Greg Long, who has been the defensive coordinator for Havre de Grace High School's football team, was named the Warriors' new head coach. A Havre de Grace alum, Long will provide continuity to the 2010 Class 1A state finalists after Johnny Brooks accepted the Aberdeen football coaching job. Long had been the coordinator running the Warriors defense during Brooks's 13-year tenure as head coach. Long confirmed to Patch this week that he was chosen after Athletic Director Heather Crawford conducted interviews last week. Crawford confirmed the decision Thursday, saying the school was still in the…

UPDATED (4:45 p.m.)—An 81-year-old man drowned at Tidewater Marina Friday morning. The drowning appears to be accidental, according to Susquehanna Hose Company Chief Scott Hurst. The man's name is being withheld until his family is notified. The Maryland Natural Resources Police Special Operations Division is investigating the accident. According to Natural Resources police, a 44-foot sailboat was leaving the dock area when the 81-year-old passenger fell into the water without a lifejacket. Patch was on the scene as crews responded. A man, wet and visibly upset, was taken away from the scene …

Johnny Brooks, Havre de Grace High School's football coach for 13 years, was introduced Tuesday as Aberdeen High School's new football coach. Brooks, a 1981 Havre de Grace grad, led his alma mater to the Class 1A state title game in 2010. He had been a teacher at Havre de Grace since 1994 and has accepted a social studies position at Aberdeen, where he replaces John Siemsen as head coach. Aberdeen was 1-9 last season. Havre de Grace High School is accepting applications for its head coaching job and intends to conduct interviews during the week of May 16. Havre de Grace defensive coordinator …

The star quarterback that led Havre de Grace to its first state championship appearance in 22 years has transferred. Darin Washington, a junior multi-sport athlete, has withdrawn from Havre de Grace High School. Multiple sources have confirmed Washington has enrolled at Edgewood High School. Washington’s Facebook profile notes that he lives in Edgewood and “goes to Edgewood Senior High.” Washington was most recently a starting small forward on the Warriors first-place basketball team. Washington was a second-team All-Metro selection by The Sun in football following the fall season, in which …

The decorated Havre de Grace police officer who resigned this week amid an internal investigation has told Havre de Grace Patch that allegations about his personal finances stem from a simple misunderstanding that should not end his law enforcement career. PFC Billy Thompson, the city's 2010 "Law Officer of the Year," was placed on paid administrative leave by the department in early December amid allegations that he was writing bad checks to area business-owners. Thompson said that the allegations led to the ongoing internal investigation that "snowballed" into more claims that resulted in …

UPDATED 7:40 a.m.: Mercury was detected in an operating room of Harford Memorial Hospital Tuesday, causing an isolation of all six rooms in the first floor department. The rest of the hospital remains open, however all scheduled surgeries for Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday were cancelled. Emergency surgeries will be performed if needed. According to Martha Mallonee, director of corporate communications for Upper Chesapeake Health, the incident involved one piece of equipment in a Tuesday morning surgery. That patient was recovering from surgery and in good condition at the hospital late …

Traces of arsenic have been discovered in several soil samples throughout the undeveloped portions of the upscale, gated Bulle Rock community in Havre de Grace. The arsenic levels are low and concentrated in specific locations within the property, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment and parties with knowledge of the situation. The arsenic levels are not believed to pose any immediate health risk to residents. Dawn Stoltzfus, the communication director for the MDE, said a comprehensive sampling plan from Bulle Rock is due by the end of January. The findings of that plan …

The Water and Sewer Commission is expected to call for a possible 27 percent increase in water and sewer fees over the next three years, with the first of three annual 9 percent hikes proposed to start next year. According to multiple sources, the nine-member commission will make the recommendation in the latter-half of the 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall when its citizen member Curtis Cohen speaks to the council. While varying degrees of proposals will be discussed during the presentation, the commission is expected to call for a 9 percent increase, possibly beginning Jan. 1, and two successive …

Mechelle Stauffer could have stayed home on a rainy Thursday afternoon. With just two days left, nobody was going to fire her. Instead, she was at Save-a-Lot, helping customers in the same way the store owners, Mike and Stephanie Linkous, have always been there for her. An employee and manager of the Havre de Grace Save-a-Lot for 14 years, Stauffer said she felt a sense of gratitude towards the owners, even as the final hours of operation ticked down towards Saturday's closing. "They held out as long as they could," Stauffer said of the Linkous family. "They're not abandoning the community. …