Protests at Columbia and other schools escalate

Pro-Palestinian protests continued at major US universities through Friday evening decrying Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Throughout the week, several schools called police on protesters, leading to the arrests of hundreds across the country. Protesters have demanded schools divest campus funds from entities connected to Israel.

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry. Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people.

College administrators are facing increasing pressure from lawmakers to rein in protests. At Columbia – the epicenter of the demonstrations – the school’s senate passed a resolution late Friday to investigate the university leadership’s handling of the protests. 

Purported recording of Pikesville HS principal was not authentic, contained AI content

The former athletic director at Pikesville High School has been arrested in connection to an AI-generated impersonation of the school’s principal. Dazhon Darien, 31, faces multiple charges, including stalking, theft, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness, according to charging documents obtained by 11 News.

Police said the charges are connected to an investigation that started on Jan. 17 into a voice recording circulated on social media that was alleged to have been the voice of the school’s principal, Eric Eiswert.

Police said the audio clip, which was an alleged race-based commentary on the school’s students and teachers, was spread on social media. That led to the temporary removal of Eiswert from the school, as well as many hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school.

Police said Thursday afternoon that detectives have conclusive evidence based on a forensic analysis by the FBI that the recording was not authentic. Police said the analysis indicated the recording contained traces of AI-generated content. Detectives then sought an additional analysis by the University of California, Berkley, which arrived at the same findings as the FBI’s analysis.

Police said investigators believe Darien made the recording to retaliate against Eiswert, who, at the time, was pursuing an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds.

Baltimore port to open deeper channel, enabling some ships to pass after Key Bridge collapse

ONFIRE-TV.com – Officials in Baltimore plan to open a deeper channel for commercial ships to enter and leave the city’s port starting on Thursday — a significant step toward reopening the major maritime shipping hub that has remained closed to most traffic since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last month. The new channel will be 35 feet (12 meters) deep, which is a substantial increase over the three other temporary channels established in recent weeks. It puts the cleanup effort slightly ahead of schedule, as officials previously said they hoped to open a channel of that depth by the end of April.

Five of the seven cargo ships that have been stuck in Baltimore’s harbor will be able to pass through the new channel, including one loaded car carrier, officials said Tuesday, marking one month since the deadly disaster. Other ships are scheduled to enter the port, which normally processes more cars and farm equipment than any other in the country.

“Four weeks ago, our way of life was dealt a huge blow with the collapse of the Key Bridge,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said during a news conference.

Gov. Moore announces two additional programs to support local businesses impacted by Key Bridge collapse

Maryland is offering two new economic relief programs to support businesses affected by the Key Bridge collapse.

A program through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development provides businesses with grants of up to $50,000.

Meanwhile, another program provides no-interest loans of up to a half-million dollars. A total of $15 million in grants and loans are available through the programs for businesses with 500 or fewer employees that have been impacted by a loss of revenue or an increase in costs related to the bridge collapse.

The application portal is open.

Find out more here.

Baltimore City suing owner and operator of cargo ship involved in Key Bridge collapse

Tuesday will mark four weeks since the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was destroyed by a cargo ship, slamming into one of its main vertical supports, and now the city is taking legal action.

Baltimore City is suing the owner and operator of the Dali cargo ship in the collapse. The city blames the owners for having faulty equipment on the cargo carrier.

The city claims the crew was incompetent and inattentive in allowing the ship to crash into the bridge. Baltimore is not only seeking damages related to the lost revenue at the city’s port, but also the cost of replacing the bridge.

The owners of the Dali have sought to protect themselves by using an old maritime law, which limits damages to the value of items on the vessel.

Six construction workers were killed in the collapse. Two remain missing.

Trump opening statements to begin in hush money trial

ONFIRE-TV.com – After four days of jury selection, the first criminal trial of a former president gets rolling this week in New York.

Judge Juan Merchan indicated that he expects opening statements to begin Monday in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump, after 12 jurors and six alternates were sworn in last week.

Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation Relocates to Downtown Baltimore

The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) today announced its headquarters has relocated from State Center to the Candler Building located at 700 East Pratt Street in Baltimore’s Central Business District.

“This highly anticipated relocation offers a more modern and convenient working environment for our team and will allow us to serve our customers even better,” said Interim Director Dan Phillips. “We are thrilled to be part of Baltimore City’s downtown business community and look forward to all the benefits it has to offer.”

