The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page B5

THE 5B MARYLAND REITBERGER Jules Ner Tamid Synagogue Family expresses heartfelt condolences on the passing of our Member JULES REITBERGER, husband of Gusta and father of our member Henry, and extends our sincere sympathy to the family. REITBERGER Jules On May 18, 2008, JULES REITBERGER, beloved husband of Gusta Reitberger (nee Fuss); loving father of Henry Reitberger of Balto, MD and Isaac Reitberger of Silver Spring, MD; devoted father-in-law of Frances and Michele Reitberger; loving grandfather of Samuel Jason and Shoshana Reitberger, Eric Nathaniel and Chaya Reitberger, Adeena and Elana Reitberger; loving great grandfather of Sarah, Miriam, Michal, Isaac, Moshe, Shaindel, Nechama and Mordechai Reitberger. Services were held at SOL LEVINSON 8900 Reisterstown Road, at Mount Wilson Lane on Monday, May 19, at 11 A.M. Interment Anshe Emunah (Aitz Chaim) Cemetery 3901 Washington Blvd. Please omit flowers.

Contributions in his memory may be sent to Ner Tamid Congregation, 6214 Pimlico Road, Baltimore, MD (21209). In mourning at 6219 Green Meadow Way, Baltimore, MD 21209 sollevinson.com RAYSINGER Francis J. On May 18, 2008, FRANCIS J. Beloved husband of the late Olga E. Raysinger; devoted father of Lois Krok and husband Michael, Barbara Rzepkowski and husband Thomas; grandfather of Michael, Brittany, Matthew, Adam and Alec and Brittany, girlfriend of Matthew; brother of Mary E.

Unger, Dolores T. Eckerl, Angela Rizzo and the late Dorothy A. Reeder. Friends may call at Gonce Funeral Service, P.A., 4001 Ritchie Highway, on Tuesday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. where services will be held on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. Donations may be made to St. Agnes Oncology Fund, St. Agnes Cancer 900 Caton Avenue, Box 235, Baltimore, MD 21229. POWERS Verna M.

On May 17, 2008, VERNA M. POWERS (nee Marken) in her 102nd year. She was the beloved wife of the late John Thomas Powers; loving mother of Marjorie P. Smith and James Powers and his wife Nancy. She is survived by six loving grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Friends are invited to a memorial service on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 4 P.M. at Towson United Methodist Church, 501 Hampton Lane, Towson, MD 21286. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Penn-Mar Organization, Inc. (an Organization that assists children and adults with disabilities), 310 Old Freeland Freeland, MD 21053. PATHAK Radha N.

On Sunday, May 18, 2008, RADHA NAIR PATHAK, M.D., beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, pediatrician and friend passed away peacefully. Those whom she touched with her indomitable spirit will miss her sorely. Funeral was held Monday, May 19, 2008. Donations in her name may be made to CHAI www.chaicounselors.org PARKS Robert E. On Monday May 19, 2008 ROBERT E.

PARKS80 of Mt. Airy, MD. Beloved wife of Hollis Scott-Smith Parks. Devoted father of Kathleen Rohrer, Bonita Soto, Robert E. Parks, Jeannie Wolfe, Eric R.

Parks and Christopher S. Parks. Also survived by numerous grandchildren. Private Memorial Services will be held at a later date. In lieu flowers donations to Hospice of Frederick County, PO Box 1799, Frederick, MD 21702.

Online Condolences at www.burrier-queen.com ORTT Joyce M. On May 17, 2008, JOYCE M. KOKINAKIS (nee McLeod); devoted mother of Linda Gallagher and her husband Michael, Laura Raffaeli and her husband David, Karl Kokinakis and his wife Bettina, Douglas Kokinakis, David Kokinakis and his wife Sharon and Lisa Slade and her husband Mark; friend of the late William Kokinakis; sister of Paul McLeod; sister-in-law of Jack Lavalle; aunt of Darlene Hayner and Diane Crean and their families; also survived by 15 grandchildren, one great-grandson and numerous nieces and nephews. Visiting at the E.F. Lassahn Funeral Home, P.A., 11750 Belair Road (Kingsville) on Tuesday 3-5 and 7-9 P.M.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 1 P.M. Interment St. John the Evangelist Church Cemetery (Hydes). SOBUS Doris Elaine DORIS ELAINE SOBUS, age 59, of Bel Air, MD, died on May 17, 2008 at Gilchrist Center in Towson, MD. Born in Baltimore, MD, she was the daughter of the late Russell Wake and Dorothy Elizabeth Hopkins Gray.

