UPPER MARLBORO -- A bicyclist who gunned down a young motorist after he was accidentally bumped by her car has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

"You are a danger to society," county Circuit Judge Sheila R. Tillerson-Adams told Alejandro Jose Grant during sentencing. After he was bumped off his bike Oct. 8, Grant pulled a pistol from his backpack, walked over to the motorist, Joy Estrella Mariano Enriquez, 19, and shot her once in the head, investigators said.

Grant, 27, was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole on the first-degree murder charge. He was also sentenced to an additional 20 years in jail for using a handgun while committing a felony.

Warm weather might ruin brilliance of fall foliage

ANNAPOLIS

ANNAPOLIS -- Warm weather could hurt this fall's foliage with high temperatures possibly ruining the spectrum of colors usually offered by the changing leaves, horticulturists say.

The warmer the fall, the less spectacular the leaves will be. Colder weather breaks down chlorophyll faster, which creates the yellow and orange color in the leaves, according to horticulturists.

"If you get a cool fall, you'll have more intense colors," said Dave Clement, director of the Home and Garden Center for the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service.

Pub Date: 9/16/98