Laurel Park racetrack has re-opened to off-site horses after a brief equine herpes scare last week forced the track to ban outside horses.

On Nov. 13, Nin, a 2-year-old filly trained at Laurel Park, tested positive for equine herpesvirus.

Nin has since recovered according to a release from the Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Laurel Park.

After Nin's positive test, the Jockey Club temporarily banned any horses from being shipped to the course except for those at the Bowie Training center.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture performed tests on the other 25 horses that shared the barn with Nin. All 25 tests turned up negative for herpesvirus, the MDA said.

"Our restrictions last Friday were a precautionary measure," Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, said in announcing that the ban was being lifted. "Since then the other 25 horses in Barn 1 plus all 31 lead ponies have tested negative so this was the next logical step in light of the test results."

However, he said, any horses that are shipped to the track will not be allowed to leave the course until an MDA-imposed hold order on Barn 1 expires on Dec. 6.

The Maryland racing community faced an outbreak of the virus in early 2006 when three horses at Pimlico and another at Laurel were euthanized, forcing three live racing cards at Laurel Park to be cancelled due to lack of horses as racetracks in neighboring states barred horses from running in Maryland.

-- Dan Schwind

State offers peek at Route 198 expansion

Route 198 between Route. 29 and Bond Mill Road could see expansion to a six-lane highway and the construction of bicycle lanes in the highway's eastbound lanes under a proposal being considered by the State Highway Administration.

The proposal, dubbed "Alternative 3, " and its counterpart "Alternative 2" were on display at an information session on the Route 198 Corridor Improvement Study at Blake High School in Silver Spring on Nov. 18.

Shawn Burnett, project manager for the Route 198 Corridor Improvement, said the session was aimed at giving residents and businesses along the corridor an idea of what is to come in the next few years.

"It's been four years since our last public meeting on this project," he said. "So we wanted to give people a refresher on what the proposals are and how they might look."

Laurel, Burnett said, would only be impacted by Alternative 3 with the expansion of the road and addition of bike lanes. Alternative 2 would have no impact on Laurel, as it would only expand the road between Burtonsville and Georgia Avenue.

Burnett added that the project has been in planning stages since 2001, but was put aside from 2004 until this year as the state focused on planning and design of the Intercounty Connector.

"But even with the ICC, traffic demands are going to exceed the capacity for this corridor," he said. "We also felt it was important to address the inconsistent facilities along the corridor for bikers and walkers."

Burnett said funding will determine the timeline of the project, but that residents should not expect to see construction any sooner than 2015. A public hearing on the proposals will be held sometime next spring.

-- Dan Schwind

Man held in Laurel after chainsaw attack

A Takoma Park man was arrested and transferred to Laurel police custody after he attacked his former girlfriend and another person with a chainsaw earlier this month.

Oscar Escobar, 27, of Takoma Park, is being held on a $100,000 bond after the Nov. 2 incident.

Laurel police were called to the 7100 block of Carriage Hill Drive for a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, a woman said a man attacked her and fled, then returned with a chainsaw, according to a release from city spokesman James Collins.

Collins said the man chased the victim around several vehicles with the chainsaw running and then chased a person back into their house when they came out during the incident.

The man then fled when he heard police sirens, Collins said.

-- Dan Schwind

City gets grant for Riverfront Park signs

The city received a $22,000 grant from the National Recreation Trails program, a division of the State Highway Administration. The grant will be used to place informational signs along Riverfront Park and the future path expansion along the Patuxent River to Route 1. City officials expect to have the signs installed by next spring.

-- Gwendolyn Glenn

Rules proposed for new liquor stores

Legislation was introduced at the Nov. 10 City Council meeting that will tighten some regulations on new liquor stores.

No more than 10 percent of windows in new liquor stores can be covered with signs and posters if the ordinance is passed. The requirement is a 20 percent limit for other businesses in the city.

The change would allow police officers and others to better see inside the businesses in case they are being robbed. This same requirement was approved earlier for convenience stores.

The liquor store owners' site plans will also have to be approved to ensure that they have appropriate lighting and to prevent them from including shrubbery or fixtures that potential robbers could use for hiding.

"They will also be required to have security cameras inside and outside," said Karl Brendle, economic director. "These rules won't pertain to existing liquor stores, only new ones."

--Gwendolyn Glenn

Face lift planned for Discovery Park

Discovery Park at Harrison Drive and Greenhill Avenue will be getting new playground equipment soon.

City Council members approved a $219,000 request from Parks and Recreation Department officials to replace the equipment at the park that was installed in 1991.

The designs approved for the park's playground area will include play equipment for 2- to 5-year old children and an area for children ages 5 to 12.

"There will be rubber surfaces underneath the equipment to keep the children from getting hurt," said Michael Lhotsky, recreation director. "It's (the rubber surfaces) safe and maintenance-free, but the bad news is that it costs a lot of money."

The city received a $150,000 grant from the state for the playground equipment at the park. The balance will be funded by the city's Capital Improvement Program budget and state open space funds. Lhotsky said if the city does not spend the state funds they could lose them.

-- Gwendolyn Glenn

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