She worked for Baltimore County Public Schools as a math teacher for 28 years. Mrs. Sobus is survived by her husband, John Sobus of Bel Air, MD; two sons, Micah John Sobus and his wife, Beth, of Cherry Hill, NJ and Jon Russell Sobus and his wife, Ryan, of Durham, NC; two sisters, Barbara Clatchey of Middle River, MD and Har- ralyn Kilmon of Montross, VA; brother-in- law, Michael Sobus and his wife, Nancy, of Perry Hall, MD; sister-in-law, Jean Price of Essex, MD; and special cousin, Sandi Hare of Shawsville, MD. A memorial service will be held at Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, MD on Saturday, May 24, 2008 at 11 A.M. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Gilchrist Hospice Care, 6601 N.

Charles Baltimore, MD 21204 or Christ Our King Presbyterian Church, 10 Lexington Road, Bel Air, MD 21014, or Franklin Square Oncology Center, 9000 Franklin Square Drive, Baltimore, MD 21237. Memory tributes may be sent to the family at: mccomasfuneralhome.com SMITH Anna M. On May 18, 2008, ANNA M. SMITHof Mt. Airy; beloved wife of the late Charles P.

Smith; devoted mother of Charles, Jack, Jim, Frank, Donald and Sally Smith, Anita Chevalier and Jane Smith; loving sister of Peter L. Smith. Also survived by 20 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 10A.M. Wednesday at St.

Joseph Monastery Parrish, 251 S. Morley Baltimore. Interment in New Cathedral Cemetery. Friends may call at the Haight Funeral Home Chapel, 6416 Sykesville Rd. (Rt.

32), Sykesville from Tuesday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Gilchrist Hospice or the March of Dimes. SIBLEY, JR Charles H. On Saturday, May 17, 2008, CHARLES H. SIBLEY, JR.

Beloved husband of the late Anna Rachel Sibley (nee Stone); devoted father of Joanie Favazza of Churchville, Joy Hook and husband, Tom, of Elkton, and the late June Sibley. Adored grandfather of Tim and John Favazza and Kim and T.C. Hook; great-grandfather of Michael and Jacob Hook and Rachel, Megan, Brittany, Maddie, Sam, Abby, and Elizabeth Favazza. Services will be held at the family owned McComas Funeral Home, P.A., Abingdon, MD on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 10 a.m. Interment will be in Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, Timonium, MD.

Friends may call at the funeral home in Abingdon on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Memory tributes may be sent to the family at mccomasfuneralhome.com ROBINSON, SR. William L. On May 18, L. ROBINSON, SR.

of Glen Burnie. Devoted husband to the late Rose Robinson for 67 years; loving father to William L. Robinson, Jr. and Nancy M. Seymour; caring grandfather to William Robinson, III, Ellen Seymour, Joyce Moxley, Sherry Moody and Knolene Johnston; he was also survived by six great-grandchildren and one brother, Evans J.

Robinson. The family will receive visitors at the family owned Singleton Funeral Cremation Services, 1 2nd Ave, SW (at Crain Hwy) Glen Burnie from 3-5 7-9 P.M. on Tuesday. The funeral ceremony will be held on Wednesday at 10A.M. at St.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glen Burnie. Interment Glen Haven Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Queen Co. Hospice House OR St. Evangelical Lutheran Church.

