Westminster

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.

Christmas presents aren't only enjoyed by children. Adults and teenagers enjoy presents, too, and that's why the Neighbor in Need's holiday shop tries to offer something for every member of the family, from young to old. "Who wants to wake up on Christmas morning and not have something?' said Holly Hutchins, deputy director of the program. "That's the focus of the program, we serve the whole household. " Created in 1987 through the Human Services Program of Carroll County, Neighbors in Need has the goal of helping low income families and individuals during the holidays.

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.

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.

Looks like the battle for county tennis supremacy will be on NTC hold for a couple of days after showers interrupted play in the boys and girls Westminster-South Carroll tennis matches yesterday afternoon.Of the six matches which started at 4 p.m., only two managed to get in a full set. Both teams agreed to resume the matches on Monday or Tuesday afternoon.In No. 1 doubles play, Westminster's Steve Hockstra and Eric Minor had downed Joe Molesworth and Dave Mullinix, 6-3, while in No. 2 boys doubles, Jeff Seaman and Brian Haines had grabbed a one-set lead over the Cavaliers' Greg Howard and Brad Hudson, 6-4.The Owls' boys and girls teams remain at 4-1, while both South Carroll teams stay at 3-2. Westminster downed the Cavs in earlier matches on March 26, 5-0 in the boys match and 4-1 in the girls.

South Carroll got a layup from Tyler Alcid with 9.1 seconds left to rally from a 10-point deficit at halftime and defeat Westminster, 36-35, in an early-season Carroll County game. The Cavaliers (3-1, 2-1) were paced by Gavin McTavish's 13 points. Devan Curet led Westminster (5-1, 4-1) with nine points. "We didn't play well, so it's hard to be that happy with the effort," South Carroll coach Doug Goff said. "I am proud of my guys, though. We rallied and we played a lot better in the second half.

No. 10 Westminster (5-2) beat No. 1 Calvert Hall, 7-5, and defeated previously unbeaten Dulaney, 7-2, at the Calvert Hall Invitational on Saturday. In the first game, Brandon Nelson hit a two-run homer in the third inning to give Westminster the lead for good. In the second game, a tough Owls defense limited the Lions (3-1) to two runs in the third inning. Kyle Zeigler went 4-for-7 in the two games for Westminster. No. 4 C. Milton Wright 1, River Hill 0: Bobby Ruse singled to center field to drive in Ryan Corn and lift the host Mustangs (4-0)

Sarah Dyky, a Westminster High School senior, has been selected as one of nine Maryland students to win a $2,500 Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship.The scholarships are awarded in cooperation with the American Association of School Administrators to outstanding juniors and seniors.Ms. Dyky is active in 4-H and has won grand champion prizes. She is homeroom representative for her class and captain of the flag unit and volunteers in the community.FIRE* Westminster: Engines from Westminster and Reese answered a fire alarm on Washington Road at 5:14 p.m. Sunday.

Deryk Kern Westminster, quarterback, senior Kern started writing his name in the record books just three weeks into the season when he tied a state record with seven touchdown passes in a victory at Linganore. By now, the 6-foot, 160-pound senior must have writer's cramp. He shattered a host of Carroll County and Monocacy Valley Athletic League records and set another state record with 63 touchdown passes in a season, breaking the previous mark of 56 set by Arundel's Billy Cosh in 2008.

In a season where everything had gone right, the Westminster football team had put itself in position to win its biggest game in years. If the Owls could make a field goal on the game's last play, they would defeat perennial power Quince Orchard and advance to their first state title game since 2005.  But after 48 minutes of football, a missed field goal signaled the end of Westminster's dream season.  Justin Cohen's 37-yard field goal...