Month: May 2020

Millers Island Man Dies in Sparrows Point Motorcycle Crash


Baltimore County Police are continuing their investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash on Bethlehem Boulevard Saturday afternoon.

Just after 4 p.m. a 2016 BMW motorcycle traveling eastbound on Bethlehem Boulevard near North Point Boulevard crossed into the oncoming traffic lane while navigating a curve in the roadway. The motorcycle struck the driver-side rear corner of a Chevrolet Silverado traveling westbound, then struck the front of a Ford F350 truck that was also traveling westbound behind the Silverado.

The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced deceased at the scene by medics, identified as Paul Taylor Craven (69) of the 9000 block of Millers Island Boulevard.

According to mutiple reports on social media, Craven was a member of Curve Stompers Masks and he was delivering COVID-19 masks during the accident. Curve Stompers Masks released a statement about Craven’s death on their Facebook page.

“We had a tragedy in the family. We won’t be filling anymore orders after the ones we have finished and ready for pickup.
We are very sorry for those who waited so long. I hope you can find another way to get a mask. We will contact those who are still ready for pickup,” said the statement on the page.

The Baltimore County Police Crash Investigation Team said it working to determine all the factors involved in this fatal crash. Both driver of the Chevrolet and the Ford remained at the scene.

Kenwood & Mars Estates Principals Nominated as Finalist


BCPS announces six finalists for 2020 Principals of the Year. Two of the six are school leaders from eastern Baltimore County.

“We are so fortunate to have these dedicated school leaders providing dynamic leadership in the communities they serve,” BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams said of all of the nominees. “Our students and staff have continuously turned to them for guidance, especially during these unexpected recent challenges.”

Kelly O’Connell is one of the three principals in the Elementary nominees. She is her fourth year as principal at Mars Estates Elementary and her 18th year with BCPS. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in human resources school leadership from Towson University. Jane Martin of Pot Spring Elementary and Brian Williams of Baltimore Highlands are the other two elementary nominees.

Kenwood principal Brian Powell is in his fourth year as the principal at the Essex school and his 12th year working for BCPS. He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in education from Salisbury University.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve our terrific Kenwood community! I’m grateful to be considered in this category considering all of the outstanding principals in BCPS. I consider this as great recognition for our entire Kenwood school community, our staff, and our students,” Powell told East Baltco News on Friday evening.

“Congratulations to my elementary colleague, Kelly O’Connell for her nomination and excellent support of our community as well!”

Kalisha Miller of Pikesville Middle and Rochelle Archelus of Woodlawn Middle are the other two Secondary nominees.

In 2019, Charlene Behnke of Honeygo Elementary School was named the Elementary School winner Monica Sample of Overlea High School was named the best principal for Secondary Schools.

The Principal of the Year selection process started this year with an opportunity for community members to nominate school leaders. BCPS received 3,905 nominations, which were taken into consideration by the Principal of the Year selection committee led by the Office of Organizational Effectiveness.

BCPS will name the 2020-21 BCPS Principals of the Year later this month.

Chesapeake High Students Nominated for Unsung Hero Award


McCormick & Company presents their annual McCormick Unsung Heroes where they honor high school athletes who have been models of sportsmanship and team. The 2020 McCormick Unsung Heroes Awards will take place in a virtual format on May 11. Every school in the region has a male and female athlete nominated for the award and Eastbaltco.com will profile each athlete from eastern Baltimore County over the next week.

Chesapeake
Girls soccer player and track athlete Eustacia Narcis and football and lacrosse player Lance Haley are the two nominees from Chesapeake High School in Essex.


Eustacia Narcis

Narcis was a four year Varsity Soccer Player at the school and she also partipicated in three years of indoor and outdoor track. In addition to sports, Eustacia was involved in NJROTC at the school. She was accepted by McDaniel College and Towson University.

Narcis was nominated by Chesapeake Athletic Director Shuan Downey, who described her as a good model for her teammates.

“I nominated Eustacia based on her leadership, determination and love for Chesapeake High School and soccer. She is a true leader on and off the field. She is a true student athlete and helped make her teammates and fellow classmates better.

