Not quite as hot as yesterday, but still in the 90s with high humidity. Storms are possible later today. Sunny, less humid tomorrow with highs in the mid 80s.
A judge denied State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s request to seal the evidence in the Freddie Gray case until the trial.Mosby’s prosecution team argued that the defense team for the six officers charged in Gray’s death would leak evidence selectively, making it harder to conduct a fair prosecution.
+ The Sun got access to emails sent between Baltimore City School officials in the hours leading up to the meltdown at Mondawmin Mall that escalated to rioting on April 27th. The emails show a lot of bad communication (school officials didn’t know that MTA had shut down buses and rail at the transit hub, or that Baltimore Police had positioned a tactical response team ahead of schools letting out) and missed opportunities to avoid an out-of-control situation (by delaying dismissal to avoid a huge crowd at Mondawmin, or doing something to dissipate rumors of a “purge”).
One in seven children in Maryland lives in poverty, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. That’s more than during the 2008-9 recession, when 10% of the state’s children lived below the poverty line. Maryland still ranked better than most states, coming in 11th in child well-being in the report.
Baltimore’s city council finally approved a long-stalled bill to require restaurants to post notices about city health department shutdowns, and create an accessible website and social media posts with up-to-date information about restaurant health code violations. The mayor is expected to approve the legislation. Currently, restaurant owners don’t have to explain why they’re closed (some claiming a ‘vacation’ or other harmless-sounding issue). Earlier versions of the bill, promoted by council member Brandon Scott, included a grading system (like what’s used in New York and other cities), but the measure kept failing after pushback from restaurant owners.
+ Also last night, council president Jack Young introduced a bill to block the demolition of downtown’s McKeldin Fountain until full funding for its replacement ($10 million+) is confirmed. Young is worried that the city will be stuck with the bill for the McKeldin do-over proposed by the Downtown Partnership. Young’s bill will likely lead to public debate about the fountain’s future (it’s loved by some, hated by others). Council member Eric Costello (the fountain sits in his district) opposed the move, offering to set up a private meeting between Young and Downtown Partnership president Kirby Fowler.
WTMD and Living Classrooms’ Believe in Music program teamed up for “Believe in Baltimore” an uplifting song about this moment in the city (adorable video by local agency 15Four).