Three city police officers help woman, newborn
City police assisted in a childbirth Wednesday evening in West Baltimore, according to a department spokesman. Officers Kyle Gaskin, Rashawn Strong and Louis Holland went to the 1900 block of Harlem Ave. after receiving a report about a woman in labor, said Anthony Guglielmi, the agency's chief spokesman. The officers found the woman in a second-floor bathroom, along with another woman. Guglielmi said when the officers arrived, the child had already "breached the birth canal." They got the mother into a safe position and retrieved the child, which had been delivered into a toilet. Police turned the situation over to Fire Department personnel, and the mother and child were taken to a nearby hospital.
- Justin Fenton
Fire forces evacuation of Hammond High
A fire that burned curtains in the Hammond High School auditorium in Columbia forced the evacuation of the school Thursday and an early dismissal, fire and school authorities said. No one was injured. The school was evacuated about 12:30 p.m., according to Patti Caplan, school system spokeswoman. Students were allowed back inside later, but were allowed to leave close to the 2:10 p.m. dismissal time, she said. Battalion chief Eric Proctor said sprinklers contained the fire, which was extinguished by firefighters. Damage was confined to the stage area. He said the state fire marshal is investigating the cause.
-Larry Carson and John-John Williams IV
Night-vision-goggle training for county police aviation unit
Aviation Specialties Unlimited Inc. will provide 12 days of night-vision-goggle training to the Baltimore County Police Department's Aviation Unit at a cost of $29,240. The contractor, based in Boise, Idaho, is the sole authorized dealer for the goggles and is considered an industry leader in sales, maintenance, training and cockpit modifications for advanced night vision technology. Its training programs have the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration. The company will provide eight hours of classroom instruction and five hours of flight time for the county unit's seven pilots and nine technical officers starting Wednesday and continuing through Jan. 25. The county department used a federal grant to purchase four pairs of night vision goggles in November at a cost of $10,600 each. Funding for the contract is included in the department's Buffer Zone Protection and Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention programs.
-Mary Gail Hare
Navy Week scheduled for Baltimore this summer
Navy Week will be celebrated this summer in Baltimore. The coordinated program will be held Aug. 28 through Sept. 6. Plans call for a large naval vessel to anchor in the Inner Harbor. According to a statement released by the Navy, the series of events will show "Americans the investment they have made" in this branch of the armed forces. Events include appearances by the Navy Leap Frogs parachute team, performances by ceremonial and rock bands, flight simulators and interactive displays, demonstrations by Navy divers and sailor visits from ships and submarines. The events are free and open to the public.
- Jacques Kelly