Dundalk man, 59, is charged on child pornography counts
A Dundalk man was arrested yesterday and charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography, state police and the FBI said.
Authorities said Julius G. Ruley Jr., 59, of the 1600 block of Searles Road accessed a Web site that was offering pornographic images of minors. The site was started in 2006 by FBI agents in California and didn't contain pornography.
Investigators said they traced one of the site's users to Ruley's Internet account. They interviewed him at his home in March last year and seized his computer, which they said contained numerous images of graphic child pornography. The joint investigation was conducted by the state police Computer Crimes Unit and FBI Cyber Crime Task Force.
If convicted on all counts, Ruley could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.
At a hearing yesterday, he was ordered held on $50,000 bond.
Government
Seminars to address development process
Ever wonder what a PUD is? Or how to read a site plan?
The county Planning Office is offering seminars about the development and zoning processes, designed to help residents make sense of the terminology and procedures used by county officials.
"We have a great inclusive process for the community, but if they don't understand it, it doesn't do much good," said Arnold F. "Pat" Keller III, county planning director.
John V. Murphy, a former county councilman and former deputy zoning commissioner, will lead the seminars, which will cover adequate-facilities plans, agency waivers, planned unit developments (PUDs), zoning appeals and zoning variances.
The sessions will be March 6, April 3 and May 5 at Catonsville library; March 12, April 21 and May 14 at the Towson library; and March 19, April 22, and May 27 at North Point library. All sessions are from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Development plan process will be discussed at the March seminars; special development reviews in April; and zoning variances and exceptions in May.
Information: www.baltimore countymd.gov/Agencies/ planning/index.html. Registration:410-887-3480 or e-mail jvmurphy@baltimore countymd.gov.
Laura Barnhardt
Towson
University schedules housing conference
Towson University will hold a conference on housing in the metropolitan area March 5 in University Union.
Representatives of several groups and agencies will discuss such topics as community development corporations; effects of gentrification; sprawl and military base realignment; subprime mortgages; and the credit crunch.
Sessions will be from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a lunch presentation at noon. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Information: 410-704-2852.
Jane Austen scholar to speak at Goucher
A lecture on Jane Austen will be given at 7:30 p.m. March 5 at Goucher College by Devoney Looser, associate professor of English and literature coordinator at the University of Missouri.
Looser, named Burke Jane Austen Scholar-in-Residence at Goucher for 2007-2008, will speak in Merrick Lecture Hall on "Jane Austen, Jane Porter, and Bath."