Park Heights

Robert Melton Jr.

Robert Melton Jr., who at 78 was the oldest worker at a Hawkins Point chemical plant, died June 26 after suffering a heart attack. The Park Heights resident collapsed near his home as he was returning from the plant.

Music festivals become more popular

In the past few years, shrinking album sales and illegal downloads have shaken up the music industry. But after a downturn in the late '90s, live music festivals are once again flourishing - offering some hope for a struggling industry.

Whatever happened to ... Mrs. Pose?

Since the early 1960s, Mrs. Pose has been, arguably, Baltimore's most famous dessert baker. The signature cheesecake she began selling in 1962 remains a staple of local restaurants, country clubs and delis. She says it has "the texture of ice cream."

Betting drops at Pimlico

Wagering on Pimlico Race Course races fell 16.5 percent this spring from last year, a steep drop that one racing official called "unique."

Dan Rodricks: Integrity an early McKay hallmark

Back at the dawn of Baltimore television, when the Sunpapers owned the first station here, a 25-year-old Evening Sun reporter named Jim McManus agreed to work in front of the camera for $65 a week. It was 1947. The station, WMAR-TV, had to fill hours upon hours with original programming. So its crews did remote telecasts, running from the races at Pimlico to supermarket openings to professional wrestling matches at the old Baltimore Coliseum.

Pimlico fans hoped to share winning ticket with history

The usual suspects were at Pimlico Race Course yesterday, clutching their racing programs in one hand and their hopes in the other, a cold beverage nearby to help combat the heat. The last day of the live racing season looked, sounded and smelled like any other day at the track.

Joint effort nets a 'big fish'

Christopher Shaw has avoided prosecution three times.

Magna gets another extension on loans

Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, received another reprieve on loan repayments and more cash infusions as it struggles to pay down debt and sell assets to stay in business.

Tournament tests skills in chess, life

Sam Macer was the kind of kid who, to put it kindly, didn't care to conform.

Down year for Preakness

Attendance and betting at the Preakness hit five-year-lows on Saturday, and fewer people watched on television than last year.

Art takes a rain check

A sprinkle of raindrops wasn't a problem. Not at first, anyway.

Andrew Ratner: Preakness craziness gains Web immortality

For many who spent yesterday at the Preakness infield, the hangover won't be the worst part of this morning.

Race day outpost

Most days, the little white house is quiet. Robins bob through buttercups on the front lawn, then dart off into the fields surrounding the house. The horse on the mailbox is frozen in a silent gallop.

Whatever happened to ... Chick Lang?

Chick Lang has a prediction: "I think we're gonna have a Triple Crown winner this year."

Alcohol fuels antics at Pimlico

That was a nice article on portable toilets at Pimlico ("Flushed out," May 14). But can someone explain to me why Pimlico allows patrons to bring alcohol into the infield at all?

Pimlico abuzz over 'Brown'

Like any good prom king, he arrived fashionably late and seemed completely comfortable when every eye turned his way.

Ray Frager: Preakness coverage a 2-hour ride

Opening up the gates on another week of sports media notes while bemoaning the fact that jockeys' silks don't come in my size:

Traffic patterns altered for Preakness

Traffic patterns on several streets near Pimlico Race Course will be altered starting today for the 133rd running of the Preakness on Saturday. Some roads will be closed through Saturday night.

Sun Exclusive

Magna positions itself for Md. slots

One piece of Preakness tradition appears to be missing this year: the prediction that without a quick infusion of cash from slot machine gambling, the race could be Baltimore's last.

Preakness officials take steps to put the lid down on infield hijinks

For those more caught up in infield shenanigans than the horses on the track, the big question about Saturday's 133rd running of the Preakness is whether there will be another "Running of the Urinals."

Dragone out as MJC head?

Changes could be brewing at the top of the Maryland Jockey Club. Yesterday, Scott Borgemenke, executive vice president for racing at Magna Entertainment Corp., opened the door to speculation.

On Horse Racing

Peter Schmuck: Eye of the storm

This might be hard to remember with everything that's going on these days, but there was a time when the Preakness was just a famous horse race that drew thousands of revelers to Pimlico and set one Saturday aside each year for Baltimore to be the center of the sporting universe.

