science

The first troops showed up on a Saturday morning at the four-bedroom house in Columbia heavily armed: saws, hammers, crowbars, drills. They have returned three times since and are expected to be back again next week in hopes of making repairs upstairs and down, inside and out.

Someday soon, Burleigh Manor seventh grader Lauren Shen might log onto Google and see what the Internet browsing site displays to hundreds of millions throughout the country: her artwork.

Two senior enlisted leaders with an elite Navy dive unit could face charges in the deaths of two divers at Aberdeen Proving Ground in February, and others could be charged, the Navy said Wednesday.

William F. Childs III, a retired engineer who was an early salesman of do-it-yourself concrete products, died of complications of heart disease April 23 at his Towson home. He was 95 and lived for many years in Stoneleigh.

As the Howard County Public School System's health and wellness policy goes before the Board of Education for a work session and eventual vote, physical education teachers tout the need for better, longer physical education classes for students.

Harford Christian School won its seventh consecutive Harford Envirothon Wednesday, the culmination of weeks of studying, but the students' coach warned them they couldn't rest long with the state competition about six weeks away.

Jonah Goldberg writes that in both Hollywood and Washington, imagination about scientific possibilities is lacking.

Five air traffic control towers in Maryland that had been slated to shut down in June as a result of federal budget cuts are now expected to remain open, federal officials said Wednesday — easing fears that the closures could have backed up traffic at BWI Marshall Airport.

Gov. Martin O'Malley to sign legislation championed by family of Grace McComas

When his first Kentucky Derby horse, Orb, was named the favorite Wednesday night, Stuart S. Janney the III was not there to raise his hands triumphantly for the cameras.

Most men will experience prostate enlargement as they get older, some to the point that it will cause urination problems, but there are many treatments.

Latest deal calls for $27M in on-call consulting services for public works department

Baltimore-based technology company Barcoding Inc. said Wednesday it has acquired Lake Zurich, Ill.,-based Miles Technologies Inc. for an undisclosed amount in a move to increase its presence in the central U.S.

Taggants can help authorities trace explosives, but they're not used today because of NRA opposition

Maryland officials say they are investigating groundwater contamination in the Severn area that has put eight homes on bottled water, apparently as a result of toxic waste dumping decades ago at a nearby factory.

The Maryland Jockey Club has unveiled enhanced security plans for the 138th Preakness Stakes in the wake of recent deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon.

FLIR Systems' government-contracting arm is more than doubling its space in Elkridge as it prepares to start assembling threat-detection devices.

Howard Community College unveils new non-credit courses for the summer session.

A proposal to reshape City Dock in Annapolis is drawing criticism from traditionalists, who say taller buildings and other ideas to spur economic development could spoil the Colonial-era character and Chesapeake Bay views of the historic waterfront.

Little Leapers was unveiled to an excited crowd of children and caregivers along with program sponsors and library staff on March 27 at the Bel Air library. More than 80 people were in attendance, including 30 children, to see the new kits and have the opportunity to participate in several experiments put on by local scientists

College lines

Ellicott City's Jason Kalirai doesn't just reach for the stars. He pulls them close and studies them — and encourages others to do so as well.

A wind power project proposed on the lower Eastern Shore that's struggling to overcome objections from the Navy has a new, airborne worry — bald eagles.

Naval Petty Officer Alonzo M. Gladden Jr. had been back home for only four hours last October when an unknown person opened fire on him — killing him shortly after he dropped off his grandmother in South Baltimore.

Marcella E. Grice, an artist and calligrapher, died April 13 from complications of heart disease at Sinai Hospital. She was 87.

The Supreme Court should find a way to uphold the status quo on gene patents.

Two foals added to the annual "Ag Day" showcase at Maryland Day at the University of Maryland, College Park, drawing crowds of children and grown-up animal enthusiasts.

Pre-kindergarten students in Baltimore are part of a pioneering effort in Maryland to mark a new era of rigor in early-childhood education.

With strings and harmonies, University of Maryland College Park group tackles classic themes from Final Fantasy, Halo

A little-noticed provision tucked at the end of the sweeping gun legislation approved by the General Assembly last month would shield from view key state gun records that now are public.

John R. Hebert, a retired mechanical engineer who was vice presidents of operations at AAI Corp. in Cockeysville, died April 17 from cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 87.

A Sinai Hospital cardiologist is launching a clinical trial of a type of coronary artery disease drug not yet tested in humans, building on a history at the Baltimore hospital of research to develop more effective treatments to prevent blood clotting.

Ellicott City's Jason Kalirai doesn't just reach for the stars. He pulls them close and studies them — and encourages others to do so as well.

Howard County Briefs

The promoter of last year's Starscape Festival says a new event he's marketing that targets a similar audience won't have the safety problems associated with last year's concert.

Wilde Lake High School senior Taylor Bruner has long had a penchant for money matters, and that insight has developed into a interest that may not only reap dividends after high school, but also helped her and three other like-minded students at Howard County's Applications and Research Lab capture a state finance competition.

Baltimore school officials said they will take extra security measures at a Southeast Baltimore charter school after five fires were set in the school this week, which also had an altercation that injured an administrator and a student arrest.

Dulaney High School Math team wins $1000 for their solution to the Moody's Mega Math Challenge, two seventh-graders at St. Joseph School Cockeysville take first place at oratorical contest, Epworth United Methodist Church's mission team holds yard sale

Howard County support groups

The supported plan, which is projected as the least expensive of the three options at $513,075 building cost and $2,110 in annual maintenance, proposes paving 1,800 linear feet of existing dirt trail, creating a 670 feet of new trail, 90 feet of boardwalk in a flood prone area, and 36 feet of bridge across a marshy swale.

The Assistance Center of Towson Churches on Wednesday received a $50,000 donation from the Towson Rotary Foundation that allows construction to move forward on an addition that will allow the center to better serve its clients.

The supersized, reputedly shy Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel is now considered fully recovered, according to federal wildlife officials.

Dr. Paul S. Lietman, a retired Johns Hopkins professor of medicine, pharmacology, molecular sciences and pediatrics, died of congestive heart failure.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Roy C. Clendaniel Jr. has graduated from the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Power School at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, S.C

Maryland's $1.3 million automatic road analyzer adds high-tech solutions to pick and shovel pothole repairs.

M. Faysal Thameen, a retired structural engineer who headed the city's role in the 1980s construction of the Fort McHenry Tunnel, died of cancer April 9 at his home in Millbury, Mass. The former Parkville resident was 75.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured what space scientists called potentially the "comet of the century", Comet ISON, as it speeds toward Earth at 47,000 mph.

Brent Cerrera spent six months in intensive therapy at Kennedy Krieger's Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Now, his family is giving back at the annual ROAR for Autism fundraiser.

Area high school math students applied their recently learned skills today while getting a taste of military life courtesy of Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers from the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment.