"Jewish medics claim discrimination by Pikesville Volunteer Fire Co."
.. the fire co says masks won't fit over beards

Harvard students to earn class credit for watching "The Wire"

Baby Shower of Bullets at Marlo's Kills Teen

What the?! In NY, a baby shower for the wife of Jamie Hector, the actor who played Marlo Stanfield in The Wire, ended in a gunfight that left a 17-year-old dead and two men injured.

Two more members of the cult accused of killing Javon Thompson are due to go on trial tomorrow, but will likely be postponed due to lack of lawyers.

Should cocaine use with "casual insouciance" keep an officer from his pension?

Idiotic cell-phone bill goes to the US Senate

What goes around... Sinclair Broadcasting, Fox 45's parent company, may declare bankruptcy.

Afternoon

ppatin wrote it in the comments section, and it's far more eloquent than anything I could write: "The actor who plays Sevino on The Wire was stabbed in the ass last night."

The End of "The Wire"

Thoughts?

Meanwhile, "Wire" writers on the drug war (thanks Lucid),
the NYT review, "So Many Characters, Yet So Little Resolution,"
and the very, very long farewell to The Wire from Jersey's Star-Ledger.

Can't get enough? Marc Steiner has podcasts of interviews with the actors.
... and the City Paper has an interview with David Simon.
And it's the final installment of Sudhir Venkatesh's "What Do Real Thugs Think of 'The Wire'?"

Freakonomics does The Wire, episode 8

The latest take on The Wire from the thugs at Freakonomics. "I hope you suffer; it’s good for you.”

Freakonomics does The Wire, episode 6

The latest post from Sudhir Venkatesh and the Thugs is up at Freakonomics.

Freakonomics does The Wire, episode 5

Tony-T, Shine, Orlando, and Flavor are back to review episode 5 of The Wire. Today, they discuss black serial killers and The Coin.

Freakonomics does The Wire, episode 4

I missed this one yesterday, but Sudhir Venkatesh and his gang of merry pranksters are back for episode four. The thugs pose a question to Freakonomics readers:

“I want them to tell us whether Marlo will kill Omar, or the other way around,” said Orlando, picking at his teeth, like a Southern gentleman on his front porch. “I want to see how smart they are.”

“Yeah,” Flavor pushed on. “And I want them to say exactly how it’s going to go down. Because you know what this whole thing is leading up to … Good versus Evil — if you can tell the difference around here.”

Freakonomics does The Wire, episode 3

Sudhir Venkatesh and his thug pals are back for episode 3 of The Wire. And not to do a shameless plug or anything, but Venkatesh's book Gang Leader for a Day is fascinating.

Also, actress/murderer Felicia "Snoop" Pearson will reportedly be called as a witness to a stabbing on the block.

Freakonomics does The Wire, episode 2

Sudhir Venkatesh watched the second episode of The Wire with his thug pals, and published their thoughts on the Freakonomics blog.

Freakonomics does "The Wire"

Sudhir Venkatesh (best known for his gang studies that were analyzed in Freakonomics) evaluates the authenticity of "The Wire" with a bunch of older and experienced thugs.

More on the economics of "The Wire" from blogger "YouNotSneaky!"

May 2

Larry Brockington, 31, was shot to death in the 900 block of N. Rosedale Street in the Franklintown Road neighborhood on the West Side. Notes Gus G. Sentementes, "It was the second fatal shooting on the street in less than a week. On Friday, 25-year-old Dewitt Smith was killed in the 1600 block of N. Rosedale St."

Three suspicious deaths have been added to our tally (but not the Police's), bringing the count to 98: Phillp Hines, 36, and Dontrelle Nesmith, 29, found 3200 block of Normount Avenue in the Southwestern, and Duane Allen, 42, found "partially submerged in a marshy area in Westport" near the 2000 block of Annapolis Road and Clare Street.

Several homicide victims have been ID'd: 21-year-old Deshaun White was killed on Monday in the 3600 block of Reisterstown Rd.; 24-year-old Eric Queen was killed Monday in the 1900 block of E. Lafayette St.; and 36-year-old Lonnie Plateo was killed Sunday afternoon in the 4600 block of Old Frederick Rd. Also in the Blotter: a 25-year-old man was shot on W. Cold Spring Lane and is in critical condition; a 31-year-old woman was shot while sitting on a neighbor's porch on N. Ellwood St. and is in critical condition; a 34-year-old man was cut on the face when he didn't have any money to give robbers on Eastern Ave.; and a man and woman were robbed of $24 at gunpoint on Baltimore St. Oh, and that's just what happened in the Northern and the Southeastern.

This week's "Murder Ink" covers seven homicides -- including the police-related death of Damion Baker -- and provides updates on four other murder cases.

No shit, Sherlock: "City residents want to see more police walking streets."

In response to yesterday's Examiner stories on unsolved murders, Sheila D. says we have to trust our police. She did not mention whether or not she is forming a committee to examine if, in addition to trusting the police, we should stop killing each other.

The good mayor is also pulling for a data analysis system to help track gun crimes. There have been 204 shootings so far this year, compared to 162 at the same time last year.

Ann Barone was forced out of her house by the city's nuisance laws. One neighbor said, "There was drugs going on, drug dealers living in the house, drugs being sold in the house."

Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in Baltimore County for alleged MySpace killer John Gaumer.

There may be a breakthrough in the case against Nancy Jean Siegel, who is accused of killing her 76-year-old boyfriend 11 years ago.

Perv du jour: Cmdr. Kevin Ronan has been accused of making video recordings of midshipmen having sex with their girlfriends.

Convicted murderer George Robert Chaney was indicted for robbing a Provident Bank on E. Monument St. in April.

Denise Rosado got 6 months for stealing $33,000 from her job at the state. Donna and Wilson Lam, however, defrauded the state of $1.7 million, but no criminal charges have been filed yet.

Urban adventurer Michael Arndt broke into the wrong Columbia warehouse.