Broken fire hydrant forces traffic diversion
Water flowing from a broken fire hydrant flooded a portion of Beaver Dam Road in Cockeysville in Baltimore County and forced authorities to divert traffic through yesterday's morning rush hour.
The break was noticed sometime after midnight, and the water was shut down along a 16-inch main connected to the hydrant, according to Kurt L. Kocher, a spokesman for the Baltimore Department of Public Works, which owns and cares for the county's water system.
The road reopened about 8:30 a.m., said David Fidler, a spokesman for the county's Department of Public Works. No homes or businesses were without water, according to the city and county officials. The hydrant was temporarily fixed, and a permanent repair should be complete Tuesday, Fidler said.
Laura Barnhardt
Woodlawn
Woman pleads guilty in killing
A 34-year-old Woodlawn woman pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her live-in boyfriend, prosecutors said.
Ida Susan Robinson will serve 20 years in prison under the plea agreement, said Baltimore County prosecutor Stephen Roscher. Prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge against Robinson in exchange for the guilty plea.
Robinson was arrested in November after she told authorities that she stabbed her boyfriend, Scottie Lee Thorne, 36, during an argument about disciplining children in the household, according to Baltimore County police.
Thorne's 8-year-old son saw the incident from a kitchen table, Roscher said.
"The primary witness in this case was going to be an 8-year-old boy who watched his father get stabbed," Roscher said. By reaching a plea deal, Proscher said, "he doesn't have to testify."
Also in the house at the time of the stabbing was a 1-year-old son of Robinson and Thorne. The family lived in the first block of Wickman Court.
Robinson was sentenced yesterday in Baltimore County Circuit Court to 30 years in prison, with all but 20 suspended. She will also be placed on probation for five years after her release, the prosecutor said.
Josh Mitchell
Essex
'The Foreigner' starts today at CCBC
Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre finishes its 35th anniversary season with Larry Shue's comedy The Foreigner, running today through Aug. 5 in the Cabaret Theatre at the Community College of Baltimore County -- Essex, 7201 Rossville Blvd.
The Foreigner is the tale of a shy British tourist who comes to a lodge in the American woods to escape his difficult life. Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets, which cost $15 general admission and $13 for senior citizens, are available by calling the box office at 410-780-6369.
The Cabaret Theatre is in the B Building at CCBC Essex.
Events or news items for the Baltimore County Digest may be submitted to baltco.news@baltsun.com. Information should be sent at least 10 days in advance of the event.