Monique Griego has more on how you can experience it all for one very low price.

The big day is almost here.

“I’m jazzed about it. I mean, it only comes around every 200 years,” Vince Vaise from Fort McHenry said.

Vaise can hardly contain his excitement thinking about all the upcoming events surrounding the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

“It’s going to bring a lot of people to Baltimore, especially people who do not even recognize the treasure in their own backyard,” Sam Rogers of Visit Baltimore said.

To offer visitors an all out historical experience, Fort McHenry is teaming up with other sites, like the Flag House to offer a new Star Spangled Banner pass.

“To really get your full 1812 on, to really get in full spirit of the bicentennial of the War of 1812, you want to go to Maryland Historical Society, you want to go to the Star Spangled Banner Flag House,” Vaise said.

For the low price of $18.12, you can visit all three sites.

In addition to the Star Spangled Banner passes, there are also National Anthem tours by sea and land. One will get you a trolley tour of historic sites in the City, the other will take you around the Harbor on a Watermark cruise.

“Everybody teamed up to create a whole lot of new programs,” Rogers said.

It’s all leading up to June 18th’s sail-abration.

“We got more than 40 ships, great hulls as well as tall ships coming to Baltimore from around the world as well as an air show featuring the Blue Angels,” Rogers said.

But if you can’t wait to start celebrating, you can always practice your 1812 battle cry. Vaise shows how.

“1 2 3… Hazaaaa!”

You can purchase tickets at the Visitor’s Center at the Inner Harbor, by clicking here, or by calling 1-877-BALTIMORE.

On May 14 at 4:40 p.m., Annapolis Police patrolling the 1100-block of Medger Evers Street stopped a bright green Lincoln for traffic violations. The driver, Deon Matthews, was found to be driving with a suspended license. Police found unlabeled pill bottles containing Percocet and a digital scale in the car. Matthews, 20, was charged with drug possession and possession of drug-related paraphernalia, forging a prescription, and issuing and possessing a forged prescription.

The passenger of the car, Demarrow Williams, was found to have three outstanding bench warrants and a prescription for Oxycodone written to another person. Police found that Williams, 19, had stolen the prescription from the doctor.

A third person, Darla Howard, 29, was also charged as she came to pick up keys to her rental car from Matthews’ and Williams’ car while police were investigating them. Howard’s rented grey Chevrolet was parked near the traffic stop. Police found 83.1 grams of heroin in its trunk with an approximate street value of $16,000. Howard was charged with possession of narcotics with an intent to distribute.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — Gail Slezak, chancel choir director at the Church of the Brethren, is retiring after more than 42 years of service to the church.

“This will be the first time since I graduated from college that I will not have a choir to direct,” Slezak said. “I’ve been
at this church longer than I’ve been married.”

The church will honor her June 10 at its annual Music Celebration Sunday, she said, by presenting a piece by composer
Joseph Martin commissioned in her honor.

“I think it’s the nicest tribute that could be paid to me,” she said. “I appreciate those people who have stuck with me all
these years.”

Slezak’s time at the church had many memorable moments, she said, including performing in front of 6,000 people as the featured choir at the annual conference of the Church of the Brethren in Baltimore and performing in Luray Caverns.

“We just felt we had to do Luray Caverns,” she said. “You should hear the echo.”

She also enjoyed traveling with the choir to Williamsburg, Va., for a performance in the historic Bruton Parish church, which George Washington and Thomas Jefferson attended when the Legislature was in session.

Music has always played a special role in worship for her and at the church, Slezak said. She tries to coordinate the message of the music with the sermon.

“I choose carefully every Sunday,” she said. “Music is such an integral part of worship.”

The Church of the Brethren has more than 10 independently led musical groups.

“The music ministry is so strong here,” Slezak said. “I can’t imagine a worship service without it.”

She was proud to have introduced more challenging and new styles of music to the congregation, she said.

“Not everyone likes classicals, not everyone likes spirituals. If you do a variety, you’re bound to make someone happy some of the time.”

Ann Flora, who sang in the choir for 19 years, said she appreciated the range of music.

“She chose a big span,” Flora said. “She would go from old classics, to spirituals, to more modern songs.”

Slezak has been constantly active in the community, Flora said.

She was a teacher for 30 years until she retired in 1995. She started the choir program at Catoctin High School, where she worked for 26 years.

Slezak volunteers, reads, gardens and exercises at a spa, she said, and also substitutes almost every day in two local high
schools.

“She’s involved in a lot of things,” Flora said. “You make your home that way.”

When Slezak retires from the church, she wants to travel.

“My goal is to travel to every continent before I die,” she said. “Well, I have no desire to go to Antarctica.”

She has been blessed to lead the choir for so long, she said.

“I’ve spent my life in this robe. I’ve never thought of it as a job. It’s just my music ministry to the Lord to direct this
choir.”

Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The award is given to civilians for their exemplary service to the Army, soldiers, veterans and their families.

Harbaugh will be presented the award at a ceremony by the Army chief of staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Whipple Field at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va.

