Around Maryland

Donald Lawson, a sailor training for an ambitious attempt to break multiple sailing world records this fall, went missing in July in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico. His wife last heard from him on July 12 and his satellite last received signal of his boat’s location on July 13. Mexican Navy authorities located and searched his capsized sailboat Friday, July 28, but did not find Lawson. Here’s what we know about the missing captain: At this point, any hope for Lawson’s survival likely hinges on him being on a life raft.

It could’ve been a crush but now Charm City Live attendees will have plenty of space to spread out when the music festival takes place at the end of the month.mBut what will that mean for Orioles fans? Instead of being held at War Memorial Plaza, this year’s music festival is taking over the Inner Harbor, relocating to “the heart of Baltimore, at the intersection of Market Place and East Pratt Street in the Inner Harbor, to offer guests an unforgettable live musical experience,” city officials said Wednesday in a news release.

“Mama Duck,” the world’s largest rubber duck, is making its first-ever trip to Maryland. While Mama Duck hasn’t been officially listed by Guinness World Records, owner of the duck, Craig Samborski, says “Nobody’s challenged me on the fact that it’s the largest.” Mama Duck sits at 61 feet tall and weighs 15 tons, that’s approximately 6 times the weight of a Chevrolet Suburban.

Maryland’s Supreme Court will meet next month to consider a new rule that would govern the public’s access to audio recordings of court proceedings. The proposal follows a federal court decision last year that found Maryland’s “broadcast ban,” which prohibited the broadcast of legally obtained recordings of court hearings, violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Among the many bus agencies in the Washington region, obviously WMATA’s Metrobus is the biggest by any measure. But the second biggest, Montgomery County Ride On, is such a large agency on its own that it ranks alongside many a big-city operation from elsewhere in the country. If you rank US bus agencies by 2019 ridership, New York’s MTA, Los Angeles County’s MTA, and Chicago’s CTA came in 1-2-3. WMATA was 9th. Baltimore’s MTA 11th.

Mark R. Ginsberg, provost and executive vice president of George Mason University, will serve as Towson University’s 15th president, the University System of Maryland announced Wednesday morning. He will start work Oct. 30. “As a Maryland resident of more than 40 years, I’ve witnessed TU’s remarkable rise in becoming not only one of the most respected institutions in our state, but one of the best in the nation,” Ginsberg said in a statement.

Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley crisscrossed several community policing block parties Tuesday evening, a chance for the nominee to appear publicly as he prepares for a series of town hall meetings and a confirmation hearing later this month. At the annual National Night Out events around the city, part of a national community-oriented policing campaign, Worley shook hands with community leaders and heard their safety concerns, such as a desire for better lighting near Joseph Lee Park in Bayview.