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Around Maryland

Baltimore Police Department is borrowing supplies for DNA tests from other crime labs because of procurement snafus

Due to problems with the city’s newly reconfigured procurement system, the Baltimore Police Department has been unable to secure a key chemical component necessary for DNA tests, which left them scrambling to find it elsewhere. The department has borrowed as much as a six-month supply of analytical reagent, the compound used to cause a chemical reaction in DNA testing, from other labs in the state. Two sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak about the matter, told The Baltimore Banner that the shortfall of reagent would not have been solved without the assistance of other agencies.

‘Touch DNA’ instrumental in Syed’s exoneration

Adnan Syed was imprisoned for more than two decades for the murder of his teenage ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, but he was freed in September and charges were dropped this month. The decision by prosecutors hinged on a lot of factors, including a new analysis of genetic material that they said wasn’t available at the time.

USS Constellation to move from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for repairs

The historic USS Constellation will move from the Inner Harbor to Tradepoint Atlantic at Sparrows Point for significant restoration, according to a news release from Living Classrooms. It will depart from berth at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Pier 1, 301 E. Pratt St., and will arrive at 1 p.m. the same day at Tradepoint Atlantic, 6995 Bethlehem Boulevard, Sparrows Point. The ship will undergo hull repairs to stop water leaks, according to the release.

 

Read More: Baltimore Sun
person lying on bed and another person standing
An autistic teen needed mental health help. He spent weeks in an ER instead.

By his fourth week waiting for help in the emergency room, Zachary Chafos’s skin had turned pale white from lack of sun. His mother, Cheryl Chafos, bathed her autistic teenage son daily in the ER’s shower, trying to scrub the sickly pallor off him. His father, Tim Chafos, held the 18-year-old’s hand, trying to soothe his son’s pain and confusion over what was happening.

100 US dollar banknote money
Opinion: County Council should have final say on spending

The increasingly bitter dispute between the Frederick County government and the union that represents the county’s career firefighters has again gotten to the stage of unfounded political attacks. The union is campaigning hard to defeat ballot Question A and, as it did in a similar campaign four years ago, is spreading a misleading message. Its slogan in this campaign is “Keep Frederick County Safe,” but the charter amendment in Question A has nothing to do with safety. It is about who has the power to decide how tax dollars must be spent.

‘I know and love the city’: Orioles great Adam Jones chats about returning to the local sports scene with new Banner podcast

When Adam Jones finished his 11-year run in an Orioles uniform in 2018, he’d left his name throughout the storied franchise’s record books. He’s seventh all-time with 875 runs scored, fifth with 1,781 hits, eighth with 305 doubles, fifth with 263 home runs, sixth with 866 RBIs and fifth with 595 extra-base hits. He also appeared in five All-Star games and owns four Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger.

Md. to review 100 in-custody deaths as audit into former medical examiner continues

Maryland’s attorney general says a team of experts will conduct a detailed review of some 100 autopsies of people who died in police custody during the tenure of the state’s former chief medical examiner. Attorney General Brian Frosh announced details of the review Wednesday in a news release. Dr. David Fowler, who led the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner between 2002 and 2019, came under scrutiny after he testified for the defense during the 2020 murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was charged with murder in the killing of George Floyd.

Read More: WTOP
Poor, less white areas get worst internet deals but may be paying the same rate

A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her shoddy internet service. “When I was getting ready to use my tablet for a meeting, it was cutting off and not coming on,” said Neville, who lives in a middle-class neighborhood in New Orleans whose residents are almost all Black or Latino.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Adnan Syed may be entitled to millions from the state. Men who’ve spent decades in Maryland prisons warn it could never be enough.

With the murder charges against him dropped, Adnan Syed may pursue a declaration of innocence that carries a potential $2.2 million payout from the state of Maryland. Three weeks after a Baltimore judge overturned Syed’s conviction in the 1999 killing of former high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby suddenly announced Oct. 11 that her office had dropped all charges because of newly tested DNA evidence.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
red apple fruit on four pyle books
Across Maryland, school board candidates cite learning loss, student performance as biggest issues

Steve Whisler and Jenni Pompi stand on opposite sides of the cultural divide roiling school board races in Maryland and nationwide. Whisler objects to what he called the “1619 Project curriculum” that focuses on the role of racism in America’s founding, while Pompi praises schools that teach students about “the disenfranchisement and marginalization of Black, brown and Indigenous people.” But Whisler and Pompi agree on one thing: The most important issue facing Maryland’s schools isn’t their approach to race or the kinds of books that students can check out of school libraries. “The most pressing issue in our county relates to learning loss,” said Whisler, a Carroll County Board of Education candidate.

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