Turning copper into cash

by Cheryl Keffer
news@timesheraldnews.com

There are legitimate scrappers out there. Contractors who use part of a roll of copper tubing. Electricians rewiring an old house. Even the people who rummage in dumpsters looking for trash that can be recycled aren’t doing anything illegal – if the trash bins are on the street, anyway. Private property is another issue.

But in recent months the number of thefts of copper tubing and wiring – and even old

by Cheryl Keffer
news@timesheraldnews.com

It’s one thing to look at a map and draw a line around a site to determine where a school district boundary will lie. But it’s another thing altogether when such boundaries affect your children.

That is why the Perry Hall Improvement Association is staying out of the fray on the issue of redistricting to accommodate the new Vincent Farms Elementary School, according to PHIA President David Marks.

“It’s a divisive issue,” he said. “We’re

Photo courtesy Maryland Special Olympics

by Cheryl Keffer
news@timesheraldnews.com

What do Ravens fans do once the football season’s over? Some go galloping off into the sunset, so to speak, while others gallop off into the Chesapeake Bay.

But don’t worry – they come right back out again.

It’s an annual thing now for members of area Ravens Roosts to participate in the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge that benefits Special Olympics.

The

Photo by Carol Rosegg

Cirque contest fulfilling fantasy
Your drawing could come to life on stage at the Hippodrome this month during “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy,” a national touring production set in an enchanted forest.

The show is filled with international Olympians, aerialists, spine-bending contortionists, vine-swinging characters, dancers, musicians and more.

Artistic Director Neil Goldberg is calling on people of all ages to submit sketches by sending an e-mail to costumes@cirqueproductions.com or mailing it

Photo courtesy Toby’s - Columbia

By Celeste Breitenbach
news@timesheraldnews.com

There’s still time to enjoy that long-time audience favorite, “The Sound of Music,” which plays at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia through Feb. 17.

In Toby’s version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit musical, Jessica Ball delights as Maria, the winsome “flibbetyjibbet” postulant sent from the Abbey to serve as governess to the seven von Trapp children whose mother has died. David Bosley-Reynolds is

by Lynn Williams
maindish@baltimoreguide.com

Zen West Roadside Cantina, The Texas ex-pat in me likes to imagine that Zen West gets its name from the fact that a perfectly-made tamale can send the Tex-Mex lover straight to Nirvana.

The reality is more prosaic: the restaurant shares ownership with Café Zen, an Asian restaurant on the same block near Belvedere Square. But who could blame us for seeking a little inner peace, especially if it comes with a side of guacamole?

Where was the fire?: Celebrate the 104th anniversary of the Great Baltimore Fire with a walking tour of the downtown “burnt district,” Saturday, February 9. Led by Baltimore historian and educator Wayne R. Schaumburg of Perry Hall, this 11-block walk will trace the path of the 1904 blaze from Hopkins Place to Market Place with stops at significant historic landmarks along the way such as: the John E. Hurst Company, O’Neill’s Department Store, Baltimore Herald Newspaper, Continental Trust Building, Alex Brown & Sons Building, Mercantile Bank, the Sun Iron Building, the Baltimore American Building and the old Fish Market.

January
All jazzed up: Baltimore County Schools All Honors Jazz Band and All Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble – including students from Perry Hall High – will perform a free concert Saturday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m. at The Walters Art Museum Graham Auditorium, 600 N. Charles St. While the selection of the All Honor Jazz Band is an annual tradition for the school system, the All Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble is new this year. The jazz ensemble features 16

by Jeffrey Smith

As a lifelong resident of Maryland, I have come to realize that one of the most important assets of our state is the wealth of parks and open spaces dotting the landscape.

In the immediate vicinity of my family’s Nottingham home, there are over a dozen parks, trails, community centers, or other recreation facilities available.

The development of parks and the preservation of open space are vital for everyone.

First and foremost, these

By Celeste Breitenbach
news@timesheraldnews.com

During the first week of 1940, a fire that started in the kitchen destroyed the house on Taylor Avenue just behind the southwest corner of Harford Road.

This house had been given to Sam Matthews by Simon J. Martenet, who gave Parkville its name.

Sam, born a slave on the Cole Estate (where Woodcroft now stands) served as a servant-caretaker on Martenet’s Parkville property after the Civil War.

His descendants continued to live

Is it just me or do your New Year’s resolutions from last year look alarmingly familiar?

I know, I know.

Lose 10 pounds or maybe 20, exercise for 45 minutes a day – every day. Give up all junk food and just eat healthy food. And no more stopping at McDonalds regardless of their transfatlessness. Unfortunately, those good intentions don’t seem to last very long and all too quickly you’re right back to your old ways

by Cheryl Keffer
news@timesheraldnews.com

Hospice isn’t a place. It’s more of a frame of mind.

And Hospice of Baltimore, a non-profit based at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, wants to spread its philosophy about how to take care of people at the end of their lives.

So the organization is sending its representatives out into the community, visiting Baltimore County’s senior centers for a year-long look at the aspects of hospice and end-of-life care.

“We focus on the patient and