A Young Black Girl Was the First to Desegregate a Maryland Carousel in the 1960s. Now, the Historic Merry-Go-Round Will Entertain Visitors on the National Mall — Smithsonian Magazine

Baltimore homicides fell in April, continuing yearlong decline as residents remain uneasy — The Baltimore Sun

Commuters frustrated by increasing gas prices after surge in past week — WBAL

Why did a robot cross the road in Baltimore? To get to the Convention Center. — The Baltimore Banner

Man charged with abducting Baltimore County middle school student — WJZ

Body pulled from Inner Harbor in car last summer identified as man reported missing 11 years ago — WMAR

Union demands beefed-up safety efforts after deaths of two highway workers — Maryland Matters

Federal, state, local and industry leaders broke ground Friday on a terminal facility at the former Bethlehem Steel site that will grow the Port of Baltimore’s container handling capacity by 70%.

The Sparrows Point Container Terminal is slated to be completed in 2030, by which point Baltimore will jump from the sixth- to the third-largest container port on the East Coast.

“Progress doesn’t just happen, progress is made to happen,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. “From our response to the Key Bridge collapse two years ago to the recovery that continues to this day, Team Maryland and our federal partners are showing what it looks like to deliver progress through partnership. Today at Sparrows Point, we mark the next chapter in the Port of Baltimore’s success story — for our workers, for our state, and for our nation.”

The 168-acre container terminal and on-dock rail facility will handle about 1 million containers annually and generate an estimated $1.5 billion for the state. The terminal will also create more than 8,000 jobs, including 1,100 permanent International Longshoremen’s Association union jobs and 7,000 jobs indirectly connected to the terminal’s operations, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said the project will not only benefit families in her county but the entire region.

“Today is a great day for Baltimore County and shows what happens when we invest in good jobs for our residents, which empowers them to provide for their families, put food on their tables, and build strong futures,” Klausmeier said in a statement. “This partnership is an economic engine and continues to keep our region’s shipping industry among the best in the world.”

Scott Cowan, president of ILA Local 333, also praised the project’s impact on union workers.

“The Port of Baltimore and surrounding communities have built their livelihoods on the strength of this port, and today’s groundbreaking ensures that strength will only grow,” Cowan said in a statement. “The Sparrows Point Container Terminal means more jobs, more cargo, and more opportunity for our members. We are proud to support this investment and look forward to the work ahead.”

The terminal will include seven ship-to-shore cranes that will be able to service two ultra-large container vessels at one time. It will be developed in partnership with Terminal Investment Limited, a global leader in container terminal investments owned by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and Global Infrastructure Partners.

U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, who saw several projects at Tradepoint Atlantic during his time as Baltimore County Executive, said the terminal would continue to breathe new life into the former Bethlehem Steel site.

“This new container terminal is the latest chapter of a great American comeback story – one that will create thousands of good-paying union jobs and open the door to long-term economic opportunity for many more Maryland families,” Olszewski said in a statement. “It’s further evidence that the former home of Bethlehem Steel, once a symbol of American industrial might and the heartbeat of the Sparrows Point community, is ready to do it again, in a new way, for a new generation.”

The project will be supported by about $1.2 billion in private financing secured by Terminal Investment Limited and Tradepoint Atlantic, as well as $88 million in state investments.

Among the funds that the state plans to invest are $48 million in conditional loans from the Department of Commerce through the Sunny Day Fund over the next six state fiscal years (pending legislative approval); $2 million in conditional loans from the Department of Commerce through the Advantage Maryland program; and $38 million in fiscal 2025 and 2026 budget allocations. 

A nearly $40 million federal grant through the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program and a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with Baltimore County will also support the project.

“Today’s groundbreaking at Sparrows Point is exactly the kind of strategic, long-term port investment the United States needs,” said Stephen Carmel, U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) Administrator, in a statement. “The Department of Transportation and MARAD are committed to building a resilient maritime supply chain. Through the $39.7 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant, MARAD is proud to support the terminal’s expansion. This project will dramatically strengthen America’s maritime supply chain and expand domestic cargo capacity on the East Coast.”

Three and a half years after proposing to tear down five historic rowhouses it owns in Mount Vernon to create a prayer garden, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation is taking a different approach.

As part of a $10 million capital campaign currently underway, church leaders are seeking $3 million to transform the houses into a gathering space for parish and community use.

The four-story houses at 35, 37, 39, 41 and 43 W. Preston Street are across the street from the cathedral at 24 W. Preston Street. They date from the 1890s, were donated to the church and have been vacant for years. Their front façades would be retained under the church’s plan, but their interiors would be removed to create the proposed gathering space, which leaders are calling the “Preston Street Pavilion.”

The plan is outlined on a website for the fund drive, called the All Together/Oli Mazi Capital Campaign. A rendering shows that the front walls of the row houses would remain standing and the gathering space would be created behind them. The rendering shows adults and children both standing and seated in the space, with tables and chairs at ground level and a mezzanine one floor above.

“A dynamic complement will be added to the recently restored [Annunciation Orthodox Center] in the form of a large Pavilion that will beautifully transform the five Preston Street rowhouses,” the website states in a section called “Campaign Case for Support.”