The citation that will be presented to Harbaugh will read: “Your visit to Iraq and your initiatives to show thanks to service members for their service through appreciation days, opportunities to attend Baltimore Ravens practices and games and to meet team members have improved morale and created a sense of pride and appreciation among our servicemen and women.”

Harbaugh is also being recognized for sending care packages to soldiers serving overseas and visiting military installations. He is among five people who will be presented with this award.

Attorney General Doug Gansler and the University of Maryland’s Institute for Governmental Service announced the availability of the class on Wednesday.

It is immediately available on the institute’s website at www.igsr.umd.edu/VLC/OMA/.

The class has been designed for elected officials, public employees, members of the media and anyone interested in becoming more familiar with requirements of the act.

The class includes six lessons and 10 quizzes. It takes about two-and-a-half hours.

The class covers the purpose, mechanics and applicability of the Open Meetings Act.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Board of Public Works approved the money on Wednesday. That brings the total amount allocated for school construction to $349 million for the next fiscal year.

The board approved $187 million in initial funding for school construction in January. Representatives from 19 jurisdictions came before the board to seek portions of the remaining $161 million.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says investigators have linked four cases dating back to August. He says robbers posing as a seller lured would-be buyers to the same spot in Northwest Baltimore, the 3500-block of Callaway Avenue, displayed a gun and stole up to $2,700 in cash from them.

In one case in November, Guglielmi says a robber fired a gun during a struggle with the victim, who was hoping to buy coins. The victim was not injured.

Guglielmi says investigators are looking at several leads.

Police recommend that people looking to buy an item from Craigslist meet the seller in a well-lit, well-populated area and use a cashier’s check.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) — The spirit of Rita Medeiros lives on through Rita’s Closet, a prom dress donation program started by the Medeiros family and DeMario Bridal and Formal to benefit young girls.

Rita Medeiros, 16, died in a vehicle crash April 2. She would have been a senior at Westminster High School this fall.

Rita bought her prom dress from DeMario Bridal and Formal the day before her fatal accident. The last picture taken of Medeiros was a picture of her trying on her dress at DeMario. At the time of the accident, her prom dress was still in the back of the vehicle.

DeMario Bridal and Formal collaborated with the Medeiros family to form Rita’s Closet — a program where anyone can donate their previously worn dresses to young girls who may be looking for one.

Rita was always a giver, said Dawn DeMario, owner of DeMario Bridal and Formal.

“We felt the need to give back in her spirit and honor her the way that she honored everyone,” she said.

Tamara Medeiros, Rita’s mother, said her daughter was always someone who cared about other people. Medeiros described Rita as “the onboard counselor for other people” and “a really good listener.”

Medeiros said it was her daughter’s gift of giving of herself that the program was born out of.

Anyone can take a previously worn prom dress to the Spa at Roop’s Mill, located on the same property as DeMario’s shop on Taneytown Pike, to be donated.

“The donated dresses are 100 percent free, dry-cleaned, and given to the girls to keep,” DeMario said.

LifePoint church of Reisterstown donated 400 dresses to kick off the program after it was formed around Easter Sunday, according to DeMario. In two weeks, more than 250 other dresses had been donated from women all over Carroll County.

“Every girl that has come in has left with a dress,” DeMario says. “Seventy-four people have gotten dresses in less than a month.”

Their goal is to give away at least 100 dresses. Rita’s Closet has contacted crisis counselors from local area high schools to help promote the program. Rita’s family and friends have also been actively involved in the program from the start, including her mother and her brother and sister who attend Westminster High.

“We are astonished at the amount that’s been given,” DeMario said. “Some girls have even exchanged their dresses from last year for one of our dresses.”

Jewelry and shoes are being donated as well. DeMario said at least 15 pieces of jewelry have been taken along with the dresses.

DeMario Bridal is also accepting bridal dress donations. They are selling the donated dresses for $50 each and all proceeds will go to the Rita Medeiros Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was created from the money used by Rita Medeiros to purchase her prom dress and will first be awarded next spring, when Rita would have graduated.

The founders of Rita’s Closet hope to keep it running for the next 10 to 20 years, according to DeMario, and eventually pass it into the hands of Rita’s siblings. Rita’s Closet will start collecting dresses for next year after this year’s prom season, and the dresses that do not get used will be placed in storage.

Rita’s Closet will hopefully expand to include homecoming dresses and other formal wear.

“It would be nice if we could have a small boutique of dresses in each high school,” DeMario said.

Lisa Cole dropped off some of her previously worn gowns to Rita’s Closet on May 15.

“To put a smile on a young woman’s face for a special occasion,” she said, “is a great joy.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Toomey, in his seventh season as head coach for Loyola, was also a player for the team when Loyola was last in the Final Four in 1990. He said the team is planning on making the most of this opportunity.

“This opportunity may never come again for guys in the locker room and so what we’ve been doing is taking it one game at a time and making sure we are as prepared as we can be for Saturday. We’re not looking forward towards anything, this is all about the preparations for Saturday and being the best team we can be when we take the field,” he said.

Toomey also said as long as they can hold Notre Dame to their average of nine goals a game, he is confident in his team’s chances of scoring ten.

“That’s really been our mantra all year: if we can hold a team to eight we fell pretty good we can get to ten, this is going to be a defensive battle, but certainly Loyola’s a team when the ball hits the ground we want to run. We are going to try to stay true to character and play as fast as we can when those opportunities are out there,” he said.

Last Wednesday, Ray Lewis came and talked to the team and inspired them in many ways.

“Our message was ‘guys give something up’ and it was certainly the message Ray Lewis gave us last week, ‘Give something up. Do something different. Prepare, rehydrate, watch more film,” he said.

Toomey said they were able to get Ray Lewis to come and talk to them because of their many NFL connections on the team.

“Pat Moriarty’s son plays for us, Kevin Moriarty, and Pat is the General Manager for the Ravens, so he certainly was in Ray’s ear for probably a month or so saying, ‘Hey, these guys are on a little bit of a run and if you are in town would consider doing it?’ To our good fortune Ray Lewis was kind enough to come over and meet with out team,” he said.

Loyola plays Notre Dame in the Final Four on Saturday, in Boston.

-Sarah Davis

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Tears streamed down Rebecca Reyes’s face as bridal consultant Kim DePasquale fitted her satin-trimmed veil. The headdress completed the silk satin gown Reyes, 46, donned before a full-length mirror at CurvyGirls Bridal in Fairfax.

It had been a frustrating journey to finding her perfect wedding dress. Every bridal boutique Reyes visited had little-to-no selection of gowns to fit her size-20 figure. After several months of shopping, she stumbled across CurvyGirls while visiting Eternity Jewelers next door.

“The store had such a wide selection. Other shops told me they could order a dress in my size, but had nothing for me to try on,” said Reyes, a Herndon resident, who was at the salon for her fitting. “Here, it’s different. They make you feel special, like every bride should.”

Standing within earshot of Reyes, CurvyGirls owner Ruth Sutton burst into a wide smile.

“This is the best part of the job,” said Sutton, who runs the shop with her husband, Bob. “We’re proud of what our customers say about their experience here; we want them to walk away happy.”

In the year since it opened, CurvyGirls has amassed a collection of 400 designer gowns from size 12 to 32, priced from $800 to $10,000. The store is part of a budding niche of local bridal boutiques, including Curvaceous Couture in Columbia, specializing in wedding dresses for full-figured women.

Shows such as TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss,” which documents plus-size clients at Kleinfeld bridal salon in New York, have brought this burgeoning segment of the $2.5 billion wedding gown industry into focus.

“There are more full-figured women who have accepted their size and decided to find dresses that complement their body type,” said Lerkia Lee-Tidball, a bridal consultant based in Laurel. “Salons, as a result, are working a little harder to meet their needs.”

Designer Reem Acra started a plus-size bridal line last year, around the same time that retailer J. Crew began carrying gowns up to a size 20. (The average woman wears a size 14, according to Women’s Wear Daily.)

“Up to three years ago, most boutiques only carried sample dresses up to size 10,” said Catalina Maddox, fashion director at David’s Bridal, where a third of the dresses in stock are available up to a size 26. “Stores have realized that women deserve to at least try on a dress in their size.”

Even with national chains such as David’s Bridal providing gowns for full-figured brides, those customers are still underserved. Which is why Sutton opened CurvyGirls.

“We realized that the market being neglected the most was the one that had grown the most,” she said.

Sutton spent 20 years as a bridal gown buyer, seller and show producer, before leaving the industry to earn a better living as a bookkeeper for defense contractor Northrop Grumman. But the “joy of being a part of a bride’s special day” lured her back into the wedding industry.

To cover the $800,000 in start-up costs, Sutton used money from her 401k retirement plan and a Small Business Administration loan. About $520,000 of the budget went into retrofitting the salon, with its wrap-around showroom, hubby-to-be lounge (with flat-screen TV) and spacious dressing rooms.

The boutique houses a tuxedo salon run by Savvi Formalwear, as well as a collection of jewelry, shoes and other bridal
accessories. Sutton is especially proud of her generous line of flower-girl and bridesmaid dresses. A growing number of her customers purchase the bridesmaid frocks to wear as evening gowns.

CurvyGirls serves 60 to 70 brides a week, with an 80 percent sale rate on first-time visits. Through the first three months of this year, the salon rang up $300,000 in sales. It turned a small profit at the end of 2011. Now the Suttons are trying to acquire the empty store next door to expand.

Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Commissioner Roger Goodell says he plans to make the bounty evidence known to the public. The appeals and grievance processes are still ongoing. Goodell says that the NFLPA told the players not to cooperate with the bounty investigation.

