HAMPSTEAD -- A Carroll County woman is headed to Maryland's statewide "Senior Idol" contest.

Linda Lovering, 61, won the county's first "Senior Idol" competition Friday at the North Carroll Senior and Community Center.

Lovering had a cold but still managed to beat two other contestants with a rendition of Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter."

The statewide competition will be held Jan. 22 at Howard County Community College in Columbia.

The runner-up was her husband, Oscar Lovering, 65, who performed Bobby Darin's song "Mack the Knife."

Both Loverings sing at church and perform karaoke, they said.

They live in Fairfield, Pa., but were eligible to compete because the rules only stipulate that they attend a senior center in Maryland.

Police set up tip line after rapes

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore police have set up a tip line for residents to call with information about suspects in a series of rapes that may be related.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said tip line -- 888-223-0033 -- will be staffed by detectives 24 hours a day.

Police are investigating eight rapes that have occurred since Oct. 20, three of which occurred near bus stops and may be connected.

3 more plead guilty in Ripken monument theft

BALTIMORE -- Three more men have pleaded guilty in the theft of Cal Ripken Jr.'s monument from Camden Yards.

Gary Parker, 20, Matthew Rayner, 20, and Patrick Reynolds, 18, each pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of conspiracy to commit theft over $500. Earlier this week, Jason Stoneburner, 19, pleaded guilty to theft.

Parker, Rayner and Reynolds were sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation and community service. If they complete the terms, their criminal records will be wiped clean.

Police say the men ripped the 3 1/2-foot aluminum No. 8 from its base outside the Camden Yards ballpark on Sept. 9, then threw it into the back of a pickup truck. They were arrested about two hours later.

Sparrows Point steel plant under investigation

BALTIMORE -- Authorities are investigating a furnace fire at a Maryland steel plant.

A state spokesman said Friday that officials are investigating the Sept. 29 fire at the Severstal steel plant at Sparrows Point and that the plant has been cited for multiple air pollution violations over the past year.

Authorities said the steel company faces unspecified civil penalties for emitting excessive amounts of potentially harmful chemicals. Plant operators also allegedly failed repeatedly to run a pollution scrubber properly and on one occasion failed to take required steps to limit harmful particle pollution.

Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Jay Apperson said officials are talking with the company to solve the problems.

Energy company gives $300K for Md. tree planting

BALTIMORE -- An energy company is spending $300,000 to help plant trees in Baltimore.

Constellation Energy is committing the money over the next three years to help with tree planting and maintenance for existing trees. Constellation's contribution will support the planting of 1,000 more trees, according to information provided by the city.

The city held a tree planting event today and gave away free trees to residents.

The city is planting trees not only to provide shade but also in the hope of reducing energy costs and lessening the effects of global warming.

Talbot group holds historic cruise

EASTON -- The Historical Society of Talbot County has combined a poker run and scavenger hunt into one event including 11 sites in five towns.

The group said Peter and Carla Howell laid out a route where contest entrants pickup a list of the 11 sites, which are marked by gray roadside signs. Then, they have to answer a question on the quiz at each site.

Seven of the 11 sites also distribute playing cards to competitors. The three best five-card hands will win prizes after everyone has finished the event.

The three competitors with the most right answers who completed the quiz in the shortest amount of time will win prizes.

The Clues Cruise began at noon today at the Easton municipal parking lot on South Washington Street.

Md. visit for AIDS activist planning Atlantic row

TRAPPE -- A New York AIDS activist planning to row across the Atlantic will be on the Eastern Shore today to announce a testing campaign.

Victor Mooney will appear at Composite Yacht in Trappe, which is helping prepare his boat for the trip.

Victor Mooney's latest ocean-crossing attempt ended in April, when his boat's desalinators, which make seawater drinkable, failed.

Mooney, an AIDS activist who manages public affairs at a Brooklyn college, plans to row from Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa to Brooklyn.

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