In addition to the Preston Street Pavilion project, church leaders are seeking $6 million to modernize the Father George P. Gallos Education Center, located just west of the cathedral on the even side of W. Preston Street, to serve the parish and community more effectively. Plans call for improvements to the Father Constantine Monios Social Hall, foyer, library, meeting rooms, kitchen, classrooms and mechanical systems.  

The education center upgrade is the first phase of the project and the rowhouse project is the second phase. The campaign is also seeking $1 million to strengthen the cathedral’s endowment.

According to the website, the church has secured more than $8.1 million in pledges as of April 24. Renovations to the education building began in March, with an anticipated completion date of around Sept. 15.

Urban Design Group of Baltimore is the church’s architect; Whiting Turner is the construction manager; Engenium is the mechanical and electrical engineer, and Baird & Associates is the owner’s representative. Capital Bank agreed to provide a bridge loan while funds are being secured.

“Nearly 200 faithful stewards have helped to bring us to this point,” the website states. “Their generosity has created real momentum…We pray that this work continues to be guided by our faith in Christ as we build and strengthen the ministry of our Holy Cathedral for generations to come.”

Part of a historic district

The cathedral, the adjoining education center and the five rowhouses are all located in the Mount Vernon historic district, which means that any changes to their exteriors must be reviewed and approved by Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) before the city will issue a building permit.

Plans for the education center, which dates from 1960, have not sparked controversy.

But in November of 2022 the church alarmed preservationists when its attorney, Caroline Hecker, sent a letter to the city saying leaders wanted to replace the midblock houses with “a prayer garden and other hardscape improvements for faith-based gatherings and other functions on the Properties, in furtherance of the Church’s religious mission.”

The demolition application triggered a multi-step process in which CHAP schedules public hearings to determine whether to approve a demolition request.

During the first public hearing in December of 2022, church representatives testified that the vacant houses are in poor condition, had lost their architectural integrity, would be prohibitively expensive to renovate, and posed a fire and safety threat to the surrounding community. They said a prayer garden would be a positive addition to the area.

Preservationists argued that the houses, designed by John Appleton Wilson, are historically and architecturally significant and should be renovated for new uses, not torn down. They said Wilson’s design was distinctive in its use of Palladian windows, elegant brickwork and Ionic columns to frame each entrance. They argued that tearing the houses down would create a “gap-toothed look” in an otherwise unbroken streetscape and undermine past preservation efforts by literally eroding the historic district.

At the end of the hearing, panel members voted unanimously that the houses are contributing structures in the historic district. The vote came after CHAP received 156 letters and emails from people urging the board not to allow the church to tear the buildings down. It opened the door for the applicants to request a second public hearing if they still want a demolition permit.

Hecker said after the first hearing that church leaders were willing to work with the community and give preservationists time to explore alternatives to demolition. Charles Duff of Jubilee Baltimore formed a committee of design and construction experts to tour the houses and come up with economically viable ways of preserving them. A second CHAP hearing about the prayer garden proposal, required before any demolition permits could be issued by the city, was never held.

No public review

The Pavilion plan outlined in the capital campaign is a sign that church leaders listened to the preservationists and haven’t stopped working to figure out what to do with the vacant houses. CHAP has not reviewed it in a public hearing.

Jack Danna, president of the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association (MVBA), said he was aware that church leaders have agreed to hold off on demolishing the front façades but they have not presented their latest plans to MVBA’s general membership or its Architectural Review Committee. He declined to express an opinion on the approach, saying he didn’t have enough information about it.

Calling all chefs! Artscape is looking for you to take the stage with Baltimore’s own Chef Cat, the 2026 Flavor Lab Curator and host at Artscape.

Create Baltimore welcomes Catina Smith, also known as Chef Cat, to the Artscape team and stage for Artscape 2026, and local chefs can apply to join her. The Flavor Lab celebrates Baltimore’s rich food culture and features top chefs, food innovators, and immersive dining experiences. It will be located at Guilford and Pleasant streets in Baltimore during Artscape 2026, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend, May 23–24, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

“We’re proud to have Baltimore’s own Chef Cat curating the demo kitchen in Flavor Lab this year,” said Robyn Murphy, CEO of Create Baltimore, in a statement. “Artscape is about generating real opportunity for creatives while making culture accessible and alive across our city. Flavor Lab brings that to life in a way that feels distinctly Baltimore—bold, layered, and rooted in our identity. It’s not just a food experience inside the festival—it’s a reflection of who we are.”

Chefs, culinary artists, and food storytellers can be part of the nation’s largest free outdoor festival by taking the stage at the Cooking Demo Experience at Artscape, where food meets art, culture, and community. They would be with the celebrated Chef Cat, a chef with over 20 years of experience. She got famous nationally as a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen and still makes an impact as co-founder of Our Time Kitchen (OTK) and founder of Cherry Street Diner.

