Lauren Rymer, of Baltimore, Md., is going hungry on the corner of Maryland Avenue and State Circle streets.

And she doesn’t intend to eat until she gets a few minutes with Gov. Martin O’Malley to discuss her pending foreclosure, among the many others in the “Old Line State,” and the myriad negative effects associated with it.

Unless, of course, she feels the need to continue fasting to get her point across and message heard even louder.

She explains (via WBALTV.com):

“I feel like I’m really representing a lot of people out here [right across the street from the state house in Annapolis]…. I just didn’t understand why — at this time when times are so rough and the governor called three weeks before for (federal) banks to stop moving forward with foreclosures on their clients — the state government was moving forward with a foreclosure on mine without trying every possible channel to help me stay in my home…. Everyone that’s being affected is a human being … are people that want to have a home, and that’s why they bought homes.”

Rymer claims that she simply can’t keep up with a 55 percent property tax increase on her $200,000-something mortgage. She could lose her home to foreclosure in about 45 days if she cannot parlay her hunger strike into a resolution of some kind with her lender.

Hopefully, that happens much sooner than 45 days — Mitch Snyder barely lasted that long.

Celebrity chef Timothy Dean, who participated in the seventh season of the popular “Top Chef” program on the Bravo network, is fighting to save his Prime Steakhouse in Baltimore, Md., from foreclosure.

Baltimore Business Journal reported earlier this week that a foreclosure auction for the Fells Point building (located at 1717-1721 Eastern Ave.) has already been scheduled for Sept. 16, 2010. If it goes through, the business would have been open for a mere seven months.

Adams National Bank sued Dean and his company for $1.3 million, which is the reason behind the foreclosure proceedings.

The good news is that Dean is confident that the two parties can reach an agreement, renegotiate the terms of the loan and live happily ever after. He’s even willing to declare bankruptcy if it means he will avoid losing the building to foreclosure.

Dean, who says in the report that business at Prime Steakhouse is booming (he plans to open another restaurant in nearby Prince George County this fall), was among 17 chefs hand-picked to compete “against each other in culinary challenges” on “Top Chef.”

The 39-year-old was eliminated from the competition in episode five when his dish of roasted turnips and asparagus with honey failed to impress the palettes of the tournament judges.

The race is on to save the hallowed Pimlico racetrack in Baltimore, Md., according to a recent article on Bloomberg.com.

It’s Canadian owner, Magna Entertainment Corp., is apparently bankrupt, which has lawmakers in “Charm City” scrambling to save the course through either a bond sale or via eminent domain.

And help can’t come soon enough.

That’s because the Preakness Stakes — the second leg of U.S. horseracing’s Triple Crown — is scheduled to run its 134th annual race at Pimlico on Saturday, May 16, 2009. The good news (for the timebeing) is that regardless of what happens between then and now, the Preakness will still go on as planned.

However, the future of the race and the park after May 16 has the local-area residents, including Alan Foreman, general counsel for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, concerned. Very concerned:

“Those who recognize the psychological importance of the Preakness are very troubled. The Preakness is one of the great sporting events, and it defines the city and state’s culture and traditions…. The race should be run on the hallowed ground of Pimlico. It defines whether there is a possibility of a Triple Crown winner, one of the most difficult feats in all of sport.”

The current legislative measure on the books would authorize “the Maryland Economic Development Corp., a state-created entity that’s sold $3 billion of bonds for economic development,” to raise money to purchase Pimlico and other assets, which are valued at around $60 million.

Stay tuned for future updates on this developing situation as it unfolds.

Carol Gilbert from the Goldseker Foundation has some great advice for distressed homeowners in Maryland, anywhere for that matter, in an article today in the Los Angeles Times.

Here’s a quote:

“Borrowers may think that they are delaying foreclosure by not calling the lender – the opposite is true. The longer a borrower waits, the faster foreclosure will proceed and the fewer options there are to slow or reverse it from happening.

Too often, homeowners who default on their mortgages wait until the last minute to seek foreclosure assistance. It’s a decision that in the long run comes back to haunt them.

In most cases, lenders, states and nonprofit organizations have programs in place that can stop foreclosure. That’s because no one, aside from opportunistic investors, ever really wins in foreclosure situations.

According to the article, one of the first steps to take is contacting a housing counselor. Reaching out to the lender to discuss possible options is also an important initial step.

The article offers a few resources for Maryland residents, including:

• Dial 311 (in Baltimore) to be connected to a free counselor at a HUD-approved nonprofit
• Call 888-995-HOPE (4673).
• Visit the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center ((410) 366-8550) for free counseling

Whether it’s refinancing, deferring payments or relocating, options abound when it comes to avoiding bank repossession.

Inaction, however, should not be one of them.