toy industry

• Obituaries

Ray W. Kauffman, industrial shop owner, dies at 88

Ray W. Kauffman, who owned and operated E.J. Codd machine shop in Southeast Baltimore, died of sarcoma complications April 28 at Gilchrist Hospice Center in Towson. The lifelong Roland Park resident was 88.

• Baltimore County

Post Office workers labor under increasing loads in 1914

One worker must do work of two

• Health

Audit finds guitars, plane tickets among $255,000 of improper purchases on state credit cards

Four Maryland employees made around $255,000 in improper purchases with state credit cards last year, a state audit of the program found.

• Opinion

Narrowing the construction gap [Commentary]

Playing with building tools can also inspire girls to enter the construction trades, and more should be done to encourage this, starting in childhood and continuing through school, in training programs and in industry. The dearth of women in construction deprives the industry of productive workers and denies women entry into a most lucrative field on any level.

• Baltimore County

Toymaker Michael Brown brings tools of his trade to Hereford library

Historian and toymaker Michael Brown demonstrates how to make traditional wooden toys.

• Toy Industry

The top 5 new sex toys of 2014

Since we're assuming some of the high-tech items might scare you (and your wallet), we reached out to Jacq Jones, the owner of Hampden adult store Sugar, to get her take on the best new sex toys of the year.

• Baltimore County

Dine Italian and help the Woman's Club of Perry Hall

The Woman's Club of Perry Hall is doing it again! This local organization is totally dedicated to helping out in our community with an extra tasty surprise this time. With the generous support of Italian Sensation, they are holding a delicious fundraiser on Feb. 12.

• Harford

Empty Stocking Fund ends 2013 campaign with $95,000 raised

Thanks to all the wonderful people of Harford County the Empty Stocking Fund raised $95,060 during the 2013 holiday season to help many people in need in the county have a brighter Christmas.

• Carroll County Times

Carroll Toys for Tots campaign collects 1,050 toys

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office and the United States Marine Corps Reserve collected 1,050 toys through the annual Toys for Tots campaign in Carroll.

• Toy Industry

Furby, Barbie and other old-school toys a hit for holidays

Furby is back on store shelves this holiday season, along with other toys that never left: Barbie, Legos and Elmo, to name a few. But, more than ever, tech-related playthings are elbowing their way onto the traditional toys' turf. iPads landed on the National Retail Federation's most popular toy list for the first time this year. Even the reintroduced Furby interacts with a mobile app.

• Harford

Library customers, employees donate toys to Empty Stocking Fund

With a week to go before Christmas, the Empty Stocking Fund continues to close in on its fund-raising goal for 2013, while its volunteers are busy preparing to make the holiday season a little cheerier for Harford County's less fortunate children, families and senior citizens.

• Toy Industry

Troubled by toy guns

For weeks now, my 12-year-old son has been working on his Christmas wish list. The kid who seems never to be able to find information on the Internet when he¿s writing a school report can suddenly find all kinds of details about cellphones and sneakers.

• Anne Arundel

Anne Arundel County Digest

Anne Arundel County Briefs

• Anne Arundel

Education briefs

Anne Arundel County education briefs

• Harford

More generous donations help fill the Empty Stocking

More generous donations this week have continued to fill the Empty Stocking Fund, as the Harford County based charity works to help more than 300 Harford County families and senior citizens in need have a happier holiday season.

• Howard County

Santa will tour neighborhoods, thanks to our firefighters [West Friendship]

Santa and his helpers from West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department Station 3 will make the yearly rounds through the neighborhoods

• Anne Arundel

Anne Arundel County Digest

Anne Arundel County Briefs

• Harford

Upcoming events help support Empty Stocking Fund

The Empty Stocking Fund is still nearly $50,000 short of its goal of $80,000 to help the needy of Harford County this Christmas season. As of Sunday, the fund had received $30,700

• Harford

'Black Friday' on Thanksgiving a hit in Harford

Cathi Mielke, a committed Black Friday shopper, got a slightly earlier start this year than in prior years.

• Harford

Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps collecting Toys for Tots

HDG Ambulance Corps 6th Annual Toys for Tots Campaign

• Sales

'Shop Small' gives merchants a big boost

Scores of independent merchants in the Baltimore area did their part Saturday to get the "Shop Small" message out for the fourth annual Small Business Saturday. American Express launched the initiative four years ago to help small shops compete with national chains and online sellers during the traditional kickoff weekend to the holiday retail season.

• Baltimore City

School for the Blind students make dog toys for fundraiser

Fabrics in pink, green, yellow and a black/purple Ravens pattern dance across the table as students at the Maryland School for the Blind create dog toys as part of a fundraiser that also teaches them motor skills.

• Services and Shopping

Shoppers come out for calmer Black Friday

The traditional kickoff to holiday retail spending drew smaller than usual hordes of bargain hunters in the Baltimore area Friday, probably because earlier Thanksgiving sales and staggered "limited supply" discounts spread shoppers out.

• Services and Shopping

For some, Black Friday shopping began on Thanksgiving

Experts predicted that 33 million Americans planned to go shopping on Thanksgiving Day, and Baltimore-area shoppers were no exception. Many Marylanders hit the stores in between Thanksgiving dinners and the nighttime Ravens-Steelers game.