OTK is a commissary kitchen and community hub for uplifting culinary entrepreneurs. In addition to workshops, classes, pop-up events, and more, minority women and marginalized genders can rent the commercial kitchen hourly to help them turn their home cooking businesses into a fully-permitted small business in the food industry. Cherry Street Diner will be Chef Cat’s first brick and mortar restaurant, planned for Baltimore City.

“I am thrilled to host the cooking demo stage at the Flavor Lab this year at Artscape,” Smith said. “Baltimore has an incredibly talented culinary community, and I’ve had the privilege of experiencing these chefs’ food firsthand and trust me, you don’t want to miss what they have in store. This is going to be an unforgettable celebration of the flavors that make this city so special.”

Applications to be part of the Cooking Demo Experience must be received by May 8.

By BEN MESSINGER

Capital News Service

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress share growing concerns about political violence after last week’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ dinner.

But they are divided on what to do about it. 

Many Democrats are concerned about political violence, but feel the issue goes beyond the attempts on President Trump.

“First of all, it’s a problem we’re seeing all throughout our country, from poll workers, people who work local elections, to federal judges,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told Capital News Service on Tuesday. “The threats and acts of violence are increasing in our country. So there’s one thing everybody should realize: we will not cure this problem if we double down on partisan rhetoric.”

Republicans are criticizing the hate that has boiled over into political violence.

“Everybody’s got to address it their own way. Look, I don’t hate anybody. It’s very hard in this town, because this is a democratic town,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said to CNS. “I just constantly remind myself that this is America, and everybody has the right to his opinion, and you shouldn’t hate because of that.”

Kennedy criticized the motives of the California man charged as the suspected shooter.

“We have an overeducated, underemployed, self-righteous punk from California who thinks he’s smarter and more virtuous than everybody else. And that he has all the answers, and if you disagree with him, you should die,” Kennedy said.

“He’s clearly a high-IQ stupid person because he tried to run through the extraordinary security that we have,” Kennedy continued. “This meathead is very lucky he’s not swiss cheese.”

Kennedy said that he was not at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ dinner because he was watching the NBA playoffs. However, he was thankful that nobody got hurt and said the suspect “didn’t even break their champagne bottles.”

Republicans say the attack underscores the need to resume construction on Trump’s new East Wing ballroom project.

Democrats dismiss that claim.

“The notion of, oh, this thing happened at the Hilton, so let’s just throw millions of dollars at a ballroom,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said to CNS. “Let’s get to the bottom of what happened.”

Others said that political violence is an issue based on the personalities within politics, overshadowing more pressing conflicts. 

“We should focus on issues and not personalities,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said to CNS.

Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) is critical of other members of Congress from both sides of the aisle about how they’ve reacted to political violence. 

“I think they should just knock it off,” Thompson said to CNS. “They ought to act like the professionals that we expect members of Congress to set an example for the American people.”

Early May brings tons of fun events in Baltimore, from bourbon-soaked Derby parties to Cinco de Mayo festivities to lots of ways to give back to the community while eating and drinking well. Here’s a look at what’s happening this week:

Openings & announcements

The Fishmonger’s Daughter, the Catonsville restaurant from the owners of Faidley’s, is opening this week. During the restaurant’s soft opening, seating is by reservation only.

Ekiben’s newest location, in Frederick, is now officially open.

The building and liquor license associated with Le Bistro du Village in Mt. Washington have been listed for auction, with an auction date of June 4.

Little Phil’s Sorcery is now fully up and running, with an intriguing menu available Wednesday through Sunday, including items like escargots, fries with a variety of sauces, and stuffed baked potatoes.

The Local Oyster is launching The Local Steamer – seafood steam kits available for purchase to cook at home.

Teacher Appreciation Week at Miss Shirley’s

To celebrate all the teachers out there during Teacher Appreciation Week, Miss Shirley’s is offering 20% off with a current school faculty ID. The promotion runs from May 2-8 at the restaurant’s Roland Park, Inner Harbor and Annapolis locations.

Feastival

Feastival, the annual outdoor food event benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, is this Saturday, May 2. The party, now in its tenth year and always fun, takes place at Point Park in Harbor Point, and proceeds directly benefit CFF.

The lineup of food and beverage participants is terrific, including: Alma Cocina Latina, Benny’s, Beye Beignets, Bunny’s, The Chicken Lab, Charm City Poki and Mochi, The Four Seasons, Golden West Café, Chef Jonathan Hicks, Facci, Holi Moli, Kora Lee’s, Liv’s Tavern, La Scala, Mara al Mare (which is set to open soon), Our Time Kitchen, Poets Modern Cocktails & Eats, Rec Pier Chop House, Sobeachy Haitian Fusion, Taharka Bros, The Urban Oyster, The Wine Kitchen on the Creek, Charm City Beverage, Union Craft Brewing, and Wyoming Whiskey.

Derby Day

Saturday is the 152^nd running of the Kentucky Derby.

At Gunther & Co., the Derby-watching party includes a prize for best-dressed, plus the first 50 mint juleps ordered are free, courtesy of Woodford Reserve.

The Chasseur’s big Derby party is now in its 11^th year. This year’s event includes tons of drinks, live music, food, and more.