After 23 seasons in Utah, Jerry Sloan resigned as head coach of the team. He now wants to get back into coaching and has expressed interest in taking over in Orlando or Charlotte. Sloan took the Jazz to the finals twice in 1997 and 1998 and ranks 3rd all-time in regular season wins with 1,221. Wednesday on the court, the 76ers will try and stay alive in their series with the Celtics as the two teams play game 6 in Philly with Boston leading the series 2 games to 1.

On the ice it’s a pivotal game 5 between the Rangers and Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals which is knotted up at two games a piece with the swing game at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.

Texas Athletic Director Deloss Dodds has admitted to courting Notre Dame to try to join their conference after departures had left the Big 12 with 10 teams. Florida State had also been rumored to try to join the Big 12.

Summer’s 1977 hit “I Feel Love” is joining the Grateful Dead’s famous 1977 Barton Hall concert as sounds of cultural significance, among 25 additions that are being announced Wednesday by the Library of Congress as part of its registry.

The world’s largest library has chosen a diverse array of songs and sounds from history to retain for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry. Among the new choices this year are Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors,” Prince’s “Purple Rain” and more.

Some selections are truly historic and rarely heard. They include the only known audio of former American slaves who were interviewed in the 1930s, including one participant who had worked for Confederate President Jefferson Davis. There’s also a cylinder from a talking doll created by Thomas Edison in 1888 that is the earliest known commercial sound recording. It was considered unplayable until last year, after new digital mapping tools were used to reveal its sound of a woman singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

The library also is saving Leonard Bernstein’s conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1943 and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio from 1970, which introduced millions of people to jazz through the TV soundtrack.

“America’s sound heritage is an important part of the nation’s history and culture, and this year’s selections reflect the diversity and creativity of the American experience,” said Librarian of Congress James Billington, in announcing his final selections.

Though Summer died last week of cancer, her hit single was selected for the sound registry weeks ago, said Matt Barton, the library’s curator of recorded sound. Summer had many hits, but “I Feel Love” rose to the top because it was a breakthrough that would change club music for years to come, according to the library’s citation.

“From the first time you heard it, it was just, `Wow, this is very different,”‘ Barton said. “We hadn’t heard this before. It was enormously influential.”

The registry includes early sounds from hip-hop with Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” from 1979 that is credited with launching a genre and inspiring future artists.

Funk will have its place in the sound history collection with Parliament’s “Mothership Connection” from 1975 with George Clinton’s “Ain’t nothin’ but a party, y’all” on the title track.

Blues singer Bo Diddley is being inducted to the sound registry, too, with “Bo Diddley” and “I’m a Man.”

For Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Diddley’s sound was some of the first beats he learned as a little boy, he told The Associated Press. So he was thrilled that sounds of the Dead were being preserved at the same time.

Hart had a hand in helping create the sound registry, pushing for a law in Congress in 2000. He said he didn’t lobby for his own music to be included this year, though he was letting other “lads” in the band know about the honor.

Their music will be represented with the 1977 Barton Hall concert at Cornell University, which has been cited as one of their best performances ever. The recording was hailed for its sound quality.

“The Grateful Dead just touched a nerve, and it’s still relevant in many ways today,” Hart told the AP. “It’s American-based music, but the combination of it, I guess, was the chemical that ignited, the energy that ignited the spirit of the people for many generations.”

One key choice they made was to allow fans to record their concerts live, rather than hiring guards to take away recorders. That helped build an army of “Dead heads,” Hart said, because they could all take the experience they had paid for with them. And every concert was always different.

Hart said he is impressed with his fellow inductees in the library collection.

“These are not just songs,” he said. “These are talking books– thousands of years of evolutions of cultures are in this music. It represents something even greater, the hopes, the dreams, the joy, everything it takes to make up a people are embedded in this music.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WJZ’s First Warning Weather Team, MASN and the Baltimore Orioles joined forces again for a fun-filled day of learning about weather and baseball at the 5th Annual Weather/Field Trip Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Tim Williams reports.

 The weather presentation began at 10 a.m. Wednesday.  The Orioles are taking on the Boston Red Sox now.

Bob Turk and meteorologists Bernadette Woods and Tim Williams talked about clouds, jet stream, severe weather, winter weather and hurricanes.  The topic of the presentation is “How Weather Affects Us.” 

Chris Strong from the National Weather Service, Lee Billingsley from The Maryland Science Center and Nicole Sherry, head groundskeeper of the Orioles, also participated. 

“Weather Day is just a really fun day where the kids come down to the ballpark. We talk about the main subjects of weather. We add a little fun in. We bring in the National Weather Service, we bring in the Maryland Science Center, and they get to watch a game afterwards,” said Woods.

It’s a day full of fun with valuable safety lessons learned.

More than 6,000 students, teachers and parents are attending Weather Day.  Most are from Maryland, but some came from Delaware and Pennsylvania for this day of baseball and weather.

Click here to view more pictures from Weather/Field Trip Day.

