At least two demonstrations occurred Saturday in Baltimore condemning the United States and Israel's military strike on Iran.

Protesters in Baltimore condemn Iran strike

"We're escalating the step towards war in the Middle East," said a protester named Fathima, with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

"The U.S. should not be anywhere over there," said Baltimore People's Power Assembly Organizer Carrington Scott. "The U.S. is over there entirely to strip the resources of the area to enact the government change because the Iranian revolution isn't playing ball."

Protests took place at McKeldin Square and outside Baltimore City Hall.

"They are violating international law," a protester said. "They are violating their sovereignty and that's what we're out here to stand against."

Some protesters fear Iran's retaliation will get worse, impacting U.S. troops.

"In the Gulf, Iran could shut down the Strait of Hormuz and ships could not get out, and there's troops on the ground," said Veterans for Peace Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter Co-Founder Ellen Barfield.

They said the U.S. government should be focused on investing in people's needs.

"We don't support our taxpaying money going into this war," Fathima said.

"Our own people here are left in food deserts … where education and literacy is low," Scott said.

Maryland's elected officials weigh in

Some congressional leaders call it a violation of the Constitution, saying President Trump did not seek approval from Congress.

"Once again President Trump has launched another missile attack on another nation without Congressional approval or involvement," said Congressman Kweisi Mfume. "His repeated, illegal, and deadly actions continue to endanger our homeland by killing innocent civilians overseas and risking the lives of our service personnel. I call on Republicans in the Congress to stand with us and vote against this latest military action by this reckless and maniacal President."

"It goes back to the President not articulating why the strikes are necessary, what is the imminent threat, what is the strategy, what happens after and most importantly, how is this in the best interest of the American people," said Congressman Johnny Olszewski.

Governor Wes Moore said he is closely monitoring operation in Iran.

"I have seen who pays the price when Washington rushes into conflict without clear objectives, a defined strategy, and an honest explanation to the American people—it's not the wealthy and well connected, but young, middle and working class Americans who are put in harm's way," Governor Moore said. "We owe it to the men and women we are asking to execute on these orders to give a clear understanding of the mission—when we ask them to risk their lives, we need to be clear there is no other option.

Congressman Andy Harris applauded the strike.

"The world is a better place with Iran's Supreme Leader, who was also the world's leading sponsor of terrorism, dead," Rep. Harris said. "President Trump's leadership, and the brave men and women of our Armed Forces, have helped rid the world of evil."

The fine is for violating the league's injury report policy regarding Lamar Jackson's practice participation status, according to Ian Rapoport. 

The Ravens said they "clearly made an error" and won't appeal the ruling. 

Here's the team's full statement: 

It is critical that the Baltimore Ravens always operate with integrity and in full accordance with NFL guidelines.

We clearly made an error regarding player injury reporting and cooperated transparently with the league's investigation.

We accept the decision by the NFL that we violated the policy and have taken steps to ensure that we will be compliant moving forward.

We will not appeal the ruling and are focused on our upcoming game versus the Vikings.  

Jackson returned Thursday night in his first start since Week 4 due to his hamstring injury. It was a four touchdown night in which he completed 18 of 23 passes, helping the Ravens to their second win in a row. 

It happened in Ellicott City on Oct. 25. 

The officer responded to a call just after 5 p.m. regarding two stary goats found that afternoon on Main Street. 

The goats were found by two women. One posted on social media that the goats ran past her car and into the road. They stopped and ultimately managed to wrangle the goats, then called the police. 

A responding officer captured the aftermath on bodycam video, and joined the goat rescuers for a photo. 

Eventually, the owner of the goats showed up, Howard County Police said. 

"You guys are so bad," she chided the goats. "You know you're bad, too ... How are we going to get you guys back?"

Another Howard County police corporal then helped escort the goats back where they belong. 

"You never quite know what you'll encounter on a patrol shift in Ellicott City," Howard County police posted on social media. 

MARYLAND TONIGHT & THURSDAY — CLEARING SKIES, COOLER AND BREEZY
Skies are clearing tonight as the front slides south, and that crisp, dry air is moving in fast. Northwest winds will stay up around 10–20 mph overnight, keeping frost from forming in most areas. Lows dip into the upper 30s to mid-40s around central Maryland, a bit cooler north and west of the city.
Thursday will bring plenty of sunshine and a refreshing fall feel. Highs range from the upper 50s to mid-60s with a steady northwest breeze gusting near 20 mph at times. It'll feel crisp, especially through the afternoon, before winds ease toward evening.

MARYLAND FRIDAY MORNING — WIDESPREAD FROST AND FREEZE WEST OF I-95
Friday morning looks to be the coldest so far this season. Lows west of I-95 — especially in Carroll, Frederick, and northern Howard counties — will fall into the upper 20s and low 30s, leading to widespread frost and freeze conditions. Northern Baltimore and Harford counties will see mid-30s with patchy frost, while areas closer to the Bay and downtown Baltimore stay milder, in the upper 30s to low 40s. It's a good night to cover or bring in sensitive plants.
Friday afternoon turns sunny and pleasant with highs in the mid to upper 60s and much lighter winds. Another cool night follows with lows in the upper 30s to low 40s — patchy frost possible again in outlying areas.

MARYLAND WEEKEND — BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY, THEN SHOWERS LATE SUNDAY
The chill doesn't stick around for long. High pressure slides offshore Saturday, shifting winds to the south and allowing warmer air to return. Expect plenty of sunshine and highs in the low to mid-70s, with a few spots east of the mountains possibly touching the upper 70s. Saturday looks like the best day of the weekend for outdoor plans.
By Sunday, clouds thicken ahead of a strong cold front. Showers arrive late in the day and continue through Sunday night. A few gusty showers or even an isolated thunderstorm are possible. Highs will still reach the upper 60s to low 70s before the front sweeps through.

MARYLAND EARLY NEXT WEEK — BREEZY MONDAY, THEN MILDER AGAIN
Monday starts unsettled with lingering showers before turning breezy and cooler. Highs will be in the low to mid-60s. By Tuesday and Wednesday, the sun returns and temperatures rebound into the upper 60s to low 70s — setting up another pleasant stretch before the next system approaches later in the week.

Officer Eric Banks Jr. entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder and attempting to disarm a police officer last year. 

Banks is charged with murdering his 15-year-old stepson Dasan "DJ" Jones in July 2021 at their home in Curtis Bay. Prosecutors say Banks stuffed Jones' body into an attic crawlspace and then tried to cover it up.

According to police, Banks became combative with a responding officer when the body was found and tried to reach for the officer's gun.

During this altercation with police, Banks said "my life is over. Choke me. Choke me. Choke me," according to prosecutors. 

