The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page 118

Page 6b Thursday, February 5, 1998 The Sun in Howard DATEBOOK Best Bet earch for college president is narrowed to two finalists Children on board: In recognition of National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week (Sunday through Feb. 14), the Howard County Police Department and the Howard County Department of Fire Rescue Services will conduct a child safety seat Inspection from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at 11220 Scaggsvllle Road, near Route 216 and U.S. 29, Scaggsville. Parents will learn to Install seats properly, and can have their present seat Installation checked.

The Howard police say that 98 percent of child safety seats are Improperly Installed. Information: Paul Yodzls, 410-313-4750. three dimensions for grades three to five, and drawing and painting for grades three to five. A daylong white-line woodcut workshop is planned. Information: 410-313-ARTS.

Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia presents "Oliver!" Doors open at 6 p.m. for evening performances and at 5 p.m. Sundays. Matinee performances are Sundays and two Wednesdays a month. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

for matinees. Tickets for evening performances are $32, Sunday through Thursday. Friday performances cost Saturday shows are $35; Sunday matinees are $30; and Wednesday matinees are $32. The theater Is closed Mondays. Reservations are required.

Information: 410-730-8311. Mary Ellen Duncan is president of the State University of New York at Delhi. The initiative aimed at helping Cuyahoga compete with several other institutions for area high school graduates has increased the community college's student body by an average of more than 10 percent each year for the past three years, Johnson said. "Community colleges are usually seen by high school graduates as a school of last choice," he said. "But we can change that if we ensure that students understand that the training for a career In a technical field is here for them to pursue." Duncan has been president of the State University of New York at Delhi since 1991.

Before that, she was interim president of Ca-tonsville Community College for one year and dean of planning and development for three years. She has a master's degree in administration and curriculum development from the University of South Carolina. Duncan was unavailable for comment because she is In Mexico establishing a student and faculty exchange with several universities in Mexico City. Mary Rittling, vice president of academic affairs at Delhi, said Duncan has been Instrumental in linking the college community to area businesses. Through the Office of Business and Industry Relations, which she created, Duncan obtained contracts from companies such as Procter Gamble and Corning for the school faculty to train employees.

Perhaps Duncan's greatest test came four years ago when she and several other presidents of schools In the State University of New York system successfully staved off a proposal before the state legislature to consolidate some campuses and close others. "It was a definite issue that the president had to deal with," Rittling recalled. "I think Mary Ellen was a tremendous liaison to show the legislature and the SUNY board of trustees that those schools were vital and did play an important role." Rittling said it would be a blow Today Starting seeds: The Howard County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners will hold Its monthly Garden Chat from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Howard County central library, 10375 Little Patux-ent Parkway, Columbia.

The topic is how to start, grow and transplant seedlings. Information or registration: 410-313-2707. Newcomers Club: Newcomers Club of Howard County will hold a coffee at 10 a.m. The club's activities Include bridge, book reviews, gourmet cooking sessions, mah Jongg, arts and crafts and tennis. Information: 410-997-5102 or 410-480-0435.

Modern painting: Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks and the Office on Aging will co-sponsor a lecture and discussion pn modern painting for seniors ages 55 and older from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Florence Bain Senior Center, 5470 Beaverkill Road In Columbia. Art historian Susan Vlck will speak about the Renaissance as the foundation for the development of abstract painting. The cost is $2.

Refreshments will be served. The snow date Is Feb. 12. Information: 410-313-7311. Holy hour.

Companions of St. Anthony hold a Eucharistic Holy Hour from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays. The service In which St.

Anthony, patron saint of the lost, ii implored as intercessor takes place at the St. Joseph Cupertino Friary, 12290 Folly Quarter Road, near Glenelg. Information: 410-988-9833. A class on Franciscan spirituality will be offered from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15 and Feb. 22. Admission is $7 a class prepaid, or $10 at the door. Information: 410-988-9833.

