Hometown Heroes Honored at Annual Chamber Gala

The Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce recognized 23 individuals that represented area firefighters, police officers, servicemen and medical personnel.

Baltimore County Fire Department Lt. Scott Ebbert knew that he had the training necessary to help rescue his fellow firefighters, if they ever became trapped during a blaze. He just hoped he never had to utilize that training. But that day came on Jan. 19 when he was one of the many firefighters who tried to rescue Lutherville volunteer firefighter Mark Falkenhan when he became trapped inside a burning apartment building. While Falkenhan, a Middle River resident, was rescued from the building, he died that night, an evening Ebbert will remain etched in his memory for the rest of his life. “That was the toughest day of my career,” said Ebbert, a Parkville resident based at the Golden Ring station. “Mark was a friend and you just never think…

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Job Seekers Leary as Unemployment Remains High

There were 103,000 jobs created in September, yet unemployment remained at 9.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Tiffany Carter believes she picked a safe career path. The CCBC Essex student is studying to be a nurse. The trouble, Carter believes, won’t be keeping a job but just trying to land one out of college. “I know nursing is a great field, but everything I’m hearing is that it’s harder and harder to get your foot in the door as a new grad,” said Carter, 19, of Essex. Whether job-seekers are recent college graduates, experienced professionals or people exploring new career options, finding work in America continues to be difficult. The unemployment level held steady at 9.1 percent as the U.S. economy added 103,000 jobs in September, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The growth exceeded expectations from …

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Bruce Vail

4:39 pm on Sunday, October 9, 2011

Leary? Did you mean Teary? or Weary? Or Leery? Anyway, good story Ron.   more ›

That's Using Your 'Noodle:' Eastern Tech Takes Third in Engineering Competition

Students from across the state participated in the Johns Hopkins University's Engineering Innovations program which had them test the strength of bridges built only from half a pound of spaghetti noodles and glue.

Get instant updates on Essex-Middle River news—like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Students in the Johns Hopkins University Engineering Innovation program put their noodles to the test at Eastern Technical High School Friday, July 29, but not in the way one might think. Each group of students in the four-week program, which covered all manner of things engineering, used only half a pound of dry spaghetti noodles and glue to create a bridge "to support as much weight as possible without collapsing. The competition [held Friday] to test the bridges’ strength represents the culminating activity of the program," according to a news release. "Eastern Tech volunteered to host this year," said Michael Karweit, academic director of the …

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Woman, Child Injured in Single-Vehicle Incident in White Marsh

The pair was transported to local hospitals after the vehicle overturned at the intersection of Route 43 and Crossroads Circle.

A woman and young child were transported to area hospitals after their vehicle overturned Monday morning in White Marsh. The single-vehicle incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Route 43 and Crossroads Circle, said Baltimore County police spokesman Detective Cathy Batton. The 29-year-old woman, whose identity is not known at this time, was transported by ambulance to Shock Trauma. The 2-year-old child, whose identity is also not known at this time, was transported by ambulance to Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Batton said. The child was in a car seat, according to police. The condition of both and their relation to one another are also unknown at this time, Batton said. By 11 a.m., Baltimore County police were still …

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Happy Older Americans Month: Fall Prevention and Other Safety Tips

In honor of Older Americans Month, this is the second in a four-part series about issues and resources related to growing older.

May is Older Americans Month—a time to celebrate our oldies but goodies while educating ourselves about the important issues affecting this population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three adults over the age of 65 fall each year. Falls may lead to hip fractures and head traumas, and causes thousands of deaths each year. Fortunately, falls are easily preventable with simple home modifications. I interviewed Deny Stiassny, registered and licensed occupational therapist and clinical coordinator of special programs at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, to learn more about fall prevention. Deny has been a practicing occupational therapist for 25 years, and has worked with older adults for 18 years.  Here…

Beating Childhood Cancer A Shaved Head at a Time

Nearly 200 people volunteered to have their heads shaved and raised more than $100,000 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation on Sunday at Martin's East.

Lexi Dembeck had never been seriously sick before. So, when the then-7-year-old girl began showing flu-like symptoms the week before Thanksgiving 2007, her father, Denny Dembeck, knew something was wrong. Denny took Lexi to see her doctor, where she had some blood work done. Three hours later, the Dembecks got the call that would change their lives forever. “The doctor told us we needed to get to Johns Hopkins immediately,” said Denny Dembeck, a lieutenant in the Baltimore County Fire Department. “Something was really wrong with Lexi’s blood work.” Lexi was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The next three years were spent in the hospital, where doctors worked to find the right combination of chemotherapy drugs.  Lexi, now a …

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Firefighter Shaving Heads, Tackling Childhood Cancer

Dan and Beth Jarkiewicz hope to raise $100,000 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation to support childhood cancer research at a head-shaving event March 6 at Martin's East.

Dan Jarkiewicz originally just wanted to assist a good cause when he decided three years ago to plan a fundraising event for The St. Baldrick’s Foundation. St. Baldrick’s is a California-based nonprofit that is committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The foundation’s most popular fundraising opportunity is its head-shaving event, wherein people get sponsors to encourage them to get bald as a show of solidarity for children battling cancer. Jarkiewicz hopes to raise $100,000 for St. Baldrick’s and get 200 people to shave their heads when he hosts his third head-shaving event at Martin’s East in Middle River. The event takes place from 1-6 p.m. on March 6…

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Black History Month Display Honors Johns Hopkins Pioneer

The work of Dr. Levi Watkins, who performed the world’s first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator in 1980, is on display at the Essex Library.

Alicia Larkins and Nova Smith traveled to the Essex Library recently to utilize its job search resources. However, once inside, Larkins, of Essex, and Smith, of Middle River, were drawn to a display commemorating Black History Month. The display explored the accomplishments of Johns Hopkins cardiac surgeon and professor  Dr. Levi Watkins. Dr. Watkins was a member of Dr. Martin Luther King’s young “Crusaders” and was the personal physician of civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Watkins served as the first black chief resident in cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he performed the world’s first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator in 1980. Larkins and Smith told library officials …

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Multiple Pedestrians Struck in Accident near Dundalk-Essex Border

Two children and an adult taken to Johns Hopkins; 11 EMS and fire units on the scene. Crash is another in string of serious accidents at Eastern Blvd. and Diamond Point Rd.

Three people—two children and an adult—were injured in a serious accident in the 8300 block of Eastern Blvd. at Diamond Point Road. Baltimore County Fire Department spokesman Elise Armacost said in a statement that all were en route to Johns Hopkins Hopital with serious, but probably not life-threatening, injuries. The call was dispatched at 6:22 p.m. It is unclear at this point how many vehicles are involved. Eleven EMS and fire units responded; units are starting to clear the scene.   Eastern Boulevard's eastbound lane over the bridge from Virginia Avenue to Diamond Point Road remained closed as of 7:45 p.m. as crews cleaned up from the accident. According to reporting in the Baltimore Sun, six people were injured in a Dec. 8 multi-car …

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Anna Renault

9:07 am on Friday, December 24, 2010

Hi Scott, Yes 11 units! It does sound excessive, however, there were surely three ambulance units and since they all do not an EMS on board -- there were probably three EMS units and maybe four of each! So that's 8 pieces of lights-flashing vehicles... then you have the fire apparatus that responds! YIKES! It's a little scary to see so much equipment at one scene! One wonders what was left in the…   more ›