‘Wrong’ Md. crime data highlights inconsistent statistics

A reporting inaccuracy from a Maryland county police department has revealed broader examples of inconsistent crime data, from the FBI to the Maryland State Police to local jurisdictions.

Capital Gazette shooter was concerned about sanity

Whether the man who killed five employees in the 2018 Capital Gazette shooting is sane — and therefore criminally responsible for the murders and associated acts — is a question that attorneys on both sides have spent months preparing to answer. Looking back through his court history shows a man who in 2012 sued the paper for libel, particularly aggrieved because, he said in court documents, a column it published implied he was insane.

Maryland’s suburbs saw a large influx of prescription opioids

Much of the rest of the nation saw suburban areas hit harder than rural or urban areas. However, Maryland saw fewer pills per person on average than across the nation.

Across Maryland, counties and universities boost revenue through ICE contracts

Five Maryland jurisdictions currently have contracts with ICE, and two Maryland universities have consulting and training contracts. While activists across the state are seeking to end these agreements, officials say the revenue is worth it.

Md. lawmakers expect education to dominate 2020 session

Reforming Maryland’s public education system. Building new schools. Addressing gun safety. Funding the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These are some of the issues that Maryland state lawmakers expect to dominate the 2020 General Assembly session.

Colder temperatures projected for Maryland later in winter

While many burrowed indoors the third week of November as extreme record-breaking cold impinged upon life across the Mid-Atlantic, the snow machines at Wisp Ski Resort were busy whirring and churning out a base layer of snow for the upcoming winter. 

How Md. uses surveillance, data to track motorists, traffic

Motorists in Maryland may be aware of the cameras that enforce speed and red-light violations, but the state’s tracking practices include other layers to assist in law enforcement efforts, and for traffic and planning purposes. 

In Maryland, advocates educate immigrants about the census

There won’t be a citizenship question on the 2020 census, but immigrants are still afraid of sharing information with the government. In Maryland, immigrant-advocates are knocking on doors to tell residents why the census matters.

Newsrooms reviewed security after Capital Gazette shooting

The tragedy resulting in the murders of journalists Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, Wendy Winters and John McNamara and advertising assistant Rebecca Smith has left newsrooms across the nation to address the question of how to move forward in an industry where vitriol and physical violence are constant and real possibilities.

Trained to serve: Maryland’s Natural Resources Police K-9 Unit

Maryland Department of Natural Resource Police dogs are specially selected and trained to execute tasks like detecting poached wildlife, tracking violators, searching and locating missing individuals and detecting human remains.