Celebrating Black History Month: Howard Community College's Office of Student Activities will sponsor free events in celebration of Black History Month. The Jabali Afrika band from Kenya will perform from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. today In the college's Science and Technology Building. Danish photographer Jacob Holdt will present a multimedia show, "American Pictures," with music, words and more than 3,000 photos of American life from 2 p.m.

to 5 p.m. Feb. 17 in Smith Theatre. Daniel Come-gys, adjunct professor of voice at the college, will perform a medley of Negro spirituals and present a history of the African-American art form at 7:30 p.m. Feb.

25. Information: 410-772-4896. Howard County's hospital: Cable 15's Tara Gary is the host of "Health in Over 20 Years ff 0f Collcge.from Page 1b was going and where it could go. Both projected a vision of where we could go In the next millennium." Johnson has been provost and vice president at Cuyahoga since 1993. He has a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Penn State University.

He has taught at two other Ohio schools Kent State University and the University of Akron and has been vice chancellor for academic affairs at Winston Salem State University in North Carolina. Johnson has assisted In implementing a program with the Cleveland public schools system that offers college-level courses for credit to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who eventually enroll at Cuyahoga. ELKRIDGE Man charged in invasion of home arrested BY A SUN STAFF WRITER FBI agents In Florida arrested a Baltimore man yesterday in connection with an invasion of the Howard County home of a NationsBank manager, who was threatened with death if he did not take the intruders to the bank and open the vault. Wayne Edward Jackson, 41, was arrested in Oakland Park, by Miami-based FBI agents, said Larry Faust, an FBI spokesman in Baltimore. Jackson and Daniel L.

Spence 32, both of the 300 block of Ilches-ter were indicted by a federal grand jury in Baltimore on Jan. 22 on charges of arson, attempted bank robbery, tampering with a victim and use of a firearm In a crime of violence. Spence Is being held in the Howard County Detention Center. In a case that Is being Investigated by the Baltimore FBI and the Baltimore City and Howard County police departments, the two men are alleged to have broken into the bank manager's home in the 6600 block of Huntshire Drive in Elkridge on Dec. 1 1.

When the manager, who oversees a downtown Baltimore branch, arrived home with his wife, two men were waiting, armed with a sawed-off shotgun and a semiautomatic handgun, according to federal prosecutors. The manager was able to convince the men that he couldn't get into the bank, prompting them to bind the man and his wife with duct tape and then try to burn down their house, prosecutors said. The men took the couple's automated teller machine cards and their 1996 Chrysler Sebring convertible and before leaving the house, poured gasoline on a pile of clothes and a tire in the basement, according to prosecutors. Howard is refinancing a quarter of its debt to save $3.43 million the 1990s: Howard County General Hospital Seeks Partnership" at 11 a.m. today.

Victor Broccolino, the hospital's president and CEO will discuss the Institution's search for a partner. The program will be rebroadcast at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. today, at 9 am, noon, 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.

tomorrow and at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Information: 410-313-3320. Artists at mill: Oella Mill Art Center has opened an exhibition of the work of its member artists at Historic Oella Mill, 840 Oella Elllcott City.

An artists' reception will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment. Information: 410-461-1577. Piano for children: Piano Perspectives School of Music, at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road in Ellicott City, Is offering classes in "Beginning Piano" and "Music for Young Children." "Beginning Piano" will be offered from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and from 11:45 a.m.

to 12:45 p.m. Saturdays. "Beginning Piano" for children ages 8 to 10 will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays.

"Beginning Piano" for adults is from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Wednesdays. "Music for Young Children," which focuses on the keyboard, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Tuesdays and from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturdays. Classes begin today. Information: 410-465-6729.