For further information, please visit: www.singletonfuneralhome.com. ROBINSON Vernon W. On May 19, 2008, VERNON WALTER ROBSINSON; beloved husband of Jane L. Robinson (nee McGowan); devoted father of Ronald W. Robinson; dear father-in-law of Elizabeth Helmstetter Robinson; dear grandfather of Renee J.

Robinson; devoted brother of the late Lillian Sprinkel and Daniel Robinson. Friends may call at the family owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home 6500 York Road (at Overbrook) on Wednesday, 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. A Funeral service will be held Thursday, 10 A.M. at the funeral Home. Interment Parkwood Cemetery.

Please omit flowers, contributions may be made to Gilchrist Hospice Care, 555 W. Towson- town Blvd, Towson, 21204. RIVERA Eloisa O. On May 17, 2008, ELOISA (nee Castillo); beloved wife of the late Efrain Ortiz Rivera; devoted mother of Evelyn Maney, Arnold, Chic, Dee, Mike and Chuck; and the late Danny and Elphy; sister of Herman and the late William Castillo; also survived by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Christian Wake Service at Kaczorowski Funeral Home, P.A., 1201 Dundalk Avenue on Wednesday.

Funeral mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Thursday at 10 A.M. Interment Sacred Heart of Jesus Cemetery. Visiting hours Tuesday and Wednesday 4 to 8 P.M. ZUBER Ruth H. RUTH HELEN HEADEN Zuber, 35 of Geneva Mechanicsburg, PA transitioned into eternal life on Friday, May 16, 2008 at Holy Spirit Hospital.

She was born in Harrisburg, PA daughter of Roberta (Headen) Kirkland and the late Wardell Bailey. Ruth was a System Analyst for Rite-Aid Corp. and in her leisure, she enjoyed singing and writing poetry. She leaves to celebrate her life, her husband, Ricardo Zuber of Mechanicsburg; her daughter, Shana Headen; her mother, Roberta Kirkland; her brother, Robert Skinner, all of Harrisburg; her sister, La Krisha Headen of Baltimore, MD; her sister- in-law, Adisa Gobeljic of Harrisburg and a host of other relatives and friends. Her life will be celebrated Thursday, May 22nd at 12 Noon in the Sanctuary of Mt.

Calvary Baptist Church, 336 S. 13th Harrisburg, with viewing 11 a.m. until Noon and burial in William Howard Day Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the Ministry of Comfort of Major H. Winfield Funeral Home, Steelton, PA.

www.majorhwinfieldfuneral home.com ZETTLER Renee The Beth Tfiloh Congregation deeply regrets the passing of RENEE ZETTLER, beloved sister of our member Sonia Maltinsky (Mrs. Arnold Maltisnky), and extends deepest sympathy to the family. ZESKIND Lillian On May 19, 2008, LILLIAN ZESKIND beloved sister of the late Isadore, Nathan, Rayfield, Charles, Morris Zeskind and Betty Schwartz, loving sister-in-law of the late Morris Schwartz. Also survived by three generations of nieces and nephews. Funeral services and interment will be held at Agudas Achim Anshe Sfard Cemetery Rosedale, on Tuesday, May 20, at 11 A.M.

Please omit flowers. Family at Home: 15 Mansel Drive, Reisterstown, MD 21136 Arrangements by SOL LEVINSON INC. sollevinson.com WIRE David Bennie On May 18, 2008DAVID BENNIE, of Finksburg, beloved husband of Myra Jean Nickles Wire, father of Jennifer E. Gettle, David B. Wire, III and wife Margaret, Cheryl E.

Fowler, Wanda Gail Britton, Robert A. Wire, and Anita JoAnn Menikheim. Also survived by 15 granchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Funeral services Thursday, May 22 12 Noon at Fletcher Funeral Home, 254 E. Main Westminster.

Interment in Evergreen Memorial Gardens with Military Honors. Family will receive friends Wednesday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. and Thursday 11 till service. Reese and Community Volunteer Fire Department will conduct a memorial service Wednesday 7:30 P.M. at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions to Carroll Hospice, 292 Stoner Westminster, MD 21157. Online condolences may be made at www.fletcherfuneralhome.net VESPERMAN Caroline L. On May 18, 2008, CAROLINE L. VESPERMAN; beloved wife of the late William F. Vesperman and Elmer J.