Narcis recommends other students to play high school sports because it taught her leadership and responsibility. According to Narcis, she was more aware and open minded about the people around her. She said she has grown from freshmen year to my senior year.

“I am more confident with my choices and more sociable I came out of my shell, I guess. I demonstrated self-confidence, self-respect, and a boost of self-esteem; which I shown not just on the soccer field but in my classes too,” Narcis explained.

She added that sports in high school gave her access to multiple of opportunities and an opening to help reach and encourage others.

“I also have made lifelong friendships with my teammates. I am going to miss it when I go to college, but I will always have such great memories and friends,” Narcis said. “I owe it all to the game I love SOCCER!”

Lance Haley

Haley was a four year varsity football and lacrosse player at Chesapeake. He plans to attend Albright University for football and maybe walking on to the lacrosse team. His football coach Darryl Hunter said that Haley played on both the offensive and defensive lines. Those are not glory positions but Hunter said that Haley played selflessly to help his teammates excel.

“Lance is one of the best linemen Chesapeake High School has ever had. Lance is a true Iron man, he played both side of the ball as a left tackle and defensive end. He never wanted to come of the field,” Hunter said. “He protected the our quarterback at all times, selflessly leading the offensive line always taking on the other teams best player and always giving 100 percent. On defense, Lance was a nightmare for the opposing team. He would take on a double team every down but always made a difference.”

Haley’s lacrosse coach Tony DaChino explained that Haley showed those same characteristics on the lacrosse field too and he will be missed by coaches and teammates.

“Lance was our crease defender and vital to the success of our team. He used his athletic ability to help and always being there on the slide. He was a wall and built a fortress in front of the goalie,” DaChino said.

Haley said that playing high school sports have taught him to become a great time manager at school, work, meetings and his social life. He was also named football captain which taught him leadership and how to earn trust.

“I’ve always heard the saying ‘it takes a village’, I would like to thank my teachers, family members, teammates, friends and coaches for making up my village at Chesapeake. Participating in high school sports has taught me just that,” Haley said.

“I hope to continue to learn things in life through my continuation in education to eventually pass down my knowledge to others so they can understand the importance in education and athletics.”

County Announces Grant Funding For Small Businesses


To support Baltimore County’s small businesses, County Executive John Olszewski announced the County has allocated $10 million in new grant funding for the Baltimore County COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grants Program.

“Small businesses are a critical link of our county’s economy, and we must do all that we can to support them in meeting their basic needs during this crisis,” said County Executive Olszewski. “As we move toward economic recovery, these grants will provide a critical bridge to Baltimore County small businesses who have not received other forms of assistance.”

The Department of Economic and Workforce Development (DEWD) will administer the Baltimore County COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grants Program, which will award grants of up to $15,000 each to more than 650 Baltimore County-based small businesses on a first-come, first-served basis.

The County has set a goal to award at least 25 percent of grant funding to women and minority-owned businesses.

The County will fund these small business relief grants through the Economic Development Revolving Financing Fund, and intends to pursue emergency disaster reimbursement from the federal government.

Grant applications will be posted on the DEWD website and will be accepted beginning May 11, 2020. To qualify for this grant program, small businesses must retain at least half of the workforce they had prior to January 31, 2020, which must have included at least two non-owner employees prior to Maryland’s Stay-at-Home Order. They must also:
•have at least two employees who are not owners or part-owners,
•have no more than 25 employees per Baltimore County establishment,
•demonstrate that they have lost at least 40 percent of their revenues since the Stay-at-Home Order began,
•have been in operation for at least one year as of January 1, 2020, and commenced operations by December 31, 2018 or earlier, and
•certify that they have not received other forms of federal or state COVID-19 assistance or relief at the time of application, and
•be in good standing and not in default with the State of Maryland and Baltimore County.

Grant funds may only be used for payroll, operating expenses, business lease or rent, and inventory acquisition vital to the business, with at least 30 percent of the funds used to support payroll for non-owners. Funds may not be used for capital improvements or personal expenses, and if a business fails to reopen, all grant funds must be returned to the County within 14 days.

For more information, please visit baltimorecountybusiness.com or email COVIDbizrelief@baltimorecountymd.gov.