Photographs, landscape and paper An exhibit of works by two artists "Multilayered: Handmade Paper and Photographs" by Denee Barr and "Nautical Portraits" by photographer Ben Dawson will run through Feb. 27 at Artists' Gallery In the American City Building, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. A reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

Information: 410-740-8249. Be an artist Registration is open for the Howard County Arts Council's art classes and workshops at Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City. Classes for adults include oil painting, drawing, watercolor painting, acrylic painting, bookmaking and an art meditation group. Classes for children include art for preschoolers, art for home-schoolers, working In Of Experience 1 1 i i ii i i i i ii ii FINANCING AVAILABLE From boom to bust: Registration Is open for a reading and discussion series on the history of the United States In the 1920s and 1930s. The series begins at 7 p.m.

Friday at the Miller branch library, 9421 Frederick Road In Ellicott City. Scholars In the field will speak and lead discussions. Books include "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald; "The Grapes of Wrath," by John Steinbeck; "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee; and "Inherit the Wind," by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.

Participants may borrow copies. Information: 410-313-1950. Photographic ait Howard County Arts Council, In cooperation with Howard Community College, is sponsoring an exhibition of the work of eight regional photographers, "With an Eye Toward Our Neighbors," at two locations. A portion of the exhibition Is on display at Howard Community College Gallery, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway In Columbia through Friday; the second part of the exhibition will be shown through Feb. 27 in Gallery I at Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road in Ellicott City.

Receptions will be at both sites Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the college gallery, and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Center for the Arts.

Curators will give a talk at 8 p.m., during the reception, at Center for the Arts. Information: 410-313-ARTS. The weavers' ait Howard County Arts Council has opened an exhibition of work by the Weavers' Guild of Greater Baltimore In Gallery II of Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road, Ellicott City. The show, which Includes wall hangings, table linens and hand-woven clothing, will run through Feb. 27.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Information: 410-313-2787. Tomorrow Women in the synagogue: The Sisterhood of Beth Shalom Congregation will sponsor special Shabbat programs tomorrow and Saturday at the synagogue, 8070 Harriet Tubman Lane, in Columbia. Rabbi Susan Grossman will discuss the role of women In the synagogue in ancient and medieval times during Friday night services, which begin at 8 p.m. The role of women in contemporary synagogue life will be explored in Saturday morning services, which begin at 9:30 a.m. Sisterhood members will conduct both services.

A reception follows each service. Information: 410-531-5115. Musical mischief: Rep Stage, a professional theater company in residence at Howard Community College, will present "Man With a Load of Mischief," a musical by Ben Tarer and John Clifton, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning tomorrow In the college's Theatre Outback. The show runs through March 1. Performances are at 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $16 general admission for Friday and Saturday; $13 for Sunday performances. Some discounts are available.

A "Theater Plus Dinner" combination, with lunch or dinner at The Kings Contrivance Restaurant, is available Sunday and Feb. 15 for $42.50. Information: 410-772-4900, Ext.0. Darkness and light Bon Secours Spiritual Center will sponsor a retreat for people living with cancer from 7 p.m. tomorrow to 2 p.m.

Sunday at the center, 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville. The focus will be on hope and hidden blessings In the experience of cancer. The cost is $165 for those staying at the center; $85 for day participants. Information: 410-442-1320. Specializing in the areas LARGEST FINEST Selection Alex Johnson is provost and vice president of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.

to the New York school if Duncan leaves. "She's a real visionary and a real risk-taker," Rittling said. rate," said Feaga, a West Friendship Republican. Rapid growth has forced Howard to build roads, schools and water lines in the past two decades. The heavy borrowing for those projects has given the county the highest per capita debt in the state, most in $480.6 million of outstanding bonds.

But the AAA rating by all three bond-rating agencies is an indication that financial analysts think the county is fiscally sound and is managing its debt properly. County officials say refinancing has been attractive since favorable interest rates became available last summer. But to save costs, they waited until now to couple the transaction with this year's round of new bond sales. The recent deal included $48 million in new bond sales, up from $45 million last year. Sunday is one more day that consumers with busy schedules need to decide on big purchases such as cars, Cannon told the committee.