Dunne; devoted mother of William C. Vesperman and his wife Dana and Louis M. Vesperman and Dottie Winterbottom; loving grand mother of Karey and John; great-grandmother of Anthony, Kayla and Tiffany; great-aunt of Carla; step-mother of Dennis, Edward, Mary Ellen, Timothy and Paul; cousin of John and Ruth Hahn. A Catholic Burial Service will be held at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk, 7922 Wise Avenue, on Thursday, at 11 A.M. Interment Oak Lawn Cemetery.

Friends may call on Wednesday, from 3 to 5 and to 9 P.M. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Disease and Related Disorders Association, Baltimore, Central MD Chapter, 1850 York suite Timonium, MD 21093. STRIMEL Rosier E. On May 18, 2008, ROSIER EDWARD "Strim" STRIMEL, beloved husband of the late Mary Jane Bentrem and Margaret Teresa Vorce, devoted father of Rosier E. Strimel, Aileen Strimel Herman, and Tiffany Marie Roebuck, loving grandfather of Kerrie McDermitt, Tracy McCann, Marilee Mayer, Eddie Strimel and Holli Strimel.

Also survived by eight great-grandchildren and many loving relatives. Family will receive friends Wednesday 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at HARRY H. FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, where a funeral service will be held Thursday 10 a.m. Entombment Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens.

Donations may be made in his memory to International or the Clarksville Lions Club. ABaltimore priest has been permanently removed from ministry 15 years after allegations that he had committed sexual abuse and three years after he pleaded guilty in court to abusing a minor too long a wait for some advocates for abuse victims. At the request of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Pope Benedict XVI this month defrocked Jerome F. Toohey who admitted in November 2005 that he sexually abused a high school sophomore in the late 1980s while Toohey was chaplain at Calvert Hall College High School in Towson. Toohey was stripped of his faculties as a priest such as celebrating Mass for anyone other than himself, or serving as a pastor after the allegations were made in 1993.

Archdiocese spokesman Sean Caine said the defrocking began under the previous archbishop, Cardinal William H. Keeler. Before his election in April 2005, the pope led the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees such procedures. is sadly very said David Clohessy, national director of the Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. hard to believe that church officials really get it and care about it when it takes so long to defrock an admitted or even proven serial he said.

everyone deserves due process, but when admitted or been found guilty of his crimes it certainly ought not be In a statement, Archbishop Edwin F. said: Archdiocese is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse. We are deeply sorry for the pain suffered by survivors of abuse due to actions of clergy, and I echo the words of our Holy Father, who said in his Homily at Nationals Park: efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must Calvert Hall is operated by Christian Brothers, a religious order, but Toohey was an archdiocesan priest assigned to the school, said school spokesman Doug Heidrick. In 1993, Michael Goles, a former student at John Carroll School, filed a lawsuit accusing Toohey of abusing him in the 1980s; the case was dismissed because it had not been filed within three years of the alleged incident.

Toohey pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court in November 2005 to abusing Thomas Roberts when the victim was attending Calvert Hall and went to the chaplain for counseling about his divorce. Roberts went on to become an anchor at CNN. Known as Toohey was sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, because of threats on his life by other prisoners, he was essentially in solitary confinement. After serving 10 months, Toohey, now in his early 60s, was placed on home detention.

The father of one of victims said that the actions bring no comfort to his family. a painful thing where absolutely nobody said Patrick Goles, father of Michael Goles. take no solace in it. Nothing will make go Now that the church has defrocked Toohey, Clohessy said, important thing now is that church officials wash their hands of believe that because bishops recruit and educate and ordain and hire and transfer and shield these predators they still have a moral and civic duty to warn families about them and protect children from him, whether on the church payroll or he said. Frank Dingle, a spokesman for the Maryland chapter of SNAP, said it is ironic that the archdiocese had lobbied for shorter statutes of limitations for abuse allegations when the church took so long to defrock Toohey.

