Recent stories by Candus Thomson

5:11 PM EDT, May 13, 2012

JFX repairs may be finished first week in June

On an unseasonably warm Saturday nearly four months ago, workers removed six bolts on a manhole cover in the median of the Jones Falls Expressway and lowered an engineer into a dark space about the width of a phone booth.

1:12 PM EDT, May 8, 2012

Stun gun found in woman's carry-on luggage at BWI

A woman from Columbus, Ohio, was charged Monday after a stun gun was found in her carry-on luggage at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

7:30 PM EDT, May 8, 2012

State Police run truck-safety dragnet at FedEx Field

— Just after dawn Tuesday, law enforcement officers began yanking hundreds of trucks off the Capital Beltway and funneling them to an inspection lot a long touchdown pass from FedEx Field.

7:47 PM EDT, May 7, 2012

Maryland-built riverboat is bound for the Mississippi

Gleaming white with twin black smokestacks and a 23-ton red paddle wheel at its stern, the Queen of the Mississippi is an apparition rising more than five stories above the Wicomico River.

4:39 PM EDT, May 3, 2012

Beltway lanes reopened after truck overturns

With the clock ticking toward Thursday afternoon rush hour, state crews raced to right a tractor-trailer truck and clear the debris that closed all four lanes of the inner loop of Interstate 695 near U.S. 1.

1:31 PM EDT, May 3, 2012

Shuttle buses to replace trains during light rail upgrades

Shuttle buses will replace light rail trains at five stations north of Timonium from May 5 to about June 30 as workers upgrade crossings in Hunt Valley.

4:50 PM EDT, May 2, 2012

Mount Vernon streets to be closed for Flowermart

Commuters who've begun using downtown streets because of lane closures on the Jones Falls Expressway might want to think about a backup plan for Thursday evening and Friday.

11:50 AM EDT, May 2, 2012

Reward offered in death of two bald eagles in Talbot County

Federal wildlife officials are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person who killed a pair of bald eagles in Talbot County last Monday.

10:35 AM EDT, May 2, 2012

High traffic volume expected at Bay Bridge this weekend

The first of the travel season's "go early, go late" advisories for the Bay Bridge is in effect this weekend as thousands of visitors head for Springfest 2012 in Ocean City.

7:49 PM EDT, May 1, 2012

JFX lanes to close overnight as crews begin $2M project

On Thursday night, all but a single lane of the Jones Falls Expressway near the 29th Street exit will be closed, signaling the start of a $2 million project to replace crushed drainage pipes and to shore up the soil that supports the crucial thoroughfare for commuters and residents.

8:21 AM EDT, April 30, 2012

The Interview: Sally Brice-O'Hara

As the No. 2 leader of the Coast Guard, Vice Adm. — and Vice Commandant — Sally Brice-O'Hara is the chief operating officer of an organization with a $10 billion budget and 58,000 military and civilian employees, plus 31,000 volunteers.

6:18 PM EDT, April 26, 2012

Mayor urges CSX to find site in city for freight yard

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is urging CSX Transportation to find a site in the city for its multi-million dollar cargo transfer center rather than look for a site in suburbs to the south.

12:03 PM EDT, May 1, 2012

BWI ranks sixth out of 22 largest U.S. airports

Readers of a major travel magazine ranked Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport sixth out of the 22 largest U.S. airports for customer service and convenience.

7:42 PM EDT, April 24, 2012

SWAT team targets cargo ship in safety exercise

With guns bristling, police officers in full tactical gear sweep across the vast deck of a cargo ship and creep up the stairs to the bridge.

6:09 PM EDT, April 23, 2012

Port of Baltimore has robust year

Cargo volume at the port of Baltimore grew 15 percent last year, the largest increase of any major U.S. port, state officials announced Monday.

5:06 PM EDT, April 11, 2012

Southwest takes off with new jet

After two years of comfort-testing its new jets on human bodies of all shapes and sizes, Southwest Airlines was ready to let 153 of its most important bodies — paying customers — aboard Wednesday morning at BWI Marshall Airport.

6:19 PM EDT, April 19, 2012

BWI powers up, saves money with new solar panels

Solar power will never replace jet power at BWI Marshall Airport, but officials believe the clean energy generated by newly installed roof panels atop the daily parking garage could boost the airport's image and bottom line.

7:06 PM EDT, April 20, 2012

Cleaner and safer: Tunnels glisten after year's first wash

It's amazing how quickly months of caked-on tunnel grime can be whisked away with a jug of Soot-B-Gone and a $250,000 Mercedes-Benz.

