October 8, 2008
Annapolis
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Annapolis High meets federal test standards
For the first time in six years, students at Annapolis High School have met federal testing benchmarks, placing the embattled school on a path toward independence from local and state monitoring, Anne Arundel County school officials announced yesterday. The achievement comes about a year and a half after Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell overhauled the school in an effort to prevent state intervention under penalties for failure to meet federal standards under the No Child Left Behind Act. Annapolis High School failed to make what is called "adequate yearly progress" on annual standardized tests. The school, with an enrollment of about 1,700, underwent a restructuring plan last year that forced its entire staff to reapply for its jobs, required staff to work year-round, made teachers commit to staying at the school for three years and launched a summer program for incoming at-risk freshmen. The school must demonstrate adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years to leave the state's system for implementing reforms for failing schools.
Marine colonel from Md. serving in Iraq dies
A Marine colonel from Chevy Chase died Sunday of injuries sustained in Anbar province, Iraq, becoming one of the highest-ranked casualties of the war. Col. Michael R. Stahlman, 45, was injured in a nonhostile incident July 31, the Department of Defense said. Officials provided no details. Stahlman was a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, according to classmates and a lawyer for the Marines. He was the investigating officer last year in the trial of a Marine charged in the killings of two dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha. According to a blog maintained by Ken Adams, one of Stahlman's Naval Academy classmates, Stahlman suffered a severe head injury in Anbar province. He returned to the U.S. for brain surgery in August, according to a blog maintained by a family friend. Stahlman was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
$3,000 in tools stolen from Annapolis store
About $3,000 in tools were stolen from an Annapolis business, police said.
A passion for justice
Like many working mothers, Laura S. Kiessling divides her weekends among swim meets, football practices and volleyball games. But unlike most, she often gets calls from police looking to go over the facts of the county's latest homicide. Or perhaps they're calling to ask her whether an act of vandalism could be considered a hate crime.
Annapolis teen chosen to appear on 'Jeopardy!'
Audrey Hosford of Annapolis recently was selected as one of 15 teens to appear on the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament that will be aired this season.
St. John's stands against rankings with U-CAN
As high school seniors sort through the morass of college brochures flooding their mailboxes this fall, the president of St. John's College in Annapolis takes comfort in the fact that students have a new and, he says, better tool to search for their perfect school.
Developer says wind plan will fly in Annapolis
Nearly a decade after the Navy retired and dismantled 19 communications towers along the Severn River, a fledgling energy company is planning to build wind turbines that would turn the near-constant breeze there into electricity.
Rain, crowds flow at annual fundraiser
Organizers of the 27th Hospice Cup Regatta reported raising more than $350,000 for participating area hospices last weekend in Annapolis, despite persistent, heavy rain that canceled sailing competition for more than 80 sailboats and 360 sailors.
Housing ban policy challenged
When Wayne Blair Jr. picks up his 7-year-old son for a visit, he meets him at a gas station. He isn't allowed to knock on the door of the boy's home or see his bedroom or play basketball with him on the courts near the public housing community where the child lives with his mother.
Fire strikes Annapolis public works building
A fire caused a half-million dollars in damage when it roared through a storage room in an Annapolis public works building yesterday morning, fire officials said.
Festival ponders move
Organizers of the annual Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival are assessing their finances and mulling the location of next year's celebration, after rain apparently contributed to a lackluster turnout this year for the event's return to downtown Annapolis.
Six county women to be honored for service
Six Anne Arundel County women will be honored for their contributions to racial justice, equal opportunity and community service at the 13th annual Fannie Lou Hamer Awards Reception, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Francis Scott Key Auditorium at St. John's College.
Free bulbs available for planting in public spaces
The Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department will hold its Fall GreenScape 2008 on Oct. 25 to encourage GreenScape participants to plant bulbs for the spring.
Disability commission needs help
Volunteers are needed for the Anne Arundel County Commission on Disability Issues, a group of 21 residents who work to support residents with disabilities.
Maryland woman killed in Delaware collision
HARRINGTON, Del. Police say a Maryland woman was killed and six others injured when the car in which she was riding collided with another on a wet road.