Coffee With Meteorologists Bernadette Woods and Tim Williams:

Thomas Gore admitted in U.S. District Court that he converted excessive or unattributed cash contributions to Gray’s 2010 campaign into money orders that were then filled out by another party and given to Sulaimon Brown, a minor candidate. The payments were intended to keep Brown in the race so that he could continue making negative comments about then-mayor Adrian Fenty as he sought reelection, Gore acknowledged.

The 56-year-old Gore, a longtime friend of Gray’s and the acting treasurer for the campaign, also admitted that he lied to the FBI about having shredded a spiral notebook in which he kept records of the payments to Brown. He further revealed that he was caught in the lie when confronted with wiretap evidence.

Brown has long maintained that he was paid by Gray’s campaign and promised a job in the Gray administration in exchange for his harsh rhetoric about Fenty. He alleged that Gray was aware of the payments, which the mayor denies. Brown was appointed to a $110,000-a-year city government job in January 2011, shortly after Gray took office, and fired after less than a month.

“In 2010, the voters of the District of Columbia were deceived,” U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said in a statement. “Envelopes stuffed with fraudulent money orders prevented the public from knowing that one mayoral campaign was secretly financing the campaign of an opposing candidate.”

Gore pleaded guilty to a felony obstruction-of-justice charge for the attempted cover-up and three misdemeanors of making a contribution in the name of another person. The money orders contained the names of people who did not contribute to the Brown campaign.

Federal sentencing guidelines call for him to receive 12 to 18 months in prison, although prosecutors could seek a reduction in the event of “substantial cooperation” with investigators. Because of the ongoing probe, no sentencing date was set.

Gore and his attorney, Frederick Cooke, declined to comment after the hearing. Gray’s spokesman deferred comment to the mayor’s attorney, who could not be reached and has repeatedly declined to comment about the investigation.

Gray, 69, defeated Fenty by 10 percentage points in the 2010 Democratic primary, tapping into widespread dissatisfaction with a mayor widely perceived as aloof. Gray also touted himself as the more ethical candidate, criticizing Fenty for steering lucrative government contracts to his college fraternity brothers. Voters split along racial and socioeconomic lines, with Gray carrying poorer, majority-black sections of the city by wide margins while Fenty fared well in wealthier neighborhoods.

Several Gray campaign staffers have said Brown’s attacks on Fenty at candidate forums amounted to a sideshow that did nothing to help Gray get elected.

According to a document outlining Gore’s actions, which he acknowledged in court was accurate, Gore and another Gray campaign staffer agreed in June 2010 to start funneling money to Brown. Although the other campaign staffer was identified in the document only as “Person A,” records of the money-order contributions indicate that person was Howard Brooks, a Gray campaign consultant. Brooks has not been charged.

Although the guilty plea only covered three money orders, Gore acknowledged converting cash given to the Gray campaign into five money orders worth a total of $660. Three of those were in the name of Brooks’ son, Peyton Brooks, and two others contain the names of a relative of Howard Brooks and a friend of Peyton Brooks.

The documents indicate that Howard Brooks handed the money orders to Brown, which is consistent with Brown’s account of the payments.

Gore also acknowledged that he met with Howard Brooks last September to discuss the investigation. Gore told Brooks during that meeting that he shredded his records of payments to Brown after The Washington Post reported Brown’s allegations in March 2011.

When U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly quoted Gore’s statements from the meeting with Brooks and asked if they were accurate, Gore said, “That was a statement taken from a wire.”

The comment indicates that Howard Brooks was working for the FBI and carrying a recording device during the meeting with Gore. Brooks’ attorney, Glenn Ivey, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Gore sat for a voluntary interview with the FBI in October and lied about the conversation with Brooks, telling agents that he did not keep records of money given to Brown. During the same interview, he later acknowledged the existence of the notebook but lied about when he shredded it. Gore admitted the false statements in court Tuesday.

The federal probe has cast a cloud over district government since shortly after Gray took office. Council Chairman Kwame Brown is also the subject of a federal investigation for activities during his 2008 campaign, and former councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. is heading to prison for three years for embezzling money from the city.

Tom Lindenfeld, a political consultant who worked on both of Fenty’s mayoral campaigns, said the investigation is likely to imperil city government for the foreseeable future.

“The real harm is that we have the probability that things are going to grind to a halt,” Lindenfeld said. “This is going to undermine the potential for real leadership in D.C. in ways that will hurt us for longer than we care to know.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The sign unveiling will take place Wednesday morning along Interstate 495, near the state police Forestville barracks.

It’ll honor Trooper Wesley Brown, who was fatally shot in June 2010 while working part-time security at an Applebee’s restaurant in Forestville. The shooter, Cyril Cornelius Williams, had been removed from the restaurant by Brown for being disorderly and later returned and shot the trooper.

Williams was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 25 years, earlier this month.

State Police Superintendent Marcus Brown, state Sen. C. Anthony Muse and other officials are scheduled to attend.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Clergy members who belong to the Maryland Industrial Areas Foundation are holding an event in Silver Spring on Wednesday to talk about how they plan to discuss why the measure is important to Maryland.

The group says it’s launching a grassroots field campaign to talk about the law’s virtues.