6:34 PM EDT, April 13, 2012

Attention, JFX commuters: Make plans for Monday

Chances are many Baltimore commuters will spend the weekend poring over maps, checking out city byways and back streets, and dreaming of something that may not exist come Monday morning's rush hour: a clear shot into downtown.

8:24 PM EDT, April 10, 2012

Highway agency readies for warm-weather projects

Pete Landon knows only too well what happens when a motorist isn't paying attention in a highway work zone.

6:29 PM EDT, April 18, 2012

Judge awards whistle-blower $462,500 in high-seas pollution case

A federal judge in Baltimore has awarded $462,500 to a low-level merchant marine officer who alerted Coast Guard inspectors that his cargo ship was intentionally polluting the high seas.

4:42 PM EDT, April 15, 2012

TSA often seizes weapons at BWI

Among the knives, real and toy pistols, and other dangerous weapons seized at BWI Marshall Airport, this one stood out: A curving 7-inch arc of jagged teeth with a brass knuckle-style grip.

April 8, 2012

Lanes to close for up to a month on Jones Falls

Warning: Congestion ahead.

8:47 PM EDT, April 8, 2012

Sunrise services mark Easter Sunday across the region

The day's first light tinted the dark sky and chased away the full moon Sunday as worshipers picked their way across the hillside at Beachmont Christian Camp in Kingsville.

7:39 PM EDT, April 8, 2012

100 evacuate as four-alarm brush fire burns in Harford County

Some 100 Joppa residents were evacuated from their homes Sunday afternoon as a brush fire burned just over 18 acres in the area of Dembytown and Trimble roads.

5:14 PM EDT, April 7, 2012

Fells Point tackle shop survives the big-box stores

For 96 years, one thing has remained constant at T.G. Tochterman & Sons, Baltimore's oldest bait and tackle shop: There's always a Tochterman behind the counter.

6:50 PM EDT, April 1, 2012

Revolutionary War re-enactors begin season in Western Md.

Even Revolutionary War action figures need spring training to get their spit-and-polish act together.

7:18 PM EDT, April 6, 2012

Ship bringing largest sugar delivery ever to Domino

The largest load of sugar ever delivered to Domino Sugar's Baltimore refinery arrives aboard a ship on Monday.

6:07 PM EDT, April 4, 2012

Industry group ranks Maryland transportation priorities

Maryland's top transportation priorities should include widening the Baltimore Beltway, making Route 295 six lanes near BWI Marshall Airport and building the city's Red Line light rail, a national transportation group said Wednesday.

8:38 PM EDT, March 20, 2012

Car maker hits pedals for bikes

Jonathan Browning built his career on four wheels, but his passion rides on two.

5:34 PM EDT, April 1, 2012

'Frozen chosen': U.Md. grad competes for Israel in skeleton

LAKE PLACID, N.Y — Just before he jumps on his skeleton sled for a wild, head-first ride down an icy, mile-long chute, Bradley Chalupski lowers his helmet visor, revealing a large Star of David.

12:25 AM EDT, March 31, 2012

Southwest to launch new, and improved, jets this month

Longer and more comfortable, and able to make flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii, the first of Southwest Airlines' new Boeing 737-800 jets is set to arrive in Baltimore next week.

12:52 PM EDT, March 29, 2012

CSX plans to hire over 140 in Maryland this year

CSX Corp. said Thursday that it would hire more than 140 employees in Maryland this year.

7:22 PM EDT, March 22, 2012

State studies increasing speed limit on ICC

Lightly traveled and pothole-free, the newly opened Inter-County Connector is an invitation to speed, and that has become a sore spot with commuters.

11:09 AM EDT, March 28, 2012

Boaters rescued from Middle River

Three boaters were rescued Monday evening from Middle River by Natural Resources Police after their small boat capsized in choppy, wind-swept water, the agency reported.

7:57 PM EDT, March 13, 2012

State looks at all-electronic toll collection

Maryland may eventually do away with tollbooths on the state's highways, bridges and tunnels and switch to electronic toll collection.

3:21 PM EST, March 7, 2012

Port again gets top security rating from Coast Guard

For the fourth consecutive year, the Port of Baltimore's six public terminals received an "excellent" security assessment from the Coast Guard.

March 25, 2012

Under Armour bets on bobsled to fuel global growth

Facing a cupboard bare of medals and reeling from scandals, the once-proud U.S. bobsled and skeleton program was at rock bottom the year of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

March 8, 2012

Baltimore-area exports boom, led by chemicals, computers

The Baltimore region showed nearly double-digit growth in export goods and services in 2010, with room to grow, according to a study released Thursday by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based public policy organization.