Police partner with Web site to map area crime
Anne Arundel County police are contracting a Web site to provide enhanced crime mapping information on the Internet, the department announced.
History's layers
It has been more than two years since a 50-foot piece of plaster molding came crashing to the floor of the Annapolis City Council chambers. Now that dusty chunk of the city's past has spurred the first comprehensive look-see at the Annapolis City Hall, where George Washington gambled and danced the night away.
A home for a good cause
Forget selling books of restaurant coupons or chances on fruit baskets. One county charity has a little more appealing prize to raffle off this fall - a four-bedroom house on a spacious yard overlooking a creek.
Restaurant sponsors charity happy hours
Morton's The Steakhouse will sponsor a series of happy-hour charity events to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, SPCA of Anne Arundel County, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, The Sharing Foundation, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through October 27, at 100 Westgate Circle, in the Westin Annapolis at Park Place.
Annapolis Warehouse Sale benefits charity
Annapolis Warehouse Sale benefits charity
The Annapolis-area boutique community announced the second Annapolis Warehouse Sale will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. today at Loews Hotel, Regatta Ballroom, in Annapolis.Annapolis OKs $1 million for some retirees' raises
The city of Annapolis has agreed to give more than $1 million a year in increased pensions to retired police officers and firefighters, resolving a six-year legal dispute, city officials said yesterday.
Morgan president to retire in 2009
Earl Stanford Richardson, the hard-charging educator who led Morgan State University through a rapid and at times rocky transformation from underfunded urban college to modern research university, said yesterday that he plans to retire at the end of next year.
Commissioner's brother to join Annapolis police
The younger brother of Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III is leaving the department to take a job with the Annapolis Police Department. Charles E. Bealefeld, who joined the city department about a year after his brother in 1982, worked until recently as a homicide detective. In November, he will join the Annapolis police, where Chief Michael A. Pristoop, a former Baltimore commander, has recruited a number of city officers to supplement his ranks. Charles Bealefeld, 45, joined the department as a cadet and later was part of the homicide unit; he had recently been transferred to the Southern District detective unit. The Bealefelds' grandfather, great-grandfather and great-uncle were also city officers. Charles Bealefeld could not be reached for comment. The commissioner declined to discuss his brother's departure, a spokesman said.
Annapolis offers sandbags to prepare for flooding
As forecasters caution that a powerful storm in the Atlantic could become a tropical system, the city of Annapolis is offering sandbags to prepare for the possibility of flooding in the low-lying City Dock area. The forecast warns of minor coastal flooding today and tomorrow in Annapolis, with wind gusts tonight up to 47 mph. Annapolis Department of Public Works says a trailer with sandbags will be across from the Starbucks at City Dock. It is expected to remain there until sometime tomorrow.
Volunteer Day of Action is scheduled Saturday
The Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County and Partners in Care will hold a Volunteer Day of Action from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Partners in Care, 6 S. Ritchie Highway, Pasadena.
Senior Notes
Flea market The Arnold Senior Activity Center, 44 Church Road, is accepting donations for its flea market, bake sale and book sale, to be held Oct. 16 and 17. 410-222-1922.
Electronic eyes help police watch for automotive scofflaws
As Cpl. Duane Daniels cruises through the streets of Annapolis, he keeps his eyes on the road but trains his ears to a robotic voice describing the license plates he passes.
Art exhibits
Photography show 49 West Coffeehouse, Winebar and Gallery, 49 West St. in Annapolis, will exhibit Our World: An Exhibit of Chesapeake Bay, National and International Scenes by Thomas Humphrey Williams through Oct. 1. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 410-626-9796.
Rivaling Broadway with 'A Little Night Music'
In the inaugural event of Live Arts Maryland, the Annapolis Chorale and its sister group, the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, presented a musical treat.
Selling the candidates
Bonnie McCartney just had to get her picture taken next to the life-sized cut-out of John McCain on Main Street in Annapolis. Her best friend, Jan Deaver, took the photo - even though Deaver is a die-hard supporter of Barack Obama.
