Fuzzy math

Clouds and humidity today, with highs around 90 and a chance for storms. Same story tomorrow.

murder

Two people were shot and killed yesterday evening in the city. A man was shot to death in the Baltimore Highlands area of east Baltimore, and another man was killed in the Carrollton Ridge neighborhood of southwest Baltimore. A third man was shot and wounded in Waverly.

These latest shootings bring Baltimore to 21 homicides in August, and 210 for 2015. 211 homicides were reported in the city in all of 2014.

Speaking yesterday about the city’s response to the surge in lethal shootings, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake pointed to a ongoing, nationwide surge in homicides, regardless of Baltimore’s attempts to stem the violence. In 2011, after Baltimore saw a 20-year low in homicides, Rawlings-Blake emphasized that declines in violence were the success of local efforts, not nationwide declines in homicides.

city

New research from the Pew Charitable Trusts reveals that fewer Baltimore residents are going to prison than a decade ago, and more former inmates are successfully completing parole and probation. Falling crime rates contributed to the decline. The researchers also noted racial disparities in Maryland’s corrections system, with black convicts serving longer terms than white criminals for identical crimes.

maryland

95 percent of Gov. Larry Hogan’s cancer is gone, according to a recent medical scan. After being diagnosed with advanced non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June, Hogan has undergone an intensive chemotherapy regimen (he’s about halfway through).

A Frederick County farm is honoring Hogan’s cancer fight with a #HoganStrong corn maze.

business

LA-based AEG Live is buying downtown’s Rams Head Live venue. Ticket sales have sagged at the venue for a while – AEG Live has a reputation for running very popular festivals and concert spaces. AEG plans to keep the space’s name, for now. Rams Head Group will continue to operate the city’s Pier Six Pavilion.