As homicides and non-fatal shootings mount in neighborhoods across Baltimore, Cherry Hill Safe Streets leaders this week marked an upbeat milestone: One full year without a murder in the area they serve in the South Baltimore community. “Today is a very big day for us. I love what we are celebrating,” said Keith Brown, who works for the antiviolence group Safe Streets, at a ceremony this week on the program’s South Baltimore site.
Safe Streets celebrates a year with no homicides in a South Baltimore area they serve, with hope for rest of the city
1.7 magnitude earthquake felt in southwest Baltimore early Sunday morning
The US Geological Survey is reporting another earthquake overnight in west Baltimore. The 1.7 magnitude quake hit in Irvington, near Edmondson Village at 1:53 a.m. This comes after a 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit the area on Friday. According to the USGS the epicenter was located at 39.295°N 76.690°W, which is around the 4400 block of Colbourne Road and was around 3 miles deep. As of now there are no reports of any damage or injuries.
Baltimore Police say use of ‘ghost guns’ is increasing, with more connected to homicides and shootings
Baltimore Police say the use of “ghost guns” is on the rise in the city, with a top-ranking department official saying that officers are on track this year to seize up to 300 of the untraceable firearms that can be built from kits. More than a dozen of the weapons were linked to homicides and shootings in the city last year,. During a discussion about privately made firearms Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner Sheree Briscoe said the department has recovered 83 ghost guns as of mid-May.
Crisis counselors are being hailed as police alternatives. It’s too heavy a burden, some say.
Manuel Calero was looking through patient files when his shift partner knocked on the desk divider and handed him a notepad. With the phone still squeezed between her ear and her shoulder, Mary Brough nodded in a way that, Calero knew, meant they would be heading out shortly. He scanned the scribbled notes — a woman calling about her 21-year-old son with bipolar disorder who had recently checked himself out of the hospital and was now home, emptying bags of trash in the living room.
Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission announces Federal Approval of New Program for Specialist Physicians
The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission is announcing federal approval of the Episode Quality Improvement Program (EQIP). This new program provides incentive payments to specialist physicians who improve quality of care and reduce the cost of the care that they provide to Medicare patients. “We are excited to announce the development and launch of the Episode Quality Improvement Program”, said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader.
Salaries for Carroll County Public Schools educators rank low compared with surrounding districts
Carroll County Public Schools educators rallied before the most recent Board of Education meeting, demanding higher pay. One reason for their demand was because of how CCPS compares to other counties in terms of teacher compensation. Data from the Maryland State Department of Education shows Carroll’s starting salary is the second-lowest of all the Central Maryland districts. And Carroll has the lowest maximum salary for the same districts.
Heat has closed Baltimore City, County schools this spring. Here’s what to know about the status of air conditioning.
The lack of air conditioning in Baltimore City and Baltimore County schools has forced in-person lessons to go online this spring — most recently last week — as school systems continue to struggle with high temperatures in their oldest buildings. Long after most school systems in the state had installed air conditioning in all their buildings, Baltimore City and Baltimore County still have dozens of buildings where temperatures rise above comfortable levels.
“Sports Betting 101” Event Draws Full House of Would-Be Bookmakers
Three years ago, the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting. Eight months ago, Maryland voters approved a sports gambling referendum. And in April, state lawmakers created a Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, a panel that will decide who will be allowed to operate a legal sportsbook. While the commission has yet to start its work, entrepreneurs who’ve been following the action will soon face a moment of decision: Roll the dice on a new industry as it takes shape — or hold tight to their chips.
More officers will be on Fells Point streets this weekend, but greater challenge of weeding out the rowdiness remains
The high school girls walked into the Fells Point bar Penny Black last weekend dressed in caps and gowns and, innocently enough, ordered just juice. When staff caught sight of the tequila bottles under their graduation gowns, the girls took their party to the street. “They spent the entire night, until 3 or 4 in the morning, getting so trashed,” said Melissa Doering, the bar owner. The historic seaport neighborhood of Fells Point has always been a nightlife destination, but such blatant underage, public drinking would never have been allowed in years past, bar and restaurant owners say.
Lawmakers Hail New Prince George’s County Hospital as a Public Health ‘Win’
As the ribbon was cut on the long-awaited University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Prince George’s County on Tuesday, jubilant lawmakers hailed the state-of-the-art facility’s opening as a public health victory. “More than a million people in Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland are finally going to get the health care that they deserve — which they so desperately need and that they have [needed] for so long,” Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said at the Tuesday ceremony.