Youth Programs

COUNTY REC and Parks class offerings in Brooklyn Park used to be few and far between. Not any more. In addition to getting ready for the opening of the department's new facilities at Brooklyn Park Middle School, the staff is offering teens entering grades 6 through 9 a preview of these new programs at Summer Teen Camp. Emily Tomasini, youth programs coordinator for Rec and Parks, says this is not just another summer camp. Participants will be "on the road," traveling to popular summer activity centers in the area.

To honor the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's inauguration speech, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has launched "Ask What Youth Can Do," asking mayors to visit schools to discuss "why it is important for young people to be engaged in their community. " If these discussions are to lead to concrete actions in Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake should consider her authority over summer and after-school jobs programs. The programs' goal is providing youths with the skills needed for access to a career ladder.

Robert J. WeissBusiness consultantRobert J. Weiss, a business management consultant who was active in Kiwanis International, died Sunday at his home in Timonium after a heart attack. He was 60.Mr. Weiss had owned Daruma Management Inc. for about 10 years. Earlier, he had been president of ENSEC Service Corp., which provides security and janitorial services in federal buildings.The New York City native served in the Air Force in Japan in the 1950s before moving to the Baltimore area.He was a board member and a former president of the Towson Kiwanis Club, and had been chairman of the Baltimore Science Fair for many years.

After Chris Carter met professional bowler Parker Bohn III last year, his star-struck mother, Ginny Carter, told him not to wash. After all, he had just shaken hands with one of the biggest names in bowling. "I don't think that before that day they knew what it meant to play with Parker Bohn," she said of Chris, 16, and his brother, Kyle, 18. The Freeland residents were looking forward to mixing with some of bowling's top stars again this weekend at the Professional Bowlers Association Wild Turkey Bourbon East Region tournament at Forest Hill Lanes.

Curbing vandalism in Woodlawn and helping to instill community pride in Catonsville are among the goals behind nearly $300,000 in crime prevention grants awarded by Baltimore County police last night to needy neighborhoods.Police Chief Terrence Sheridan distributed the grants -- almost $200,000 in crime prevention funds and $100,000 for youth programs -- after County Council members approved the funding this year.The youth grants -- up to $5,000 each -- are a new feature in crime prevention community funding, Sheridan said.

Tiara D. Chester dropped by Walbrook High School yesterday to pick up her report card and wound up getting a summer job. Chester's visit coincided with the start of Summer YouthWorks 2001, a jobs program Mayor Martin O'Malley and other officials launched at the school. "I really wanted to do something more than just be outside all summer. I really wanted a job, but I didn't know how to get one," said Tiara, a 15-year-old entering the 10th grade at Walbrook. "This will make me more motivated to do more things and get me focused."

Mayoral candidate state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh said Thursday she would audit police statistics, implement a program to seize guns from young people and create a watch list of children most likely to become involved in violence. "If we're going to solve crime in our community, we need to focus on young people," Pugh said at a morning news conference at her East Baltimore campaign headquarters. Pugh said she would create a program that would allow police to confiscate guns from juveniles without levying criminal charges.

Miami -- As a child, Junior Seau slept on a cold concrete floor in the garage of a shack in Oceanside, Calif., stuffed between a dishwasher and some cleaning items.He once lived in a neighborhood where drugs were sold on almost every corner and police answered calls for domestic arguments daily, not just on weekends. Gangs? Seau wished the local Boys Club had as many members.So on a day when Seau was bombarded with questions about his San Diego Chargers being 19-point underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, the inside linebacker from Samoa was at peace with himself.

ANNAPOLIS -- Like a tardy Santa Claus, Gov. William Donald Schaefer dropped off a gift at a Glen Burnie shopping mall yesterday afternoon -- a pledge to keep open the 22 Youth Service Bureaus scheduled to be axed from the budget Feb. 1.After a tour of the Harundale Youth & Family Service Center at the Harundale Mall, Mr. Schaefer said he would find the money "somewhere in the budget" to keep the counseling and recreation centers open."

Myrtle "Mama Myrt" Howerton is as comfortable prodding city leaders as she is confronting drug dealers in her Druid Heights neighborhood. She considers it her duty to help rid Baltimore of drugs and make it a safer place for children -- no matter what it takes. Kids regularly drop by her rowhouse seeking advice on issues ranging from school to home life and sexuality. Howerton's efforts to improve the city have earned her respect in high places -- her friends include police Commissioner Edward T. Norris and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings -- and helped to secure a commitment for a new neighborhood center.