trips and vacations

Rachel Zuckerman, of Timonium, a geology student at Oberlin College, spent 15 days on St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, this summer to study a coral reef, which she will write about for her senior thesis.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Monocacy Valley Memorial Post 6918, in Harney, is sponsoring a Nov. 2 charter bus trip to Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia, for all veterans and their immediate families.

Jose and Rosa Sanchez recently returned from a visit to their homeland for the wedding of their niece, Maria Sanchez. Maria and her new husband, Julio Santana, were married Sept. 20

Tigers Hall of Famer players Al Kaline was in Baltimore for the American League Division Series against the Orioles

Children lacking summer enrichment can experience learning loss of as much as 30 percent compared to those who do have enrichment-filled summers. These children need to return to school sooner rather than later, because for many families school provides the most constructive enrichment to which they have access.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter wanted to get the regular starting lineup on the field for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

The new pastor of Community United Methodist Church, the Rev. Selena Johnson, invites the neighborhood to join her and the Community congregation in a special grouping of services and discussion groups on the subject of diversity and what the Bible says about diversity. Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church hosts a parking lot sale Saturday, Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 8402 Brock Bridge Road. The Maryland City Recreation Council's soccer, flag football and travel soccer teams have begun

Flying to the West Coast for vacation isn't often ideal for Baltimoreans. It can be difficult to find nonstop flights, and it's almost always a pricey venture. But that all changed this month when Alaska Airlines launched reasonably priced, nonstop service from BWI-Marshall to Seattle.

Linda Wilson, founder of the nonprofit Caring for Kids of Kenya, hopes to raise money to help orphans in Kenya by auctioning off a Tanzanian safari for two at a Sept. 28 fundraiser at the Manor Tavern.

Mark Sept. 27 down on your calendar for the 6th annual Crab and Chicken Feast at the American Legion Susquehanna Post 135 from 2 to 6 p.m

Howard County sports notices for the week of Sept. 22

Proposed magnetic levitation train between Baltimore and Washington is superior to conventional high-speed options

The butterfly was the first of roughly 20 monarchs that were tagged and released before their yearly sojourn to Mexico. Each butterfly's information was recorded, including its sex and from where and when it was released. Each tag was assigned a corresponding number which enables other organizations across the country to track its movement, said Dawn Harry, a park naturalist at the center.

George Lazenby, Lana Wood of 'James Bond' fame to appear

Annual "One More Round for George" Golf Tournament planned for Sept. 19 at Quail Valley Golf Course will benefit Taneytown History Museum.

Savoring Gettysburg one bite at a time

Howard County Bird Club Maryland Ornithological Society, which has been promoting birds in Howard County for 43 years. The next meeting is Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Robinson Nature Center.

Kelly Scible describes the unique scenery and historical significance of Soldiers Delight in Owings Mills.

Adventure begins in Elkridge as a crew of local Scouts from Troop 1111 that embarked on a trek through the New Mexico Wilderness over the summer returns home.

Howard County Sports Notices for the week of Sept. 11.

A recap of the Sept. 7 episode of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," as Teresa G goes on trial

When his Dion Wiley's Terps teammates went home for a couple of weeks in mid-August, Wiley's basketball education continued in Europe.

The day before a Chick-fil-a opening can be hard to explain, or at least to summarize.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez took two abrupt trips to the minors -- both coming within the past two months -- this season in stride. He knew he wasn't being sent down because of performance, but because the team needed his roster spot.

The 13U HCYP Raiders baseball program has concluded open tryouts but is still looking for players to fill a few spots. If you missed tryouts and are interested in playing, contact Luis Torroella, 13U travel coordinator, at 13UHCYP@gmail.com.

With little competition at home, lawmakers from Maryland are traveling farther down the campaign trail this year to influence the midterm elections.

Delaying the opening of schools in Maryland until after Labor Day is a short-sighted way to boost tourism at the expense of public education

It doesn't matter that we only got to watch two innings (they were the only two the Orioles scored any runs), I got to cross another venue off my bucket list of baseball stadiums – Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The 16U Western Howard County Renegades are looking for players, a catcher in particular. This team is fully sponsored, so there are no parent fees. The team participates in the Mid-Atlantic Baseball Association along with additional tournaments. Email inquiries to smejharding@comcast.net.

More Marylanders are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home this Labor Day weekend compared to last year, possibly because of the early date for the holiday and relatively low gas prices.

Carnival adds cruises from Baltimore

Nearly three-quarters of a million Marylanders are expected to hit the roads and airways this Labor Day weekend, continuing a trend of high holiday travel in the state this summer.

But on Sunday afternoon, left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada held the Orioles hitless for the first six innings in a 2-1 loss as the Cubs completed a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field.

The Orioles had won eight straight series before heading out on their nine-game road trip, but their 7-2 loss to the Cubs, a club with little to play for other than pride at this point in the season, ensured that they would lose two of the three series away from Camden Yards.

In recent weeks, Southwest Airlines — the largest carrier at Baltimore's "easy come, easy go"-branded airport — has run into major peak-hour congestion problems, with summer vacationers tripping over business travelers in ticketing and security lines.

Ever since I took my first intercity trip on a train from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., many, many years ago, I've held a certain fascination for the bridge on which our train crossed the Susquehanna River.