Frederick Marine dies of Afghanistan injuries

The family of a Marine reservist from Frederick said he has died of injuries suffered in an attack last week in Afghanistan, three days after a Towson Marine was killed there. Sgt. David Smith's cousin Ann Rudd told The Frederick News-Post that the 25-year-old Marine died Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Defense has not publicly announced the death. Rudd said military officials told the family that Smith was wounded in a bombing Saturday in Helmand province that killed at least two others from the Frederick-based 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Company B. She said Smith was a 2002 graduate of Frederick High School and a student at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

- Associated Press

U.S. funds will help Balto. Co. eliminate lead hazards

2

A $4 million federal grant will help Baltimore County identify and eradicate lead hazards from hundreds of area homes, officials said. During the three-year term of the grant, the county expects to provide lead abatement measures to about 300 homeowners and landlords, as well as assessments, inspections, follow-up visits and educational programs for those dealing with lead paint issues in their residences. The county will also set up a registry of certified lead-free rental properties and train contractors in lead paint removal. The county's Office of Community Conservation will oversee the grant and partner with other government agencies, community organizations and churches in the effort, which is expected to cost about $8,000 per unit for the lead reduction work.

- Mary Gale Hare

UM agrees to buy production plant from Washington Post

The University of Maryland, College Park announced Wednesday that it has agreed to purchase a shuttered production plant in College Park owned by The Washington Post for about $12 million. The college says it would use the plant, approximately 300,000 square feet on 18.5 acres, to relocate services such as a bus depot it currently houses on the east side of campus, the site of a planned redevelopment project that includes housing for graduate students, retail space and a hotel. The college had wanted to move those services near Comcast Center, but students protested the proposed bulldozing of a 9-acre wooded area. "We were very excited when The Washington Post made this critical space available," Ann G. Wylie, vice president for administrative affairs, said in a news release. The state's Board of Public Works must approve the purchase, which will be discussed at its meeting Feb. 10.

- Baltimore Sun staff