7:17 PM EST, March 7, 2012

State panel awards travel plaza contract

The state Board of Public Works approved a half-billion-dollar contract on Wednesday to replace the two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore over the objection of a losing bidder that has vowed a legal battle to stop the deal.

6:24 PM EST, March 2, 2012

Judge clears way for I-95 travel plaza construction

A Montgomery County circuit judge cleared the way Friday for the state Board of Public Works to vote next week on a half-billion-dollar contract to rebuild and operate the two Interstate 95 travel plazas north of Baltimore.

6:03 PM EST, February 28, 2012

Work starts this spring on last part of Intercounty Connector

Construction of the final segment of the Intercounty Connector, the state's first all-electronic toll road, is scheduled to begin this spring.

11:39 AM EST, February 27, 2012

Construction begins on I-95 at White Marsh Blvd. interchange

Construction crews have begun widening White Marsh Boulevard at Interstate 95 as part of the $1.03 billion express toll lanes project.

8:16 PM EST, February 16, 2012

Bill would drastically increase boat registration fee in Maryland

A state proposal to raise boat registration fees for the first time in nearly three decades has dismayed many boat owners.

2:55 PM EST, February 22, 2012

State panel delays vote on travel plazas contract

The Board of Public Works has delayed for two weeks a vote on a contract worth up to a half billion dollars to build and operate the two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore.

10:42 PM EST, February 15, 2012

I-95 plaza bidder prompts questions

The state is poised to approve a 35-year deal with the U.S. unit of a Spanish hospitality company to rebuild and manage two travel plazas on Interstate 95 even as questions emerge about its track record and experience.

7:11 PM EST, February 29, 2012

Losing bidder asks judge to block vote on travel plazas contract

A losing bidder for the nearly half-billion-dollar contract to build and run two new travel plazas on Interstate 95 has asked a Montgomery County circuit judge to block state officials from voting on the agreement the morning of March 7 as planned.

8:32 PM EST, February 21, 2012

Judge to decide whether to block travel plazas award

A Montgomery County circuit judge will decide by Thursday afternoon whether to block the state Board of Public Works from awarding a contract worth up to a half-billion dollars for rebuilding and operating two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore.

9:34 PM EST, February 22, 2012

Judge blocks award of travel plazas contract

A circuit judge blocked the award of a contract worth up to a half-billion dollars to a Miami-based company to build and operate two travel plazas on Interstate 95, saying it appeared the state did not follow its own procurement law.

4:35 PM EST, February 15, 2012

For second year in a row, BWI sets passenger record

For the second year in a row, passenger traffic set records at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, with 22.39 million ticket holders passing through the gates in 2011.

9:47 PM EST, February 10, 2012

Counting crabs in the Chesapeake

— A mesh net tips onto the stern of the work boat "Mydra Ann," and out tumbles a community of crabs: fist-size blues with claws raised in attack mode, tan adolescents trying to scuttle for cover and translucent babies no bigger than a thumbnail.

3:01 PM EST, February 14, 2012

Firms challenges on travel plazas contract denied

The Maryland Transportation Authority has denied challenges from the two losing bidders over the awarding of a 35-year contract to build and manage the state's two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore.

7:17 PM EST, February 9, 2012

Second of two losing bidders protests travel plaza award

The second of two losing bidders for the multimillion-dollar contract to replace and run Maryland's two Interstate 95 travel plazas has filed a protest with the Maryland Transportation Authority over the way it handled the bidding process.

4:51 PM EST, February 20, 2012

Conowingo work to temporarily close U.S. 1

Traffic on U.S. 1 will be stopped for up to 45 minutes on Tuesday and Wednesday to allow workers at the Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station to remove dam gates for maintenance.

8:00 PM EST, February 8, 2012

Tall ship Eagle heads back to the open sea

When the Coast Guard's tall ship Eagle glided under the Key Bridge on Wednesday morning, it looked a lot better than it did when it arrived at the Inner Harbor four months ago.

2:59 PM EST, February 9, 2012

Port's public terminals set new traffic records

The Port of Baltimore's public terminals set new marks last year in the handling of vehicles, containers and wood pulp while also posting a strong showing in the areas of general cargo and farm and construction machinery.

8:59 PM EST, February 8, 2012

BWI among airports to adopt prescreening program

Before year's end, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will be part of a passenger prescreening program that allows low-risk travelers to keep their belts and shoes on and their laptops in their bags as they go through security checkpoints.

