Friday, March 11, 2011

.. in other news

No bail for Snoop. Sixty-four people arrested in old Latrobe in a case that took three years to develop. (Why so tense, Bernstein?)

Police are asking for help to find Stephanie Jones, 21, and her infant son.

As part of a class-action suit, a debt collector will drop more than 10,000 cases

Media blabber: in a rare move, the NYT's public editor agrees with outraged readers that a "Gang Rape Story Lacked Balance"

And just like that..

Reports Fox, "The Maryland House of Delegates has sent the same sex marriage bill back to committee, effectively killing its chances of being passed in the House. There were not enough votes to pass the measure, so Del. Joe Vallario entered a motion to return the measure to committee."
More from the WaPo and Sun
Gawker: "last-minute pressure from church groups and the National Organization for Marriage apparently scared a few new, sensitive delegates"

Elsewhere, hundreds of people denuded the Rhode Island state house, where same-sex marriage hearings are being held, and on Wednesday, a U.S. House panel "voted 3-2 along party lines to direct the House counsel to come up with a legal defense" of DOMA

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Gayest. Legislature. Ever.

One Charles County closet just got a little cleaner-- Delegate Peter Murphy is here, queer, and says his constituents are already used to it. This Ĺ“uvre makes the MD legislature the nation's gayest, says the Washington Blade.
.. and I hadn't heard of Maggie Gallagher before yesterday, but I get the feeling we're all going to become very familiar with her tuberrific form, given the $1 million bounty her group has posted for the defeat of pro-equality legislators.

In other big gay news, WBAL has a clip of Snoop's perp walk posted and filed under "entertainment." Say what you will, she always has a flawless complexion. Here's David Simon's statement, and his notorious "jury nullification" essay from Time.

Oh, Snoop!

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (& 29+ others) arrested for running a drug ring

Huh? "The city's no. 2 top prosecutor — appointed late last year by Baltimore State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein — isn't licensed to practice law in Maryland."

FBI suspects home-invasion robbers got some help from the MVA

Documentary exposes sex abuse in Baltimore’s Orthodox Jewish community. (Oh, CP. "'I didn’t know that I was going to become the molestation writer of Jewish Baltimore,' [Phil Jacobs] said. It was more or less thrust upon him ...")

This will Illinois you Pp -- the state just chucked their death penalty

Same-sex marriage bill goes forth with an official vote scheduled for tomorrow (or so says TDR, the WaPo only calls it "likely"). Thanks Cham for the "House Republicans & DOMA" video... that Brian Moulton just needs to meet the right girl. Love the people having smoke breaks in the background.

Web finds: the blog of Ehrlich's former "Prince of Darkness" Joe Steffan, who apparently enjoys puns, making up nicknames and white-on-black type (two out of three things I like in a blog). Shame he hasn't updated in a while.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

30

Charles Hopsan, 22, stabbed in 2010 in the 1100 block of Cooks Lane and recently deceased, was posthumously awarded the title of the city's 30th homicide victim.

One Terrance Sims, 30, was arrested for the murder of 17-year-old Olympic hopeful Ronald Gibbs.

Tiffany Bolner, 21, pled guilty in federal court to sexually abusing a minor to produce child pornography; surely one of the most barfulent stories in BCrime history.

And a guy named Derwin declared himself guilty of pimping

Ten years for Rosedale home-invasion robber Antowan Bell, 25

Crack and guns confiscated on the East side

"Bathroom Bandits" nabbed, and Hermann has pictures of one of the alleged perps and her nappy-azz fur coats

Pawn star gets 46 months for money laundering

Lawyers for Policarpio Espinoza Perez and Adan Espinoza Canela have asked the Court of Appeals to grant them a third trial. In 2006, the childrens' parents told an AP reporter that they don't believe police arrested the right guys, though DNA allegedly linked Canela to the killings. Here is the Sun's guide to the epic mystery and related stories on the case.

Fertilizer control: All kinds of issues being rassled over down in A-town this week, including, of course, the melee that is the same-sex marriage debate. Oh Brooke Murdock, why did you have to wuss out and stay your opinion? .. and here's an article on what all those National Organization for Marriage polls were about.

Dixon's doughy swain is out, but the State Center project goes on.

More suspensions in tow case?

Police say there may be more cops suspended as the result of the feds investigation, but won't give a number.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Well that's odd..

I just got a letter in the mail from Talmadge Branch thanking me for my e-mail regarding "House Bill's #175 & #55, "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act". Which is odd because I haven't sent anyone an e-mail -- I'm not even in the 45th district.
Could supporters or opponents be sending fraudulent letters? Anyone else get a letter like this?

Four times in the back?

The family of Dennis Gregory, a police informant shot by officers four times in the back in February of last year, is not getting any answers from the department about what happened.

dannellewiggins_Mp13wCounty police are ISO two children, Tyquan and Shani’ya Wiggins, abducted from their foster mom by their bio-mom, Dannelle, shown left and here on her Facebook page (maybe her friend PrettyLaydee ButtButt knows where to find her?). Update: Hermann posted pictures of the kids, too. The JIS says Wiggins was arrested in '06 on narcotics charges & received a PBJ.