Opponents are trying to encourage voters to reject the law in a referendum in November.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Moreover, baseball reference.com did an analysis giving the O’s a 75% chance of a wildcard berth. That was done by looking over past years and comparing it to where the Orioles are now . It’s even better than that if you think about it because there is an additional wild card slot this season. Soooo, for all you haters out there now may be the perfect storm in the AL East. Baltimore has the best record in the American League, the Yankees and Red Sox are struggling badly and there is an extra wild card slot to be had.

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m not doubting them any longer.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is screening the videos at its annual conference Wednesday in Frederick.

The students from E. Russell Hicks Middle School in Hagerstown and Springfield Middle School in Williamsport worked on the projects with rangers from the Antietam National Battlefield and the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park.

Their projects are part of a joint effort between the private group and the National Park Service to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area runs from Gettysburg, Pa., through Maryland and Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to Charlottesville, Va.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Judicial officials in the county, including State’s Attorney John McCarthy, are planning a reception Wednesday evening at the county’s judicial center. Teen court participants are expected to speak.

Teens between the ages of 12 and 17 get referred to the court for various offenses including theft, marijuana possession and alcohol violations. They have 60 days to complete sanctions against them decided by other teens. If they’re successful, the charges against them are dropped.

Montgomery County was the first county in Maryland to start a teen court program. Since 1997, close to 4,000 cases have come through the court.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Police say Felipe Gomez, 38, was arrested on Tuesday, after officers found Maria Delmi Madrid De-Gomez, 37, suffering from stab wounds just after midnight in the 6500-block of Gateway Boulevard.

Authorities say the victim was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police are still investigating.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled against Nancy Forster, who was fired in a dispute with the Office of the Public Defender Board of Trustees. Forster was fired because she would not comply with demands to overhaul the agency.

The court did not rule Tuesday on Forster’s claims that she was wrongly fired because the changes the board was seeking were illegal and would have harmed clients.

A seven-judge majority ruled against her for procedural reasons. In a separate opinion, two judges said they agreed with the outcome but for different reasons.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

When the cubs’ mother, 5-year-old Ally, gave birth to the first cub in late April, problems quickly developed. Ally is a first-time mother and abandoned the cub. Then Ally’s labor stopped, even though she had three more cubs waiting to be born.

Zoo veterinarians performed a rare emergency cesarean section and saved one more cub and the cheetah mother. Two other cubs died.

Now the zoo is offering a first look at the genetically valuable surviving cubs in their new home Wednesday. The zoo is part of an effort to save this endangered species where “every cat counts.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Roberts, 34, last played in a baseball game on May 16, 2011. Since that time, the two-time All-Star has languished on the disabled list.

Although he’s taken batting practice and fielded grounders with the Orioles, playing in a game — albeit one with Double-A Bowie — is a far more legitimate test of his readiness to return to the big leagues.

Asked to describe his emotions, Roberts said Tuesday, “Excited. Scared. A little bit of everything. It’s been a long time coming, for sure.”

Roberts will travel to nearby Bowie for a game against Richmond on Wednesday night. His minor league rehabilitation assignment can last no longer than 20 days.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll use the 20,” he said. “It’s been over a year and I need to get some at-bats.”

The plan is take it slowly at first and gradually pick up the pace.

“I need to get in there and see some pitches,” he said. “The first few days, the first week, it’s going to be two at-bats a day. It’s going to take a little while to get built up to play every day on a back-to-back situation.”

Roberts played in only 59 games in 2010 before going on the DL with a concussion. He returned last year, but was shelved after participating in only 39 games.

He compared this comeback to 2006, when he returned from elbow surgery to play in 138 games.

“Seven years ago, I had apprehension that, even though the doctors and everyone told me I was ready, that I was OK, that it wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “You’re still scared. That’s just the nature of going back out to a competitive environment when you’ve been hurt. Hopefully, once I get on the field and the first pitch is thrown, I’ll just be playing baseball again.”

There were times over the past year when Roberts wondered if he would ever feel right again, let alone play baseball.

“When there’s days you are laying on the couch and can barely function, you’re not even thinking about baseball,” he said. “There were days that (baseball) never even crossed my mind, I was just trying to get back to a normal life. And then, as we continued to progress, I still had doubts about playing baseball. I had more confidence in being able to live a productive and enjoyable life. Now I’m beginning to think that playing baseball at a high level is a reality.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

James added 10 rebounds and eight assists. Shane Battier scored 13 and Mario Chalmers had eight points and 11 rebounds.

The Heatlead the best-of-seven East semifinals 3-2, with Game 6 in Indiana on Thursday night.

Paul George scored 11 points for Indiana, with starting forwards Danny Granger and David West adding 10 points apiece. Granger left with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter, and West left with what the Pacers called a left knee sprain at the end of that period.

Miami shot a franchise playoff-record 61 percent.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Mikulski said Tuesday that the appropriation would prevent a shutdown of Sierra Nevada Corp.’s production line.

