Anne Arundel County school officials last week were searching for clues to the disappearance of the entrance sign at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center.
The sign, crafted 30 years ago from fallen red oak trees on the property, was stolen between 5:30 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Wednesday. The Millersville school was closed during that period for Election Day.
"The sign has great value to the staff and has been widely recognized over the years," said schools spokesman Bob Mosier, who added the staff at the center has been shocked because Arlington Echo has experienced only one act of vandalism in its 38 years.
"The name Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center was hand-carved across the sign. It has welcomed thousands of students and adults to the center," he said.
The school system has filed a report with Anne Arundel County police. Anyone with information on the sign's whereabouts, are asked to call the police or the center at 410-222-3822.
BankAnnapolis pledges help for Providence Center
BankAnnapolis has pledged $20,000 to help the Providence Center improve its facilities so that it can offer a wider range of programs and services for adults with developmental disabilities.
The Providence Center, founded in 1961, serves more than 470 adults at six locations in Anne Arundel County. The nonprofit organization is conducting a capital campaign to raise money to update and expand several of the locations so that it can consolidate at fewer locations.
That would enable the center to offer more programs and services, provide greater access to all its programs, lower its utility and transportation costs, and deliver its services more effectively and efficiently. The center's goal is to have two main campuses with additional adjunct programs in close proximity by 2012.
"This project is a major undertaking that will take some time to complete and will require ongoing renovations and department relocations," executive director Chuck Coble said. "But the end result will be a new Providence Center, which is better positioned to help the region's developmentally disabled adults.
Programs and services offered by the Center include vocational training, instruction in the arts, supported employment, job development and placement services, adult day care, leisure and recreational programs, senior retirement support and in-home and job support.
Shady Side church offers handmade Easter eggs for sale
The popular handmade Easter eggs created by members of a South County church are available for sale.
Centenary United Methodist Church in Shady Side offers the quarter-pound chocolate-covered Easter eggs in four cream flavors: butter cream, chocolate, coconut and peanut butter. They have been produced using a family recipe handed down through generations. Each costs $2. Call 410-867-9567 to arrange for pickup. Purchases can also be made at Shady Side Market and Renno's Market in Shady Side.
9/11 Commission chief to speak at St. John's College
Former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean, chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) will speak at St. John's College Saturday as part of its Great Issues Series.
The program, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., focuses on the need to keep the nation safe from acts of terrorism without sacrificing the freedoms cherished by all Americans.
Kean will explore issues such as the state of national security and how the federal government can balance national security with civil liberties. After Kean's lecture, the audience will be divided into small groups for seminars on the Melian Dialogue from the History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. The seminars will be led by St. John's tutors and guest co-leaders.
The registration fee is $40. Call 410-295-5544 for more information or visit www.stjohnscollege. edu and register online.