Police arrest man in stabbing of city officer at strip club

Baltimore County police have charged an Overlea man in the stabbing of an off-duty Baltimore police officer early Thursday at a strip club in the Dundalk area.

Essex man, 42, gets life sentence in cocaine case

A 42-year-old Essex man was sentenced to life in prison Friday after he was convicted of dealing more than 330 pounds of cocaine in the Baltimore area.

Constellation, EDF close nuclear deal

Constellation Energy Group announced Friday that it has closed a deal to sell half of its nuclear power business to a French utility, exactly a week after Maryland regulators approved the $4.5 billion transaction with conditions.

3 teens charged in robbery of cab driver at Arundel Mills

Three people were charged in connection with an armed robbery Thursday of a cab driver in the parking lot of Arundel Mills mall, Anne Arundel County police said.

Group assaults, mugs 2 teens in Severn

Two teenage boys were robbed Thursday as they were walking in the area of Pioneer and Deerfield drives in Severn, Anne Arundel County police said.

Kratovil announces opposition to health care legislation

If Democratic leaders manage to push a massive health care overhaul through the House of Representatives this weekend, they'll have to do it without one of Maryland's Democratic congressmen.

Three others plead guilty in theft of Ripken's No. 8

Three young men pleaded guilty Friday morning in Baltimore Circuit Court to stealing Cal Ripken Jr.'s aluminum No. 8 sculpture from in front of Camden Yards in September and paid the Orioles $7,618 to cover the cost of repairs. A fourth man pleaded guilty in the case earlier this week.

Hopkins and Catholic group to shield world against malaria

Strengthening its position as a global center in the fight against malaria, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is one of two Baltimore institutions tapped for a five-year, $100 million project to help combat the mosquito-borne disease.

Mikulski asks attorney general to help dead fire cadet's family

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski asked Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday to assist the family of a Baltimore fire cadet killed in a training exercise whose death benefit claim was rejected by the Department of Justice.

Jury deliberates in drug-debt case

"You have a drug debt. I have a problem. Let's solve this together." That, an Anne Arundel County prosecutor told a jury, is how two Waldorf men made an agreement that would erase one man's $400 drug debt in exchange for shooting the married dealer's pregnant girlfriend.

Homeless man gets 10 years for arson

A mentally ill homeless man was sentenced Thursday to 10 1/2 years in prison for setting fire to another homeless man's tent last fall.

Man who ferries kids faces drunk charges

A man who ferries schoolchildren between their homes on Smith Island and their classes in the Eastern Shore town of Crisfield has been charged with operating the vessel while drunk.

AAA gives Convention Center Hilton 4 diamonds

The Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel has been awarded a AAA Four-Diamond rating, the auto club announced Thursday.

Over 1,600 in Md. have unclaimed tax refunds

The Internal Revenue Service is waiting for Marylanders to claim more than 1,600 refund checks from the 2008 filing season worth more than $1.7 million. The IRS said Thursday that the checks averaging $1,086 were returned to the agency from Maryland because of mailing address errors. Some taxpayers are owed more than one check. Nationally, the IRS said 107,831 checks worth a total of $123.5 million were returned. Taxpayers owed a refund can update their address online with the "Where's My Refund?" tool at www.irs.gov. They must submit a Social Security number, filing status and the amount of refund due. Or, taxpayers can call the IRS to update their addresses at 800-829-1954.

Civic activist wins planning, design award

A longtime civic activist in Baltimore has been selected to receive the annual Larry Reich Award during a ceremony Nov. 11 at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. Sandy Sparks, former executive director of the Greater Homewood Community Corp. and former director of the Midtown Community Benefits District, is this year's winner of the award, which is sponsored by the Neighborhood Design Center and Baltimore's Department of Planning. Named for a former director of the planning department, the Reich award recognizes people for work that reflects a commitment to community-based planning and design in Baltimore. It will be presented as part of the Neighborhood Design Center's "Power of Place" fundraiser from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m at the Creative Alliance.

Off-duty city officer stabbed, shoots man at county strip club

An off-duty Baltimore police officer shot a man who stabbed him during an altercation early Thursday outside a strip club in the Dundalk area, according to spokesmen for Baltimore County and city police.

Rock-throwing suspect shot by trooper charged with assault

Maryland State Police said a man who was shot by a trooper after throwing large rocks at motorists in Cecil County has been charged with assault.