Last week's headlines

Municipal Mortgage & Equity LLC, the real estate and alternative energy project financier, said that it is suspending its quarterly dividend as it continues to deal with the fallout from the slumping credit market. The Baltimore company, better known as MuniMae, had reduced its quarterly dividend to 33 cents in January. Since that time, its stock has plunged 77 percent.

Jacques Kelly: A day at the races is a glimpse of the good life in Baltimore City

About this time of the year a set of news stories appear to reveal how the spectator side of thoroughbred racing is about to perish. I read the accounts about Pimlico's fallen glory days and that the stands are empty, except for Preakness day.

Economic fallout at the Preakness

You probably won't miss what you don't see at Pimlico Race Course on Preakness Stakes day this year. A few sponsors are gone, along with some corporate tent buyers. There could be slightly fewer fans.

Magna unlikely to meet deadline

Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, probably will not be able to make as much as $180 million in loan payments due at the end of the month even with the rush of revenue from the upcoming Preakness Stakes, its marquee and one of its biggest moneymaking events.

Earnings: Magna loses $46.5 million

Magna Entertainment Corp., the Canadian owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, reported yesterday a first-quarter loss of $46.5 million compared with a profit of $2.5 million in the corresponding period last year. Magna said revenue fell to $231 million in the three months that ended March 31 from $254 million last year. The first quarter is the company's most profitable, but revenue was hurt by poor performance at Florida's Gulfstream Park, loss of live race days at California's Santa Anita Park and lower average daily attendance and fewer live race days at Laurel Park.

On horse racing fatalities

Bill Ordine: Pall of tragedy, worry looms over Preakness

Horse industry statistics tell us that the chances of a fatality for a racehorse breaking from a starting gate are less than 1 in 500.

Preakness: Events schedule

Events lead up to the Preakness

Mayor Sheila Dixon joined officials from Pimilico Race Course yesterday to announce the calendar of events leading up to the Preakness on May 17 - including the annual parade in downtown Baltimore and several live concerts.

Labor group backs slots

A union group that represents more than 300,000 area workers endorsed a referendum yesterday to legalize slot machine gambling in Maryland, an announcement that underscores the institutional support proponents will have in the lead-up to November's vote.

Behindatthebar to try for run at Preakness

Behindatthebar, winner of the Lexington Stakes and trained by Todd Pletcher, became the latest 3-year-old to have his sights set on the May 17 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course.

Big names at Virgin Fest

When the Virgin Mobile Festival returns to Pimlico Race Course this summer, it will bring two full days of A-list artists from a wide range of musical genres.

Laurel Park losses continue to mount

Laurel Park continued to lose money last year, according to financial documents filed with the state racing commission, as questions linger about the racetrack's viability as a potential spot for slots.

Laurel Park losses continue to mount

Laurel Park continued to lose money last year, according to financial documents filed with the state racing commission, as questions linger about the racetrack's viability as a potential spot for slots.

Laurel Park losses continue to mount

Laurel Park continued to lose money last year, according to financial documents filed with the state racing commission, as questions linger about the racetrack's viability as a potential spot for slots.

Art Column

Glenn McNatt: Elegant equines

Not for nothing were the horses painted by Franklin B. Voss called noble steeds. They were magnificent animals, well-muscled, fast, sleek as racecars and groomed to a fare-thee-well. Even when the horses are standing still, you sense speed is in their blood.

Virgin Festival lineup announced

Kanye West, the Foo Fighters and the Stone Temple Pilots are among the headliners for this summer's Virgin Mobile Festival, the third annual show in Baltimore.

Pimlico Special to make return to Old Hilltop; purse reduced

The Pimlico Special is back.

Sun Special Report

A troubled life

The 15-year-old's punishment after being convicted as a juvenile in January was to go home with his mother - a woman convicted three months earlier of buying drugs.

Tracks balking at slots campaign

Maryland's pro-slots forces are planning an eight-month campaign for a referendum on expanded gambling that they say would fix the state's budget problems and save horse racing. But those who stand to benefit most - the state's racetrack owners - are balking at the effort and saying that they might not participate in the push for the ballot measure.

Spirit Of Sharing

Center offers hope, support for parents on new path

One in a series of occasional features highlighting people in the Baltimore area who exemplify the "Spirit of Sharing," The Sun's annual holiday campaign.