• Anne Arundel

Anne Arundel County Digest

Anne Arundel County Briefs

• Charity

Share your blessings with those in need

Thanksgiving is a time to start thinking about giving to organizations and advocacy groups that help the less fortunate during the holiday season.

• Media Industry

Black Friday stretches into long weekend of buying

Shoppers have their lives mapped out for them more than ever before over Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional kickoff to the holiday selling season

• Anne Arundel

Anne Arundel County Digest

Anne Arundel County Briefs

• Harford

Empty Stocking Fund collecting toys, money to help less fortunate

The goal again this year is $80,000; as of Monday, donations received totaled $23,970, so there's still a long way to go to fill it up

• Harford

Empty Stocking Fund receives more donations but needs even more

More donations have been received this week by the Empty Stocking as the Harford County based charity works toward its 2013 fundraising goals. The fund raising goal for 2013 is $80,000. As of Thursday, the fund has received $21, 740 in monetary donations.

• Harford

Empty Stocking Fund helps Harford's less fortunate during holidays

In it's 24th year, the Empty Stocking Fund is once again planning to help hundreds of less fortunate Harford County residents during the Christmas Season.

• Services and Shopping

Toys R Us to open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Toys R Us opens at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, an hour before Walmart kicks off doorbuster sales

• Laurel Leader

Anne Arundel County offers haunted barn, hayride for Halloween [Russett]

Anne Arundel County is hosting its annual Halloween Happening, starting Oct. 18, with a haunted barn and hayride. Russett is an official Toys For Tots donation site this holiday season, starting Nov. 4.

• Features

Kids are in school, pet's depressed

Kids are in school, pet's depressed

• TV

'Pretty Little Liars' season premiere recap: 'A is for A-L-I-V-E'

A recap of the season 4 premiere of ABC Family's 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'A is for A-L-I-V-E'

• Food & Drink

Goo Goo Dolls singer talks new album, ahead of Black-Eyed Susan Day concert

The Goo Goo Dolls perform at Preakness 2013 Black-Eyed Susan Day concert. John Rzeznik, lead singer/songwriter of the Goo Goo Dolls, discusses band's new album, 'Magnetic,' what still drives him and more.

• Features

Ask the Pet Expert | Adopting a cat

We are getting ready to adopt a cat but have never had one before. Besides a litter box and food and water bowls, what should we buy ahead of time to be ready for our new family member?

• Obituaries

Sol Kramer, wholesale hobby business owner

Sol Kramer, who turned a Depression-era 15-cent balsa wood toy airplane business into a leading wholesale hobby empire, died of pneumonia April 24 at Hospice by the Sea in Pompano Beach, Fla. The former Pikesville resident was 96.

• Harford

Cornhusk doll-making tradition lives on at historic Harford mill

A volunteer at a historic Harford County mill that once ground corn into meal is teaching today's visitors an old-fashioned craft of making dolls from cornhusks.

• Theft

Man, 64, beaten with walking stick in Glen Burnie robbery

A 64-year-old man was robbed and beaten with his own walking stick after a group of six teenagers and young men attacked him in a parking lot at the Glen Burnie Towne Center late Tuesday night, according to Anne Arundel County Police.

• Toy Industry

Black and white

As a child, my dolls were by best friends. When I confided in them, I knew they would never tell. They were the ideal guests for tea parties and the perfect students to play school with. Well, not always perfect.

• Howard County

EEOC claims Toys 'R' Us discriminated against deaf job applicant

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Toys "R" Us, alleging the company broke the law when staff at its Columbia store refused to provide a sign-language interpreter for a job applicant who is deaf.

• Baltimore City

MT means empty, figot is spigot, pew butta is pure butter. Cornfused? Read on

Hudson's Corner

• Food & Drink

Goo Goo Dolls to headline Preakness Eve concert at Pimlico

The Goo Goo Dolls Preakness Eve concert is part of the People's Pink Party, a partnership between Pimlico and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It occurs the same day as the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

• Family

Second-grader donates toys to local homeless children

Grace Callwood, a second-grader at William S. James Elementary School in Abingdon, donated many new and gently used toys and books to the homeless children at Harford Family House, a shelter for homeless families with children in Aberdeen

• Howard County

Thunder Hill Elementary signs three new partnerships

Thunder Hill Elementary School in Columbia signs three new partnerships to boost student achievement - with All Time Toys, Abrakadoodle and Roundhouse Martial Arts.

• Opinion

Do you want to cheese off Jen Doll?

• Toy Industry

Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps thankful for community support of Toys for Tots drive

On behalf of the officers and members of the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to our fifth annual Toys for Tots campaign this season.

• Toy Industry

Laurel Moose and Laurel Police partner for toy run

Members of the Laurel Moose Lodge, in conjunction with the Laurel Lodge Moose Riders and the Laurel Police Department, came together Dec. 17 to ensure collected toys and goodies were transported to the USO office at Fort Meade for distribution to needy children.

• Services and Shopping

Shoppers grab final gifts, supplies on Christmas Eve

Inside Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore, shoppers buzzed through stores buying last-minute gifts, extra wrapping paper or the final ingredients for holiday meals and desserts. Last-minute Christmas Shopping