In honor of Triple Crown season, Ammoora has a race of its own: the Silk Road Stakes, a competition between six of the restaurant’s mezze offerings.

Brunch at Le Comptoir

On Sunday, Le Comptoir teams up with Sophomore Coffee and Chef Ali Dryer for a brunch pop-up – walk-ins only.

Hops 4 Health at Max’s

Sunday afternoon, Max’s Taphouse will raise awareness and funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Metropolitan Baltimore. The event, now in its fifth year, is called Hops 4 Health and features specialty beers, a stein-holding competition, a silent auction, and more.

Entry to the event is free and $1 from every featured drink sold will be donated to NAMI.

Costiera at the Cocktail Gallery

On Sunday evening, Costiera pops up at the Baltimore Spirits Co. Cocktail Gallery with a menu of salad, arancini, and lasagna. The meal starts at 5 p.m. and will be available until it sells out.

To the Table Supper Series kickoff

Also on Sunday, the To the Table Supper Series has its season opener at Roseda Farm. The meal will be prepared by Chef Sarah Rennie of Two Fire Table and entertainment comes from Panic Stricken. Black Ankle Vineyards and Farmacy Brewing provide the drinks and there will be oysters from Ryleigh’s and Shooting Point Oyster Co.

Vodka for BARCs

Throughout the month of May, Tito’s Vodka is donating $1 to BARCs for every “Ya Filthy Animal” cocktail sold at The Food Market. The drink combines blu cheese-infused Titos with pickle juice and olive juice.

Chi-Chi’s Week at Sally O’s

All week long, Sally O’s is throwing it back with a retro menu influenced by Chi-Chi’s. Think Mexican pizza, stacked nachos, and all kinds of chimichangas.

Pikesville Farmers Market is back

The Pikesville Farmers Market, which celebrates 25 years in operation this year, returns for the season on May 5. The market takes place at the Pikesville Armory on Tuesdays.

Cinco de Mayo

May 5 falls on a Tuesday this year, which means lots of fun midweek Cinco de Mayo festivities.

In honor of the holiday, Papi’s Tacos will have a bunch of specials, including $7 house margaritas, $5 Mexican beers and tequila shots, and 3-for-2 tacos.

At La Calle, the party starts at 4 p.m. with tacos, tequila, and a DJ coming in at 6 p.m.

Ryleigh’s Oyster will host a tequila tasting with Don Julio, accompanied by small bites and including cocktails.

Dodon at Manor Tavern

On Wednesday, the Manor Tavern welcomes the team from Anne Arundel County’s Dodon Vineyards for a multi-course wine dinner featuring courses like Moroccan vegetable stew paired with the vineyard’s chardonnay.

Rombauer at Cece’s

Also on Wednesday, Cece’s is showcasing Rombauer Wines with a specially designed tasting menu including dishes like diver scallop crudo and slow-roasted duck.

Wine Village

The Wine Village is back for its fourth appearance around the Inner Harbor, starting on May 7 and lasting through May 31. During that time, the Village is open Wednesday through Sunday (plus Memorial Day Monday), with tons of wines, beers, and cocktails, plus summery food options, and entertainment.

Pasta at The Corner Pantry

On May 7, The Corner Pantry is back for another of its spring series of cooking classes. This one focuses on pasta and dumplings.

Planning for the future

Mark your calendars for:

May 15: Black Eyed Susan Day Party at Cece’s

May 17: Gin Fling at Dutch Courage

May 28: Booze & BBQ at Louthan Distilling

Howard County police are offering up to $2,500 to individuals who can provide information about a Columbia shooting Monday morning connected to an illegal car rally where one person was killed and seven others were injured.

Leo Noel Balladares-Arita, a 24-year-old from Falls Church, Virginia, was killed in the shooting.

Police arrived at a parking garage in the 6700 block of Alexander Bell Drive at about 5:27 a.m. on April 27, responding to a report of the shooting.

Balladares-Arita was found dead at the scene. A 19-year-old woman was taken to a hospital.

In the hours that followed, five other victims came into area hospitals: three 20-year-old men, an 18-year-old man, and a 16-year-old girl.

A seventh victim walked into a Virginia hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound that police believe is connected to the Columbia shooting.

Two of the 20-year-old men are still at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The other individuals have been discharged.

All of the victims are from Virginia. Police believe many if not all of the car rally participants are also from Virginia and know eachother.

Detectives believe there were multiple shooters. They are still investigating the motive for the shooting.

Individuals with information about the shooting should contact police by calling 410-313-STOP or emailing HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov. You can stay anonymous.

By John McConnell and Michael Stamatos
Capital News Service

At 9 p.m. on March 28, 1984, under the cover of darkness and sleet, 15 Mayflower moving vans arrived at the Baltimore Colts’ complex in Owings Mills, Maryland.

By the next morning, the last of the vans had left, taking with them a franchise that had been in Baltimore for 31 seasons — along with a legacy of three NFL championships, a Super Bowl and the stories of Baltimore heroes like Johnny Unitas, Don Shula and Lenny Moore.

What the vans left behind was a city of distraught Baltimoreans.