7:15 PM EST, January 31, 2012

Company challenges award of travel plaza contract

The multimillion-dollar contract to turn Maryland's travel plazas on Interstate 95 over to an out-of-state company is being challenged by a Bethesda-based firm that says the bidding process favored the eventual winner.

7:46 PM EST, January 26, 2012

Company aims to build viable electric car in Md.

Genovation Cars Inc., a Rockville-based company, wants to do what many in the auto industry have failed to do — build a fully electric, battery-powered vehicle that the public embraces.

8:33 PM EST, January 30, 2012

Maryland to see 60-degree temperatures this week

You don't need a groundhog to tell you which way winter is going.

5:29 PM EST, February 5, 2012

Storms may have killed off many stink bugs

The combined fury of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee may have drowned much of the region's stink bug population, but scientists are still hesitant to say that homeowners will see fewer of them when the weather warms.

7:53 PM EST, January 20, 2012

State, localities prepared for first storm of year

The Baltimore Sun

8:36 PM EST, January 23, 2012

Two I-95 travel plazas to be rebuilt in revenue-sharing plan

Maryland has taken the first step toward replacing its two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore with expansive, airy welcome centers filled with amenities and operated by a company with years of experience serving travelers.

4:53 PM EST, February 2, 2012

Maryland Zoo leopard predicts spring is on the way

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Thursday, a sure sign that winter will continue for six more weeks.

6:28 PM EST, January 28, 2012

City bikers look for more recreation, commuting options

Representatives of Baltimore's biking and hiking community gathered Saturday for a "state of the trails" summit to set a course for creating more opportunities for recreational users and commuters.

6:57 PM EST, January 3, 2012

Advocacy panel proposes expanded MARC service

Increasing MARC train service during off-peak hours and initiating it on weekends would help boost the Baltimore-Washington economy, says a regional transportation advocacy group that seeks to make it easier for potential employees to reach job centers.

8:26 PM EST, January 9, 2012

Balt. cruise traffic up 20 percent in 2011

Port of Baltimore passenger cruise traffic rose nearly 20 percent in 2011, the fourth consecutive year of customer increases, the Maryland Port Administration announced Monday in a news release.

8:35 PM EST, January 25, 2012

Shipowner, operator fined $1.85M in pollution case

When Coast Guard inspectors boarded a new freighter docking in Baltimore last February, a junior-level engineer from the Philippines approached and slipped them a note.

6:16 PM EST, January 10, 2012

2 supermarket chains to begin contract talks with union

The union that represents 17,000 workers at the region's two largest supermarket chains is embracing the "occupy" movement as it begins contract talks Wednesday.

5:07 PM EST, January 8, 2012

Bridal finery or bandsaws? Both on display at fairgrounds

Here comes the bride. All dressed in white. With a hint of sawdust.

5:59 PM EST, December 27, 2011

Feds shut down bus company that operates in Md.

A bus company that served Baltimore has been shut down by federal transportation officials for being an "imminent hazard" to public safety.

11:41 PM EST, January 13, 2012

Baltimore's port marks record year for vehicles in 2011

Just after sunrise, a caravan of nearly 1,000 new cars begins streaming down the ramp of a massive cargo ship, a procession that won't end until evening.

7:55 PM EST, December 30, 2011

Maryland records 25 boating fatalities, most since 1992

In the most deadly year for Maryland boaters since 1992, Kevin Gladhill knows how close he and his fishing buddies came to being statistics on a blustery day last February.

9:43 PM EST, December 29, 2011

Five Maryland toll bridges to receive security upgrade

Five state-owned toll bridges will be getting an $11 million security upgrade, including new lighting, sensors to detect stopped vehicles and cameras to peer above and below the spans.

7:34 PM EST, December 21, 2011

New shipping service to boost port container traffic by 10%

One of the world's largest container companies chose Baltimore over other East Coast cities as its first U.S. stop for direct shipping from Northern Europe after a long courtship by Maryland officials and private business leaders.

4:51 PM EST, January 12, 2012

Driver whose truck hit, killed woman gets five years

A truck driver who killed a Stevenson University professor and seriously injured her two sons in a 2010 crash on the Ohio Turnpike was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.

8:00 PM EST, December 15, 2011

JFX turns 50: Baltimore's six-lane Main Street

Hours after a ribbon-cutting ceremony 50 years ago, the Jones Falls Expressway had its first pileup and subsequent traffic snarl.