Jones' mother filed several protective orders against her husband, claiming he was dangerous and stalking her. She wrote, "I am in fear for my life and well-being because Eric Banks keeps trying to control, follow and emotionally abuse myself and my sons."

A judge denied the first one filed in late June 2021.

A second order was granted but was unable to be served because Banks was already in custody after the discovery of the teen's body.

"DJ was a promising young man with his whole life ahead of him," State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said. "A rising sophomore at Glen Burnie High School, he was a member of the all-county orchestra as a talented violinist and attended a challenging magnet program which he said 'made him want to work harder.' His budding life was taken by his stepfather in a likely selfish effort to punish his estranged wife who was granted a protective order just hours before." 

An Alford plea means Banks admits there is enough evidence to convict him, but maintains his innocence. 

The facility opened in 1911 as a Black psychiatric hospital until it was desegregated in 1963. Patients there were subjected to neglect and poor living conditions. It closed in 2004. 

The county acquired the deed from the State of Maryland for the 500-acre property in 2022. 

The meeting to discuss the master plan was held at Rolling Knolls Elementary School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

 Some options being weighed for the open space could include multi-purpose trails, sports fields, a community center and a place for people to meditate, reflect and learn.

"It has to be for positive use," Nancy O'Donald said. 

In May 2024, Bowie State University's President Dr. Amnita Breaux and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman signed a memorandum of understanding for programming Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park. 

Pittman believes the partnership with Bowie State will bring educational programming, research, internships, health and wellness initiatives to the new Crownsville Hospital Park.

"Members of the BSU campus community had an opportunity to walk these grounds and to explore how we might best honor the lives of those who lived and who are buried here," Breaux said. 

"I see both a public park with wonderful trails and places for families to picnic and then a place for people to learn about the history of what took place here," Pittman told WJZ in May. 

The project now moves into the third phase.

"A place that's very sacred, that's spiritual in nature, that's meditative but I also believe that there's a place within the grounds where there could be activity," Diane Phillips LaGuerre said.

Phillips LaGuerre said her father, Dr. George McKenzie Phillips, was the superintendent of the hospital for a time who helped pull the facility out of poor conditions.

"He saw the person first," Phillips LaGuerre said. "It was important to him that these people recognize it was community that they need, it's connections that they need and so, to try to get more people to see, to open their eyes, that those who suffer from mental health challenges are not as alien as they seem. They're really just like you and me."

The draft master plan, which is currently under design and aims to be released in early fall, will include recommendations from the community members.

You can learn more about the project here.

However, the heat will take center stage. High temperatures Thursday afternoon will climb into the low to mid-90s, with heat index values topping 100 degrees in many areas. As a result, a Heat Advisory has been issued for communities east of I-95.

Storm chances return Thursday evening, and while coverage will be more limited compared to Wednesday, any storms that do develop could be strong to severe. Hazards include damaging wind gusts, torrential rainfall, and frequent lightning.

Relief will arrive late Thursday night into Friday as a cold front pushes through, ushering in drier and less humid air. Dewpoints, which have hovered near 80 in recent days, will drop into the 60s by Friday morning, offering a noticeable change.

The break from the humidity will be short-lived. Moisture builds back in by Saturday afternoon, bringing renewed storm chances. Scattered storms are possible Saturday, with a greater chance for widespread showers and thunderstorms Saturday night into Sunday.

Highs will reach the mid to upper 80s on Friday, warming to near 90 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday will feature the highest rain potential of the weekend.

Stormy weather looks to linger into Monday, followed by a stretch of drier air and lower humidity through midweek. Afternoon highs will settle into the mid-80s, with overnight lows near 70 degrees from Monday through Thursday.

In early April, a drought warning was issued for most of the state due to below-average rainfall. 

Is Maryland still in a drought? 

While dry conditions have improved, some parts of Maryland are still in a drought.

As of May 29, about 71% of the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, while about 49% of the state is seeing moderate to severe drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

In April, 82% of the state experienced severe to moderate drought conditions.

Conditions have improved drastically since November 2024, when 53% of the state was under a severe drought and 4% saw extreme drought conditions. 

A small area of severe drought conditions remains anchored over central and northern Baltimore County. 

Liberty Reservoir, which serves the Baltimore area, experienced a rise in water levels during mid-May after a 20-year low that prompted water restrictions earlier in the month.

Rainfall improves Maryland's drought 

Several storm systems have drenched Maryland amid the ongoing drought conditions. 

Since May 1, more than six inches of rain have fallen across Baltimore County. Between 8 and 10 inches of rain have fallen in Frederick and Washington counties, while nine inches of rain was reported along the Baltimore and Harford County line. 

More than a foot of rain soaked the higher elevations of Garrett County in far western Maryland, prompting flooding.

There are many other factors that go into drought monitor updates, including soil moisture, water levels and vegetation stress.

It often takes a while for drought conditions to develop, and it can take even longer for those conditions to be completely erased. 

The recent change in weather patterns and a significant amount of rain are helping to alleviate the dry conditions in Maryland heading into the summer. 

The parade of storm systems is expected to continue through the end of May, with more rain expected on May 30 and May 31. 

Alan Geslicki, 32, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and weapons charges. 

Officers responded to the stabbing around 8:20 p.m. at the 2000 block of Deering Avenue in Baltimore's Morrell Park neighborhood. There, they found the child, Seron O'Neal, stabbed in the back multiple times. 

He was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Geslicki was arrested shortly after the murder when police stopped his car and he bailed out, police said. He was caught after a chase that ended on the 100 block of South Carrolton Avenue.

There were a few neighbors outside following the stabbing Tuesday night. They were too upset to talk, but they told WJZ's Jessica Albert they knew O'Neal, his mother, and Geslicki.

On Wednesday, neighbors still were reeling over what happened. One told WJZ's Dennis Valera she was very upset.

"[I was] waking up out of my sleep, crying, and he wasn't even my child," the neighbor said. "[O'Neal] was always smiling, riding his bike, well-mannered."

Police confirmed to WJZ on Thursday that Geslecki was involved in a car crash hours before the stabbing took place. Police responded to the intersection of Reebird Avenue and Cherry Hill Road, where they found Geslecki had driven into a pole. 

Police said the initial call for service in the crash was for a possible DWI, but the incident ended up being considered an accident. Geslecki was uninjured. 

Mayor Brandon Scott described the killing Wednesday as a tragic loss. He also thanked police for making an arrest so quickly.

"When you have that happen to a young person, who wasn't out running in the streets, doing anything other than being a six-year-old child -- it's devastating to our community," Scott said.

Other neighbors told Valera it's going to take time to cope with what happened, saying it's hard to see children so young fall victim to something so terrible.

"The child was so innocent. I feel like we need to watch who we bring around our children," Jerica Blanding said. "Pay attention to red flags and things like that."

