Wednesday, December 25, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Around Maryland

United by tragedy, family of fallen Capital Gazette staff carry one another through traumatic trial

Cindi Rittenour sat by the water at a memorial garden for her sister and four Capital Gazette journalists while she waited for a jury’s verdict to decide whether the gunman who killed them was insane or not. Minutes later, her phone rang. Deliberations had finished much earlier than expected.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
‘We are broken’; Baltimore County student representative admonishes school board for incivility

A 17-year-old student seated on Baltimore County’s school board chastised his adult counterparts this week for failing to confront what he described as deep division and incivility within the governing body. Christian Thomas, a rising senior at Eastern Technical High School, delivered the critique Tuesday during his first public school board meeting, stating he was “ashamed” the board had allowed conflict to fester. “Over the past few months as I’ve been preparing to join you all on the board, I’ve been watching,” Thomas said.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Latest updates: Capital Gazette newspaper shooter Jarrod Ramos on trial

Three years after Jarrod Ramos burst into the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, and shot and killed five people, a jury is set to decide whether Ramos is criminally responsible for the attack. The trial began June 29 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. Ramos already pleaded guilty in October 2019 to 23 counts related to the June 2018 slayings of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiassen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters.

Read More: WTOP
Coppin State University creates Freddie Gray scholarship for Carver High School graduates

Coppin State University has created a scholarship named for Freddie Gray that benefits graduates of his alma mater, Carver Vocational Technical High School in Baltimore. Gray’s sister, Fredericka, joined Coppin State officials on campus Tuesday to announce the scholarship. Gray’s death in 2015 from injuries suffered in police custody sparked days of unrest in Baltimore and drew national attention to the policing of Black communities.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital reaches big milestone with 1,000th TAVR operation

MedStar Union Memorial Hospital reached a big milestone with the 1,000th transcatheter aortic valve replacement without open-heart surgery. The team recently replaced the aortic valve of Ken Rogers, 67, of Dundalk. Instead of open-heart surgery, physicians access the heart with a replacement valve attached to the end of a catheter that’s then inserted through the groin.

Read More: WBAL
Cooling centers open in Baltimore area amid hot temperatures

Excessive heat and humidity are in the forecast for part of the week in Maryland, so Baltimore-area cooling centers are opening to provide relief from the heat. Temperatures were forecast to reach the upper 90s all week. WBAL-TV 11 News recently spoke with Northwest Hospital’s emergency department chair, Dr. Angela Watkins, who said heat can take a toll on people.

Read More: WBAL
‘A gem of a building’: Lansdowne High School in early stages of design for new state-of-the-art facility

Plans to replace Lansdowne High School in Baltimore County are progressing in the early stages of design, but the project is actively seeking state funding, according to the executive director of facilities management for Baltimore County Public Schools. “It has to be funded by the county and the state,” Pradeep “Pete” Dixit said. “Construction funds may take a couple years to come and we don’t know at this point — so anything would be purely speculation.”

Read More: Baltimore Sun
100 us dollar banknotes
Maryland starts giving away 20 $50K scholarships

Starting Monday, Maryland will give away $1 million  in scholarships to young people who get vaccinated. Twenty scholarships worth $50,000 a piece will be given out. Students between the ages of 12 and 17 who get vaccinated will automatically be entered into the lottery. Gov. Larry Hogan said the scholarships are the equivalent of a full-ride to an in-state public university for tuition, but the money can be transferred to a private college or university.

Read More: WTOP
Baltimoreans can drop off food scraps at five new city sites starting Monday as part of composting pilot program

Starting Monday, Baltimoreans will have several new places to drop off food scraps for composting, according to the city’s Department of Public Works. Food scraps were already accepted at two city farmer’s markets — one under the Jones Falls Expressway on Sunday mornings and another at 32nd Street and Barclay Street on Saturday mornings. But now, residents can also drop off food waste at five city landfill and trash collection sites.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Long Reach High School graduate raises money for cancer research through gaming marathon

From his Columbia home, Theo Lazarou is making a difference in the lives of children in his community. A recent Long Reach High School graduate, Lazarou, 18, has figured out a way to use his love of video games as a way to raise support for pediatric leukemia research. Using Twitch, a livestreaming platform for gamers, he has held two 24-hour virtual gaming marathons where viewers can donate to support Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

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