Daughter’s murder set father on mission
On a rainy evening in June 2005, Bill Mitchell received a phone call from the Howard County Police Department insisting to meet him in person. At a local Giant, an officer told him that his daughter, Kristin, 21, had been murdered by her ex-boyfriend. She had been stabbed 55 times. Since that horrific night, Mitchell, now 70, has dedicated his life to telling Kristin’s story to educate ... READ MORE
Former librarian makes dream come true
As the first-time author of a children’s picture book, Susan Belschner Tager, 73, has found a new happiness. Seeing her book in print, the former children’s librarian said, “has been an absolute thrill. It’s what I envisioned so many years ago.” Before Tager’s two children were born, she worked as a children’s librarian at Enoch Pratt Library. “Like many librarians, I... READ MORE
To attract hummingbirds, plant wisely
Across the downs a hummingbird Came dipping through the bowers. He pivoted on emptiness To scrutinize the flowers. — Nathalia Crane, “The First Reformer,” 1925 The sight of a hummingbird hovering in midair while wicking up nectar with its tube-like tongue is quite thrilling. Hummers can fly forward, backward, even upside down at speeds averaging 35 miles per hour. Their... READ MORE
Radio show saves Richmonders money
Every morning except Sunday, “Big” Mike Mazursky hosts the Radio Shopping Show on Boomtown Richmond Radio. The live daily show, which airs from 10 a.m. to noon, offers listeners discounted gift cards to local businesses — sometimes very discounted. Its “daily doorbuster deals” offer a limited number of $10 gift cards to local pizzerias or other restaurants for just... READ MORE
Books about World War II in the Pacific
The Bibliophile September 2 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. These books cover with clarity and intensity the conflict in the Pacific theater. Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World, by Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss, 320 pages, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster hardcover,... READ MORE
Doctor composes symphony on the side
The stern portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven glares down from the wall over the computer screens set up in Dr. Arnold Kirshenbaum’s guest bedroom. Kirshenbaum was a promising musician in his school days, but he did “the responsible thing” and went to medical school after college. But that was then. Now, at the age of 66, he is making up for lost time even as he maintains his busy... READ MORE
A career reading five presidents’ letters
There aren’t many retirees who can boast of having the president of the United States stop by her desk to offer a helping hand. But Mary Lou Maddox can. Maddox, 90, of Clarksville, the former director of the office of mail analysis at the White House, recalled the day President George H. W. Bush visited her office for a tour. “He stopped at my desk, pulled up a chair and said,... READ MORE
Autobiographical poems lead to first book
“My poems are my autobiography in rhyme,” said Baltimore County resident Neil Noble, 73, whose first book of poetry was published recently. Each of his poems “conveys its own story, as well as a slice of my life,” Noble said in a recent interview. As he puts it in the book’s introduction, “My relief valve has been my writing. I win a battle when I can imprison ‘the... READ MORE
Repairing and restoring together
An Ellicott City house, badly damaged by the 2016 and 2018 floods, was in such rough shape that it was barely habitable. However, the Greene family, who had lived there for 30 years, didn’t want to abandon the house where their children grew up and didn’t have the means to bring the house up to code. A local group, Rebuilding Together Howard County (RTHC), which had repaired eight... READ MORE
Prepare now for “cole-d” weather crops
You may be in the midst of harvesting your zucchini, tomatoes and basil. However, August is also the ideal time to prepare your garden for its transition to cool-season plants like cole crops. Brassicas, or cole crops, are members of the cabbage family. “Cole” derives from the Latin meaning stem. Cole crops are part of the large genus Brassica, which come from herbs of the Old... READ MORE
Arts 2024
#Theatre #Books #Bob Levey #Artist #Independent Living #Art #Americana #Diner #Wheaton #Baltimore #Bibliophile