Police haven't released anything on a possible motive.

No word yet on when Geslicki will appear in court for his arraignment.

The settlement is the second opioid-related litigation to be completed in 2024, following an initial $45 million settlement against the pharmaceutical company, Allergan, in June. 

CVS distributed hydrocodone and other opioids to its own Baltimore pharmacies between 2006 and 2014. CVS's share of the market was about half a percent, similar to Allergan's share.  

The defendants remaining in the city's lawsuit were responsible for over 80% of the opioids targeted at Baltimore pharmacies: Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen (now Cencora), Teva Pharmaceuticals, Walgreens, and former Insys owner John Kapoor. 

"These companies targeted Baltimore and decided profits were more important than the health and safety of the people of this City. We are fully committed to ensuring that these companies pay their fair share to repair the damage they've done to our neighborhoods and families," Mayor Brandon Scott said. 

The city pursued CVS individually instead of opting into a global settlement with the state of Maryland. CVS had not reached a deal with the state, so the city could not join the global settlement. 

However, the office says this proved they made the right decision by pursuing the company separately since under the global settlement, the city would have to undergo split payments for decades instead of receiving the money all at once. 

CVS will pay out the entire $45 million this year. 

The city has now recovered $90 million in its ongoing litigation, the same amount it would have recovered under all available global settlements. 

"We have built an overwhelming case against the opioid companies, and we will continue to move litigation forward to trial against any defendant that is unwilling to recognize their own role in driving this crisis and the significant resources this City needs to combat the consequences of their decisions," said Ebony Thompson, Baltimore City Solicitor. 

Mayor Scott with the city of Baltimore plans to pursue any defendant who has played a role in Baltimore's opioid crisis.  

According to the Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore City saw 1079 drug and alcohol-related intoxication deaths in 2021, 973 being Fentanyl related. 

A helicopter view of the Tred Avon River near Easton in Talbot County showed multiple boats converging around what appears to be the tail of an airplane. 

The pilot, identified as 56-year-old Robert Eugene Merlini, from Annapolis, was the only person on the plane.

Police could not say whether the pilot was found in the cockpit or had been ejected.   

What type of plane?

According to public records, the plane is a 10-seater 1973 Cessna 402B owned by the University Research Foundation, a nonprofit environmental research organization. 

The investigation

Witnesses called 911 and the Anne Arundel County Dive Team pulled the pilot from the water. 

Two days before the crash, maintenance personnel performed ground engine runs after an annual inspection, according to the NTSB. 

Following the ground engine runs, the pilot told his manager that 12 gallons of fuel remained in each main (tip) fuel tank, and he was going to add 20 more gallons to each main fuel tank so that he did not have to switch tanks during the upcoming flight to Easton (accident flight). 

However, airport security video showed that the pilot added 20 gallons of fuel to each auxiliary fuel tank, instead of the main fuel tanks. The airplane was not flown from the time of that fueling to the accident flight.

"It's a tragedy"

Data from FlightAware indicated the plane took off from Fort Meade in Odenton around 9 a.m. and stopped around 30 minutes later over the water near Easton. 

"It is a tragedy," said Eric Heidhausen, the president of the University Research Foundation. "I don't know who his next of kin is even though I know him."  

"I'm accountable"

Heidhausen told WJZ that Tuesday's crash occurred a during ferry flight and research, and the pilot was a contractor.

"I'm accountable to the organization for the safe management of flight operations of our airplane," Heidhausen said. "That's on me. That's the end of the story. I'm waiting for the NTSB on what caused all of this, make sure other pilots can learn from whatever happened today."

About the University Research Foundation

Based in Greenbelt, the University Research Foundation is the home of the Maryland Advanced Development Laboratory, which, according to its website, focuses on laboratory and prototype activities in: 

• Aviation
• Computer Science
• Atmospheric Physics
• Electro-Optics
• Digital Cartography
• Radar and Infrared Sensor Technology
• and Atmospheric Sampling

The University Research Foundation owned the Cessna for 30 years and has conducted critical environmental research as far away as Colorado and New York, and contained equipment from the University of Maryland as it monitored the Chesapeake Bay. 

The Tred Avon River is home to lots of wildlife and the environmental impact is still being evaluated. 

"Today is a really sad day for the aviation community, but also the scientific community," said David Abrams, from the Maryland Department of the Environment. "This aircraft is used for very important scientific work to determine when we're having heat waves like this to ascertain all the data and all the factors that go into it and make decisions about public policy and public health."

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the pilot," Abrams continued. "To the University of Maryland, everyone affected but this. This is really important work that we're doing." 

The agency says Partial activation is for "an incident or event requiring significant monitoring or resources," meaning there is additional Emergency Operations Center staffing from other agencies and organizations.  

Banks, airlines, television networks and health systems across the world are impacted by the outage.   

CBS News reports the issue was caused by a technical problem that global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said it had identified in its software and was working to resolve. CrowdStrike provides antivirus software to Microsoft for its Windows devices.  

"The underlying cause has been fixed, however, residual impact is continuing to affect some Microsoft 365 apps and services. We're conducting additional mitigations to provide relief," Microsoft said in a statement on social media.  

BWI sees Impact 

Over 1,000 flights had been cancelled in the U.S. by early Friday morning and more than 1,700 others were delayed. There were 11 cancellations and 89 delays at BWI Airport. 

In a packed terminal, some travelers left in limbo told WJZ they had been waiting overnight. Spirit Airlines is writing out boarding passes manually, while Southwest Airlines is unimpacted. 

"Please confirm flight status with your airline prior to coming to the airport," the airport said Friday morning. "Be patient if traveling today."

American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines and Spirit Airlines grounded all pending flight departures, though American Airlines, United and Delta resumed at least some flight departures later Friday morning.

The issue was caused by a technical problem that global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said it had identified in its software and was working to resolve, CBS News reports. CrowdStrike provides antivirus software to Microsoft for its Windows devices.

"The underlying cause has been fixed, however, residual impact is continuing to affect some Microsoft 365 apps and services. We're conducting additional mitigations to provide relief," Microsoft said in a statement posted on social media.

Multiple hospitals impacted by outage

WJZ reached out to five major Baltimore-area health systems -- Johns Hopkins University Medicine, Mercy Medical Center, MedStar Health, the University of Maryland Medical System and LifeBridge Health --to determine the outage's impact.

Johns Hopkins and MedStar said they are not experiencing any outages, while Mercy said it has taken steps to ensure normal operations. UMMS said it has implemented downtime procedures to ensure orderly operations. 

LifeBridge Health said it has activated a systemwide command center to manage the outage, which is affecting the system's  computers "at various levels across our health system"

Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital and Carroll Hospital each opened command centers to manage operations, LifeBridge said, which includes rescheduling non-urgent procedures and surgeries at Sinai.