Toohey served as Calvert chaplain from 1982 to 1993. He who also worked at St. Francis of Assisi Parish from 1977 to 1984, and as chaplain to the deaf community from 1984 to 1993, according to the archdiocese. In addition, he was a member of the board of directors of the John Carroll School and celebrated Mass regularly at St. John the Evangelist Church in Hydes.

liz.kay@baltsun.com julie.scharper@baltsun.com Archdiocesan priest defrocked The Rev. Toohey permanently removed three years after admitting abuse by Liz F. Kay and Julie Scharper SUN REPORTERS The Rev. Jerome F. Toohey Jr.

was a high school chaplain. County, leading the county health officer to join state officials yesterday in warning citizens and recommending prevention measures. seeing a dramatic increase in Lyme disease in the Reported cases of Lyme disease in Maryland doubled last year and more than tripled in Howard said Dr. Peter Beilenson, adding that experts believe many cases go unreported. Statewide, the number of reported cases jumped from 1,248 in 2006 to 2,576 last year.

In Howard County, the number in- creased from 113 to 358 during the same period. That could represent of a public health success if more cases are being reported because of increased public awareness, Beilenson said. But the number of cases is likely rising, too, although officials said they could not pinpoint reasons why. Among the Howard County residents who contracted the tick- borne disease in 2007 was state Del. Guy Guzzone.

He noticed a problem when his ankle began to itch last summer. never saw a tick or he said. thought I had a rash or alittle ankle began to swell and he spotted what health officials say is a tell-tale sign of Lyme: shaped rash. Later ankle got so big he could not wear shoes. Aweek later, after some urging from friends, he sought treatment.

Even months later, Guzzone said he still often feels lethargic. State heath officials issued their warning last week as part of the Lyme Disease Awareness Month campaign, timed to coincide with the springtime start of the active season for ticks. The disease can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches and fatigue, and can become more serious if not treated. numbers are very useful to monitor said Katherine A. Feldman, the state health public health veterinarian.

you see a doubling of numbers, you need to pay Beilenson said 70 percent to 80 percent of infected people get the circular rash, but a simple blood test also can detect the disease. Prevention measures including using insect repellent, keeping grass and bushes trimmed, checking skin, and wearing light- colored clothing to make ticks easier to spot. The insects can be removed with tweezers, he said. More information on the disease can be found at the state Web site www.marylandtickof- f.org. larry.carson@baltsun.com Lyme disease more than doubles in state by Larry Carson SUN REPORTER key fertilizer for corn that requires petroleum and farmers are taking a hard look at the math and shifting their strategy.

So even with corn prices hitting the roof, some farmers are planting soybeans on fields where corn grew last year. say that Maryland farmers are going to be planting 10 percent less corn than last says Lynn Hoot, executive director for the Maryland Grain Producers Association. The cost of planting an acre of corn is $500 to $600, compared with perhaps half that to plant and harvest an acre of soybeans. can avoid nitrogen costs because soybeans need it, and beans will survive drought much she says. Some farmers will be planting soybeans used for everything from cooking oil to animal feed without tilling the stubble of winter wheat fields be harvesting in the next few weeks.

The unprecedented surge in demand for American grains corn, soybeans and wheat is being driven by everything from increased production of ethanol, which is made from corn, to severe drought in Australia to the buying power of an emerging middle class in China to speculation by commodities traders. Hutchison figures his family much different from other Eastern Shore farmers in the early days of a growing season unlike any in memory. They are giddy about unheard-of prices for corn and other grain but guarded about the spiraling cost of everything needed to grow them. Last year, the Hutchison clan two of his brothers, his son and a nephew burned their way through 70,000 gallons of diesel. The fuel feeds six-figure pieces of farm machinery that come equipped with GPS laptops in air-conditioned cabs.