City police release sketch of possible suspect in recent rapes

Baltimore police have released a sketch of a possible suspect in at least two rapes that occurred last weekend in East Baltimore. These attacks may not be connected to a string of other sexual assaults, possibly seven more, that have occurred in the city, most on the eastside, since Oct. 20.

Suspect in Arnold break-in crashes while fleeing police

Anne Arundel County police said a man broke into an Arnold home Wednesday morning, took off when the owner discovered him and, as he fled, crashed his car into another one and abandoned it.

Claim denied in death of cadet

The U.S. Justice Department has denied a $295,194 benefit to the children of Racheal Wilson, the Baltimore fire cadet who died in a widely criticized training exercise in 2007, saying that the city's Fire Department failed to submit paperwork establishing her eligibility for the funds.

City OKs $4,500 for police escort on mayor's vacation

The city's Board of Estimates approved $4,500 Wednesday for costs associated with sending two police officers to accompany the mayor on a summer vacation in Miami.

Md., other states warned about bay cleanup

Federal officials said Wednesday they have given marching orders to Maryland and other states that drain into the Chesapeake Bay to come up with detailed plans for reducing pollution plaguing the estuary, warning that states face development shutdowns or other as-yet unstated consequences if the water fails to get cleaner.

Harford to seek state aid to improve intersections near Aberdeen Proving Ground

At their annual meeting Thursday with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Harford County officials will repeat their request for improvements to intersections near Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Union proposes cuts to keep mental health center open

A state employee labor union has proposed slimming down operations at the Upper Shore Community Mental Health Center to save the Chestertown facility from being closed because of budget cuts.

Baltimore man convicted of 2 killings in Odenton

A Baltimore man who prosecutors say boasted to police about his toughness was convicted Wednesday of two counts of first-degree murder and other charges in a fatal ambush outside an Odenton bar a year ago.

Republican Pappas bows out of governor's race

Mike Pappas, the first Republican to wade into the 2010 gubernatorial contest in Maryland, is dropping out and throwing his support behind another GOP candidate, Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. Pappas said Hogan has a "proven track record" of appealing to voters from other parties and the ability to mount the grass-roots and fundraising operation needed in a contest against incumbent Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley. Pappas, a construction attorney from Perry Hall, also cited family commitments and a growing legal practice as reasons for ending his campaign. Hogan, a real estate company executive who tried unsuccessfully to unseat U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer in the 1990s, served in former Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s Cabinet. While he appears to be ramping up his campaign, Hogan has said he would withdraw if Ehrlich runs. A decision from Ehrlich could be months away.

Authorities ask for help in finding missing boater

Police are asking for assistance in locating a 49-year-old man who lives near Annapolis after an empty kayak was found floating in Oyster Creek. Maryland Natural Resources Police are looking for anyone who saw Gerard "Jerry" Robert Welsh, whose Chevrolet Avalanche was found near the Oyster Harbor shoreline. Sgt. Art Windemuth said the search for Welsh began after an empty kayak and a life preserver were found Tuesday afternoon. National Resources Police, the Coast Guard and Anne Arundel County firefighters and police conducted a water and land search Wednesday. The search is to resume today. Anyone with information is asked to call Cpl. Brian Rothgeb at 410-260-8888.

Arundel school system reduces furlough days

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education voted Wednesday to cancel one of its planned furlough days for all school system employees. The board voted unanimously to reduce the number of furlough days to between one and four. Principals and senior and executive staff will incur the most days; teachers will have two. The move, which was recommended to the board by Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell, was possible because of a number of cost-saving actions, school officials said. The board approved furlough days in June for all employees except school bus drivers and bus aides as part of more than $40 million in cost-cutting measures to bridge a budget gap. Originally, the maximum was five furlough days. "We have tightened the screws and we continue to tighten the screws to find savings when possible," Maxwell said.

Free phones, airtime offered to poor Marylanders

One of the country's largest national prepaid cell phone carriers is making free phones and 64 minutes of monthly air time available to nearly 400,000 low-income Maryland residents under a new effort it brought to the state this week.

$24 million OK'd for stadium-related projects

The Board of Public Works has approved about $24 million in stadium-related projects, including a new scoreboard at M&T Bank Stadium. The new scoreboard will cost about $4 million to replace the one that has been in place since the stadium opened in 1998. The board on Wednesday also approved $10 million to make structural improvements at Camden Yards. Another $10 million was approved to pay for energy conservation measures at the two stadiums. The money comes from the Maryland Stadium Authority's budget.