While hospitals work to moderate any impact the outages may cause, major delays plague BWI, with multiple flight delays and cancellations sweeping the country. 

The Board of Public Works, which Moore chairs, made cuts across a variety of state agencies to address larger-than-expected demand for Medicaid and a state child care program. The board, which also includes Treasurer Dereck Davis and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, can cut up to 25% of the state's operating budget when the Legislature isn't in session.

"While it's never ideal, the reductions that we are advancing today are necessary to ensure that our fiscal stability is going to be sound and to create long-term economic growth for our state," Moore said.

Where were the cuts made?

The governor emphasized that most of the cuts were spread among state agencies. He said that when he took office 18 months ago, his staff realized that the state's economy had been stagnant for a decade and that "Maryland's business model was broken."

"That's not politics, that's math," Moore said. "You cannot have something that continues to watch budgets increase but where you're continuing to watch an economy stay flat."

The need for the spending adjustments arose because of larger-than-projected participation in a state program to help pay for child care and higher-than-expected retention of Medicaid participants as Maryland, like other states, has undergone post-pandemic eligibility reviews.

Childcare focus

When Moore took office, there were about 24,000 children enrolled in the state's childcare scholarship program. By late 2023, that figure had grown to about 33,000 children. When he prepared the budget for the state's current fiscal year, it was anticipated that 38,000 to 40,000 children would participate, but as of June, that number already had grown to more than 40,000.

Medicaid support

As for Medicaid, Maryland released data last week marking the end of the yearlong redetermination process. Over the 12 months that ended in April, Maryland Medicaid processed 1,540,247 applications to renew coverage, more than 70% of which were approved, the state health department said.

Medicaid enrollment stood at 1,684,462 as of May 31. That's compared to 1,415,631 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase of 262,303.

"Every dollar matters"  

Helene Grady, the governor's budget chief, told the board that ensuring that eligible Marylanders can access health care and child care affordably are priorities of the governor and the General Assembly to support economic growth by keeping people healthy and enabling more parents to enter the workforce.

She said the reductions focused on redeploying underutilized funds, as well as delaying areas of new or increasing funding.

Maryland Republicans criticized the the board's decision, describing it as a fund transfer rather than a true budget cut, as the state faces long-term future budget deficits.

"What you will find is a fund transfer and budgeting tricks akin to looking for coins in the couch cushions to make up a significant underfunding of Medicaid created by flawed projections," Steve Hershey, the Senate minority leader from the Eastern Shore, said in a statement.

Natasha Dartigue, Maryland's chief public defender, said the cuts would hurt her agency, which she said has been underfunded for decades and is already "in crisis."

"Every dollar matters," Dartigue told the board.

Charlotte Davis, executive director of Rural Maryland Council, also spoke out against cuts.

"We feel that our mission fits what you're trying to do to support the future growth of rural Maryland and Maryland in general," she said.

By the following afternoon, he was dead — not from the violence his mom feared he might face, but because he didn't survive an encounter with first responders in downtown Baltimore.

Ellinger, 29, died after being sedated and restrained. Despite repeated comments from police and medics at the scene acknowledging the dangers of lying face down in the prone position, responders failed to act urgently when the handcuffed Ellinger turned onto his stomach and remained that way for several minutes, according to investigators and experts.

His death adds to a list of similar cases. A recent investigation led by The Associated Press found that the practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years. The strategy, which was intended to reduce violence and save lives, has resulted in some avoidable deaths.

In Ellinger's case, the autopsy determined that he died from overdosing on an antidepressant and methadone, which is commonly prescribed to curb opioid cravings. The findings didn't say if other factors might have contributed to his death.

His mother, Lori Ellinger, questions the autopsy's findings and wants to know why paramedics decided to use an injectable sedative.

"I do believe they killed my son with that shot," she said. "He shouldn't be dead at 29 years old."

Independent experts say Trea Ellinger could have died from the combined effects of being sedated and lying prone, which can obstruct a person's airways.

The Baltimore City Fire Department, which employs the city's medics, provided copies of its policies regarding the use of sedatives, physical restraints and other related topics. But the agency declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding Ellinger's death, citing the potential for future litigation.

None of the first responders involved have been charged, and Ellinger's family hasn't sued.

According to an investigative report released in May by the Maryland attorney general's office, a 911 caller reported that a man was lying in the middle of a downtown Baltimore street, speaking incomprehensibly, and acting combative and distressed.

Police body camera footage of the encounter shows officers handcuffing Ellinger at the request of medics. Officers laid him on his side until he was injected with midazolam and then lifted him onto a stretcher.

"As long as he's not lying face down, that would be great," one of the medics says.

Ellinger was initially positioned on his side again, but his continued flailing shifted him onto his stomach while first responders affixed the stretcher straps, according to the report. Inside the ambulance, one medic started checking his vital signs while another sat by his head. He remained face down, sometimes struggling against the stretcher's straps, the report says.

Four minutes later, the medics discussed getting Ellinger repositioned, but they didn't act immediately. After another minute passed, Ellinger was "moving only slightly," the report says. Finally, a medic released the straps and helped roll Ellinger onto his side, noting that his lips were blue. The same medic told his colleague he could administer Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication.

Ellinger was unhandcuffed and placed on his back as medics began performing chest compressions, according to the report. He regained a pulse and was transported to the hospital, where he later died.

The report was produced under a relatively new state law that requires the Maryland attorney general's office to investigate all in-custody deaths. In this case, investigators specifically noted that they were only tasked with investigating the actions of the police officers, not those of the medics or other first responders.

Eric Jaeger, an emergency medical services educator in New Hampshire who has no connection to the case, said the most obvious problem was that the medics left Ellinger prone for several minutes, potentially hindering his ability to breathe. He said he shows the bodycam footage to his students as an example of what can go wrong when a patient's airways aren't prioritized during sedation.

"I think Trea Ellinger would be alive today if he had been placed on the stretcher face up," Jaeger told the AP.

He also questioned the initial decision to sedate Ellinger, saying medics should be particularly discerning about when to administer such drugs because of the risks they pose.

When dealing with an agitated patient, fire department policy directs medics to "place the patient in supine position (face up) as soon as practical." A different policy says a restrained patient should be placed "face up or on their side, if at all possible."

Fire officials declined to answer questions about the case, including whether the agency is conducting an internal review. The union representing firefighters and paramedics also declined to comment, and the mayor's office didn't respond to recent inquiries about the case.

It appears the decision to sedate Ellinger using midazolam was in accordance with department policy.

Gail Van Norman, professor emeritus of anesthesiology at the University of Washington, said the sedative could have depressed his respiration and relaxed the muscles of his upper airway, making him more vulnerable to cardiac arrest.