It also runs the irrigation pumps. Irrigation helped the family avoid a disastrous corn crop last year, a drought year that farmers say was worst scorcher since 2002. Another dry season could cost the family $250,000, nearly double last diesel bill. Already, the Hutchisons have planted corn on half their land, 1,600 acres, and have begun planting soybeans on much of the rest, including land they used last year for corn. Planting his first soybeans recently, Hutchison kept two tractors waiting as he knelt in a bare field, scooping with a trowel for the proper depth for beans.

things you do by hand, even Hutchison says. for soybeans is three-quarters of an inch deep. Corn can handle anything from to 2 inches deep, depending on Tim Bishop, a grain farmer who works about 1,500 acres in Queen Anne and Talbot counties near Wye Mills, agrees that Eastern Shore farmers are cutting back on corn in favor of soybeans, mainly because nitrogen fertilizer has more than tripled in cost in the past two years. Corn requires 150 pounds of the fertilizer per acre. always got a lot to worry about with Bishop says.

here we are with a chance to make a profit, and we get hit with diesel and this whole energy So far, grain prices have not affected the chicken growers who produce 570 million birds a year for companies such as Perdue and Tyson. The companies provide the feed that contract growers give their birds, so the firms bear any added costs. Consumers also might get a break at the grocery store, at least for a while, says Doug Green, a 30-year chicken grower and former president of Delmarva Poultry Industry. now, it would be hard for the companies to raise prices for Green says. just too competitive with pork and beef.

Eventually, the companies are going to have to cut back on the number of flocks, which will hit growers get fewer Chad Nagel, whose family buys and stores grain, says the outlook for agriculture looked this good for a generation. lot of people want to blame ethanol for the big jump in food prices or diesel prices, but not just Nagel said. all part of a global economy. If you want a cliche, this is the best of times and the worst of Russ Brinsfield, a small farmer who heads the Maryland Center for Agro-Ecology, agrees. are just crazy, the markets are so says Brinsfield.

me, a scary time. a good thing, but never seen anything like chris.guy@baltsun.com FROM THE COVER Richard Hutchison checks on the computer-controlled irrigation system that keeps the fields hydrated. DOUG KAPUSTIN Farmers facing mixed feelings FARMERS Page An investigating officer for the Navy has recommended dropping rape charges against a Naval Academy student accused of assaulting afemale midshipman in her dormitory room, pointing to what he called almost complete lack of physical in the case. Midshipman Mark A. Calvanico, 21, of Secaucus, N.J., should not face acourt-martial, Lt.

John E. Clady wrote in a May 5 report, released yesterday by the lawyer. Clady instead recommended an administrative hearing for Calvanico that could result in his dis- missal from the academy for failing to meet curfew, being drunk and disorderly, and other offenses. recommendation is being reviewed by the superintendent, Vice Adm. Jeffrey L.

Fowler, who will decide where the case should go. felt like the truth came out. We were ecstatically said aunt, Regina Durazzo, speaking on behalf of the family. just hope the academy and the superintendent does the right thing and dismisses the charges and we can wake up from this Calvanico, a junior, is accused of entering the room of a sophomore three times in the pre-dawn hours of a Sunday in October, raping her on the last visit. The accuser, a sophomore, testified at a hearing in April that she and Calvanico had talked about dating and sent each other flir- tatious messages.

In his recommendation based on that hearing, Clady, who presided over the April Article 32 hearing, pointed out that the only physical evidence presented by prosecutors was the DNA found on boxers and his DNA found on her neck. He said that evidence supported claim that he and the woman had consensual contact but no physical sex. of the almost complete lack of physical evidence linking MIDN Calvanico to the alleged sexual offenses, there are no reasonable grounds to believe MIDN Calvanico committed Clady wrote. Aspokesman for the academy declined to comment, saying the recommendation was under review. josh.mitchell@baltsun.com Drop rape charges vs.

Mid, officer says Report urges hearing on lesser offenses for lack of evidence by Josh Mitchell SUN REPORTER.