nix01

Abdalla Ahmed, 3, and Madina Ahmed, 12, eat dinner at their family's apartment in Columbus. In the year that the Somali Bantu children have lived in the United States, they have adopted customs from their new home and retained others from their homeland.

nix02

Edna Kepple, 82, asks her son, Chuckie, about a phone call from a customer at KeppleÕs Garage, the business that she and her husband have owned and operated with their four sons for 57 years. Not much has changed over the years aside from the vehicles tha

nix03

Wayne Barker of Owings Mills rubs his nose on the nose of a McDonald Douglas F4C "Phantom" Supersonic Fighter in a sign of affection to the airplane at the Maryland Aviation Museum in Middle River. Barker is a resident of Progress Unlimited, an

nix04

Kristin Ruzicki screams as officers in the Kenosha Police Department inform her of her husband's death at the scene of an accident on Green Bay Road and L Street. David Ruzicki was driving his motorcycle in excess of 85mph when he rear ended a car and die

nix05

Naomi Elliott waits in front of a backdrop of a golf course with her son, William Elliott of Catonsville, during the 15th Annual Indoor Miniature Golf Classic at St. Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Residents had the opportunity to try their h

nix06

Josh Sorden, a student at Ohio University, has been growing his beard for several years. "I started tying it up after I started finding meal leftovers in it hours after I ate," he said. "It's purely for sanitary purposes."

nix07

Fourth grader Katie Ellis (right) wipes the tears of her friend, Elizabeth Wyatt, during a chapel gathering at the Lamb of God School in Halethorpe. Students at the Pentecostal school meet for the two-hour long chapel sessions once a month to sing worship

nix08

Lillian and Linford Burkholder wait in the barn as their father finishes milking the cows for the evening. The Burkholders are an Old Order Mennonite family living just north of Mansfield, Ohio.

nix09

Sister Pauline Kelly of Little Sisters of the Poor speaks to Bertha Hauck, 102, at St. Martin's Home for the Aged in Catonsville, Md. on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Hauck, a lifelong New Orleans resident, was transported to St. Martin's along wi

nix10

Clara Burrell, 87, purchases herbs at Goldenseal in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh several times a week for natural health remedies that keep her youthful and active. Burrell believes that alternative medicine and her independent lifestyle k

nix11

Bill Hickley, 68, pulls on his chaps before taking his Harley out on an unseasonably warm January afternoon in West Mifflin, Penn. Hickley later pulled on his leather jacket, commenting, "I used to have one that was several sizes smaller than this wh

nix12

Kevin Eckart of Howard High School grabs Nathan Bolton of Hammond High School in a chokehold during a match between the two schools on Jan. 9. Bolton defeated Eckart, and Hammond won the match 49-19.

nix13

Haley Wilson, a fifth grader at St. James Academy, watches dancers from backstage as she prepares for her role as a munchkin during a practice for the musical, "The Wiz." The middle school will have performances open to the public on April 27 an

nix14

Catonsville actress Courtney Weber poses for a portrait in the attic of the home where she grew up, which once served as her playroom. As a teenager, Weber decorated the walls with photos of Julia Roberts, who was her favorite actress at the time.

nix15

Jean Plitt, 75, of Ellicott City, Jeanne Stevens, 84, and Sylvia Dress, 69, of Ellicott City practice during their tap dance class taught by Stevens at the Florence Bain Center. Stevens has been teaching dance in Howard County for over 25 years. "I'm

nix17

Zack Osborne squirts Otti with water from his mouth as Jake moves away in an attempt to stay dry. Because he spends up to eight hours a day taking care of his 42 exotic pets, Osborne bathes his birds in the shower when they are dirty to save time. ÒIÕm no

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nix18

Very few students at the Maryland School for the Deaf have deaf parents. So for students, one of the greatest benefits of the school is the community that subsequently develops among students who sometimes feel a sense of isolation at home. Deidra Davis (

nix19

Charlie Fisher of Elkridge completes math exercises on a white board during class. Fisher was adopted from China and enrolled at the Maryland School for the Deaf in the spring. He did not know any sign language when he started, but his teacher said he is

nix20

Boarding students Aidan Southard, Cameron Gooding, and Ta'Nayah Waller watch as their classmates leave on buses to go home at the end of the school day. Half of the students at the school spend the night in the dorms at least once a week due to the long d

nix21

Noa Svir (left) and Aidan Southard of Baltimore County look at Edward Cheah as he communicates with them in American Sign Language during a Halloween haunted house event. Cheah was dressed as Bill Clinton. The school's Halloween event is the largest celeb

nix22

Mikesha Bluthenthal (cq) of Frederick County swims in the pool after school on May 21. Students who stay in the dorms are allowed to use the swimming pool located in the main building of the campus on Mondays.

nix23

Deidra Davis of Washington County signs to her dorm counselor before bedtime in the dormitories while Ta'Nayah Waller of Wyomoco County plays with a balloon poodle she received during a Halloween celebration. Each student who stays in the dorms has a bed

nix24

Clarence Taylor, part of the dormitory staff at the school, smells a student's hand to make sure he washed them before dinner on June 12. Taylor is one of several employees who was once a student at the school.

nix25

Gabrielle Smith (right) watches closed caption television in the dorms while Shanta Hicks (center) and Clarence Taylor, a dorm counselor, play a game in which they act out the scenes on the television.

nix26

Samantha Ivon of Baltimore County prepares backstage for her role as the fox in a play titled "The Mitten" that students performed during a holiday celebration. Students who are involved in the after school program have the opportunity to partic

nix27

Kindergarteners Christopher Bell of Elkridge and Hannah Aitken of Harford County are seen through a window with a reflection of the swimming pool at the Maryland School for the Deaf during Sports Day on May 31. Sports Day included many indoor and outdoor

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Students at the Maryland School for the Deaf stand on stage during a June 14th promotion ceremony for students finishing elementary and middle schools. The students took turns walking to the center of the stage to sign their names and their plans for the

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Nix30

Louise Roche talks on the telephone while her brother, Stephen Kumisk, comforts her. Louise's husband, Bob Roche (left), was injured in a car accident 10 years ago. He has been in a vegetative state since the accident. He spent the first year after the ac

Nix31

Louise Roche kisses her husband, Bob Roche, who has been in a vegetative state since he was hit by a car on his way home from work ten years ago. Roche continues to show her husband love by making his favorite foods and placing them by his bed, giving him

Nix33

Stephen stretches after waking up in his bed, which is next to Bob's. Stephen sleeps next to Bob so he can respond if Bob requires medical attention in the middle of the night. Stephen left his family in the Democratic Republic of Congo nine years ago in

Nix35

Louise and Stephen bathe Bob every day as part of their routine. In the mornings they give him his medication, feed him, bathe him, and change his bedding. After Louise leaves for work, Stephen exercises Bob's muscles, shaves his beard and cuts his hair a

Nix36

On Valentine's Day, Louise wrote a love letter for Bob that she hung on the wall in his room. She also made carrot cake for him and left a slice by his bed.

Nix37

Louise holds an umbrella over Bob to shield him from the rain while he was transported inside the house from an ambulance. Bob had been hospitalized following a seizure, but returned home on March 7.