"The medics made a few medical mistakes," she said. "But this was a rapidly evolving situation where the unexpected happened. I don't envy them the decisions they had to make."

Ellinger died last July. In April, Baltimore prosecutors announced their decision not to bring charges. The investigative report was released the following month.

Meanwhile, Lori Ellinger is still trying to process the untimely death of her only child. She wears a necklace shaped like a guitar that symbolizes Trea's passion for music. She scrolls through old photos on her phone and reminisces about his childhood.

Trea Ellinger grew up in rural northeastern Maryland and worked for a concrete company after finishing high school. Despite his struggles with substance abuse, he spent much of his 20s crisscrossing the country with a traveling carnival, a job he loved. In the months before his death, he was trying to stay on track and taking methadone to curb his opioid cravings.

His mom said he had been previously diagnosed with mental health issues, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Lori Ellinger visited her son at his rehab facility and brought him some groceries the day before his death. She said he seemed in good spirits. But a couple hours later, he called and said another resident had stabbed him in the shoulder during an argument. His injuries weren't severe, but the facility asked him to leave, she said.

She believes he ended up sleeping on the streets that night. The following afternoon, he was seen stumbling around downtown Baltimore, falling repeatedly and acting disoriented, according to the investigative report.

Watching the videos and reading the report, Lori Ellinger's heart breaks for her son. Clearly he was experiencing some sort of crisis, but she didn't get a call until hours later, when a nurse told her he had already died.

"I love and miss him," she said. "We had a lot of good years — but not enough."

"I'm 72 years old and I definitely can't function if I don't get any sleep." One Baltimore local told WJZ. "It stresses your body it makes you irritable, it makes you dysfunctional, you are sort of walking around in a fog."

At times it's a fog even caffeine can't fix. 

"Oh gosh recently, I get a solid six [hours], I shoot for that eight, but I'm clocking in six steady," another resident said. "Every now and then I build up sleep debt, and then I recoup, I get a day where I'm just like done."

So, can you recover from sleep debt and "make it up" later? 

Cardiologist Dr. Carlos Ince from Mercy Medical Center says not really.

"I don't think it helps," he said.

According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep deprivation is when:

• You don't get enough sleep.

• You sleep at the wrong time of day.

• You don't sleep well or get all the different types of sleep your body needs.

•  You have a sleep disorder that prevents you from getting enough sleep or causes poor-quality sleep.

It's why Dr. Ince says a nap is not a fool-proof solution to resolving sleep deprivation

"I think some of the things you have to do is, one, not nap during the day," he said. "I find a lot of people like those that are retired, and they claim they have a hard time sleeping at night because they fall asleep during the course of the day."

Even so, quality sleep is hard to come by

"I don't get enough sleep, I think we should get on average five hours of sleep but I'm like two maybe two, if I'm lucky, three."

Many accumulate sleep debt with interest, and never catch up. 

"Sleep is a priority," Dr. Ince said. "There are priorities that we all need to make in our lives and one of those has to be sleep."

The Maryland Child Alliance surpassed the 10,000 signature threshold required by the Board of Elections to put the "Baltimore Baby Bonus" on the 2024 General Election ballot, and it was certified by the board on July 1. 

On Thursday, the alliance said it was informed by the Baltimore Mayor's office and the City Council of Baltimore filed a lawsuit to remove the bonus from the ballot. 

"While Mayor Scott is supportive of the proposed amendment's objectives, charter amendments that effectively commandeer the role of the legislature go against Maryland law and the City's charter," the Mayor's Office said in a statement. "That is why we have directed the Law Department to oppose the amendment as improper, despite our sympathies toward the underlying policy."

Improperness aside, the city said it simply wouldn't have the funds to sustain the program, and encouraged the alliance to join the city's push for a universal basic income at the federal level. 

"At the local level we currently don't have the resources to make that type of support permanent, which is why we're advocating for the federal government to look at the success of guaranteed income pilots like ours to make it possible for more Americans," the mayor's office said. 

The organization behind the push said the $7 million in funding needed for the proposed program would come from the City's general fund based on the assessment of property values. However, taxes would not be raised. 

The Baltimore Baby Bonus Fund called the lawsuit a "grave disservice to Baltimore's families and children" in a social media post and said the mayor's rhetoric "does not match his budget."

The group said its organizers "rigorously studied case law to ensure that our proposal was permissible" and lifted the funding structure from the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, which Scott sponsored when he was a councilman in 2016. 

"In reality, this is about power and taking away city voters' opportunity to enact the Baby Bonus Fund," the group said. "We are fully confident that the courts will reject this attack on democracy." 

Baltimore's Inspector General first uncovered the dangerous conditions last month, and in a surprise inspection Wednesday, found they had not been corrected. 

"The only thing that was available was some hot water in a trash can. There was no Gatorade. There was no ice," Inspector General Isabel Cumming told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. 

Report Details Poor Conditions 

Cumming was shocked at what she found during an inspection at the Department of Public Works' Reedbird Cherry Hill yard: A few bottles of warm water floating in a trash can, no working air conditioning or water fountains, only warm water coming from the faucets, a thermostat registering above 83 degrees Fahrenheit at 6 in the morning.

That was on one of the hottest days of the year when the heat index later rose above 100 degrees. 

She also found that some trucks had no working air conditioning. 

"The trash bucket with no lining was also their ice bucket, so they were supposed to—if they needed ice—they were supposed to get ice and drink it from that trash bucket," Cumming said. "When you go into the locker room, no air, a fan that was moving the slowest I've ever seen. I walked over to where you wash your hands—no cold water there either."

She called it a "big wake-up call."

Asked about the response of the supervisors, Cumming said, "They told me they couldn't talk to me."

Prior Complaint

Her inspection followed new complaints to her office two weeks after the acting DPW director assured her he made changes including providing more than four thousand bottles of Gatorade and cooler uniforms.

"I don't think people realize that my office will go back out and verify," Cumming said. "…It violates human standards. The people who choose to work here in Baltimore deserve better."

Unions Respond

Patrick Moran heads the local chapter of AFSCME, a union that represents some of the workers. He told Hellgren the issues are not confined to Cherry Hill. 

"It's going to be a problem again and again and again. We reached out to the city and they said they're trying to get on top of this, and we said we need relief now," Moran said. "We said you need to get out there and fix these things, and you need to address them. Our members are doing the work, that's for sure. And the management needs to do their work in terms of supplying the employees what they need everywhere—not just in Cherry Hill, but all over the city."

The City Union of Baltimore issued this statement to WJZ. 

