The Teeter Invasion

Foodie alert!

It's hard to miss news about Harris Teeter these days. The grocer is scheduled to open its Kings Contrivance store on May 20. WaPo recently reported that the chain opened its 20th store in the Washington area, a store in the District, the city's first. HT first planted its flag in the region in 1998. The Sun reported on plans for other stores in the Baltimore area as part of a recent, gushy feature.

A tipster told us the development firm Greenebaum & Rose Associates recently told homeowners in Maple Lawn that Harris Teeter has signed a lease for the shopping area on Route 216. Supposedly the grocer will break ground this fall and open in 2009.

WaPo said the planning board approved:

Maple Lawn Farms, north side of Route 216, west of Route 29 at a future Westside Boulevard, Fulton. Maple Lawn HT LLC, Baltimore. The planning board approved a site development plan for a 49,472 square-foot Harris Teeter grocery store on 4.24 acres.

83-Year-Old Charged In Hammer Assault

Here's WJZ's report on the Hickory Ridge attack:

Alma Payne, 81, is critical but stable after losing an eye when the man she's been married to for six decades hit her in the head more than 20 times.

Neighbors could hear Payne screaming for help inside her Satinwood Drive home. Her husband, Calvin, barricaded the front door, then hit his wife in the head with a hammer, while repeatedly saying, "Are you dead yet?"

"He beat her in the face, in the eye and the face. Some of the hands got beat up tryin' to fend off the blows, you know," said David Figueroa, the victim's brother.

Figueroa says she lost an eye as a result of the attack. Surgery is necessary to repair damage to her eye socket and all 10 fingers. Family members tell Eyewitness News Calvin, a respected deacon in his church, suffers from Alzheimer's disease. They also recall a long history of violent behavior toward his wife.

"At this point, the suspect is charged with attempted murder and assault," said Sherry Llewellyn, a Howard County police spokeswoman.

Here's the HoCo PD report:

Howard County Police arrested an 83-year-old man last night for trying to kill his wife at their home in Columbia. Calvin Ralph Payne, of the 6200 block of Satinwood Drive, is charged with attempted murder and assault for striking Alma Payne, 81, with a hammer.

The victim called 911 around 7:50 p.m. to report she had been assaulted. Patrol and tactical officers were dispatched to the scene and found the victim inside the house with a severe head injury. Officers took the woman out of the home and she was taken to Shock Trauma by helicopter.

Tactical officers found Calvin Payne with blood on his clothes and hands inside the residence. He was taken into custody and charged early this morning. Detectives have not determined a motive in the incident.

Police served a search warrant at the house overnight and found a hammer in the master bedroom covered in blood.

The victim, Alma Payne, is in serious but stable condition.

Does Ft Meade Need A Makeover?

Sounds like it from this Examiner story:

Mold covers pipes and grows from walls, while pipes leak and paint peels from 1950s-era barracks housing service members stationed at Fort Meade.

“One way to look at barracks is if you would let your children live there,” said Marine Maj. Danny Chung, commanding officer of 130 Marines at Fort Meade.

“I wouldn’t let mine live here.”

Col. Kenneth McCreedy, Meade’s commanding officer, says money for repairs has been deferred for years to meet other growing needs.

So This Nonprofit Walks Into A Bar...

The Examiner tells the tale of how a nonprofit cancer group came to the rescue of the Greene Turtle:

A mistake by a Columbia sports bar could be a boon for the Ulman Cancer Fund.

In a highly unusual case, The Greene Turtle, which failed to renew its permanent liquor license, can stay open this month, thanks to two temporary licenses granted to the nonprofit, started by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman’s brother.

The business can serve alcohol, while the nonprofit reaps the proceeds from the alcohol sales.

“I think it turned out to be a really nice solution that acknowledges everyone’s concerns,” said Thomas Meachum, attorney for The Greene Turtle in Columbia.

The owner at The Greene Turtle hit a snag renewing the liquor license recently when the local resident on the licenses — needed to obtain a license — moved to Arizona, Meachum said.

Facing about two weeks without a license while they reapplied for a renewal, they came up with a solution. The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, a nonprofit in Columbia, could obtain a temporary license.

Update On Shooting At Senior Complex

The Sun reports that the husband of the 62-year-old woman who was shot is upset with police.

Bobby Harris, a Columbia resident, lashed out at the actions police took against his wife, Pearl, calling the incident a "travesty of justice."

"She was only 105 pounds. ... She could have been subdued without a gunshot or any type of violence like that," he said. "Somebody in the building could have gotten hurt. ... It's something that needs to be and hopefully will be addressed."

The story also says that the officers involved were not carrying those Tasers that police recently received permission to use. The shooting occurred before a crisis team would arrive to try to defuse the situation.

Here's the official May 1 HoCo PD statement:

Howard County Police are continuing to investigate a police-involved shooting that occurred during a call for a mental subject in Columbia yesterday.

Last night, investigators interviewed officers, witnesses and Pearl Harris, the 62-year-old woman who was shot. Based on those statements and evidence at the scene, police have determined that Harris confronted Officer Matthew Mehrer, waving a large knife. A second officer, PFC Mark Baxter, ordered Harris to drop the knife, but she instead lunged at Mehrer with the weapon. Baxter fired his handgun once, striking Harris in the hip. She is expected to be released from Shock Trauma today.

The incident occurred yesterday after police were called by property managers to the 8600 block of Snowden River Parkway at around 4:20 p.m. for woman who was creating a disturbance.

After being released from Shock Trauma today, Harris will be transferred to a psychiatric facility for evaluation. Harris will not face criminal charges until any necessary treatment is complete.

Baxter and Mehrer are on administrative leave, which is the department’s policy when a police-involved shooting occurs. Baxter has been with the police department since 2001. Mehrer

Another Police Shooting

First two teenagers, now a 62-year-old woman is shot at an elderly complex.

From the Sun:

A 62-year-old woman was shot yesterday by police responding to the senior citizen apartment complex in Columbia where she lived, according to Howard County police.

Pearl Wardell Harris was "acting erratically," said Sherry Llewellyn, a police spokeswoman, who described Harris as a "mental subject."

A property manager from the complex, Park View at Snowden River, called 911 about 4:30 p.m. to report a disturbance in one of the apartments. Police responded to the four-story facility in the 8600 block of Snowden River Parkway and called in a mobile crisis team, Llewellyn said.

"During that interaction, the officer felt threatened," Llewellyn said, adding that a knife was recovered at the scene. Police did not release any details about the knife.

Welcome Dog Talk

Sophie, our wonder lab, was very glad to hear this news:

Hi. I just wanted to let you know that I just launched a blog called Columbia Dog Talk at columbiadogtalk.blogspot.com. I didn't discover yours until after I named mine, so I hope I'm not confusing the blogosphere with the name.

I was interested in this particular note since I'll be compiling area walks and hoping to put some maps together. I have a list of about 25-30 walks that we're exploring and the list should be useful even for those without dogs. We also started a dog walk group through Meetup called Columbia Dogs-on-the-Go, at www.columbiadogsonthego.com


We'll paw-mark the site in our favorites list.