Balto. Co. plans bill requiring carbon monoxide detectors

More than four years after three people died from carbon-monoxide poisoning in a rented townhouse in Essex, Baltimore County officials on Wednesday announced they would introduce legislation to require that all rental dwellings in the county be equipped with carbon-monoxide detectors.

Md. state police officers fatally shoot man in Queen Anne's Co.

Maryland State Police say officers shot and killed a man who pointed a weapon at them after he drove 25 miles the wrong way on highways in Queen Anne's County.

Md. tax amnesty program nets $9.6M, comptroller's office says

The comptroller's office says Maryland's tax amnesty program has netted an estimated $9.6 million.

Saturday swine flu clinics in Carroll Co. canceled

The Carroll County Health Department announced today that swine flu mass vaccination clinics scheduled for Saturday are canceled.

Another woman reports rape near city bus stop

A 22-year-old woman told police she was sexually assaulted about 1 a.m. Wednesday in the 2700 block of Brendan Ave. in Northeast Baltimore, the ninth such attack in the city since Oct. 20, a department spokesman said.

Arundel teen accused in carjacking

A Hanover teenager was ordered held on $1.5 million bail Wednesday, after Anne Arundel County police charged him as an adult with an armed carjacking that led to the lockdown of two schools Tuesday and his nearby arrest.

Harney home destroyed by arson

Maryland fire marshals are asking anyone with information to come forward about an arson fire that consumed a 200-year-old Harney home Tuesday night.

Port of Baltimore breaks cruise passenger record

With two months to go, the Port of Baltimore has surpassed its previous record for cruise passenger boardings in a single year.

GOP success could pave way for Ehrlich run in 2010

Tuesday's "change" election, the second in as many years, could add fresh momentum to a heavyweight rematch in Maryland between Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and his Republican predecessor, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., in 2010.

One of 4 accused of stealing Ripken's No. 8 pleads guilty

One of four young men charged with stealing Cal Ripken Jr.'s aluminum number 8 statue from in front of Camden Yards in September pleaded guilty to theft Wednesday morning and was sentenced to a two-year suspended jail term and ordered to pay the Orioles restitution, according to Baltimore prosecutors.

City police identify two men found fatally shot in vehicles

Baltimore police have identified two men found fatally shot in vehicles during a spate of violence over a four-hour span Tuesday night on opposite sides of the city.

Gunman robs bartender, patrons at Annapolis restaurant, police say

A gunman went into an Annapolis restaurant and took money from the bar cash register and robbed several customers around midnight Wednesday, Annapolis police said.

Trooper shoots man who police say was throwing rocks at cars

A state trooper shot a 50-year-old man who police said threw large rocks at motorists Tuesday evening in Cecil County and claimed to have a gun when confronted.

Senior Players Championship leaving Baltimore Country Club for 2010

The Constellation Energy Seniors Players Championship will move next year from Baltimore Country Club in Timonium to the newly renovated TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm near Washington, the PGA Tour announced Wednesday.

Sinclair Broadcasting reports third quarter net income increase

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. reported Wednesday an increase in third quarter net income and said the company had successfully restructured its balance sheet.

Cohen elected mayor of Annapolis

Anne Arundel County Councilman Joshua J. Cohen was elected Tuesday as Annapolis' mayor, promising to bring efficiency and transparency to local government in Maryland's capital city.

$2.5 million awarded in lead-paint lawsuit

A city jury awarded more than $2.5 million Tuesday to a pair of siblings who were poisoned by lead-based paint while living in a West Baltimore rowhouse that their mother had been told was "lead safe."

Family, friends gather to remember Hopkins victim of hit-and-run

Miriam Deborah Frankl wore midnight blue nail polish, teased her two younger brothers and looked forward to the change in seasons so she could finally pair those brown boots with that purple jacket.

Twins, 17, to be tried as adults in burning of dog

The 17-year-old twins accused of setting fire to a pit bull will be tried as adults, a judge decided Tuesday.

Annapolis considers 'renewable energy park'

Hoping to make some green out of going green, Annapolis officials are weighing an ambitious plan to convert an old municipal dump into a "renewable energy park" that would generate enough electricity to supply all of the power the state capital consumes, using landfill gas, yard waste and the sun's rays for fuel.