Maryland lawmakers are demanding more information the alleged corruption within the Baltimore City Detention Center. A new report shows that Baltimore area drivers waste more than a day a year on the roads due to traffic congestion. A new study shows that texting while driving is just as dangerous whether you use your fingers or your voice. Plus: a report on efforts to bring healthier food options to Baltimore neighborhoods, the latest on the dispute between Baltimore and its former speed camera contractor, efforts to cut the costs of Baltimore's telephone system, and more.
Prison Misconduct Scandal: Maryland lawmakers are demanding more information about allegations of corruption within the Baltimore City Detention Center. The Baltimore Sun notes that the FBI indicted 25 people -- including 13 corrections officers and members of the Black Guerilla Family gang -- on charges including racketeering, drug possession and distribution, and money laundering. An FBI report indicates that senior corrections officers had informal deals with the gang, relying on it to curb violence inside the jail. The alleged ringleader of the gang within the Detention Center, Tavon White, was recorded on a wiretap saying "I make every final call in this jail." Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she is upset by the reports on the operation. Meanwhile, many Delegates and State Senators are calling for meetings with Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Gary Maynard to learn more about what happened. The Washington Post notes that Maynard has taken responsibility for the incident. And in his weekly essay, WYPR Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith weighs in on the allegations.
Feeding Baltimore's Need For Healthy Food Choices: As residents from one Baltimore neighborhood celebrate the coming of a supermarket, city officials are continuing their efforts to increase access to healthier food options. WYPR's Kenneth Burns reports on what's being done.
Speed Camera Dispute: Baltimore City is refusing to pay its former speed and red-light camera operator (Xerox State and Local Solutions) for the last three months of its contract. The Baltimore Sun reports that the sum in question comes to $2-million. The move comes after Baltimore had to stop issuing tickets for months at the beginning of this year because of problems transitioning to a new contractor (Brekford Corporation)... and after the city this week voided more than 6-thousand tickets issued by cameras under the old contractor, because city officials claim they didn't get enough information from the contractor to defend those tickets in court.
Baltimore's Telephone System: A new effort to cut costs of Baltimore's phone system has won unanimous support of the Board of Estimates. Yesterday, the BOE voted to award a six month contract to a New York-based firm (HPA Consulting Group) to come up with ways to save money; the group had previously estimated that the city's phone system is wasting up to a million dollars a year. The Baltimore Sun reports that the consultants will not get an up front fee for their work -- but will get 16 percent of the money that they save the city.
Baltimore's Proposed Taxi Tax: It looks like the new tax on Baltimore taxis proposed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will not require approval from Maryland's Public Service Commission to go into effect. The PSC regulates taxi services in Baltimore, but the city's Finance Director tells the Baltimore Business Journal that the Commission will not have to sign off on the 25-cent tax per passenger per ride that Rawlings-Blake is advocating. The Mayor says the tax would raise 1.3 million dollars a year. Meanwhile, the PSC is considering a proposal to raise the general fare for city taxis; it'll hold a public hearing on that matter at the end of May.
Texting While Driving -- Dangerous No Matter How You Do It: It's illegal to send text messages on a hand-held phone while driving in Maryland... but a new report says using your voice to text is just as risky as typing. The new study is from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M. WJZ notes that distracted driving-related crashes injured around 152-thousand people in the Maryland from 2007 to 2011.
Traffic Congestion Wastes A Day A Year For Baltimore Drivers: there's a new report out on traffic congestion in the US... and while it's not at its worst in Baltimore region, folks are still spending lots of extra time behind the wheel because of it. As the Baltimore Sun reports: traffic data provider INRIX says the the average driver in the Baltimore area spends about 25 hours and 42 minutes in gridlock every year. That's the 17th longest amount of time in the nation. But folks a little south have it worse; the Washington DC region has the 9th worst congestion, with 41 annual hours of wasted time behind the wheel. LA is the worst, with 51 hours.
Pelosi To Speak At UB Law School Commencement: U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will be delivering the commencement address at the University of Baltimore law school next month. The Baltimore Sun reports that the California congresswoman and former House Speaker has strong Maryland ties, as her father and brother are former Baltimore mayors. Pelosi has previously delivered commencement addresses in the state, first in 2005 at Goucher College and four years later at Johns Hopkins.
In sports news: The Orioles lost 6 to 5 to the Toronto Blue Jays in yesterday afternoon's 11-inning game. The O's hit the road today; they'll begin a 4 game set with the Oakland A's in Oakland tonight.
And: The NFL Draft begins tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Baltimore Sun notes that the Ravens have the 32nd overall pick in the first round. Baltimore has a total of 12 selections throughout the weekend. Rounds Two and Three are on Friday. Rounds Four through Seven are on Saturday.