Baltimore police say they’re mobilizing in response to a recent increase in street robberies across the city. Police are planning a statewide crackdown on impaired driving, starting this Friday. Annapolis Alderman Ken Kirby will find out next week whether he’ll be allowed to run for re-election. Maryland schools prepare to implement the Common Core Standards. The West Nile Virus has made it to Maryland. And more.
Baltimore Police To Increase Presence: Baltimore police say they’re mobilizing in response to a recent increase in street robberies across the city. Police officials tell the Baltimore Sun that street robberies are six percent higher so far this year… and shootings are up by 14 percent. A wave of recent robberies involve young men stealing cell phones and other valuables from victims, showing guns in many cases and shooting victims in others.
Statewide Crackdown On Impaired Driving: Police are planning a statewide crackdown on impaired driving, starting this Friday. The increased presence will continue through the Labor Day holiday.As the Capital Gazette reports, Maryland saw 170 deaths due to impaired driving last year; more than 4-thousand people were injured in impaired driving crashes.
Common Core – Coming To A School Near You: When Maryland’s public schools open for the 2013-14 academic year, they’ll be teaching a new curriculum. The Common Core Standards are set to be fully implemented statewide, providing a guideline for what K through 12 students should learn in math and English. Many Maryland school officials received Common Core training over the past three summers but some say they still find it confusing. WYPR’s Gwendolyn Glenn has this report on educators’ concerns… and officials’ plans to address them.
BoE Awards Contract For Water Treatment Facility: Baltimore’s Board of Estimates has approved more than a quarter of a billion dollars to create a new facility designed to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. The $263-million will go to building a nutrient removal facility at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The vast majority of the money will come from the state’s so-called “flush tax,” a fee imposed on residents who use municipal wastewater systems. The Baltimore Sun reportsthat when the plant is up and running, it could reduce nitrogen levels by 60 percent in the water it treats that flows into the Bay.
Kirby’s Re-Election Eligibility: Annapolis Alderman Ken Kirby will find out next week whether he’ll be allowed to run for re-election. The city’s Board of Supervisors of Elections will hold hearings on Monday evaluate a series of complaints raised against the Alderman, including criticism of his campaign finance reports, and questions about whether he meets residency requirements. The Capital Gazette reportsthat Annapolis’s election supervisors approved the certificates for all the other candidates running for Aldermanic posts last night – but the Board deferred a decision on Kirby until more can be heard about the complaints.
Smith – Harsh Sentencing Has Distorted Criminal Justice System: Earlier this week, US Attorney General Eric Holder called some elements of our nation’s criminal justice system “shameful.” WYPR Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith comments, in his weekly essay.
West Nile Arrives In MD: The West Nile Virus has made it to Maryland. Worcester County health officials say a sample of mosquitoes from Ocean Pines has tested positive for West Nile virus. They tell our wire service it's the first time the virus has been detected in the county this year; the USGS is not yet confirming the presence of the virus. West Nile virus is rarely fatal in humans, but can cause problems for children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems.
Speed Cameras: The company that operated Baltimore’s automated speed camera program until earlier this year has been tapped to run the red light camera program in Chicago. Xerox lost its contract for Baltimore’s speed camera program, after revelations that thousands have people had received erroneous tickets. Xerox will replace Chicago’s current camera vendor – which the Baltimore Sun reportshas been caught up in a federal bribery investigation. In related news, the company that replaced Xerox to run Baltimore’s speed and red light camera program recently told its shareholders that it expects the system will be back online by the end of September. ButtheCEO of Brekford Corporation tells the Sun that the comment only reflects the company’s anticipations; the city says it hasn’t set a re-start date for the camera system. The devices have been offline since April, after it was discovered that one camera was programmed with the wrong speed limit. City officials have said they want to ensure the cameras are error-free before the system gets back up and running.
Frederick’s Proposed Social Media Policy: The city of Frederick is looking to take greater control of social media accounts that use the city’s name. The proposed policy would require that Frederick officials be able to review all content posted on websites affiliated with the city. The Frederick News Post reports that this includes sites run by Neighborhood Advisory Councils, which currently have independent control.
Baltimore Baseball: the Orioles lost yesterday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks; the score was 5 to 4. The O’s are off today; tomorrow, they’ll be back in Baltimore to host the Colorado Rockies.
Baltimore Football: the Ravens host the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason home opener tonight. The game gets underway at 7:30 at M&T Bank Stadium.
Ravens’ Rank #9 On “Most Valuable Franchises” List: The Ravens came in at number nine on the "Forbes Magazine" list of the NFL's most valuable franchises. Forbes says the Ravens are worth more than $1.22-billion, just ahead of the team they beat in the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers. The Baltimore Sun has more here.