"The recent findings of Inspector General Cumming are deeply troubling and of great concern. CUB has been attempting to provide stopgap solutions to ensure city workers have accommodations that allow them to do their jobs in crippling heat. We have gone so far as to purchase bottles of water and bags of ice and deliver them to city offices. While we concede that is not enough, we do expect and demand more from Baltimore."

DPW Takes Action

The Department of Public Works said in a statement they "recognize the challenging conditions our employees face while performing their essential duties, and we are committed to taking every possible measure to protect them."

They also pointed out they got a new ice machine and "supervisors made multiple trips delivering water on site."

Cumming acknowledged there have been changes. "This morning at Reedbird, there were four senior administrators. There was water. There was Gatorade. And again, the ice machine worked. It shouldn't take that and that's one place. I'm now worried about the other places."

Inspector General's Continuing Commitment 

Cumming promised she will follow up and has a message to city workers. 

"I am very concerned about these workers. I urge them to call the office, to let us know because if we can get the word out about what's happening, we will," she said. "Our job is to put the facts out so the people who can make a difference will make a difference."

This all happened as the city's health department put out alerts warning the public of dangerous heat. Another heat wave is expected next week. 

DPW acknowledges the Reedbird facility needs repairs including a new air conditioning system and said they are currently in the design phase.

Workers can contact Cumming's office at 1-800-417-0430 or by emailing OIG@BaltimoreCity.gov 

She said people can remain anonymous and their identities will be protected. 

You can read the full Inspector General's report here. 

DPW Statement

This is the full response from the Department of Public Works:

"The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) acknowledges and takes full responsibility for the health and safety of our dedicated staff. We recognize the challenging conditions our employees face while performing their essential duties, and we are committed to taking every possible measure to protect them. Each year, we take proactive steps, particularly in the Bureau of Solid Waste, to prepare for summer temperatures. Our efforts include:

1. Equipment: We supply our employees with necessary protective gear, including lightweight, breathable clothing.
2. Education and Training: We provide comprehensive training to educate employees and their supervisors about the risks of heat-related illnesses and the importance of taking preventive measures, per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
3. Resources to Keep Cool: We ensure all work sites are equipped with ample supplies of water, shaded rest areas, and cooling stations.

At the Reedbird Sanitation Yard, we took corrective actions before the start of the summer season, recognizing the need for facility repairs. Noting issues with the onsite ice machine, we worked with approved vendors to replace vital parts and purchased an additional ice machine. Today, one is fully operational, and another ice machine is expected this week.

To ensure employees had access to cool water and ice, supervisors made multiple trips to deliver water on-site. Additionally, we secured 20 cases of water (stocked in preparation for the season) and 5,000 bottles of Gatorade. While we await back-ordered parts for the onsite air conditioner, portable air conditioners are installed and are working properly. 

Ultimately, the Reedbird Sanitation Yard requires facility upgrades. We are currently in the design phase for these improvements. During construction, we plan to address and complete repairs to the air conditioning system, floors, lockers, and other necessary updates to ensure a better working environment for our employees."

On July 11, a public meeting will be held to discuss the master plan for the site.

The master planning process has been underway since Anne Arundel County acquired the 500-acre complex from the state in 2022. This is when plans for the future Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park came to life. 

The former Crownsville Hospital opened in 1911 as a Black psychiatric hospital until it was desegregated in 1963. Patients there were subjected to neglect, poor living conditions and even violence. It closed in 2004. 

In May 2024, Bowie State University's President Dr. Amnita Breaux and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman signed a memorandum of understanding for programming Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park. 

Pittman believes the partnership with Bowie State will bring educational programming, research, internships, health and wellness initiatives to the new Crownsville Memorial Park.

"Members of the BSU campus community had an opportunity to walk these grounds and to explore how we might best honor the lives of those who lived and who are buried here," Breaux said. 

"I see both a public park with wonderful trails and places for families to picnic and then a place for people to learn about the history of what took place here," Pittman told WJZ in May. 

The meeting will happen on Thursday, July 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Rolling Knolls Elementary School 

This will be a workshop-style public meeting with a chance for the community to give input. 

Officials will be available to answer questions. 

Project information and a link to RSVP can be found here. 

The $750,000 initiative is a partnership between the Community Action Council of Howard County and Howard Community College that will open five new Early Head Start classrooms for children two or younger. 

Children whose families earn up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for this new Early Head Start program, Ball said. 

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic, childcare options for infants and toddlers across our nation have diminished and become more expensive," Ball said. "While nearly 20,000 children under the age of five live in Howard County, there are only approximately 10,000 childcare spots available to our families."

The initial funding will support the centers for two years, and the county said the state's Blueprint for Maryland's Future initiative will fund the operating costs of the classrooms.   

CAC said it denied enrollment to 70 children last fiscal year because they were under the age of three, while 35 families were denied because their income exceeded Head Start's income limits.

"It is not an overstatement or exaggeration when we use the word 'crisis' in discussing the pressing need for childcare in Maryland," Maryland State Delegate and Howard County Delegation Co-Chair Jessica Feldmark said in a statement. "Lack of access to affordable quality childcare is one of the biggest challenges many families face, and as a result, it is one of the biggest challenges many employers face as well."

HCC's CLC opened in 2000, and closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The community college announced plans to reopen its learning center in partnership with CAC after it was awarded a $1 million Childcare Access Means Parents in School grant last year

Three classrooms will be at HCC's Children's Learning Center in Columbia and two new classrooms at CAC's Ellicott City Early Childhood Education Center

Ball also announced a $22 million investment this year to renovate Faulkner Ridge Center to expand universal pre-K services and the FY25 Capital budget included an additional $1.1 million to continue the center's renovations. 

The center would create 260 new seats for universal pre-K and will allow the County to make full-day pre-K available for four-year-olds up to 600 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the office of the county executive. 

The baby will be joining three other juvenile chimps -- five-year-old Lola, four-year-old Violet and three-year-old Maisie. 

The Zoo said the baby chimp and her mother Rozi initially did well, but the infant's health began to decline within a few weeks. The zoo's care staff was concerned it was not receiving enough of the mother's milk, and took the infant into their care. 

"Rozi is a hand-reared chimp and first time mom so we weren't sure what to expect," Pamela Carter, Chimpanzee Forest Area Manager at the Maryland Zoo, said. "In this case, it was in the baby's best interest for us to carefully intervene."  

Veterinarians and keepers have been taking care of the baby until it is strong enough to rejoin Rozi and the chimp troop. Medical staff said they were pleased with the baby's progress, but anticipate the need for supplemental nutrition when she reunites with her mother. 

Chimps learn from birth how to behave by watching their mothers and other troop members, the zoo said, like where to sleep, how to eat, how to groom and how to socialize.  

The species in endangered, the zoo said, with only about 150,000 wild chimpanzees living in African forests today, compared to one to two million in 1900. Some reasons for being endangered include disease introduced by humans, poaching and habitat loss.  

