play in a 6-5 win. Picataggi said the extra preparation was critical against a high-powered foe that entered the night having won eight straight by an average of more than eight goals.

Here's what Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, said three years ago as the nation's gap between rich and poor widened toward historic levels: "I think it's a very bad development. It's creating two societies. And it's based very much, I think, on educational differences. … It leads to an unequal society, and a society which doesn't have the cohesion that we'd like to see. " As college students complete final exams and the 2013 commencement season arrives, a look at the higher education landscape suggests that the nation still has a long way to go in closing the education gap at the root of the income gap - what we should call the opportunity gap. "Socioeconomic diversity" on campus remains elusive.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office said a deputy was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma on Tuesday after his patrol car collided with another vehicle on Route 140 west of Westminster. Master Deputy Matthew Wilson, a five-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, was traveling west on Route 140 near Mayberry Road at about 3:12 p.m. when his car collided with a Dodge RAM 1500 operated by Darian Barron, of Westminster, officials said. The sheriff's office said its initial investigation suggested Barron was making a left turn from Mayberry Road on to eastbound Route 140 when the crash occurred.