Westminster

As a sophomore in 2011, Westminster senior pitcher-third baseman Trevor Houck was called up to varsity for the state playoffs. It turned out to be an extended stay as the Owls won the Class 4A state championship. Houck enjoyed the ride to an undefeated season, mostly watching the games from the bench for Westminster that year. Now the Owls' staff ace and top player, he would like to lead the team to another state title to close out his high school career. He's doing everything he can for Westminster, which is 6-3 through Tuesday.

There's no doubting Tony Ewers' passion for the Baltimore Ravens. Just look at his lower leg, with its tattoo of a glowering black bird preparing to snap a football. Yet until Friday, the 43-year-old quarry manager from Forest Hill had never ventured to Westminster for the team's training camp. Ewers had plenty of company Friday at McDaniel College. The attendance of 11,506 set a record for a non-scrimmage practice, the Ravens said. The experience made quite an impression on Ewers.

Maryland State police have charged David M. Montgomery with murder after a Westminster man was found dead early Saturday morning. Montgomery, 28, of no fixed address, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, and taken to the Carroll County Central Booking Center to await an appearance before a court commissioner. Edward C. Zepp, 61, was found dead on the back porch of his residence on the 100 block of West Main Street shortly after 4 a.m. with trauma to his neck. He was pronounced dead.

A 21-year-old Sykesville woman was fatally injured in a one-vehicle accident early Saturday morning in Westminster, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities say driver Adriana Maria Passaretti died after being taken to a Baltimore hospital. Passenger Kristopher Lee Myers, 23, of Union Bridge, was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Passaretti was behind the wheel of a 2006 Ford F-250 truck around 1 a.m. when she failed to negotiate a curve in the 1900 block of Nicodemus Road, the sheriff's office said.

It's a sunny morning in Westminster, and the pulleys are squeaking, the weights clinking as a half-dozen members of a small gym give the equipment a workout. Bouncy music comes though a stereo's speakers. A trainer encourages a client on a treadmill. A large banner on the wall reads, "Believe In Miracles!" Gina Gilligan-Della said she has seen more than her share of those. Gilligan-Della, 48, is the founding president of TheraFit Gym, a fitness center designed to serve individuals with severe physical disabilities from spinal-cord injury to the after-effects of stroke.

Ghosts, goblins and ghouls took to the streets of Westminster on Oct. 25 for city's Halloween Parade. Marching bands and community groups led the procession down Monroe Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Main Street, but the stars of the show were in the crowd as well, with many parade watchers coming in full costume to join the spirit of the occasion. People lined Main Street and Longwell Avenue as units passed by, many handing out candy and mingling with the crowd. The evening parade, a tradition in downtown Westminster, is hosted by American Legion Post 31.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office is reporting that the body of a Westminster teen was discovered Wednesday morning in Finksburg near Sandymount Road. At about 11 a.m., deputies responded to a wooded area along the 2100 block of Sandymount Road for a report of an unconscious male, believed to be deceased. Arriving deputies found a deceased white male, in his late teens to early 20s, lying a short distance from the roadway. Detectives have identified the body as that of 17-year-old Caleb Lee Mott, of Westminster.

Throughout the 80 minutes of Wednesday night's Class 4A North quarterfinal against Westminster, the Perry Hall girls soccer team showed it could cover a lot of ground. The No. 10 Gators pieced together an impressive early goal, then defended without flaw as the No. 12 Owls made a formidable push. When it was over, Perry Hall earned a 3-0 win at Honeygo Regional Park that sends the Gators to the semifinals to face the Catonsville. Perry Hall improves to 10-3-2 on the season, winning its first game after a tough 1-0 loss to rival Eastern Tech in the Baltimore County championship on Oct. 23. Following Wednesday's win, midfielder Sofia Perzan, who scored the first goal, and central defender Kara Taylor, who anchored the strong play in back, were asked what the fine performance meant.

Maryland State Police have charged a 24-year-old Westminster man in a double shooting Friday that left one man dead and another injured. Jacob B. Bircher, of the unit block of Wimert Ave., surrendered to police at 7 a.m. Friday on a church parking lot on Route 140 in Westminster. He faces first-degree murder and other charges that are pending, police said. Police, responding to shots fired shortly after midnight, arrived at the Harvest Inn Restaurant in the 2000 block of Liberty Road in Eldersburg.