Essex-Middle River 2011 in Review: April-June

As 2011 comes to a close, Patch is taking the next week to look back and reflect on the events that shaped the last 12 months.

What were the biggest moments for you? How did they change your neighborhood? Tell us in the comments.

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Here are the stories that stood out in April, May and June.

April 5:

Baltimore County police arrested a 60-year-old man on charges that he murdered his girlfriend in her Middle River home.

Sam Davis was arrested in Baltimore City and charged with killing Jacqueline Paul, 35, of the 300 block of Grovethorn Road. County police spokesman Detective Cathy Batton said Davis shared the residence with Paul and allegedly stabbed her multiple times.

April 8:

Donald and Luana Lee wanted to recognize Lt. Richard Lannen for saving his life after he was shot in 2009. So, they presented him with a homemade citation in front of friends, EMS providers, firefighters and media at the Baltimore County Fire Department station in Middle River.

April 14:

An Essex teenager was called a hero after he helped rescue his family from a burning home in the 600 block of Dorsey Avenue.

Charley Knisley III, 15, and his younger brother Collin, 10, were spending the night with their grandparents when Charley woke up shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday to find his blanket on fire. Charley quickly alerted his brother and grandparents as the one-alarm fire quickly intensified.

The family safely escaped and has since rebuilt the home.

April 14:

With a standing room-only crowd of more than 100 people, the Maryland Port Authority’s Harbor Team voted against moving forward with a proposal for a 2,000-acre "Hart Miller Island II" dike in Middle River.

The vote pleased the crowd of residents, elected officials and community leaders who poured into the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant to voice their opposition of the plan.

The dike proposal was one of 11 the Harbor Team was considering as it seeks to recommend a location for the next harbor dredging spoils dumping site.

April 26:

Hundreds turned out to the in Rosedale following the beating of transgendered woman Chrissy Polis by two females. The recording of the beating went viral on the Internet and made international news. One of the females involved, Teonna Brown, to five years in prison.

May 2011

May 2:

Mavericks linebacker Michael Wright was the male recipient of the McCormick Unsung Heroes Award—an honor that carries with it a scholarship valued at $36,000.

Wright was penciled in as a starter on the football team before suffering a fractured foot while running sprints in June.

But he re-injured his foot early in the season. Still, after two games, Wright was cleared to play again, even as he was relegated to reserve linebacker.

May 3:

With the Back River as a backdrop, members of the Back River Restoration Committee, along with local and state elected officials from Baltimore County, signed a “Trash Treaty.”

The initiative is designed to raise awareness of littering and trash issues throughout the Back River Watershed. The treaty's ultimate goal is to make the Back River trash-free by 2020.

May 15:

CCBC Essex advanced to the NJCAA national title game for the second straight year, but in the end they fell just short of their goal as the lost to Onondaga Community College, 12-9, in Herkimer, NY. The Knights finished 15-3 on the year.

May 17:

General Motors broke ground on a new electric motor plant in White Marsh. Scheduled to open in 2013, the Philadelphia Road addition will be the first of its kind run by a major automaker in the United States, GM officials said.

May 23:

Howard Scott Kalin, a a 47-year-old Essex attorney was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit in Florida on charges relating to traveling to the state to have sex with someone he believed to be a child. Kalin

June 2011

June 3:

Brandon McFadden was an inspiration to fellow CCBC Essex graduates as he received his associate’s degree in general studies without almost ever taking a class on campus.

The Eastern Tech alum and Rosedale resident suffers from rickets, which makes it difficult to walk. He plans to attend the University of Baltimore to study psychology.

June 8:

Baltimore County Public Schools closed early several times over the final two weeks of the school year as the heat reached 100 degrees.

June 10:

About 350 people walked all night at CCBC Essex to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. In all, $86,000 was raised for the charity at the annual event, which also honored 100 cancer survivors.

June 26:

Three men were transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center after several fights broke out at the Restaurant in Middle River. The fight was one of several incidents that upset residents and led to the

June 29:

Around 100 people turned out to the Commodore Hall in Essex to celebrate having enough signatures for a petition drive against the “Maryland Dream Act.”

The petition drive, led in part by Middle River Republican Del. Pat McDonough, is an attempt to overturn the recently passed act in the Maryland General Assembly that provides in-state tuition to students regardless of their immigration status. Voters are expected to vote on the issue in November.