The Washington County Economic Development Commission says the Sparks, Nev.-based company employs about 400 workers in Hagerstown.

The company won a Homeland Security Department contract in 2009 to produce five surveillance aircraft for customs and border patrol work.

The contract was funded at $21 million for the current fiscal year after two years with no federal funding.

Mikulski says the funds would enable the company to purchase two planes for modification on its production line.

She says a Senate vote on the bill hasn’t been scheduled.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown newspaper reports that the County Commissioners voted Tuesday to grant the
Maryland Symphony Orchestra nearly $30,000 for the Salute to Independence concert July 7.

That’s about a 50 percent increase over the $20,000 the county provided the last three years.

Commissioner William McKinley says the concert is one of the most patriotic and economically beneficial events held in the county.

The free concert draws about 35,000 people to the battlefield near Sharpsburg.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Jay Apperson, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of the Environment, says state officials began monitoring early this year because of the warm winter and heavy rains last year that washed pollution into the bay. Apperson says algae blooms have been tracked since March, and have been particularly noticeable recently in the Patapsco River basin near Baltimore and the western side of the Bay Bridge near Annapolis.

Apperson says about 6,000 fish have also been found dead this week in Marley Creek near Glen Burnie. Testing found very low oxygen levels believed to have been caused by an algae bloom.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Police say the woman was walking alone in the 100-block of Duke of Gloucester Street when a man grabbed her, dragged her into a nearby alley and sexually assaulted her about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities say the woman was eventually able to fight off the man, who then fled.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The woman called 911 from her Montgomery County home on April 4.

According to a recording of the call, she repeatedly says “hello” but gets no reply. A second dispatcher intervenes and gives her first aid advice as the first dispatcher can be heard snoring. The man was later taken to a hospital.

The slumbering dispatcher did eventually wake up and ask for the caller’s address. He was apparently unaware the caller had been on the line for about six minutes.

The employee was removed and placed on administrative leave. The dispatcher was an uniformed firefighter who was 17 hours into a 24-hour shift.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Memo Diriker, who heads the BEACON economic think tank, says he is hearing that many believe the upcoming summer season is going to be clearly better than the past few years.

And while gas prices are a factor, Diriker says higher gas prices could benefit Ocean City by keeping tourists from driving
farther.

Diriker told The Daily Times of Salisbury that most visitors don’t need more than a tank of gas to reach Ocean City, giving the resort an edge over destinations further away. That means unless gas prices get so high they keep tourists at home, higher gas prices could help draw more visitors to the beach resort.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

According to court records, Dennis Mackabee, 29, was arrested Monday on charges related to his alleged role in a drug
deal that turned into a robbery and shooting. Mackabee has been charged with murder and is scheduled to appear in Montgomery County District Court on Wednesday for a bail review hearing.

Police say Franklin Amobi, a 24-year-old rapper who performed as “Frank Diggy,” was killed on Dec. 27. Amobi was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the 11400-block of Stewart Lane.

Detectives are continuing to pursue the man who they say pulled the trigger.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Penner gathered a bouncing puck and beat Mike Smith between the pads for the game-winner, extending the Kings’ road winning streak to an NHL-record eight straight games. Anze Kopitar scored a short-handed goal, Drew Doughty had a goal and an assist, and Mike Richards also scored for Los Angeles.

“I got a lucky bounce,” Penner said. “I just waited for it to settle down, and I got a chance to get it in the net.”

The first team to go undefeated on the road en route to the Stanley Cup finals, the Kings will play Game 1 on May 30 at either New Jersey or New York.

Los Angeles is in the final round for the first time since 1993, when Wayne Gretzky and the Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in their only finals appearance.

Taylor Pyatt had a goal and an assist, Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Keith Yandle also scored for the Coyotes in their first trip to the Western Conference finals.

Game 5 Photo Gallery (Photo by Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)

Los Angeles blew one chance to put away the pesky Coyotes.

Leading the series 3-0 and playing at home, the Kings couldn’t match Phoenix’s intensity in Game 4 and lost 2-0, giving the Coyotes a glimmer of hope.

What they didn’t want to do is give them momentum.

Phoenix has been as good as any team in the league when the confidence is rolling, using an 11-game winning streak in February to get back into the playoff race and a five-game streak to close out its first NHL division title.

The Kings had come through in this spot once before, beating top-seeded Vancouver on the road after failing to complete the sweep at home in Game 4.

They didn’t appear ready to do it again.

Riding the confidence carryover from Game 4, the Coyotes dominated early, controlling the puck, giving the Kings little room in the neutral zone or anywhere else. Phoenix had some good scoring chances early and Pyatt cashed in on a power play, redirecting Martin Hanzal’s one-timer in the slot 4:20 into the game.

“The first period was tough,” Penner said. “They threw everything at us. (Goaltender Jonathan) Quick hung in there for us, made some big saves, and we battled back. We couldn’t have done it without him.”

The Kings snatched a little momentum back with their fifth short-handed goal of the playoffs. Kopitar got it, redirecting a shot by Doughty past Smith off a faceoff after Phoenix’s goalie was called for icing.