The baby does not have a name yet and the Maryland Zoo is going to let the public decide. Look out for updates about the baby's progress and when the naming contest will take place on the Zoo's website and its social media channels. 

Scientists at the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science made special note of Pennsylvania's efforts to block pollution from entering state waterways. Pennsylvania has faced criticism in the past for not doing enough to stop pollution from flowing into the bay.

The health of the bay is a reflection of what's happening across its six-state watershed, which includes Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia along with the District of Columbia.

"The Chesapeake Bay restoration is seen as a global model of sustainability. The Report Card shows that the results are moving in the right direction but we need to pick up the pace of these efforts, particularly in light of climate change, which will make meeting the targets more difficult," said Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, president of UMCES, which compiles the report.

Bill Dennison, a UMCES professor and vice president, pointed out that the Upper Chesapeake Bay, which the Susquehanna River flows into, has the second-highest score of the 16 bay regions measured in the report and continues to improve.

"Pennsylvania has been getting a bad rap for quite a while now, and we've got to stop playing the blame game, and start looking at the data and let the data guide us in our restoration efforts rather than pointing fingers," Dennison said in an interview.

Last year, Pennsylvania planted about 340 miles (550 kilometers) of riparian buffers, which are strips of vegetation planted next to streams and waterways to help protect habitat, Dennison noted. The state also has focused on increasing the use of cover crops in agriculture to reduce erosion, improve soil conditions and protect waterways from runoff pollution.

"That practice is a really important one for soaking up the excess nitrate at the end of a growing season that gets left on the fields," Dennison said.

For the first time, researchers released the report in Pennsylvania at the Susquehanna River Basin Commission in Harrisburg.

"There is still much to do, but this is a strong indicator of progress," said Adam Ortiz, the Environmental Protection Agency's mid-Atlantic regional administrator. "After being off track, the partnership is now accelerating progress. In recent years, EPA has stepped up enforcement, accountability, and investments and it is paying off. These efforts have helped spur historic results among upstream and downstream states and all sectors, especially agriculture."

This year's UMCES report also is noteworthy because researchers said they are building a human-made debris indicator to understand the different types of contamination from items like plastic bags and bottles. Currently, not all of this debris is monitored, and the data is not collected uniformly across the bay and watershed. Researchers hope the information will be used to create targeted prevention and mitigation strategies.

"There's a lot of things we can do on a personal-behavior level to reduce the plastics that end up in the bay," Dennison said.

The report focuses on seven bay indicators that assess aquatic ecosystem conditions. Those include phosphorus and nitrogen measures in the water and how much oxygen is present at different depths. It also focuses on the condition of organisms living in or on the bottom areas of the bay, water clarity and aquatic grasses.

The report also focuses on bay watershed health, which includes ecological, societal and economic aspects, which aim to provide a more comprehensive view of the watershed. The watershed health scored 52%, or a grade of C, which is the same as the previous year.

Two new highly contagious variants make up more than half of the cases nationwide.  

The CDC said the variants' effects have not been proven to be more severe than previous variants, with symptoms including head and body aches, loss of smell, congestion, cough and fatigue.    

Dr. Miriam Alexander of LifeBridge Health emphasizes the importance of proper hand washing and wearing a mask while sick.  

"The people we worry the most about are the elderly and very young people in the middle range are getting sick but not unpleasantly sick they are not the ones getting hospitalized," Alexander said. 

Rates tend to increase with the summer travel season, go down in the fall, and then increase during the winter season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Doctors say that vaccination rates have decreased from the pandemic, which likely attributed to the rise in cases. They recommend staying up to date with both Flu and COVID shots.  

"The virus is still here and it is going to wax and wane and just because people are not dying in droves doesn't mean that people aren't still dying, and a lot of Americans dying of COVID and most of it can be prevented," Alexander said.  

Now in its 51st year, the program offers residents ages 14 to 21 a chance at summer employment. The paid five-week experience brings hands-on experience at companies like HeartSmiles, Code in the Schools and the Baltimore Orioles.  

"YouthWorks offers the next generation an opportunity to forge meaningful connections and gain critical workforce skills needed for their futures," said MacKenzie Garvin, director of the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Employment Development. "Thank you to all of the families, youth, funders and employer partners who have made this summer possible."

The program is offering thousands more jobs than in recent years. This year, Youthworks offered over 10,000 jobs, compared to 7,890 last year, and 6,700 in 2022. It was not immediately clear how many applicants accepted the offers this year.   

In 2024, jobs were offered at more than 750 employers, compared to less than 600 last year. 

"As we kickoff another year of Youthworks, I'm reminded of the life changing impact that this program has had on Baltimore's young people for more than half a century," Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. "I'm excited for each of these young Baltimoreans to take on a rewarding job this summer, earn some money, and potentially explore their future career options."

The application period ran from January to mid-March, and summer jobs run from July 8 to August 9.  

Learn more about YouthWorks here. 

The shooting allegedly happened around 8:45 a.m., when "a male youth was shot by another male in the Rogers Avenue bus loop," police said. It was not immediately clear if an arrest was made. 

Rogers Avenue Metro Station is a bus loop in the Woodmere neighborhood. Schools nearby include Grove Park Elementary School and Park Heights Elementary School. The victim's age was not immediately known. 

People at the Metro Station who spoke with WJZ say they are concerned about their safety. 

"I came through this way going to therapy. You have people that come this way every day going to and from work. It's like you don't know where to go, you always have to  keep your head on the swivel because you don't know," said Baltimore resident Chris Gibson.

We asked Dana Mealing, a dietitian at LifeBridge Health, whether these trending drinks are as healthy as they claim to be.

"Gosh there's so many," she said. "I feel like there's a new one every time I go to the store."

All with bright, pretty packaging, and what sounds like health benefits.

But Mealing says maybe not.

"I'll say that maybe they don't work as well as we think they do or might lead us to think."

That includes popular probiotic drinks like kombucha.

Probiotics are bacteria and yeast in our bodies that help absorb vitamins and minerals. But as far as getting them from drinks --

"All this is still being researched," Mealing said. "It's still very new. Tere's thousands of different strains and maybe seven that have been studied that extensively."

Prebiotic sodas are another popular choice. Prebiotics are fibers that feed gut bacteria. But to get that fiber, Mealing recommends food over drinks.

"There's more support for a high-fiber diet than supplementing with a prebiotic," she said. "There's just a lot more function and health benefits when we eat our whole foods, fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans, legumes - those are great sources of fiber."

Especially since only 7% of Americans get the fiber they need.

