Maryland

SILVER SPRING – Kenny Beath dismisses all the rumors his friends tell him, that the first baby of 2000 will win a free education, a $1 million prize or other windfalls

ANNAPOLIS – If you’re a twentysomething man driving alone in a Ford during the daytime this December, put this paper down and keep your eyes on the road

WASHINGTON – Survivalists have stockpiled food and water

ANNAPOLIS – “Lightning” Mike Quackenbush crouches on the top rope in the corner of the ring holding Dino Divine’s shoulders

ANNAPOLIS – After years of acting, ballet and singing lessons, the jump to professional wrestling was easier for Denise Riffle to make than it was for her family to accept

ANNAPOLIS – In some states a bleeding professional wrestler could fall into the crowd, but not in Maryland, which has more stringent rules for professional wrestling than many other states

SILVER SPRING – Becky McDermott hadn’t planned on a millennium baby, so when she learned her first child was due on New Year’s Day, she was more worried than happy

WASHINGTON – Marion Friedman was “a sickly child” in the early 1920s, when the doctor would drop by his house every week to check on him

WASHINGTON – Rep

WASHINGTON – A higher percentage of Maryland residents is behind bars now than at any time during the century, and criminal justice experts say the number will likely rise into the new millennium