Featured Articles from the Baltimore Sun

Here are our picks for what horses to bet in the 2011 Preakness Stakes: Race 1 10:45 a.m. Analysis: Expect Boreal Forest to set the early fractions, as he has in his previous starts. He will have less competition on the lead than in previous efforts. As a result, he could carry his speed a long way. He is tested at this level, so the class is no problem. Issues and Answers comes in off just a maiden win, but he did win at a good level and should compete well here.

A month shy of his 16th birthday, Ty Hobson-Powell made history Sunday when he walked across the stage at The Lyric as the youngest person ever to graduate from the University of Baltimore. Hobson-Powell gave up a fledgling basketball career when he began college three years ago, commuted more than an hour each way from his home in Northwest Washington after transferring last fall from Howard University and once completed 27 credits in a single semester while shuttling between classes at Howard, Montgomery College and the Internet.

The last time Victoria Dinatale had an acting gig was in 1978, when she played a tree in a North Carroll High School production of a play whose name she can't even recall. But she still remembers the thrill of the spotlight, which is what drew her and hundreds of others to a casting call for extras in "Game Change," an HBO movie about the 2008 presidential race that started filming in Baltimore late last month. Aspiring extras filed into a theater at Stevenson University for hours Saturday, bringing with them headshots that in some cases had to have been taken decades before, on the best hair days of their lives.

For many folks headed to Preakness, the focus of the afternoon isn't the race. It's the fashion — and we don't just mean hats. If you're in the grandstands, the Jockey Club area or Corporate Village, you'll want to dress the part. Betsy Dugan, owner of Bettina Collections in Cross Keys and former co-owner of Octavia in Pikesville, has been dressing women for Preakness for years. "This is the time ... to dress up," she said. If there's one rule of thumb, it's that ladies and gentlemen at Preakness should look like ...well, ladies and gentlemen.

By now, Georganne Hale has seen it all at the Preakness — so much so that the only thing she has come to expect is the unexpected. But whatever happens this Saturday, it'll be hard to top the thrill of two years ago, when Hale turned from Pimlico's top racing official into just another fan blown away by Rachel Alexandra's victory over a field of male horses. "Just because she was a filly," Hale said of why that's one of her favorite Preakness memories. "And she was running against the boys.

Nearly 1,500 workers are in danger of losing their jobs under a reorganization plan by the Superfresh supermarket chain that would sell almost all its stores in Maryland, most of which are in the Baltimore area. The workers will lose their jobs unless other supermarket chains buy the Superfresh locations and retain their employees. State regulators said Monday that the company filed notice about the layoffs and said that store closings could begin as soon as July 6. Superfresh has 24 stores in the state, and all but two locations — both in Ocean City — are for sale.

I was bit by tiny ticks that were the size of a pencil tip in Cecil County in the fall of 2009. In a matter of weeks I had strange symptoms; heart palpitations, shooting pains, joint pain, and abdominal pain but I never got a rash. I wouldn't have known what was wrong with me if it weren't for the fact I had recently seen the film "Under Our Skin," a documentary about Lyme disease. I went through an initial round of antibiotics which made me even sicker. After seeing several doctors I was told 'that I had MS' since my symptoms weren't going away.

Megabus.com, the intercity bus company known for its $1 fare offers, is expanding its Baltimore service with new routes serving Boston, Buffalo and Toronto. Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of Coach USA/Megabus.com, said the company will begin selling tickets for the new routes today. He said the company will begin operating the routes Dec. 15. The rides will begin in Washington and stop at the current Megabus.com stop at White Marsh Park & Ride lot before continuing to their destinations.

Prior to the Kentucky Derby, most horse racing handicappers and experts looked at Animal Kingdom as little more than a turf horse. He had never run on dirt, and his bloodlines seemed to imply he'd be far more comfortable on grass. He had very little racing experience, and in the four races he had run, he had four different jockeys. Animal Kingdom was certainly pretty to look at, but to most people, he didn't feel like a Derby winner. Even the partnership that owns him had doubts the Run for the Roses was the right race for him. Prior to the first Saturday in May, anyone calling him a legitimate Triple Crown contender would have been laughed at. A relatively easy victory in the sport's signature race, however, has a way of prompting reassessment.

For 40 years, the place for Baltimoreans to go to get a driver's license or return license plates in the city has been Mondawmin Mall. No more. The state Motor Vehicle Administration's Baltimore office is leaving its longtime home at Mondawmin Mall and relocating to a new site up Reisterstown Road. Friday will be its last day at the mall, where it has been since 1971. On Monday it will reopen at the Hilltop Shopping Center at 5424 Reisterstown Road. On Saturday morning, when there is normally service, the city office will be closed for moving.

Secretariat. Man O' War. Citation. Maybe, if he manages to win a couple more races in the next few weeks, Animal Kingdom. These are the names of some of the greatest thoroughbreds ever, horses that ran to glory on tracks like Pimlico, Churchill Downs and Belmont Park. Their names have deservedly gone down in history and become part of popular culture. But what about names like Jail Bait, Comply or Die, Onoitsmymothernlaw and the oughtta-be-immortal Yakahickamickadola. In a sport where the names of horses are often wonders to behold (much less to pronounce)

Preakness post time: About 6:19 p.m. Preakness Stakes date: May 21 Site: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore Preakness on TV: Chs. 11, 4 (NBC) Preakness odds: 1. Astrology 15-1 2. Norman Asbjornson 30-1 3. King Congie 20-1 4. Flashpoint 20-1 5. Shackleford 12-1 6. Sway Away 15-1 7. Midnight Interlude 15-1 8. Dance City 12-1 9. Mucho Macho Man 6-1 10. Dialed In 9-2 11. Animal Kingdom 2-1 12. Isn't He Perfect 30-1 13. Concealed Identity 30-1 14. Mr. Commons 20-1 Tickets to Preakness: Infield, in advance $50, on race day, $60. Prices throughout the grandstand vary, and some require reservations, so call (410)