In a front-page editorial in the Baltimore News American newspaper, sports editor John Steadman called the move “a despicable injustice.” Robert McG. Thomas Jr. of The New York Times wrote that the Colts “abandoned the city.” Kevin Cowherd, a columnist for The [Baltimore] Evening Sun, said the Colts left “with all the grace of a snake oil salesman backing out of a prairie tank town.”

The move, so sudden and silent, left Baltimore wondering whether it would ever see another NFL team — and created uncertainty and unease about the future of Major League  Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium.

“The big change came when the Colts left town,” Ron Smith, a WBAL Radio talk show host, told The Baltimore Sun at the time. “People are terrified of losing their only big league franchise. There’s a growing paranoia.”

Two of Baltimore’s professional teams, the Colts and the Orioles, were owned by out-of-towners. For years, Orioles owner Edward Bennett Williams and Colts owner Robert Irsay had complained that Memorial Stadium was outdated and hard for fans to get to. Both owners disliked playing in a dual-purpose stadium. Both wanted more than eight skyboxes and other amenities that Memorial Stadium couldn’t provide. Both wanted the city or state to provide a new stadium, which legislators had no interest in doing.

By the spring of 1984, the complaints had grown so loud that elected officials began to take action.

In Annapolis, legislators had been worried about the reports that Irsay had been shopping the team to other cities. On March 27, the day before the move, the Maryland Senate passed legislation that would give Baltimore the power to seize ownership of the Colts. The measure, which involved expanding the city’s power of eminent domain to cover professional sports franchises, was met with little resistance — the vote was 38-4. Irsay moved the team the following day, before the bill could reach the House of Delegates.

“They always reminded me of thieves in the night,” Steve LaPlanche, a fan who was there the entire night, said in a 2014 article for ESPN. “They were literally throwing things in vans.”

Fans and reporters could only stand and watch.

“I watched for a while from a distance from outside,” said Ken Murray, a retired sports reporter who covered the Colts’ departure for The Evening Sun, in an interview with the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism. “It was somewhat surreal, because you have the snow, the trucks are all wet, the trucks are bright yellow and green, so they are kind of standing out in all this bleakness.”

John Lopez, a trainer for the Baltimore Colts, remembered the moment when he truly felt the significance of what had just occurred, according to an article in The Sun. It happened when he looked out the training room window after an evening filled with packing and saw Vince Bagli, one of Baltimore’s most-beloved broadcasters.

“I saw Vince in the hallway, tears streaming down his face,” Lopez said. “To see a guy who was an institution in Baltimore — to see the emotion he had that night — probably did more to hit me than anything else.”

“I didn’t say anything to him,” Lopez said. “A piece of history was ending, so I don’t think words could have explained how I felt or how he felt. I was just understanding and looking.”

Lopez “saw the last truck when it pulled out,” Murray told the Povich Center. “He said he saw this white thing in the road. The truck had just driven over it, and he went over to see what it was. He sees that it’s a Colts T-shirt, a Colts insignia white T-shirt. He picks it up, it has tire tracks all across the name, which was about as appropriate as you can get in the situation.”

It felt like a funeral in Baltimore.

“The entire state, in effect, except for maybe the Washington area, suffered real trauma with the loss of a sports franchise,” Mark Wasserman, who was a top aide to then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer, told the Povich Center.

“The city was in mourning,” Alan Rifkin, who became chief legislative officer when Schaefer became governor in 1987, told the Povich Center. “It was as if the city had been told that it was a second-class city, that it wasn’t worthy of an NFL franchise, that its mayor was powerless, and that the fans who had poured their hearts out to the Colts and Johnny Unitas and all of the great heroes of the day were now an afterthought.”

Colts starting quarterback Mike Pagel was back at his home in Arizona when he learned that the team had moved. “Out of the blue, get a phone call from a beat writer saying, ‘Well, you guys are now the Indianapolis Colts,’ and it was like, ‘What?’”

“As a player, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it — you just go with it,” he told the Povich Center.

However, for the workers who help the team operate, they had to make a choice,” Pagel said. “Everybody in the front office had to make that decision: Do you go to Indianapolis or you stay in Baltimore?”

Then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle was opposed to the idea of the move. Ultimately, he had no choice but to watch the Colts depart for Indianapolis.

“I talked to him [Irsay] about it,” Rozelle said in an article in The Washington Post in 1984. “I can’t say I put heavy pressure on him because of what our attorneys said. He knew that our rules on franchise moves have been suspended because of the Oakland situation. We weren’t in a position to stop him.”

Two years earlier, then-Raiders owner Al Davis had moved the team from Oakland to Los Angeles. The league had blocked the move originally, but a court ruled in favor of Davis and cleared the way for the team to leave Oakland.

When the Colts arrived in Indianapolis, their home became the then-Hoosier Dome, a new stadium that cost $82 million to build. The dome was in large part what drew Irsay — it was a modern alternative to Memorial Stadium.

Irsay’s moving the Colts convinced many Baltimore fans and politicians that owners who threatened to leave town unless they got a new stadium would follow through. That anxiety helped Schaefer, in his first year as governor in 1987, convince the state legislature to approve plans for both a baseball park and a football stadium.  