Carroll makes provision for cuts in state funding
While many jurisdictions across Maryland are awaiting the repercussions of the projected $432 million state budget shortfall, Carroll County leaders announced yesterday cost-cutting measures aimed at offsetting any losses in funding from Annapolis.
Expert on Islam joins Naval Academy faculty
Akbar Ahmed, an expert on Islam, a cultural anthropologist and the former high commissioner of Pakistan to Britain, will join the Naval Academy this fall, filling a new chair for Middle East Studies. Ahmed has promoted interfaith relations through his many books, television appearances and public dialogues with Judea Pearl, the father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Ahmed, who also has worked in film and documentary, has previously taught at American, Princeton, Harvard and Cambridge universities. His most recent book, published in 2007, is Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization. At the Naval Academy, he will teach courses, advise midshipmen and faculty, and assist in research projects.
In Navy, a world apart
Some had flags on their lapels and "veteran" stitched on their caps. Others leaned on canes or sat in wheelchairs. As the crowd watched and cameras flashed, they gazed out proudly, shoulders back.
Art in a flurry
Amid the lunchtime bustle of Annapolis' waterfront, with toddlers scurrying about and tourists snapping photos of the historic plaques and statues, Mary Pritchard worked at her easel on the brick sidewalk.
Golf fundraiser to be held for Boys and Girls Club
The board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County will kick off its 15th Annual Tee It Up for the Kids Golf Tournament at 6 p.m. Friday with a cocktail and silent auction at the Boys and Girls Club at Bates Heritage Center, 121 S. Villa Ave., Annapolis. The golf tournament will be held at 1 p.m., Sept. 29 at the Golf Club at South River, 3451 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater. Registration will be held between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m.
Annapolis residents win county photo contest
Two Annapolis amateur photographers are winners of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau's summer photo contest.
Armed robbery suspect sought by police
Anne Arundel County police were searching for a man suspected in several robberies, including two armed robberies of beauty-supply businesses in Glen Burnie on consecutive days last week.
Meeting held to discuss Annapolis Middle
Annapolis Middle School Principal Carolyn Burton-Page and Anne Arundel County Public Schools officials will hold a public meeting to discuss the school's status in the Maryland State Department of Education's School Improvement Process and programs being implemented to boost student achievement.
Buddhist center presents talk on peace of mind
The Vikatadamshtri Buddhist Center will sponsor a talk, "Happiness in Every Moment: A Buddhist Path to Peace of Mind," from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Annapolis Friends Meeting House, 351 DuBois Road, Annapolis. Admission is free. Information: 410-243-3837 or visit www.MeditationMd.org.
Annapolis Friends to mark Day of Peace today
Members of the Annapolis Friends Meetinghouse invite the community to help observe United Nations International Day of Peace today. Refreshments and socializing are planned from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. The International Day of Peace silent vigil is to be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Participants and visitors can attend all or part of the vigil. Those who attend are invited to share a short reading or personal story related to peace in the world. Information: Lee Lougee, 410-647-7012 or visit www.idpvigil.com.
Senior Notes
Parkinson's talk The Arnold Senior Activity Center, 44 Church Road, Arnold, will sponsor a talk by Becky Dunlop of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital on Parkinson's disease from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. today. She will discuss the nature of the disease, options for treatment and how to take charge of your health. 410-222-1922.
Annapolis man, 21, linked to other armed robberies
A 21-year-old Annapolis man who was charged with robbing a pedestrian and a McDonald's restaurant on the same day last week has also admitted robbing a pizza deliveryman and a convenience store, city police said.
Century of shipbuilding
222 Severn Ave. has been the site of shipbuilding for the greater part of the 20th century. Military sea craft in both world wars came from the boatyard before it became the premier purveyor of luxury yachts.
Annapolis Senior Center breast health program
Registration is open for "Girls' Night Out," a free program on breast health for women 40 or older. The program will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Annapolis Senior Center, 119 S. Villa Ave., Annapolis.