11:09 AM EST, January 8, 2012

Hunter shot by another; illegal hunting charges filed

A hunter is in the hospital and four of his friends have been charged with multiple counts of illegal hunting after an incident Saturday afternoon just off a major thoroughfare in Prince George's County, Maryland Natural Resources Police reported.

5:51 PM EST, January 3, 2012

Latest Md.-made tug is bound for Baltimore's harbor

The shipbuilding future of Maryland is 90 feet long and smells of Spanish cedar and fresh paint.

9:25 PM EST, January 11, 2012

Man in wheelchair rescued from under subway car

A man in a wheelchair was struck by a subway train at Lexington Market station Wednesday afternoon, closing the station while rescue workers freed him.

7:57 PM EST, December 15, 2011

Timeline: JFX milestones

Oct. 2, 1956: Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. and state officials break ground for the Jones Falls Expressway.

4:54 PM EST, December 4, 2011

City building bike trail to connect Penn Station and Inner Harbor

About 16 months from now, bicyclists will be able to ride from the Inner Harbor to Pennsylvania Station on a smooth path all their own.

8:49 PM EST, December 29, 2011

Work on Curtis Creek drawbridge will reduce beltway lanes

The first phase of a $14.5 million project by the Maryland Transportation Authority to replace the decks of the Baltimore Beltway drawbridge over Curtis Creek will begin next week, reducing travel lanes and creating new traffic patterns.

4:18 PM EST, December 8, 2011

Maryland highway deaths dropped 10% in 2010

Fifty-six fewer people died in motor vehicle accidents in Maryland last year than in 2009, a decline of 10 percent, according to figures released Thursday by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

7:00 PM EST, December 27, 2011

Area ski resorts try to cope with warm temperatures

Liberty Mountain Resort has $1 million in new snowmaking equipment ready to roar, but the ski area one hour northwest of Baltimore can't buy a flake this season.

8:30 PM EST, January 4, 2012

New tools aim to thwart striped bass poaching

Officers have returned to the scene of the crime, where last year they pulled up miles of illegal nets filled with 12.6 tons of striped bass from the frigid waters off Kent Island.

4:07 PM EST, December 2, 2011

Nearly 38K vehicles use new section of ICC in first 10 days

Free test drives will end this weekend on the newly opened Intercounty Connector, which links Interstate 370 in Gaithersburg to Interstate 95 in Laurel.

8:16 PM EST, December 13, 2011

Part of bridge needs replacing after beltway crash

Two beams on the southbound Interstate 95 bridge spanning the Baltimore Beltway will need to be replaced following Monday afternoon's crash involving an oversized piece of construction equipment.

9:02 PM EST, November 21, 2011

Federal regulators investigate newly formed trucking company

Weeks before federal trucking regulators ordered Gunthers Transport LLC off the road for being an "imminent hazard" to the public, the owner's son filed the paperwork to create a new entity: Clock Transport LLC.

3:27 PM EST, December 26, 2011

Baltimore plans roundabout for Key Highway, Light Street crossing

City traffic engineers are working on the final design for a $7 million traffic circle at the intersection of Key Highway and Light Street.

8:14 PM EST, December 12, 2011

Truck hits, possibly damages I-95 bridge over beltway

When an excavator on a flatbed truck struck a Baltimore Beltway overpass Monday afternoon, Patricia Charles and her husband, Rufus Charles, were in the next lane, just feet away, and watched horrified as metal tumbled into their path and a chain came whipsawing in their direction.

8:48 AM EST, December 4, 2011

Bridge repair work on Route 100 to cause delays

Highway crews replacing a damaged beam on a bridge over Route 100 in Pasadena will stop eastbound traffic for 15-minute intervals overnight, beginning Monday at 11 p.m. Motorists on Waterford Road also will experience temporary shutdowns in both directions. Westbound MD 100 traffic will not be affected.

8:54 PM EST, November 30, 2011

Regulator vows to improve trucking enforcement

The nation's top trucking regulators said Wednesday that their agency is moving to prevent companies that have been shut down for repeated safety violations from staying in business by changing their names, a recurring problem in the industry.

6:46 PM EST, December 7, 2011

State approves $100 million renovation of BWI

The state set in motion Wednesday an "aggressive" $100 million renovation of BWI Marshall Airport that will streamline security check-ins, eliminate a major passenger bottleneck and give its No. 1 carrier room to grow.

7:20 PM EST, November 29, 2011

Trucker cited after tanker oozes asphalt goo onto Pa. Turnpike

The local trucker who police say was driving the tanker that leaked a 40-mile ribbon of roofing asphalt onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike last week, snarling holiday traffic and damaging hundreds of cars, has been issued two tickets.