Then it turned into a shootout in the second period.

Pouliot gave Phoenix the lead back by flipping a backhander past Quick on a loose puck in front midway through for his first career playoff goal. Doughty tied it a few minutes later, scoring from just inside the blue line on a shot Smith had trouble seeing through traffic.

Richards scored on rebound to put Los Angeles up 3-2, Yandle tied it again after a pass by Pyatt caromed off his right leg past Quick.

Both teams had numerous scoring chances in a hectic third period, but both goalies made some superb saves.

They went back and forth in the overtime, too, until Penner finally ended it when a shot by Jeff Carter caromed out front to him in the slot.

With it, the Kings, after a 19-year wait and some dicey moments against the Coyotes, are finally headed back to the finals.

“It feels great,” Penner said. “We just had to worry about ourselves. And we were able to battle back.”

Notes: Coyotes RW Radim Vrbata had an assist on Pyatt’s goal for his first point in eight games. … Los Angeles was 2 for 27 in the series on the power play after going 0 for 4 in Game 5. … Yandle has nine points in the playoffs, matching Dave Babych’s team record for a defenseman set in 1985. … Los Angeles has won 10 straight road playoff games over two seasons, an NHL record.

2012 Stanley Cup Final Schedule

Game 1 Wed., May 30 8 p.m. S
Game 2 Sat., June 2 8 p.m.
Game 3 Mon., June 4 8 p.m.
Game 4 Wed., June 6 8 p.m.
*Game 5 Sat., June 9 8 p.m.
*Game 6 Mon., June 11 8 p.m.
*Game 7 Wed., June 13 8 p.m.
* – If necessary
All times listed are Eastern Time

Over the weekend, Reggie Bush tried to make a joke, but in using the word Nazi, offended people. I think we are too uptight. Using the word doesn’t mean one supports that particular group or cause or place in history; however, it just shows either a lack of sensitivity or just plain ignorance.

Worse, Steve Blake’s family received death threats on his wife’s twitter account after he missed a shot. It’s ludicrous, and people should be exposed. If those people’s phone number address or email ends up in social media circles, that would be great.

I’m tired of these gutless punks hiding beyond perceived anonymity in social media. Expose the cowards!

Meghan McCorkell has more on the charges against him.

Giordano and a female companion were charged with indecent exposure after police say they were both found naked inside a car in a parking garage.

Just steps from busy Main Street Annapolis, police arrested Gary Giordano and Carol Ann Bock. The two were found in the back of Giordano’s SUV with no clothes on.

“He was in the most busiest part of the garage where everyone could see,” said parking attendant Frank Koubic.

Several people complained of a sex act going on inside a car in the garage. Koubic went to investigate.

“I could tell that there was two people in the car doing something they shouldn’t. I saw enough skin to know it wasn’t kosher,” Koubic said.

He called police when he saw the two cuddling on top of a mattress in the car.

When officers approached the SUV, they say they looked in the back seat and could see Giordano and Bock naked.

“It brings up a lot of memories, a lot of emotions. It definitely does,” said Richard Forester.

For Forester, the arrest is a painful reminder. His girlfriend Robyn Gardner vanished in Aruba on a trip with Giordano in August. Police held Giordano for four months as they investigated Gardner’s disappearance. He was eventually released with no charges filed against him. Hope for answers about what happened to Gardner are fading as the months go by with still no word.

Gary Giordano has refused to comment on these latest charges against him. He is expected in court in August.

The FBI is still actively investigating the disappearance of Robyn Gardner.

Kai Jackson has his warning to other kids.

This child suffered a serious injury that could have been much worse.

Under bandages are more than 200 stitches holding together the hand Dijovah Hawkins nearly lost.

“We were playing with firecrackers, and I was about to throw it and it exploded in my hand,” Hawkins said.

It happened Monday in the 100-block of Ferndale Avenue in Glen Burnie. Firefighters later determined it was an M-80 firework that nearly blew off the 13-year-old’s hand.

“My thumb was bending over and my first three fingers almost fell off,” Hawkins said.

“My first reaction was ‘His thumb is gone.’ That’s what I thought because I didn’t even see it,” said Donald Hawkins, father.

Dijovah and his friend found the M-80 inside the friend’s house. They brought it outside to light it but had no idea how powerful it was.

“We thought it was a firecracker, like a small one that would just have a small reaction, but it didn’t,” he said.

Like most fireworks, M-80s are illegal in the state of Maryland.

“Many children are not aware of the dangers of fireworks,” said Chief Michael Cox.

Cox from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department says more than 50 percent of fireworks accidents happen to kids younger than the age of 15.

After learning his lesson the hard way, Dijovah Hawkins has a warning for other kids.

“Not to play with them because a lot of stuff can happen with them,” he said.

Dijovah Hawkins is expected to fully recover but has months of rehab ahead.

If you find fireworks of any kind — legal or illegal — you can turn them into the fire department without any punishment.