Dwayne Weaver has owned Keystone pharmacy in West Baltimore for 32 years. He says the aftermath of the destruction that followed the death of Freddie Gray three years ago left his store 95 percent empty. While Weaver and his pharmacy are back in business again serving the community, he says he’s not sure whether the city is safer, despite crime being reported down 33 percent from this time last year.
Orioles fans celebrate the opening day of baseball season
As the 2018 baseball season kicked off on Thursday, Baltimore Orioles fans remained hopeful that this year will take the team into the playoffs.
Supreme Court to hear Maryland gerrymandering case on Wednesday
It’s been years in coming and tomorrow, Maryland’s gerrymandering case that’s been making its way through the courts, ends up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Congressional lines were re-drawn between 2010 and 2011 by state legislative leaders–all Democrats. Soon after some residents of the state’s Sixth Congressional District filed suit. Opponents claimed that the congressional lines had been gerrymandered by the Democrats, violating their First Amendment rights and reducing the chances for a Republican to be elected from that district.
Child gun deaths marked by display of thousands of empty shoes on the lawn of the Capitol
Tom Mauser lost his 15-year-old son Daniel in the Columbine shooting that changed the nation. Mauser made the trip from his Colorado home to Washington bringing with him a memory: two pairs of Daniel’s shoes, including the ones he wore when he became one of the 13 killed in the massacre at the high school in 1999. On Tuesday, the shoes became part of a display of 7,000 pairs of children’s shoes on display on the southeast lawn of the Capitol. Event organizers say the shoes represented the estimated gun deaths of children since Sandy Hook.
Baltimore man on a mission to get more kids to share his love of baseball
Andy Weltlinger is a former collegiate baseball player on a mission. He says baseball has fallen out-of-favor with many of Baltimore’s younger residents. So he’s created BUBA Baseball–the Baltimore Urban Baseball Association–to encourage kids to come out and “play ball.”
Prince George’s Police Chief takes part in U.S. Senate democratic hearing on gun violence and school safety
WASHINGTON– Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski joined with others directly impacted by gun violence in urging Congress to put politics aside and take action to do more to prevent attacks on schools.
Baltimore City police use swimming to bridge gap with youth
Baltimore has had a difficult time in recent years with a growing violent crime problem and turmoil in the police department. But there are still ongoing efforts to build relationships within the community in the hopes of turning things around. One such program takes aim at some of the city’s youngest residents. That program has kids and officers taking to the water together.
State delegate works to make streets safer following grandson’s murder
There were 342 homicides in Baltimore last year. Among the victims, the grandson of Baltimore City Delegate Talmadge Branch. Branch is sponsoring legislation to try and expand a violence prevention program already operating in the city in the hopes of saving the lives of others
Bill proposes age limits on tackle football for young athletes
Good Counsel High School freshman William Leatherwood has been playing tackle football since second grade. Leatherwood says playing tackle football for so many years has helped get him to Good Counsel and their athletic program. But that could change for younger athletes in the future.
Baltimoreans reflect after 12-day homicide-free streak
-Baltimore’s 343 murders in 2017 were the second highest in the history of the city. 2018 started out as the year before ended with nearly a murder a day. But, for the first time in a long time, 12 days this month passed by without a single homicide.