Killings don't spare young

His family remembered the boy who loved to read Harry Potter and excelled in elementary school. Ty'wonde M. Jones turned 13 this year and seemed to sprout in height overnight.

Bill Hartack: 1932-2007

Hall of Famer won Preakness 3 times

Bill Hartack was not the easiest jockey to get along with, and that was fine with him. He simply let his riding take him to the top of the thoroughbred racing world.

Slots plan is picked apart

Maryland lawmakers grilled aides to Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday on his plan to allow up to 15,000 slot machines at five locations, raising questions about the proposed sites, local approval and the impact on the state's two thoroughbred racetracks.

Slots lose luster at Fla. track

Gulfstream Park, South Florida's major thoroughbred horse-racing track, installed slot machines last year, rows and rows of them. And gamblers came.

City's eye on slots site

An 11-acre warehouse district south of Baltimore's sports stadiums would become the home of a new slots facility under a proposal by Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration that officials said could cut city property taxes, The Sun has learned.

Man slain in Park Heights

Baltimore police have identified a 47-year-old man who was fatally shot Monday in a suspected robbery in Northwest Baltimore.

Who'll hold their horses?

The Baltimore institution of vendors hawking produce from colorful horse-drawn wagons is about to receive a major makeover, but some involved with the city's 19th-century tradition are unhappy with the proposed changes.

O'Malley betting on slots

Reviving one of the most hotly debated issues in Annapolis, Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he will push for legalized slot machine gambling as a way to close Maryland's $1.7 billion budget gap, help the state's struggling horse industry and preserve open space.

Arabbers, their horses reunited

Dorothy Johns winced as she watched her elderly horse, Foreo, squirm away from handlers leading her into a makeshift stable at Pimlico Race Course.

It's goodbye, hello for a congregation

Members of Beth Jacob Congregation are celebrating their last Shabbat service today.

No crowd records, no crowd complaints

When Virgin Group founder and CEO Richard Branson announced this year's Virgin Festival lineup, he had high expectations.

Rockin' steady

Under threat of rain, about 32,000 fans reveled in the rock sounds of Velvet Revolver and the Smashing Pumpkins during Day 2 of the Virgin Festival. Yesterday came as a laid-back counterpoint to the nearly 42,000 concertgoers who flocked to Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, sweltering in near-100 degree temperatures to hear the Police.

Festival so hot, it's cool

The young woman in the floral sundress was shuffling in a line of more than 30 people, dabbing her forehead as she waited to get water from a drinking fountain.

Review

Wilting Winehouse at least shows up

A year hasn't even passed since Amy Winehouse garnered critical acclaim and commercial success with her American debut, Back to Black. But the troubled 23-year-old singer already has earned a reputation for showing up to concerts inebriated - if she shows up at all.

Take warning, fans: You'll feel the heat

One hundred degrees, 60,000 people and 10 hours of live outdoor music could be enough to wilt even the hardiest concertgoer.

For national acts, city is taking center stage

As they traveled the country by jet and by bus, many major music tours over the years have bypassed Baltimore, stopping in Washington and Philadelphia long before coming to the city - if they came at all.

Dan Deacon, a Baltimore original

Dan Deacon isn't your typical rock star.

No good at keeping her schedule

Will she go, go, go to Baltimore?

Back in synch

HERSHEY, Pa. As the stage lights went up at Hersheypark Stadium, 44,000 fans roared in delight at an experience that had not been possible for 23 years. The mild, breezy evening and the striking Hotel Hershey provided a magical setting for the reggae-suffused sounds of the reunited Police.

Man fatally shot in Barclay

Two people were gunned down on a sidewalk in Baltimore's Barclay neighborhood in a midday shooting yesterday, and one of the victims later died.

Baltimorean convicted in death of youth

The first of two Baltimore men accused in the killing of Ronny Martin, 16, on New Year's Day last year has been convicted of second-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore state's attorney's office said last night.

The Decision

Hundreds of anxious fans and dozens of reporters swarmed around the stakes barn at Pimlico Race Course minutes after the 2006 Preakness Stakes. Security officers shouted at onlookers to remain behind temporary barricades. Television news helicopters buzzed overhead.