Art exhibits
Oil paintings Main Street Gallery will display works in oil by Lynne Lockhart and Kirk McBride through Oct. 5 at 109 Main St., Annapolis. An opening reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. 410-280-2787. Portraits The Annapolis Collection Gallery will hold An Evening With Moe from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at 45 West St. Master portrait artist Moe Hanson will display works from her Jumpers collection. 410-280-1414.
'Jukebox' launches music season
The regional concert season begins this evening with South County Concert Association's American Jukebox, featuring hits of the 1950s, Motown and disco performed by six singers and dancers backed by a six-piece band at Southern High School.
A top O'Malley adviser to leave for lobbying firm
Sean R. Malone, a top adviser to Gov. Martin O'Malley and member of the governor's inner circle since 1995, is joining the Baltimore law and lobbying practice of Lisa Harris Jones as a partner. "It's bittersweet for me," said Malone, 42, an attorney who managed O'Malley's successful Baltimore City Council re-election campaign in 1995, and then worked in a variety of key police and labor-related posts as O'Malley rose from councilman to mayor and then governor. "I have two little boys who have Catholic school tuition coming down the pike," Malone said. "I felt it was an appropriate time to step out and get into a law practice and try to provide for my family." Malone's most recent position has been deputy legislative officer, focusing on public safety and labor issues. Under state ethics law, he is barred from representing clients in state matters in which he has "participated significantly in the matter as an official or employee." Jones' lobbying clients include Penn National Gaming, the Maryland Minority Contractors Association and Verizon. Malone said he will leave the State House in two to three weeks. "I don't know how we're going to find a replacement for him," said Michael R. Enright, O'Malley's chief of staff. "There's a popular management theory that everyone is replaceable, but I think Sean is going to test us on that one."
Man killed, woman hurt in Annapolis shooting
A 34-year-old man was shot to death early yesterday in Annapolis, and a woman, 24, found in a car with him suffered gunshot wounds, police said. After receiving reports of shots fired about 12:30 a.m. in the area of Janwall Street and Tyler Avenue, police found the man and woman in a 2002 Cadillac. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Police did not release their names, saying they had made only "tentative" identifications. The woman was in critical but stable condition, said Officer Hal Dalton of the Annapolis Police Department. Dalton said investigators had no suspects and knew of no motive for the shooting.
Annapolis shake-up on table
Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer says talk about changing the capital city's government seems to come and go about every 20 years or so.
Carpaccio: Some raw, some well-done
I sometimes wonder how a new restaurant gets a name like Carpaccio. Do the owners sit around and brainstorm and end up choosing it because it sounds interesting and Italian and most people don't know what carpaccio is anyway?
Two arrested on drug charges in Annapolis
Two men were arrested on drug charges last week after police pulled their car over for a traffic violation in Annapolis and then found crack cocaine, county police said.
Police teach trash security importance
The Annapolis Police Department will present a program, "Trash Intelligence," at 7 p.m. Thursday at Heritage Baptist Church, 1740 Forest Drive, Annapolis.
Anne Arundel jury finds man, 21, guilty of murder
A jury convicted an Annapolis man of second-degree murder yesterday in the fatal shooting of a man described as his longtime friend, prosecutors said. Anthony N. Jackson, 21, could face up to 30 years in prison in the death of Andre E. Johnson, 18. The two had been fighting near Marcs Court in Annapolis on Sept. 2, 2007, when Jackson shot Johnson, according to court testimony. Jackson was also found guilty of using a handgun to commit a felony, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing was set for November 10.
Miller letter takes on comptroller
A rift among Maryland's Democrats - with Comptroller Peter Franchot increasingly on the outs - became decidedly more public and bitter yesterday with a tartly worded missive from one of the party's standard-bearers.
Teens charged in assault
A 16-year-old boy is the latest of seven suspects, ranging in age from 12 to 18, to be arrested and charged in a beating that critically injured a homeless man last week in Annapolis, police said.
Developer holding job fair this afternoon at hotel
The developers of Annapolis Towne Center, a $400 million residential, office and shopping complex in Parole, will hold a job fair from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Sheraton Annapolis Hotel, 173 Jennifer Road.