Decades later, the scars left by the Colts move still haven’t fully healed for some — and were reopened recently by another local team owner.

In 2022, the future of the Orioles in Baltimore seemed uncertain. Rumors swirled involving John Angelos, the club’s chairman, and his desire to perhaps move the team to Nashville, Tennessee.

Angelos tried to calm the situation, issuing a statement, saying, “As I have said before, as long as Fort McHenry is standing watch over the Inner Harbor, the Orioles will remain in Baltimore.”

But for older Baltimore sports fans, the situation reminded them of 1984, when Irsay told reporters he had “not any intention of moving the goddamn team” before packing up the Colts and moving them to Indianapolis.

However, the Orioles management was able to make a deal with the State of Maryland in December 2023, extending the stadium lease for another 30 years. The Angelos family then sold the team to Baltimorean David Rubenstein in 2024, enabling locals of all ages to breathe a sigh of relief.

This story was created for “Creating Camden Yards,” an oral history project from The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. For more on the project, visit CreatingCamdenYards.org.

Put your local news knowledge to the test with David Conn’s Daily Dispatch Quiz.

6 questions. 90 seconds.

Today’s topics include:

• Director returns after 27 years
• Hall of Famer breaks his streak
• Churches gain unusual bankruptcy power

See how you stack up against other quiz-takers on the leaderboard.

Brag – or lament – about how much you really know in the comments below.

The Daily Dispatch Quiz has an app, too. Download it by clicking the Dispatch logo at the end of the quiz.

Baltimore leaders pledge to fix the city’s flawed computer-aided police dispatch system – CBS Baltimore

How Maryland special agents began investigating the sextortion case involving a state senator – Baltimore Banner

Suspect arrested after alleged abduction of Cockeysville middle-school student – WBAL News Radio

Annapolis women walk for health and community – WMAR-TV

Gov. Moore says Maryland’s closed primary system has “run its course” – Maryland Matters

Union demands answers after two MDOT workers killed in two days – FOX Baltimore/WBFF-TV

Jim Palmer has crossed the Rubicon. Left the Garden of Eden. Lost his deal with the Devil and learned resistance is futile. That is correct, friends. James Alvin Palmer, Hall of Fame pitcher and now broadcaster for the Orioles, 80 years old and absolute health fiend, has finally eaten a chicken wing.

A little over a year ago, the Baltimore legend revealed to the world that he had never eaten a chicken wing. On the air, on purpose, Palmer claimed to have “never even thought about” eating a chicken wing. This absolutely shattered fellow broadcaster Kevin Brown’s sense of all that is good and holy in this world, who tried with all his might to understand what might drive someone to this level of madness.

“Doesn’t it have skin and stuff on it?” Palmer had asked.

“YEAH,” Brown said, still trying to get his bearings. “Lots of things have skin!”

“Well, I don’t eat skin,” Palmer said.

“APPLES have skin!” Brown shot back.

“Well, I eat apples,” Palmer admitted.

The back and forth continued until into the next day when Brown brought a tray of chicken wings and tenders into the booth, trying to tempt Palmer into desecrating his bodily sanctuary with the foul fowl. Alarmingly, Palmer did not even recognize what each item was, pointing to each and asking for identification. Asking if they came with gloves, he agreed to try a chicken tender, but would not soil his temple with the grease of the chicken wing.

It was then the deal was struck.

“I’ll tell you what. If they hit another grand slam while I am broadcasting, I will make sure I eat a chicken wing,” Palmer told Brown. “If they do it tonight, I definitely will.”

That was on April 16, 2025.

Today is April 30, 2026.

One year and two weeks later, Palmer and Brown sat in the booth during an afternoon game making up for last night’s rain-out. Adley Rutschman hit a grand slam – BUT JUST BARELY, because Houston center fielder Brice Matthews caught the ball just as it went over the fence, but DROPPED IT when his hand banged into it!

Brown, nearly out of his mind with excitement, yells, “IT’S A GRAND SLAM! Matthews couldn’t squeeze it, Adley hits a grand slam, and WE NEED TO GET YOU A CHICKEN WING!”

Palmer half-heartedly tried to convince Brown there were only two men on base and it was not really a grand slam. A couple of innings later, when a tray of wings appeared in front of him thanks to on-the-field reporter Rob Long, Palmer chided Houston Pitcher Jason Alexander for hanging a slider, and Matthews for not catching the ball, clearly grumpy about his impending fate.

In the end, though, Palmer stepped up to the plate and ate his wing like an adult. He even enjoyed it, calling it “pretty good”, though he did limit himself to the “one wing” he said he would eat.

“Look at what I’ve missed all these years!” Palmer said.

“Look at that! I do like green eggs and ham! Thank you, thank you, Sam, I am!” Brown said, triumphant and dizzy with glee.

Even the scoreboard operator got in on the fun.

While Brown and Long plotted all the places they were going to bring Palmer to eat chicken wings, they asked him where he wanted to go.

“Home,” Palmer said. “You should take me to the home.”

It is always a special moment when a member of Birdland spreads his wings (or in this case, wing) to try something new.