Capitol News Service tweeted that "The House of Delegates has delayed debate on the same-sex marriage bill until Wednesday," the Post is saying the vote will be Friday. Said Bishop Paul Wells, "you are either against God's word or for God's word. There is no in-between." Which is why I never shake hands with a menstruating woman and keep my adulterer-stoning arm limber at all times.

Baltimore hosted the U.S. House committee on oversight & reform this morning. Tweeted TDR's Danny Jacobs, "Behind Cummings is yellow map of city with green marks where foreclosures are. Looks like mold spreading."

The House just passed a bill that will force the governor to make parole decisions within 90 days. And you can watch the Justice Policy Institute's documentary on the parole process on their new YouTube channel. If you're into that kind of thing.

... kind of like my girlfriend who lives in Canada

Prosecutors' "Do Not Call" list officially abolished, but Bernstein evidently has a list of his own, and Tricia Bishop is on it: "[Bernstein] declined to be interviewed, saying in the 500-word message sent a week ago that his 'schedule is a bit tight' and he was not 'able to meet … or talk on the phone'."

Take-home car solution

BPD commander's predicament with a take-home car could have been easily solved, if city taxpayers were willing to provide some roadside assistance.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Taking it to the streets

The Baltimore Police Dept is henceforth posting regular online YouTube updates for concerned citizens. Here's the first of many, they say. Gun seizures up! ... meanwhile, three months in, the State's Attorney's office remains invisible, with nary a TV appearance from anyone in the office and no web presence whatsoever, other than two-month-old swearing-in photos posted on his Facebook page yesterday. What's going on up there?

Mysteries

The boy fatally stabbed yesterday was ID'd as Ronald Taijon Gibbs. The Sun reports that he was trying to defend his sister.

The mysterious case of two girls abducted near the Dollar Store and rescued by police

Mug shot of the day: Ellerson Carter, arrested for the murder of George Marshall

East Coast Rapist headed to court today. But I don't understand how keeping his mug shot "under wraps" will encourage more victims to come forward.

A two-week hearing starts today in Delaware for creditors of the Tribune Co.

Towson U police are ISO a "person of interest" following a campus assault

The bad part of getting arrested in the county: you may actually do some time. The bright side: adjudication in these spankin' new courtrooms!

Can you ID the police officers or reporter in these charming old photos?

Can't help but ask...

Six hundred and twenty-eight words in the Sun for George Marshall. Wonder how that word count compares to the word counts of the year's 28 other victims?
Update: a reader points out that Marshall did get "less than Hezikah Wilson (1,023) and Tyra Trent (898)." Duly noted.

Could this really happen?

Councilman wants us, city residents, to vote for a 50 percent cut in the property tax rate

Sunday, March 6, 2011

29- @?$#!

what is going on this weekend? February was so peaceful!
The weekend's 3rd murder victim is a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed during an argument.

28

At 244 North Hilton Street, 23-year-old Paul Simons III was killed during a home invasion (the Deuce has the victim's age wrong).

Saturday, March 5, 2011

27

A man was killed in the 2700 block of Hollins Ferry Road when a fleeing suspect ran over him

Weaves a-flying

Check out this crazy video of a girlfight at Towson Town Center:

Bad men

Police are looking for a dark-colored SUV with a tan stripe, driven by a tubby Hispanic man who tried to abduct a teenager last night on the east side.

A man shot in the stomach on Edmondson Ave

No smizing at the vigil to remember Tyra Trent.

Fifteen-year-old Deondre M. Pedersen arrested and charged with home invasion

A crazy melee in HarfCo: 25 people involved in an altercation and an 18-year-old stabbed in the back, shades of the 50-person brawl of '07 (unfortunately all of those links have expired)

A man in Pikesville arrested after holding up the Bank of America with a fake bomb.

Alleged Marley Station Mall mugger arrested, and JZ readers have plenty of elevated, enlightened comments. Also arrested in AAC, a pimp and his human traffic

Shreky-looking-guy arrested for involvement in a county stolen-auto-parts ring

In Fredneck, the "Sheriff's Office has charged a man with assault and harassment after he allegedly yelled racial epithets at a black man and pointed a gun at him."

WaPo: Digital billboards-> tip -> cigarette butt -> DNA match -> arrest of Aaron Thomas, alleged East Coast Rapist

The NYT publishes a positive police story: "An Angry Man Is Met by a Smart, Experienced Police Team"

Friday, March 4, 2011

Pass!

The Judiciary Committee has passed the same-sex marriage bill, with the help of Jill Carter but without the help of Tiffany Alston (and with a crude sideshow from Neil Parrott). Then Samir Arora, who was elected with lots of gay old dollars and a promise to support equality, backtracked before coming around.
... But you know what, no matter what happens in MD, eventually the Supreme Court will rule what even those against same-sex marriage already know: in this country church and state are separate and the state has no compelling interest in denying these people their civil rights. And time doesn't favor old bigots, who are going to keep dying off or changing their minds as they realize gay people are not freaks from another planet but friends, neighbors and family. There may be some honor in saying "my constituents are against this and I was elected to represent what they want." But there is no honor in being a backstabbing bigot or a waffler. /end rant

And don't mess with people with low body fat and tight shorts! Police now say that a spokesman's statement that charges were unlikely to be filed was premature, and that the investigation is still pending.

Breaking news: The "East Coast Rapist" was arrested in Connecticut