In Baltimore City
Services scheduled Saturday in Largo for slain detective
Services for slain Baltimore police Detective Thomas G. Newman will be held Saturday in Largo at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.
Newman, 37, was shot and killed early Saturday outside a bar in apparent retaliation for testifying against two men convicted of wounding him during an ambush last year. The detective was off duty at the time of the attack.
A viewing will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the church. Services will began at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church, on St. Joseph's Drive off Route 202, near the Capital Beltway. Burial will be in Clinton at Resurrection Cemetery, 8000 Woodyard Road.
Lightship leaks fuel oil into Inner Harbor
Between 100 gallons and 200 gallons of fuel oil leaked from the lightship Chesapeake into the Inner Harbor yesterday, and state environmental crews used containment booms and absorbent pads to corral the pollutant.
The 70-year-old ship, moored next to the National Aquarium on Pier 4 as a tourist attraction, sprang a leak in an oil tank that had been filled for winter, said John Kellett, director of the Baltimore Maritime Museum, which manages the ship. The bilge pump then sent the oil into the harbor.
The Coast Guard and Maryland Department of the Environment were notified of the spill, which MDE spokesman Richard McIntire called "minor." The museum has hired a contractor to aid in the cleanup, Kellett said.
Ex-officer gets 27 months for false tampering report
GREENBELT - An ex-Baltimore police officer was sentenced yesterday to more than two years in federal prison for falsely claiming his toddler son was injured after drinking a bottled fruit drink replaced with toilet freshener.
Larry Donnell Wellington, 42, of Upper Marlboro was sentenced to 27 months for making a false product-tampering report and obstructing a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation. Judge Deborah K. Chasanow of Greenbelt's U.S. District Court also imposed three years of supervised release.
Wellington was convicted after a jury trial in September where federal prosecutors presented evidence that the bright blue liquid found in a bottle of Fruitopia Strawberry Passion Awareness matched a toilet freshener commonly kept in used soda bottles at a Baltimore bus company where Wellington worked part time.
Wellington had called the Prince George's County 911 system in November 2000, claiming that his 3-year-old son had become ill after drinking from the bottle. Doctors testified at trial that the child had not been injured and likely did not consume any of the liquid, prosecutors said. Wellington, a Baltimore police officer since 1996, was suspended after his indictment on the federal charge in February and has since left the force.
Man charged in mutilation of dog that was found dead
A Baltimore man has been charged with neglecting his three pit bull dogs, one of which was dead when animal control officers were sent to rescue them last month from a kennel on Dogwood Road near Patapsco Valley State Park in Baltimore County.
Eamon D. Givens of the 1900 block of Park Ave. faces one felony count of mutilation of an animal and two other misdemeanor charges, according to Baltimore County spokeswoman Elise Armacost. Givens was also cited Nov. 19 by the Baltimore County Animal Control Board for about 20 animal neglect violations, Armacost said.
The investigation began this fall when neighbors grew concerned for the dogs, which were kept on property owned by Givens' father, Armacost said. She said animal control officers went to seize the dogs Oct. 24 and found one dead. The other two remain impounded by the county animal control department.
Givens is due in District Court in Towson on Feb. 10. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In Baltimore County
Children's coat distribution set at firehouses this week
TOWSON -Baltimore County Police Department, in cooperation with WBAL Radio and the Maryland National Guard, are distributing children's winter coats this week at county firehouses on the east and west sides.
Coats will be distributed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Westview Fire Station, 6300 Johnnycake Road in Woodlawn, and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Dundalk Fire Station, 2815 Sollers Point Road.
Nearly 200 coats were handed out at Middle River Fire Station on Monday as part of the "Coats for Kids" drive, said Capt. Glenn A. Blackwell, a Fire Department spokesman.
Fire museum to preview its holiday train garden
LUTHERVILLE - The Fire Museum of Maryland will hold a holiday train garden preview from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The museum has had a train garden - a tradition at many Baltimore firehouses from the late 1800s to the 1950s - since 1986. Designed by volunteers, it includes 1940s-style trains. It is part of the museum's collection of 40 antique fire engines, a working fire alarm office, museum store and children's Discovery Room.
Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for firefighters and seniors; and $4 for children age 3 and older. The museum is at 1301 York Road. Information: 410-321-7500.
County's cable TV show to explore senior housing
TOWSON - The current edition of the Baltimore County cable television program Hello Baltimore County examines housing options for senior citizens.
Arnold Eppel, acting director of the county's Department of Aging, will discuss assisted-living and nursing home facilities. Katherine Mansberger of the county Health Department will explain how the county and state monitor facilities for seniors.
The show airs six times a week on Channel 25 through Dec. 9. It is shown at 9 p.m. Mondays; 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays; 11 a.m. Wednesdays; 7 p.m. Thursdays; and 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Fridays.