7:19 PM EST, November 9, 2011

Commission votes to curb menhaden catch by 37 percent

The interstate panel that oversees fishing along the Eastern Seaboard voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to cut the menhaden catch by up to 37 percent next year in an effort to protect the species and, by extension, striped bass.

2:50 PM EST, December 8, 2011

New speed camera installed on Beltway's outer loop

Another high-profile Baltimore County construction zone is being outfitted with a speed camera, the State Highway Administration says. The newest camera, on the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at Exit 13 (Frederick Road), will be up and running on Tuesday.

4:56 PM EST, November 27, 2011

Maryland Zoo program tries to save African penguin population

When it comes to water, penguins aren't naturals.

7:46 PM EST, November 15, 2011

Living Classrooms schooner to undergo repairs

Like it or not, everything succumbs to rot.

5:02 PM EST, December 1, 2011

White Marsh firm chosen to prepare bus system blueprint

The Traffic Group, a White Marsh-based transportation planning firm, has been chosen by Montgomery County officials to prepare a conceptual blueprint and cost estimate for a bus rapid transit system to serve the state's most populous jurisdiction and the home of Maryland's worst traffic congestion.

6:31 PM EST, November 22, 2011

Drivers rejoice as ICC halves Laurel-Gaithersburg travel time

They gathered before dawn in a hotel parking lot, determined to prove themselves right. A former state senator. The one-time leader of Maryland's most populous county. Several local business owners.

10:10 AM EDT, October 1, 2011

Two men found injured in Annapolis shooting early Saturday

An early-morning shooting in Annapolis left two men injured Saturday, one critically, police said.

5:45 PM EDT, October 23, 2011

'Race for the Cure' participants hope for win over cancer

As the sun rose Sunday on the 19th Komen Maryland Race for the Cure, it illuminated a makeshift city nearly the size of Annapolis, all decked out in shades of pink ranging from the palest pastel to the hottest hue.

6:02 PM EST, November 19, 2011

Trucking companies leave long trail of safety violations and victims

Sitting in a wheelchair at a nursing home, Brian Buber can't recall the instant 17 years ago when tons of screaming metal came rocketing toward him on the Capital Beltway, scattering fellow construction workers and crushing their paving equipment.

10:06 AM EDT, October 23, 2011

Komen Race for the Cure gets under way

David Berdan likes the Komen Maryland Race for the Cure so much, he'll do it twice Sunday, once as the two-time defending champion of the Hunt Valley event and later as a family man whose loved ones have suffered from breast cancer.

2:46 PM EDT, October 1, 2011

Repairs to city pumping station prevent water problems

Power was restored to a city pumping station Saturday afternoon, after a morning outage had public works officials calling for water conservation throughout much of Baltimore County's central corridor.

4:57 PM EST, November 8, 2011

Commission shelves reduction of striped bass harvest in Chesapeake Bay

— A proposal that could have slashed Maryland's annual striped bass catch by more than 50 percent in 2012 was shelved Tuesday morning by the commission that oversees East Coast fisheries.

7:35 PM EDT, October 18, 2011

Number of young striped bass in Chesapeake Bay spikes

After several years of discouraging results, Maryland fisheries officials say the number of juvenile striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay this summer was the fourth highest in the 58-year history of their annual census.

6:16 PM EDT, October 9, 2011

400-acre habitat to honor Howard birder

Aelred Geis tried to make the world better for birds and people, in that order.

7:50 PM EDT, October 22, 2011

'Cyber Challenge' encourages teen hackers to seek security jobs

Like skilled cat burglars, teams of college-age hackers slithered past defenses to probe the soft underbelly of a sophisticated computer system.

10:49 PM EDT, September 17, 2011

Festival seeks to recruit beekeepers

Behold the honeybee.

6:48 PM EST, November 6, 2011

Acre by acre, scientists work to rid Md. of nutria

— Judas 760 knew just where to swim last fall after federal trappers set him free: back to his home in the marshes of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where other nutria lived.

7:12 PM EDT, November 2, 2011

New reef created in Chesapeake Bay

Concrete that once blocked fish from swimming up the Patapsco River to spawn has a new life as home for aquatic creatures at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay.

6:37 PM EDT, August 16, 2011

2 in Md. indicted in alleged oyster poaching scheme

A federal grand jury in Camden, N.J., has indicted six people, including two from Maryland, and two companies for their part in an alleged oyster poaching scheme from 2004 to 2007.

7:44 PM EDT, September 20, 2011

Maryland unlikely to have pumpkin shortage

A Halloween without pumpkins?

