‘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.

Harpers Ferry rock climbers worry closures could set precedent for future access

HARPERS FERRY, West Virginia – “This is not how the Park Service is supposed to work.” That’s according to Eric Murdock, policy director for the Access Fund, a rock climbing advocacy organization that has worked with land managers all over…

Sea levels are rising, and so are risks to the Port of Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Officials at the Port of Baltimore, one of Maryland’s biggest economic assets, have acknowledged that sea levels are rising, but their efforts toward combating climate change are a work in progress. “We rely on the water,” said Kristen…

Sustainability and climate change emerge in architecture schools across the country

BALTIMORE — Nicole Ponce, a senior architecture student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, visited a freshwater lake in the Netherlands as part of a class last summer. Her assignment: to envision sustainable housing and commercial uses for the…

More domed stadiums, fewer ski resorts: Expect climate change to affect sports around the world

If a thunderstorm had loomed over the stadium, or a downpour had erupted or a heat wave had rolled through Houston that October night, the tens of thousands of fans watching Game 7 of the World Series in Houston’s Minute…

Baltimore Lags Behind Other Cities In Adoption Of Cool Roofing

BALTIMORE — In East Baltimore, home to neighborhoods with the hottest summer temperatures in the city, Saahil Panikar credits the white roof on his Butchers Hill rowhouse with how comfortable his home is year-round. “I keep my thermostat on the…

Planting trees to fight climate change

BALTIMORE — As a field specialist at the Baltimore Tree Trust, Kwamel Couther spends most of his time planting and maintaining trees throughout the city. “I can’t stop thinking about work,” Couther says, “even in my sleep.” The Baltimore Tree…

A plastic bag ban, green agriculture and zero waste: legislators’ climate plans for the 2020 session

ANNAPOLIS — When the Maryland legislature reconvenes in January, legislators of both parties say they will continue the battle against climate change. Some of their plans are much more aggressive than others. Del. Brooke Lierman, a Baltimore Democrat, said she…