Cloudy and humid today, with rain on and off. Clouds clear out tomorrow for the rest of the weekend. Highs Saturday and Sunday in the upper 80s.
A man led police on a 25-minute high-speed pursuit through the streets of Baltimore, to highways in Anne Arundel County, and back into the city yesterday evening. The chase began after police saw a woman in distress in the backseat of the car and tried to pull it over. Police watched over the chase by helicopter (so did WJZ), eventually coordinating a blockade in southwest Baltimore, forcing the chase to an end when the man crashed into a vacant rowhouse. The woman in the backseat was uninjured, and no one else was hurt in the chase. It’s unknown what led to the alleged abduction.
A woman and a 32-year-old man were both found shot and killed Thursday morning near Old Town Mall in east Baltimore. The victims were found blocks away from each other. This brings Baltimore to five killings in August, after a historic 45 in July.
Gov. Larry Hogan wants to tackle how Maryland draws its congressional districts. Hogan says he favors an non-partisan, independent commission to redraw districts, instead of leaving the process to the governor and legislature. Maryland’s districts are a notoriously gerrymandered mess, through political wrangling that Hogan notes that both parties are guilty of. The new process would require an amendment to Maryland’s constitution – which could be a tough sell to Democrats in the General Assembly.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake signed into law a bill that’ll require restaurants to post notices about health code related closures. The law also paves the way for an online database of restaurant inspections, which should go live this fall. The restaurant bill passed city council last month after a long crusade by council member Brandon Scott to make restaurant health violations more transparent.
A peach festival, tiki party, and block party for dogs in Baltimore magazine’s weekend highlights. More weekend options, like outdoor yoga, concerts, and BronyCon, in SouthBmore.com’s weekend listings.