6:06 PM EDT, October 9, 2011

For merchant mariners, a place of solace in Baltimore

Toothpaste and spiritual comfort share space in the double-wide storefront in Dundalk.

7:42 PM EDT, September 30, 2011

300-foot-long Coast Guard tall ship visits Inner Harbor

The Eagle never slips into port unnoticed.

9:17 PM EDT, September 30, 2011

Towson plays University of Maryland for first time

Forget Army vs. Navy, Alabama vs. Auburn, Ohio State vs. Michigan.

2:31 PM EDT, September 3, 2011

As recruiting flags, Natural Resources Police take to skies

On Labor Day weekend, Ocean City sunbathers may notice an unusual come-on among the aerial banners touting happy-hour drink specials and marriage proposals: an invitation to join Maryland Natural Resources Police.

5:05 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Baltimore Ravens fans eager for season opener

Greeting the start of the new Ravens season today might feel a lot like anticipating what's under the tree while padding downstairs on Christmas morning.

5:59 PM EDT, September 16, 2011

Maryland seeks sustainability seal for striped bass

Someday, perhaps as early as March, Maryland's striped bass may join the main ingredients of Europe's Filet-O-Fish sandwich on the list of fish known worldwide as abundant, well-managed and caught in environmentally friendly ways.

6:20 PM EDT, June 29, 2011

State parks could reach capacity early as day-trippers seek water, sun

With sandy beaches, cooling waters and shady picnic areas, Maryland's state parks have become the go-to destination for more than 6 million day-trippers between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

5:36 PM EDT, September 27, 2011

UM barge to help fight invasive species

The first step in stopping invasive species from hitching a ride into the Chesapeake Bay aboard cargo ships is determining how to make massive ballast tanks an inhospitable environment.

5:50 PM EDT, October 1, 2011

Cold can't stop Howard County festival

With the weather leapfrogging fall's cheerful chill to winter's blustery bite, the warmest person at the Howard County Conservancy's fall festival Saturday was iron man Allen Dyer.

3:39 PM EDT, July 30, 2011

Tubing on the Gunpowder could become a victim of its own popularity

On any summer weekend, thousands of outdoors enthusiasts are drawn to the cooling waters and shaded shores of Big Gunpowder Falls.

7:32 PM EDT, August 10, 2011

Sunken destroyer will offer haven for fish, divers

It took shipyard workers 38 months to build the Arthur W. Radford, but only four hours Wednesday for a marine salvage crew to send it to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

7:56 PM EDT, September 9, 2011

Rescue dogs, handlers worked to find remains at the Pentagon

Jesse quivered and refused to budge.

5:27 PM EDT, July 14, 2011

Spend the weekend chasing crabs

You could drive to a fish market or stop at a roadside stand to pick up a few dozen steamed crabs, or maybe a bushel.

7:35 PM EDT, July 20, 2011

Former Navy destroyer to be sunk soon to create massive artificial reef

With almost every regulatory hurdle cleared, planners believe they are about two weeks away from sinking a 563-foot former Navy destroyer off the coast of Maryland to create the largest artificial reef on the Eastern Seaboard.

11:03 PM EDT, August 13, 2011

Headed off down a different trail after memorable adventures

We've come to the end of the trail, you and I. It's been more than 11 years since I laced them up and asked you to come with me on a hike.

4:17 PM EDT, September 19, 2011

Bald eagle killed in Western Maryland

Maryland Natural Resources Police is investigating the shooting death of a bald eagle that was found Friday in Allegany County near the Pennsylvania line.

5:40 PM EDT, August 20, 2011

Demographic shift causes state parks to adapt

When an approaching thunderstorm threatens swimmers at Greenbrier State Park, lifeguards reach for an iPod, scroll through the menu and press play.

7:13 PM EDT, July 29, 2011

Catonsville native has escaped death twice while filming sharks

Nick Caloyianis has cheated death by shark at least twice in his career as an award-winning underwater videographer.

5:40 PM EDT, June 27, 2011

Upper Chesapeake Bay sees low salinity levels

The near-record amount of runoff that coursed down the Susquehanna River and into the Chesapeake Bay last spring has created the lowest salinity levels seen in the upper bay since 1985, when water monitoring stations were established.

8:18 PM EDT, July 18, 2011

Invasive snakehead found in river near Annapolis

A mature, egg-bearing northern snakehead has been discovered by scientists in a river just south of Annapolis, raising the possibility that low salinity in the Chesapeake Bay this year may have allowed the invasive fish to escape from the Potomac River.

