In Baltimore County
County solution rate of serious crimes tops U.S. average
TOWSON -- The rate at which Baltimore County police solved serious crimes last year outpaced the national average, according to a recent analysis of national crime trends.
About half of all robberies in the county resulted in at least one arrest that was turned over for prosecution last year, county police said. The national clearance rate for robberies is about 25 percent. The clearance rate for homicide was 77 percent in the county, compared with the national average of 62.4 percent.
Eighty-nine percent of rapes in the county were solved -- more than double the national average. Ninety percent of aggravated assaults reported to county police were cleared with an arrest, while 56 percent of those cases were solved nationally, police said.
Catonsville High teacher receives statewide honor
CATONSVILLE -- Geri Hastings, a social studies teacher and department head at Catonsville High School, has been named High School Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Council for Social Studies.
Hastings was honored for her teaching ability and her work on behalf of social studies instruction statewide. She also received the award for work to help high school students succeed in Advanced Placement courses.
Developer to discuss design at Planning Board meeting
TOWSON -- Joseph Alfandre, a builder of mixed-use developments in the Washington suburbs, will discuss the opportunities and constraints of "New Urbanism," or traditional neighborhood design, at Thursday's meeting of the Baltimore County Planning Board.
Alfandre was the developer of Kentlands, a planned community in Gaithersburg. His presentation completes a series on Smart Growth and community design sponsored by the Planning Board.
Alfandre will speak at 4 p.m. in Room 407 of the County Courts Building, 401 Bosley Ave. The public is invited. The presentation will also be broadcast this month on Channel 25, the county cable TV channel, at 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesdays, and 8 p.m. Fridays.
In Baltimore City
Convicted felon guilty of possessing a handgun
A 39-year-old Baltimore man was convicted in Circuit Court last week on two counts of possessing a handgun after being convicted of a violent crime and a felony, the state's attorney's office said.
Robert Benner of the 500 block of S. Rose St. had been convicted previously of armed robbery, the state's attorney's office said, so Baltimore police detectives investigated when they saw his name on a log of ammunition purchases kept in Baltimore County.
In searching Benner's residence, detectives found a .32-caliber handgun and bullets bought in Baltimore County, the state's attorney's office said. Possessing a gun is illegal for those convicted of violent felonies. The mandatory sentence is five years without parole, prosecutors said.
Religious historian to speak at seminary
The Rev. Martin E. Marty, one of the world's most respected religious historians, will speak on "Modern Religious Fundamentalisms and Violence" at 7:30 p.m. today at the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Roland Park.
Marty is a Lutheran minister who is an emeritus professor at the University of Chicago, where he taught for 35 years. He is the author of more than 50 books, and a past president of the American Academy of Religion, the American Society of Church History and the American Catholic Historical Association.
The lecture is free and open to the public. A book signing will precede the lecture. The seminary is on Roland Avenue near Northern Parkway. Information: 410-864-4200.