Arguing a future for Market House
It is a landmark building on some of Annapolis' most valuable waterfront property, steps from the tourist-magnet that is City Dock. It's been called the "cafeteria of Annapolis."
Annapolis force's first woman retires
When Capt. Barbara Hopkins became the Annapolis Police Department's first woman officer in 1973, her superiors handed her a skirt to wear on patrol and a pocketbook in which to carry her gun.
Art exhibits
Mixed media Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis, will exhibit Crossing Borders: Two Cultures/One Me in the Chaney Gallery, Pure Art in the Martino Gallery and Wynn Creasy: Transmutation, Paintings as Inspiration in the Balcony Gallery through tomorrow. 410-263-5544 or www.marylandhall.org.
Senior Notes
Picnic Partners In Care, a nonprofit agency that helps older adults live with dignity and independence by transporting them to run errands and performing home repairs, will hold a 15th anniversary picnic from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Atlantic Marina, 2010 Knollview Drive in Pasadena. Tickets cost $30. Monetary and gift donations from the community welcomed. 410-544-4800.
The gap in Annapolis
The latest tax receipts provide further proof that Maryland is not recession-proof. The slowing economy has hit sales, personal income and other taxes hard enough to open up a $432 million gap in the state budget. That could balloon to about $1 billion in the next fiscal year.
State raises limit on debt
Maryland officials voted for the first time in two decades yesterday to increase the amount the state can borrow for schools, roads and other projects, even as some fiscal leaders urged restraint in the face of a weakening economy and a possible $1 billion budget shortfall.
3 more vendors vacate Annapolis' Market House
Three more food vendors have vacated Annapolis' Market House, a second wave of departures that leaves only a few tenants at the troubled city-owned landmark. The owners of Galway Bay, Fresh Stop and Auntie Annie's Pretzels moved out of their stalls in the 19th-century building at City Dock on Sunday night, said Robert O. Schuetz, director of the city's central services administration. The owners could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Galway Bay released a statement saying its departure was the "the result of on-going failures and wrongful conduct" on the behalf of the city and the landlord, Market House Ventures LLC, a subsidiary of Site Realty Group. Neil S. Hyman, an attorney representing Market House Ventures - which is suing the city for $6 million alleging breach of contract because of revenue lost during an air-conditioning malfunction that forced some vendors out of business in summer 2006 - said yesterday that he was unsure why the vendors had left. Ray Weaver, a spokesman for the city would not comment, citing the pending litigation. In May, the owner of four Market House stall occupants - American Grill, Gourmet Commissary, Sophisticated Sweets and Waterside Pizza - vacated after being served an eviction notice for nonpayment of rent.
Annapolis officials look at City Hall proposals
Annapolis lawmakers got their first look last night at proposals that could change the way City Hall operates.
Business Notes
The Entrepreneur's Exchange will hold its monthly luncheon meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Severn Inn, 1993 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Annapolis.
Anne Arundel Education Notes
The Anne Arundel County Board of Education will meet for a workshop on the fiscal 2010 capital improvement budget and capital budget at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the administration building, 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis.
State braces for Hanna
Marylanders were tying down and tightening up yesterday as they braced for the heavy wind, torrential rain and high water predicted to arrive today with Tropical Storm Hanna, the first such storm to menace the state since Ernesto in 2006.
Annapolis Triathlon canceled after organizers were forced to scale down the Sunday event
Organizers of the Annapolis Triathlon - who had been forced to pare down the event - have canceled a race that had been set to draw 1,500 participants to the city Sunday.
2 young men found shot at complex in Annapolis
Annapolis police are investigating the shooting of two young men found yesterday afternoon near a stairwell at Bay Ridge Gardens Apartments in the first block of Bens Drive. Police responded to a report of shots fired about 4:30 p.m. and found the two men bleeding. Police said one victim was flown by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, while the other was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center. Neither suffered life-threatening wounds. Both are Annapolis residents but did not live in the apartment complex where the shooting occurred, police said. Their names are being withheld until family members are notified. Anyone with information is asked to call Annapolis police at 410-268-9000.