The Department’s headquarters staff will be fully relocated including the business charter functions, business personal property assessments, utility assessments, franchise tax, tax credit programs, tax sale ombudsman’s office, homeowner protection program, ground rent program, and general SDAT administration. The Department’s real property assessment offices are not impacted by this relocation, and SDAT continues to have a real property office in every Maryland county and Baltimore City. All county assessment office addresses remain the same.

During this transition, SDAT customers are strongly encouraged to use the Maryland Business Express online options to submit business filings and Maryland OneStop to apply for property tax credits. Although the Department’s new walk-in customer service counter located at 123 Market Place, Baltimore MD 21202, will be open for all customers in the coming weeks, at this time it is only available for tax credit customers. Same day Charter filing services, Annual Reports, Business Personal Property Returns, and other filings may be hand delivered to the drop-boxes available in the lobby of the new location. Mail sent to SDAT’s prior State Center offices will be forwarded to the new location.

Updates related to the relocation and availability of services will be posted on SDAT’s website at dat.maryland.gov.

Gov. Moore: Crews remove 1,100 tons of steel from Key Bridge collapse site

Salvage crews in Baltimore are doing some heavy lifting as they work to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge and open a third temporary shipping channel by month’s end.

Speaking at an afternoon news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Wes Moore said in the three weeks since the collapse, crews have removed 1,100 tons of steel from the Patapsco River, which is equivalent to five times the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

Moore noted this has been done without a single injury on the job.

In a show of bipartisan unity, the Democratic governor was joined by former Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich and GOP state lawmakers who helped pass the Maryland PORT Act, emergency legislation that supports businesses and workers impacted by the collapse.

READ MORE: Maryland makes bipartisan case for federal funding after Key Bridge collapse

Moore says he plans to travel to Washington again to continue the push for full federal funding to rebuild the bridge.

Maryland makes bipartisan case for federal funding after Key Bridge collapse

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore provided a briefing Tuesday afternoon after the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The governor said, as of Tuesday, crews have moved more than 1,100 tons of steel from the Patapsco River. To put that into perspective, Moore said that is five times the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

“We have not had a single injury on the job — three weeks, 1,110 tons of steel, no injuries. This is an absolutely remarkable achievement,” Moore said.

But the governor said one of the biggest priorities is to get the main shipping channel back open by the end of May, and he said the next step toward making that happen is by removing a large 300-ton steel structure that’s resting on the cargo ship.

The governor said about 40 containers have been lifted from the ship.

Source: WBAL

LSU star Angel Reese declares for WNBA draft via Vogue photo shoot, says ‘I didn’t want to be basic’

Bayou Barbie is WNBA bound. LSU star Angel Reese, who is known for her eyelash extensions, painted fingernails and ferocious play in the paint, formally declared for the WNBA draft on Wednesday. Her announcement comes two days after the Tigers’ season ended with a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight round of the women’s NCAA Tournament .

Reese, who has expressed an interest in working in fashion and modeling, announced her decision via a photo shoot in Vogue , saying she was inspired by tennis great Serena Williams announcing her retirement in 2022 in a similar manner.

Reese, who publicly had left open the option of returning for another year at LSU, acknowledged having made up her mind to turn pro before March Madness began.

“Of course, I like to do everything big,” Reese told the magazine. “I didn’t want anything to be basic.”

“I’ve done everything I wanted to in college,” added Reese, who also has expressed interest in playing professionally in Europe during the WNBA offseason. “I’ve won a national championship, I’ve gotten (Southeastern Conference) Player of the Year, I’ve been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a pro — and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I’m ready.”

Reese, a dynamic, 6-foot-3 forward who can run the floor, guard the perimeter and block shots anywhere, likely will join Clark, the expected No. 1 pick by Indiana, as one of the top players drafted on April 15. Draft analysts have projected Reese as a seventh or eighth overall choice. An undeveloped outside shot is among the few questions about her game as she leaves college.

Reese grew up in Baltimore and began her college career at Maryland, where her brother, Julian, plays for the men’s team. She transferred to LSU in 2022 and the Tigers won the program’s only national title in Reese’s first season.

“She helped transform our program,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We are all indebted to Angel Reese for the contributions she has given to this program, helping us win our first national championship, and the contributions she made on our university as a whole.”

Reese registered 61 double-doubles for the Tigers in two seasons. Only Sylvia Fowles had more double-doubles at LSU.

Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game at LSU, including seven games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Reese became the first SEC player since Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990 to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.

This season, Reese was named the SEC Player of the Year. Reese has played four college seasons but was among those athletes granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA because their careers overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: AP News