Catonsville Chamber Offers Networking Breakfast

The event will be held later this month.

Polock Johnny's Moving to Wilkens Avenue

Baltimore institution since 1921 moving last location from Caton Avenue and Washington Boulevard to Wilkens next to Kibby's.

Polock Johnny's, which has been serving up polish sausage and hot dogs since 1921, is moving its last location from the corner of Caton Avenue and Washington Boulevard to the 3400 block of Wilkens Ave., according to signs posted at the establishment. According to the sign at the restaurant, it will close in December and open on Wilkens Avenue, across the street from St. Agnes Hospital and next to Kibby's Restaurant and Lounge, in January of 2013. A cashier at the restaurant, who declined to be identified, said that the new location will have a larger seating area and an expanded menu. Aside from the familiar favorites, the new menu will include wraps and salads, she said. According to a history provided by Polock Johnny's, John Kafka began…

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Job Hunt

Check out employment listings in Catonsville.

Looking for a new job? Patch is searching local employment ads and will feature, weekly, some local opportunities.  Good luck in your search!

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Startup Maryland's 'Pitch Bus' Visits UMBC

The traveling facility for innovators to pitch ideas makes a stop at UMBC's incubator complex.

What do you do if you're an entrepreneur with an idea that might set the world on fire—and no way to reach partners, venture capitalists or potential customers? Startup Maryland is a statewide initiative that helps entrepreneurs and innovators bring their ideas to fruition with the Pitch Across Maryland bus, a vehicle equipped with a studio to help business people make video "pitches." The Pitch Across Maryland bus made a stop at bwtech@UMBC, the incubator complex adjacent to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Sept. 19. "We want to put the spotlight on entrepreneurs, to give them a bigger megaphone," said Startup Maryland co-chair Mike Binko. "You never know who's out there—a partner or investor who can help you get to the …

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Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is recommending that people who shop at Trader Joe's avoid its peanut butter products.

People who shop at Trader Joe's are being warned to avoid its peanut butter due to an ongoing investigation into a multi-state outbreak of salmonella, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The department is asking that people not consume Trader Joe’s brand Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with sea salt, but it warned that other peanut butter products could also be contaminated, according to a press release. Officials say customers should set aside any peanut butter they've bought recently. Maryland officials are working with several state health departments, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the salmonella outbreak. So far…

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POLL: Should Maryland Allow Alcohol Sales in Grocery Stores?

The proposed liquor store in Wegmans has sparked the debate.

  The proposed 10,000-square-foot liquor store inside the new Columbia Wegmans has reignited the debate on whether wine, beer and liquor should be sold in Maryland grocery and convenience stores. In an expansive article on Saturday, the Baltimore Sun examined how multiple grocery stores are trying to find ways around rules that generally ban chain grocery stores from selling wine, beer and liquor. (There are some exceptions, such as an Eastern Shore Giant location that has a license that has been grandfathered.) Adam Borden, the president of Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws, said the bans are antiquated. “Our culture has evolved,” said Borden. “It used to be one where temperance and orderly tax collections were our most paramount …

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Chamber of Commerce Selects Business Award Winners

The 2010 recipients include some longtime businesses as well as some newer business owners along Frederick Road.

Some of the businesses honored by the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce are brand new this year and already have a huge following in the community. Here is a list of the winners: Entrepreneur: Trax on Wax. Owner Gary Gebler has  built customer loyalty since opening this year in what was formerly Record and Tape Traders on Frederick Road. He holds popular Open Mic Nights two Tuesdays a month and can also copy old vinyl records to CDs.  Community Outreach: Chef Paolino's Cafe. Owner Paul Delfico has given back to the community in  many ways since opening eight years ago on Frederick Road, including sponsoring sports teams and community events. Innovative Technology: Clean Energy Technology Incubator at UMBC. Since opening in March of …

The 'Mayor' of Oella Offers Food, Friendship and Forgiveness

Jay Patel and his throwback country store have changed Oella from a rough mill town into a close-knit community.

As cars pass through the four-way stop at Jay's Country Corner Store in Oella, horns beep and hands peek out partially cracked windows, waving at the man standing on the store's stone steps. Jay Patel must wave back each time. He shouts a hello and calls the vehicles' occupants by name. Patel has been standing on the store's porch no more than five minutes. He has waved at least that many times. "See, this is the problem out here," Patel says. But the diminutive 61-year-old from India, owner of the country store since 1983, is smiling through his thick white goatee. For Patel, there's no problem. He loves the Village of Oella and the people in those vehicles who can't resist saying hello. He should. The old mill town that straddles the …

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Danna Walker

7:45 am on Tuesday, October 19, 2010

JLo, This is one of our favorites, too! We want to keep highlighting the amazing people in the Catonsville area. If you know of anyone who would make an interesting feature let us know. Thanks for taking the time to comment. -Danna at Patch.   more ›