Edgewood unit member makes lieutenant colonel
Clifford R. Hopkins, a member of the Headquarters Aviation Depot Maintenance Roundout Unit at Edgewood, was promoted to lieutenant colonel recently.
Hopkins is a resident of Severna Park. He has been a member of the military for 22 years and has been with the Edgewood unit, where he is quality assurance division chief, since 1995.
In civilian life, Hopkins works for the Defense Department as a computer scientist.
2 teenagers charged with building bomb
Two 16-year-old boys were arrested Thursday night and more arrests were expected after two small bombs detonated in the parking lot of the Havre de Grace Community Center and a third was found that did not go off, authorities said.
The community center was empty at the time of the incident, which occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday, and no injuries were reported, said Joseph G. Zurolo Jr., an explosives technician for the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The two teens were charged with manufacturing a destructive explosive device in connection with the bomb that did not detonate, Zurolo said. They were released to the custody of their parents.
He said arrests were expected in connection with the two bombs that did detonate.
Zurolo characterized the incident as "experimentation." He said the boys did not intend to hurt anyone. He said they had learned how to make "chemical bottle bombs" at a party and decided to test what they had learned.
The bombs were made by mixing household chemicals in bottles or cans, he said.
Man is killed when his own car runs over him
A Joppa man was killed early Tuesday, apparently when he was run over by his own car outside his home, the Harford County sheriff's office said.
Amnon Birenzvige, 67, of the 300 block of Chimney Oak Drive was found pinned under his 2003 Nissan Sentra GXE about 6 a.m. Police believe that Birenzvige went to retrieve a newspaper after starting his car and that the car drifted down the driveway and ran him over. Birenzvige was pronounced dead at the scene.
"There doesn't appear to be anything suspicious," said Edward Hopkins, the sheriff's spokesman. "It looks like a pure accident."
Local girls win medals in skating competition
Chelsea Nunnally, 8, and Julia Lindemon, 8, both of Bel Air, took home medals from a recent figure skating competition at the Skating Club of Wilmington in Wilmington, Del.
Out of a field of seven skaters, Chelsea placed third and Julia fourth in the Basic 6 compulsory event at the Diamond State Autumn Skate. Both skaters performed spirals, lunges, bunny hops, T-stops and inside three-turns in their programs, according to their coach, Claudia Brown. It was the second competition for the girls.
Kristin Quinn of Street also placed second in the Adult Bronze Freestyle event.
All three skaters are coached by Brown at Ice World in Abingdon.
Juvenile offenders collect clothing for shelters
Several Harford County Juvenile Drug Court participants are collecting clothing for Tabitha's House and Anna's House as part of the group's Clothing for Christmas Drive.
The specialized court is a program within the Harford County Community Services Department's Office of Drug Policy. It is designed to help nonviolent juvenile offenders with substance abuse problems.
"The participants were happy to give back to the community that has helped them so much. The program's goal is to rehabilitate these teenagers and reintegrate them back into the community," said Drug Court Counselor Jennifer Brown.
For more information about the clothing drive or Juvenile Drug Court, contact the Office of Drug Policy at 410-638-3333.
Cecil County
Anonymous reporting of rapes made possible
ELKTON - Cecil County has become the first jurisdiction in the state - and one of only a handful in the country - to allow rape victims to provide police with physical evidence and details about the offense without filing a formal report that would trigger prosecution.
Anonymous "Jane Doe" reporting is offered as a last resort to rape victims who otherwise might not report the crime, said Alex Wells, a forensic nurse and coordinator of the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner program at Union Hospital, where the service is being offered.
Wells said she felt it was important to give another option to victims who were reluctant to cooperate with police. Police cannot analyze the evidence unless the victim authorizes an investigation. After three months, it is destroyed.
"We're not going to offer them the Jane Doe program unless they're pretty much walking out the door," Wells said. "Either we get something or we don't get anything."
Delaware
Dead whale washes up in Bethany Beach
BETHANY BEACH, Del. - Researchers want to learn exactly what killed a whale that washed up on Bethany Beach last weekend.
The 26-foot whale weighed 25,000 pounds and was two years old. The whale was hit by a boat propeller and was dead when it washed ashore, according to the Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.
The Institute moved the whale Sunday to Fenwick Island State Park, where a series of tests will be conducted.
Pennsylvania
Contractor for project on I-83 in Parkton named
DELTA, Pa. - Six-M Co. Inc. of Delta is the contractor on a $10 million project to replace the dual bridges carrying Interstate 83 over the North Central Rail Trail and Little Falls in the Parkton area of Baltimore County, the Maryland State Highway Administration has announced.
The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2006, the highway agency said in a statement.
The work will include roadway widening and paving on the approach to the bridges, landscaping and protection of the bridge abutments, the agency said.