There is a lot going on in Charm City this first weekend in May, and with lovely cool, dry weather predicted, expect crowds to come out of winter hibernation mode for Flower Mart and the Kinetic Sculpture Race. Baltimore Fishbowl has road closure information to help people navigate.

Baltimore City Department of Transportation released the traffic modifications for those two events. Flower Mart takes place in Mount Vernon on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, with modifications beginning on Thursday, April 30. The Kinetic Sculpture Race begins and ends at the American Visionary Arts Museum (AVAM) and travels around Downtown Baltimore on Saturday, May 2. Traffic modifications for that event also start Thursday, April 30.

FLOWER MART TRAFFIC INFORMATION

CLOSED TO TRAFFIC:

• Thursday, April 30, 9 a.m.–Saturday, May 2, 11:59 p.m.
  • Mount Vernon Place (eastbound and westbound) from Cathedral to St. Paul streets
  • Charles Street from Centre to Madison streets
• Friday, May 1, 9 a.m.–Saturday, May 2, 11:59 p.m.
  • Madison Street from St. Paul to Cathedral streets
  • Charles Street from Madison to Read streets

KINETIC SCULPTURE RACE TRAFFIC INFORMATION

The race begins and ends at AVAM on Covington Street. Participants run a 15-mile course through the Inner Harbor and the surrounding neighborhoods in mobile contraptions they have created themselves, and no event encapsulates Baltimore’s charm, creativity, and kookiness more.

CLOSED TO TRAFFIC:

• Thursday, April 30, 9 a.m.–Saturday, May 2, 6 p.m.
  • Covington Street between Key Highway and Cross Street with detours and parking restrictions in effect.

PARKING RESTRICTIONS:

• Saturday, May 2, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.
  • South side of Key Highway from Battery Avenue to Covington Street. South side of Key Highway from Williams Street to Light Street. South side of Boston Street from Aliceanna Street to East Avenue.
  • Covington Street between Key Highway and Cross Street (begins Thursday, April 30, 7 a.m.)

Motorists are advised that temporary traffic stops will happen during the event for the safety of participants. Transportation Enforcement Officers and the Baltimore City Police will be positioned along the race route to help manage traffic flow. Drivers should expect delays and are encouraged to plan by allowing extra travel time on race day.

For these and all other events around town, all parking restrictions in the vicinity of the event will be strictly enforced. Motorists should obey all posted parking restrictions, watch for pedestrians, and use alternate routes to avoid delays. 

Reporting by Max Schaeffer
Data visualizations by Clay Ludwig
Editing assistance from Eden Binder

Capital News Service

Since day 1 of Donald Trump’s second term, one of his main priorities has been an aggressive crackdown on immigration. In Maryland, over 17% of the population was born overseas. The state is seeing a major increase in ICE arrests.

CNS analyzed public data from the Deportation Data Project and found that numbers are skyrocketing during Trump’s second year in office.

Between Jan. 20 and March 10 of 2025, ICE made 486 arrests in Maryland. In that same time frame in 2026, it has made 1,250. At that rate, the number of arrests this year would surpass last year’s total by July.

Maryland immigration lawyer Hemedes Chicas told us this is consistent with what he’s seeing.

“They have one singular goal which is to get bodies in, and that seems to be the goal of the administration at large is just get bodies, get the stats up in terms of people being detained and removed.”

ICE is also making arrests in Maryland at a rate 4.3 times higher than it was during the final year of the Biden administration.

According to Chicas, one reason for the uptick is an expansion of who ICE is targeting.

“They would be lying if they say we’re only going after criminals and dangerous people. They’re going after everyone who is in the country unlawfully or who is otherwise deportable … from their point of view.”

Where are those people from? Central America. The most common countries of citizenship are Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

But once they have been deported, they haven’t all been sent home. From Jan. 20, 2025 to March 10 of this year, there were 194 recorded instances of Maryland ICE arrestees being sent to a country they are not a citizen of.

The most common destination for those people was Mexico. 149 people who are citizens of other countries like El Salvador and Guatemala were sent there.

With Baltimore County Animal Services caring for more dogs and cats than they have the capacity for, the agency is waiving all pet adoption fees now through the weekend.

Coinciding with National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day on Thursday, anyone who adopts an animal from April 30 through May 3 will have all adoption fees waived. Additionally, anyone who adopts a pet on April 30 will receive a PetSmart gift card.

“Every kennel has a story, and the animals inside those kennels deserve a home,” Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement. “If you’ve been thinking about adopting, now is a great time. You’ll be giving an animal a chance at a new life, and you will get a friend in return.”

Baltimore County Animal Services is the only open-admission shelter in the county, meaning it doesn’t turn away any animals.

The shelter has accepted an average of 21 animals per day this year. That’s 440 more animals from January through March than the same period in 2025.

Like many of the nation’s animal shelters, Baltimore County Animal Services is over capacity with both dogs and cats.

County leaders hope this adoption push will help alleviate those capacity challenges and connect animals with permanent and loving homes.

