Discussion on courthouse size planned
Preservationists, officials to meet
County officials have agreed to meet at least once more with members of Annapolis preservationist groups to iron out an agreement on the size of a proposed courthouse complex in the historic district.
The county wants the groups to support a city ordinance to exempt the project from existing limitations. Otherwise, it will pursue building sites outside of the city.
The preservationists, including the Historic District Commission, which must give its approval for the project, want further discussions to determine whether the size of the building can be reduced.
Annapolis police alert residents to scam
Annapolis police are warning residents to beware of a new scam after a couple posing as police officers bamboozled an elderly woman out of $300.
A 72-year-old woman living on Smithville Road told police Monday that the couple got money from her by pretending to be checking the serial numbers on the bills.
The couple arrived at her door at 1 p.m., flashed fake badges and said they were investigating the robbery of money from a "Barbara Smith." They asked to see her money to check the serial numbers, then placed it into an envelope on the couch.
When the couple left, the envelope was filled with newspaper clippings, police said.
The suspects were described as a black man, weighing about 200 pounds, with a dark complexion and wearing a brown suit; and a black woman, about 5 feet 8 inches, slim, with short hair and wearing a gray suit.
Mystery bridge plaque turns up at antiques shop
Tucked among the porcelain, oak mirrors and vintage jewelry in a little antiques shop in downtown Annapolis is a bronze highway plaque.
Not any old plaque, either. The 30-by-15 inch sign at Walnut Leaf Antiques on Maryland Avenue commemorates the construction of the old Severn River Bridge. And state highway officials are baffled how it ended up for sale.
Shop owner Joel Litzky quickly posted a "Not for Sale" sign on the plaque after a highway official stopped by Friday. The State Highway Administration is now checking its records to see whether it still owns the plaque.
"It may or it may not have been on the bridge," Mr. Litzky said. "Sometimes they make duplicate plaques."
He said a well-known consignment seller, who wants to remain anonymous, came to him several weeks ago with the plaque. It reads: "Severn River Bridge. Built 1922-1924. General Contractor Eyre-Johnston, Philadelphia."
A couple of Annapolitans stopped by the shop last week and passed the news on to members of Citizens for a Scenic River Bridge, the citizens' group that fought for more than a year to save the crumbling drawbridge. A new 80-foot-high replacement span is now under construction.
"It's a small town," Mr. Litzky said with a grin.
He's ready to put the plaque up for sale again, although he won't disclose the price, if the state finds it doesn't own it.
Otherwise, he'll have to corral a couple of people to help him lift the sign back down. It's awfully heavy, he said.
Special edition prints of bay scene available
Prints of "A Fair Breeze and a Full Moon" by Chesapeake Bay artist John M. Barber are available at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Save the Bay display in Annapolis.
The 29-by-16 inch print depicts the splendor of two skipjacks as they sail near the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse.
This is a special edition subscription print, and each is signed and numbered by the artist. The price is $145, plus $8.95 for shipping and handling. Maryland residents must add $7.25 sales tax. Orders will be taken until Oct. 31 and shipped by Nov. 30.
Information: 268-8832.
POLICE LOG
* Woodland Beach: Eight boats docked at area piers here were broken into Saturday night, county police reported.
The vandals tried to hot-wire some of the boats and stole beer, batteries and other property.