As long as you're not relying on these drinks for nutrients --

"It's still nice to have a fun frilly drink that's not going to be a whole lot of sugar or a whole lot of caffeine," Mealing said. "So if you feel good, and you're not harming your lab work in any way... then by all means. Yeah"

Davon Joseph Dabbs was taken into custody at his home in Taneytown and brought to Carroll County Central Booking on Saturday evening, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office announced. 

He is facing first degree murder, two counts of first degree assault, and another two counts of second degree assault.

The night of the shooting

The incident unfolded Thursday night just off Taneytown Pike.

Police responded just before 10 p.m.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren reviewed police dispatch calls. 

"Call taker can hear a physical fight in progress," the dispatcher said in the recording. "The call taker is hearing sounds. Unsure if it's gunshots or fireworks."

The number of injuries quickly grew.

"We've got one shot in the leg and one shot in the face, and it sounds like a third now shot as well," according to dispatch audio from Broadcastify.

Police told WJZ a car and pickup truck were traveling along Route 140 when the road rage incident began.

Investigators learned that the situation escalated when Dabbs and his 26-year-old passenger, also of Taneytown, pulled off the highway and began fighting 33-year-old, Christopher Patrick Moore. 

During the fight, Moore's 33-year-old fiancé pulled up to the scene and exited her vehicle.

Moore's fiancé pulled out her legally owned and carried handgun and opened fire hoping this would de-escalate the assault, she told investigators. 

Instead, Dabbs rushed at her, and physically assaulted her in an attempt to gain possession of the firearm, resulting in Dabbs being shot in the left leg. 

At one point, Dabbs was able to gain possession of the handgun, and further assaulted her with multiple strikes to the face. 

Dabbs then fired multiple rounds, one of which struck his passenger in the hand and two of which struck Moore in the chest.  

Moore's fiancé suffered a broken jaw, and injuries to the head and face, and was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.  

Dabbs and his passenger were transported to a regional hospital for medical treatment for their injuries, which were not life-threatening. 

Moore was pronounced deceased at the scene. None of the other passengers of any of the vehicles were injured.

"Usually very safe around here"

Hellgren reports the shooting occurred in a rural area on a dead-end road. Neighbors said nothing like this has happened there before, and some thought the gunfire was fireworks from the Fourth of July. 

"It's like you can't believe it. It's just so odd for this area. It's usually very safe around here. It's strange," said Gary Combs from Carroll County. "It's just sad. This is a very safe area. It's just sad."

If anyone has any additional information about this incident, please contact Detective Ehrhart at 410-386-2599 or jehrhart@carrollcountymd.gov.  

The four-time Grammy-nominated Sheila E. released her hit album "The Glamorous Life" 40 years ago. She'll be performing on Saturday, August 3 at 8:45 p.m. on the Mt. Royal Station Main Stage.  

The next day at 3 p.m., The Original Wailers -- featuring Al Anderson, lead guitarist for Bob Marley & The Wailers -- will close out this year's celebration of Baltimore's art scene. 

And then there's a mystery performer.

"The first night of Artscape 40 closes with a very special act to be announced in the days to come," BOPA said in a news release. 

The nonprofit also announced a new exhibition in addition to the Sondheim Semifinalists Exhibition and the return of B_24. There will now be an exhibition in MICA's Pinkard Gallery featuring the work of distinguished local artists.

"I am proud to welcome Baltimore's premier arts and culture festival back for its 40th year," Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. "Artscape is Baltimore. Our vibrant artistic community is at the heart of our identity as Charm City. I want to encourage everyone to come out the first weekend in August to enjoy what is sure to be one of the best events of the year."  

At Baltimore City Hall Friday, BOPA CEO Rachel D. Graham and Mayor Brandon Scott shared details about this year's Artscape. Both dubbing it as a celebration of the Charm City's art scene.

"The goal is to continue to elevate Baltimore as a beacon for the arts, culture and creative innovation," Graham said.

WJZ is the proud media sponsor of Artscape. 

The Artscape markets

It wouldn't be Artscape without the sprawling artists' markets, where visitors can procure art by everyone from kids, to students, to professionals. 

The Artists' Market features 101 artists presenting original work available for purchase. 

MICA students will sell their work in MICA's Brown Center.

Then, in Gordon Plaza, Jubilee Arts will activate a Youth Artist Market — an extension of Kidscape where youth vendors can sell their artistic creations, BOPA said. 

More performers

In addition to Sheila E., Saturday acts earlier in the day on the Main Stage include neo-soul artist Joi Carter, House music by Live From The Paradox, and hop-hop performer WhoCamille.

Gracing the Main Stage on Sunday will be jazz/funk musician Navasha Daya and the Trinidad & Tobago Steel Drum Band. 

"This year we're adding something called the Get Down, which is a series of after hours programming that's gonna be hosted by venues throughout the Artscape footprint. That will take our total number of acts to about 60," Graham said.

Project Artscape returns 

Project Artscape is back after its 2023 debut. The event will shine a spotlight on local emerging and professional designers, bringing their fashions to the runway. 

This year's fashion shows will happen at The Garage on West Lanvale Street, where 12 local designers be showcased. 

Each show will be backed by an original composition from the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, BOPA said. 

Logistical concerns?

Last year, Tropical Storm Ophelia canceled one day of festivities. There also was some concern with many events happening during the same weekend and area of Artscape.

Mayor Scott said to at least expect a hot weekend and that logistics shouldn't be a big problem. He assured reporters Friday the city and event organizers are prepared – thanks in part to the city having its fair share of weekend jammed with events in the last year.

"We had Megan Thee Stallion and the Orioles at the same time and guess what, both of them went off without a hitch because that's what we want," Mayor Scott said. "We know that in recent history, Baltimore hasn't had that because we didn't have the acts that wanted to come to the city."

Share your Artscape memories 

If you have photos and videos from Artscapes past that you would like to share, BOPA is looking to collect them in celebration of Artscape 40. 

Submit your memories here or by emailing memories to BOPAcommunications@promotionandarts.org.

Officers responded around 4 p.m. to the reported incident. The victim told police that he and the suspect were stopped at a red light at Arundel Mills Boulevard and Route 100 when the suspect got a black handgun from the center console, waved it, and pointed it at him and his daughter, who is a juvenile. 

The victim was able to leave the scene, and told police the suspect continued south on Arundel Mills Boulevard. 

The incident is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call police at  (410) 222-6155 or the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at (410) 222-4700.

Police say Vincent McDuffie of Upper Marlboro was arrested Thursday on a charge of sex abuse of a minor. According to police, McDuffie admitted having sexual contact with a 17-year-old female student at Forestville High School during the school day in March and April.

The Washington Post reports that school administrators say McDuffie has been put on unpaid leave and will be fired.

Court records do not list an attorney for McDuffie. A preliminary hearing is set for June 23 in Prince George's County Circuit Court.

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