“National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day is a great time to adopt,” said Dr. Lucy E. Wilson, the county’s health officer, in a statement. “Pets bring tremendous joy and companionship, and we have so many in need of a loving home. I encourage anyone considering adoption to take advantage of the many incentives being offered.”

If residents want to help but are not ready or able to adopt, they might consider fostering or volunteering with Baltimore County Animal Services.

There are two types of evil: The direct kind, committed by the person who inflicts pain and suffering, and the indirect kind, committed by the person who sees it and does little or nothing. Maryland’s highest court has declared that, in the case of the monstrous abuses inflicted on children years ago by Catholic clergy, the first form of evil warrants public exposure but the latter does not.

This is a complicated and fascinating legal and moral matter: Is private shame sufficient punishment for those who stood by and did nothing, or should they face public exposure and humiliation?

It sounds like good material for debate clubs and philosophy classes.

But, for the many victims of sexual abuse, this is no academic exercise; it’s a real-life insult to their dogged campaign for a full public accounting of the sins of the Roman Catholic Church.

In a ruling filed April 27, the Maryland Supreme Court said public accountability is not a good enough reason to disclose the names of the never-charged-but-complicit. The court prohibited the identification of at least 17 people who were cited in the state’s long and sprawling investigation but never accused of a crime. Such a disclosure, the court said, would violate Maryland’s long-standing rule on grand jury secrecy, subject those people to public humiliation without a way to vindicate themselves and deter witnesses from coming forth in criminal investigations.

The court’s ruling stops the Office of the Maryland Attorney General from publishing the names of the never-charged: Catholic clergy and non-clergy who did little or nothing while others sexually abused minors in parishes across the state. 

The names of the never-charged were redacted from the Attorney General’s 463-page report, released in April 2023. The report listed 156 members of the Catholic clergy and others who had abused more than 600 children over eight decades. The issue of disclosure reached the Maryland Supreme Court after rulings in Baltimore Circuit Court and the Maryland Appellate Court.

The Supreme Court said there has to be a good and particular reason to release secret grand jury testimony — for referral of possible criminality to a federal agency, for instance — but public accountability is not one of them.

Citing opinions from earlier cases, the court said “secrecy is the lifeblood of the grand jury,” and, while the veil of secrecy might be lifted from time to time, “this may be done only discretely and limitedly.” 

Also from the ruling: “Many grand jury investigations produce negative information about uncharged individuals that the public might benefit from learning. That commonly present interest is insufficient to constitute a particularized need that may outweigh the continued interest in secrecy . . .”

Allowing disclosure, the court said, “would defeat one of the main purposes of the grand jury process: preventing unindicted persons from being held up to public ridicule.”

I didn’t have “preventing public ridicule” as a reason for grand jury secrecy. 

A greater concern would be the chilling effect disclosure of witnesses and testimony might have on the investigative powers of the grand jury: Without secrecy, it would be harder to get the goods on the bad guys.

One more thing: The Supreme Court seemed to suggest that the public has had its fill of the scandal from media reporting and litigation, eliminating the need for further disclosure: “We do not minimize the harm that so many children suffered at the hands of clergy and others within the [Archdiocese of Baltimore]. Nor do we discount the interest of the public in understanding the history of child abuse in AOB and other institutions. Investigative journalism, criminal prosecutions and civil actions have exposed much of what went on within AOB.”

Allow me to step back for a moment to point out a glaring irony in all this devotion to secrecy: The scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church began in secrecy. You could argue that it’s all about secrecy — the secret lives of the priests who abused children and the church leaders who not only covered up their crimes but abetted the abuse by transferring predator priests to other parishes.

One can reasonably ask: Is the secrecy of the grand jury sacrosanct even with a seismic event like the Catholic sex abuse scandal? Isn’t it important to know how the sexual abuse of minors by priests continued for so long? Do those who knew but remained silent deserve blame? 

And isn’t there a major difference between truly innocent witnesses and those who could have taken action to stop crimes but failed to do so?

Such a distinction might have been achieved on a case-by-case basis under a common-sense order from the Appellate Court, but the Supreme Court rejected that process, again dismissing public accountability as justification.

So a layer of secrecy remains.

Eight years ago, in a 900-page grand jury report on widespread clergy abuse of thousands of victims, Pennsylvania authorities disclosed the name of William H. Keeler, a former bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg and, later, cardinal of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The report described Keeler’s inaction after learning that two priests had separately abused numerous girls, including five from one family. (Keeler had one of the abusers moved to a parish in the Baltimore archdiocese.)

The cardinal was not accused of abuse, but, like other Catholic superiors around the country, he had allowed it to continue. So the Pennsylvania Attorney General at the time — Josh Shapiro, now governor of the commonwealth — had no reservations about naming him.

Of course, Keeler had died the year before the report came out; he wasn’t around to defend himself, nor was he able to demand that his name be redacted and spared humiliation in the court of public opinion. And so the victims in Pennsylvania have something their peers in Maryland do not have — a fuller accounting of abuse and the holy men who tried to keep evil a secret.

Dan Rodricks’ columns on local topics appear weekly in Baltimore Fishbowl. His columns on national affairs can be found on Substack. He can be reached via danrodricks.com