“Contracted Out” was a massive effort pulled together by four faculty members and dozens of students at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Derek Willis, lecturer in computational and data journalism, suggested the project and worked with…
About the data
The data compiled in “Contracted Out” was provided by all of the 24 public school districts in Maryland. The data provides records of vendors that receive payments of $25,000 or more during a fiscal year from a board of education…
Board of Education Race 2022 Coverage
Reporters at the Local News Network produced several in-depth stories about the issues in Maryland’s 2022 school board elections, based largely on a survey of and interviews with the candidates. In addition, student reporters vetted the candidates and produced stories about the ones who didn’t pay taxes on time — and one who had been repeatedly charged with shoplifting.
Board of Education Voter Guide
The Local News Network surveyed all 155 Maryland school board candidates and got responses from 102 of them, which are included in this voter guide to the 2023 board of education elections in the state.
Bringing Back Baseball
A $70 million ballpark is coming to Hagerstown. What will it mean for the city?
Hagerstown’s new ballpark: Picnic areas, walking paths and high expectations
HAGERSTOWN — From the corner of West Baltimore Street and Summit Avenue, you can see the future of baseball in the Hub City There aren’t any home runs flying yet. But next Spring, the cranes and construction workers will be…
Baseball stadium aims to revitalize city center
HAGERSTOWN – The new ballpark under construction here is the latest effort to bring baseball back to a town that has a rich history tied to the game. But the project is also an attempt to revitalize a city core…
Neighbors remain skeptical of ballpark in their backyard
HAGERSTOWN — Hagerstown city officials and business owners are excited about the new minor league ballpark that’s under construction, but not all of its neighbors are cheering about it. Residents near the $70 million project – which leaders hope will…
For Black community, ties to city’s baseball traditions are complicated
HAGERSTOWN — Alesia Parson-McBean remembers the second time Willie Mays visited her hometown. Regarded as one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived, Mays returned in 2004 to Hagerstown, Maryland, the site of his minor league debut. During Mays’…
Could new baseball team bring Little League spirit back to Hagerstown?
HAGERSTOWN — Hagerstown has an argument for calling itself one of the premier Little League towns in America. It sent teams to the Little League World Series in 1950, 1968, and 2008, each one bringing together the small Western Maryland…