3:22 PM EDT, June 18, 2011

Ask Outdoors Girl: Are Maryland state parks now more welcoming to pets?

Steve Shinnamon and several other readers of my Outdoors Girl blog noticed that I went hiking during Park Quest 24/7 (my marathon visit of 24 state parks in seven days) with a wonderful companion, Missy, an 11-year-old dog and her owner. Shinnamon, who lives near Patapsco Valley State Park, asked: Just wondering how you managed to get a dog into a Maryland State Park. Several years ago I had a dog in the car while dropping someone off at Catoctin State Park. I was chased by a ranger in a jeep and told to immediately leave as dogs were not allowed in state parks. Since that time I have been more choosy about the parks I frequent, with Quiet Waters in Anne Arundel County being my favorite enclosed dog park and dog beach. Have the rules changed?

8:15 AM EDT, June 5, 2011

Red knot population continues to dwindle

COOK'S BEACH, N.J. — The small bird sitting along this sandy spit of land is starving and dinner offerings are slim.

5:14 PM EDT, June 21, 2011

Last northern goshawk in Maryland killed

Someone in Garrett County has shot and killed Maryland's most rare bird, the only known nesting northern goshawk.

May 8, 2011

Words only go so far in thinning the deer herd

Bringing up deer.

4:07 PM EDT, June 22, 2011

NRP plans to increase boat patrols as fatalities increase

Maryland Natural Resources Police will be stepping up patrols this weekend in an attempt to curb drunken boating and the number of maritime fatalities, which threatens to exceed a 10-year high reached in 2009.

5:58 PM EDT, July 25, 2011

Boy who drowned was far from aunt, grandfather

A report on the Fourth of July drowning of a 6-year-old Baltimore boy at Sandy Point State Park says that the youngster was more than two football fields away from his guardians and could not be seen because buildings blocked the view.

7:48 PM EDT, April 15, 2011

Weather threatens another opening day of rockfish fishing

The state says it's OK to eat more striped bass, but the question today, the opening of the spring season, is whether you'll be able to catch them.

7:57 PM EDT, July 14, 2011

State proposes new policies to prevent rockfish poaching

State fisheries officials outlined a sweeping plan they hope to implement by December to curb commercial striped bass poaching in the Chesapeake Bay. The announcement Wednesday night came just four months after miles of illegal nets filled with 13 tons of fish were discovered by police in the waters off Kent Island.

5:36 PM EDT, May 2, 2011

NRP finds hundreds of pounds of dead striped bass caught in illegal net

The Chesapeake Bay's bounty was turned into a macabre tableau Monday morning as an illegal net at least 600 yards long and filled with decaying striped bass and other fish was partially pulled from the waters off Tilghman Island.

2:56 PM EDT, June 18, 2011

Hiking specialist in pursuit of Appalachian Trail record

When Jennifer Pharr Davis makes her way though Maryland on the Appalachian Trail this summer, don't blink or you'll miss her.

4:34 PM EDT, July 16, 2011

Anglers help make wish come true for Upper Marlboro family

Sometimes, you get your wish. Saturday was that day for the Barnes family of Upper Marlboro.

5:31 PM EDT, July 16, 2011

Ask Outdoors Girl

Sydney Wilner of Anne Arundel County asks: We have a mystery with no plausible solution: Who or what is stealing the bait from our crab traps? Not just mine, but my neighbors' and, we hear, all the way from South River to Mill Creek.

7:08 PM EDT, May 19, 2011

It takes a team of artisans to make the trophies Preakness winners take home

No one gets to take the Woodlawn Vase home anymore.

2:29 PM EDT, May 28, 2011

A summer's worth of quests in just one week

Maybe I'll get it right this time. Maybe it won't hurt as much as last year — it couldn't, could it?

11:58 AM EST, March 7, 2010

ON THE OUTDOORS

Taking name-dropping to a whole new level

Iwent to sleep under an O'Malley moon and woke up caressed by the beams of an O'Malley sunrise. Breathing deeply the oxygen supplied by the O'Malley administration, I had my O'Malley Oaty Oats cereal while listening to O'Malley's March.

6:11 PM EST, February 12, 2011

Loch Raven area becomes test site for deer spaying experiment

In a tiny trailer parked near Loch Raven Reservoir, a 2-year-old doe draped in blue surgical cloth sleeps on her back as a veterinarian opens her belly. Less than an hour later, the deer is stepping back into the safety of the woods, the latest patient in an experiment in wildlife management that doesn't involve arrows or bullets.

9:12 PM EDT, September 12, 2010

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