Some Baltimore County legislators say their constituents don't want the businesses open on Sundays. Del. James M. Kelly, a Republican, said car dealers in his district have told him that an extra day open would increase their expenses but not necessarily their sales. And Del.

A. Wade Kach, also a Republican, said before the hearing that he probably would ask that Baltimore County be exempted from any statewide change in the blue law. Counties that keep the ban will have to compete with counties that allow the extra sales day for companies such as AutoNation and CarMax, said Bill Badger, senior vice president of the Arundel Economic Development Corp. "It's 1998. I'm not quite sure we should be regulating when people can buy a car," said Badger.

Car dealers protest Sunday sales proposal By Steven Kreytak CONTRIBUTING WRITER Howard County is refinancing one-quarter of its debt a move that officials say will save $3.43 million by locking in lower interest rates for the next several years. The refinancing of $132.7 million worth of bonds takes advantage of current low interest rates in the bond market and Howard's new triple-A bond rating the highest possible that also qualifies the county for lower rates. Dale Neubert, the county finance director, equates the move with refinancing a home mortgage. "We've just refinanced our house," she said. The deal is to be finalized by the County Council on Friday, said council Chairman Charles C.

Fea-ga. "We've refinanced often, but with the triple-A we have the best REGIONAL NEWS "I can assure you that none of my personnel wants to work on Sundays," Bill Gray of Dorsey Gray Ford and Mercury in Prince Frederick, Calvert County, said yesterday during a House Economic Matters Committee hear-, ing on Sunday sales. Opening on Sundays would cost him, and he probably would pass those costs on to consumers, Gray said. Annapolis resident Tony Evans said he spent nearly every Sunday for six months in 1992 looking at new cars in Annapolis before buying a Chrysler. "It's a wonderful low-pressure environment," he said of a day when sales people can't sell.

Lawmakers should not adjust state law simply to please an out-of-state corporation such as AutoNation, Evans told the committee. AutoNation has decided to build a store in Glen Burnie and an auto-reconditioning shop in Mar-ley Neck next year, said Marc Cannon, vice president of Auto-Nation's parent company. The two businesses would have about 500 employees. The company is pushing for Sunday sales because that is what customers want, Can- non said. Individually selected from over 260 of the finest USDA breeders across the United States and backed with our exclusive 3-year Warranty! All our puppies also include: Shots and worming up to date Full Health and Hereditary Defect Warranty Multiple Vet Checks Free Examination Full 4 Generation Pedigrees and Registrations (registered breeds only) i iwi ii imiii Employees, customers like the day off, they say By Tanya Jones SUN STAFF An effort in the General Assembly to lift a ban on Sunday car sales has again brought out car dealers protesting that they and their customers like the day off.

The huge AutoNation USA retailer would like to see the ban lifted by the time it opens a store in Glen Burnie and possibly one elsewhere In the Baltimore region. The company's competitor In fixed-price, late-model used-car sales, CarMax, opened a lot in Howard County last year after lawmakers lifted that county's ban. The state law has exempted Montgomery and Prince George's counties for years, allowing Sunday car sales in those counties, although few dealerships are open there seven days a week. An effort to lift the ban in Anne Arundel County failed last year, and the "blue law" is in effect in another Maryland counties. $hihuahuas Boxer Siberian Husky Golden Retriever Labrador Retriever Italian Greyhound Shlh Tzu Lhasa Apso Beagle German Shepherd Pomeranian Boston Terrier Cocker Spaniel American Eskimo Weimaraner- Shetland Sheepdog Bichon Prise Maltese Pug Mastiff-Akita Miniature Dachshund Poodles Miniature Pinscher Boston Terrier Bassef Hound Miniature Schnauzer and many WHERE ELSE CAN YOU CHOOSE FROM THIS MANY PUPPIES AT ONE PLACE I.