State lawmakers heard arguments Tuesday on a bill that seeks to add criminal penalties for knowingly possessing ransomware with the intent to use it in a malicious way.
Maryland lawmakers consider new rifle and shotgun regulations
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — A bill returning to the Maryland legislature this session aims to regulate certain sales and transfers of rifles and shotguns. Maryland law requires the regulation of the “sale, transfer, rental, and possession of regulated firearms, which consist…
Housing, guns bills priority of new Maryland Senate committee chairman
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — A bill that would make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against voucher holders is the top priority of the new chairman of the state’s powerful Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Sen. William “Will” Smith Jr., D-Montgomery, will…
Hogan: Fighting Baltimore crime a priority in new Maryland budget
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — The governor’s 2021 budget will prioritize fighting violent crime in Baltimore, provide “record levels” of education funding and finish paying for a major economic development project. Gov. Larry Hogan, R, released the details of his “Accountability Budget”…
‘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…