Eyes on the Street

Sheila Dixon Trial: Summary of Day One

Evan Serpick — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:21:02 +0000

Our reporter Doug Donovan will send updates from the coutroom throughout the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon. As testimony from witnesses for the prosecution continues today in State v. Dixon, here’s a few highlights from yesterday’s opening statements. Dixon attorney Arnold Weiner told the jury that the state’s star witness and Dixon’s former boyfriend, Ronald Lipscomb, [...]

Sheila Dixon Trial Update: Summary of Opening Statements

Evan Serpick — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:41:41 +0000

Our reporter Doug Donovan is sending updates from the coutroom today, as opening statements are set to begin in the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon. 3:30 p.m. Opening arguments started shortly after 1 p.m. and ended nearly two hours later. For Maryland state prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh, the case is all about Sheila Dixon and how she stole [...]

Sheila Dixon Trial Update: Witness List Released

Evan Serpick — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:39 +0000

Our reporter Doug Donovan is sending updates from the coutroom today, as opening statements are set to begin in the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon. 11:30 a.m. The court just released the list of 72 witnesses expected to testify, including such notables as Rep. Elijah Cummings, former city health commissioner and new FDA bigwig Joshua Sharfstein, [...]

Sheila Dixon Trial: Juror Collapses

Evan Serpick — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:51:16 +0000

Our reporter Doug Donovan is sending updates from the coutroom today, as opening statements are set to begin in the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon. 10:40 a.m. A juror collapsed while standing before the judge during a conference with Judge Sweeney and the attorneys. Sweeney darted around the bench to grab a chair as a [...]

Sheila Dixon Trial UPDATE

Evan Serpick — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:35:23 +0000

10:00 a.m. Our reporter Doug Donovan is sending updates from the coutroom today, as opening statements are set to begin in the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon. Opening statements are expected this morning after various motion hearings. Judge Dennis Sweeney rejected the prosecutors request to use new evidence that a third developer gave gift cards to [...]

Dixon Trial Update: Jury Selected

Evan Serpick — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:34:36 +0000

3:30 p.m. Mayor Dixon’s lawyers and prosecutors settled on 12 jurors and six alternates at around 3:15 p.m. The composition: two black men, five black women, two white women, one white man, one asian woman and one woman whose race was not discernable. Most appeared to range in age from of 30 and 65 years old. The [...]

Dixon Trial Update

Evan Serpick — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:53:59 +0000

2:30 p.m. The final fifty-nine possible jurors in Mayor Dixon’s trial are set. More than half are women and almost all are African American. Judge Sweeney announced that a jury of 12 would be chosen from among them by day’s end.

Inside the Dixon Trial, Part 1

Evan Serpick — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:47:50 +0000

Veteran political and investigative journalist Doug Donovan is in Courthouse East, covering the trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon for Baltimore magazine. Here is his first post, from day one of jury selection. With cameras and recording devices barred from Mayor Sheila Dixon’s criminal trial, Baltimore sketch artist Betsy Stone Kirk provided the only image from inside [...]

Sun Circulation Shrinks

Evan Serpick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:58:57 +0000

More tough news for The Baltimore Sun. For the six months ending September 2009, daily circulation dropped 14.6 percent to 186,639. Sunday circulation fared a bit better, dropping only 8 percent to 322,491. Nationally, newspaper circulation dropped 10.6 percent, as the industry continues to search for ways to increase readership and/or revenue. In April, The Sun [...]

Food Bank Launches Virtual Food Drive

Evan Serpick — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:28:36 +0000

By Johanna Anderson, Baltimore intern Like most non-profits, the Maryland Food Bank is suffering a steep decline in donations during this recession. But, as it gears up for its busy season—the holidays—the Bank has come up with a twist on its traditional model that is already showing results: a virtual food drive. At mdfoodbank.org, donors can fill [...]