Calling all wanna-be weathermen: You can help measure long-term climate changes with 11,000 wanna-be weathermen across the country.     The National Weather Service is looking for volunteers in Calvert County’s Dunkirk area to take daily maximum and minimum temperatures and measure rain and snowfall. The Service will train and equip you.     The Service has collected 120 years of data to help understand floods, droughts, heat and cold waves. The data you...

Mike Callahan was searching for creative ways to trim his Christmas tree this year. The president of the Southern Maryland Audubon Society wanted a unique, nature-themed tree that he created with his own hands. When a friend suggested using what Chesapeake Bay had to offer, Callahan hit the beaches, hunting and gathering for his creation. At home, he put his hands and mind to work.     Sticking with his nature theme, Callahan’s bird and owl ornaments are threaded with...

Craig Shelden’s two-car garage is his refuge from the world. From this lair, he runs his spare-time robotics business, Shelden Robotics. The two family vehicles are parked outside the double doors.     Inside is neatness and order. A garden rake, trash can and recycling bins are the only clues to a family life beyond the closed door. Blue and red electric tape strategically stuck to the floor in circles and rectangles measures robotic achievement.     As a...

Forget fighting mobs at the mall for Black Friday deals.     The SCPA of Anne Arundel County offered the best deal around.     Any black animal — even with a speck of black — went up for adoption for free or at reduced rates.     Seventy cats and 23 dogs qualified for the Black Friday sale.     Last year, 18 animals were adopted. The year before, 23.     This year, 32 animals purred and wagged their way...