Baltimore police seek person in connection with fatal shooting of 17-year-old

Baltimore police detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify a person seen on camera in connection with a fatal shooting occurring on April 1. Commissioner Richard Worley said police responded to the 200 block of East Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore at around 8 p.m. Monday evening for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old male that was shot. Four to five suspects fled the area. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott also reported to the scene.

“Make this easy on yourself and turn yourself in, because we will find you. This is not a game to us, this is very serious when we talk about taking lives,” Scott said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 410-369-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP.

Gov. Wes Moore talks Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, efforts and victims families

President Joe Biden is expected to ask Congress for supplemental funding perhaps of a billion dollars or more to replace the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge before he comes to Baltimore on Friday. For the time being, federal and state agencies are looking to get the port back in operation, ASAP. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined The T.J. Smith Show on Tuesday and discussed the current recovery efforts given the fact that overnight and into the dawn, a severe thunderstorm hit Baltimore with heavy rain expected on and off into Wednesday.

“The lightning…that really does hinder some of the salvage operations that can take place. It can hinder the mobility of the cranes that we have,” Moore said.

This Tuesday marks an official one week since the Key Bridge collapsed.

Moore highlighted how crews worked quickly to remove enough steel to create a shallow channel for some smaller craft to help with the effort.

“We have been working, really, around the clock speaking with these CEOs, speaking with these businesses; and letting them know that even if there is any form of temporary disruption, this is temporary,” Moore said. “We want to be able to keep them in the Port of Baltimore.”

Moore also reacted to the Singapore-flagged ship’s owner and operating companies looking to limit their liabilities for the destruction of the bridge and loss of six lives under an 1850s maritime law:

“We expected them to try to push toward the limitation of their liability,” Moore said.” There is an active investigation that’s going on at NTSB. And if people need to be accountable for this disaster, they will be held accountable.”

Temporary, alternate channel established for commercial vessels after Key Bridge collapse

The U.S. Coast Guard established a temporary, alternate channel for commercially essential vessels near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, part of a phased approach to opening the main channel leading to the vital port, officials said.

Crews have begun the complicated work of removing steel and concrete at the site of the bridge’s deadly collapse into the Patapsco River after a freighter collision last week. On Sunday, dive teams surveyed parts of the bridge and checked the ship, and workers in lifts used torches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure.

The captain of the port is preparing to establish the temporary channel on the northeast side of the main channel. It will have a controlling depth of 11 feet (over 3 meters), a horizontal clearance of 264 feet (80 meters) and a vertical clearance of 96 feet (29 meters), officials said. A video released Sunday showed the Coast Guard dropping buoys in the water.

“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” Capt. David O’Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator of the response, said in a statement Sunday night. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”

On Monday, the Small Business Administration is opening a center in Dundalk, Maryland, to help small businesses get loans to help them with losses caused by the disruption of the bridge collapse.

The bridge fell as the crew of the cargo ship Dali lost power and control on March 26. They called in a mayday, which allowed just enough time for police to stop vehicles from getting on the bridge, but not enough time to get a crew of eight workers off the structure.

Memorial held to remember 6 construction workers lost in bridge collapse

Marylanders are doing their part to ensure the men lost in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse will not be forgotten.

The six victims were honored Friday by workers who have jobs building and repairing roads. They not only wanted to pay tribute to the victims but to bring attention to how their work is critical and often dangerous.

Hard hats, candles and flowers were on display to remember those contractors who were filling potholes when the bridge went down.

“Essential workers who performed the dangerous yet critical work of the construction industry,” CASA’s Gustavo Torres said.

Video obtained by 11 News showed dashboard camera video of the work crew just two hours before the disaster. Two men survived. Divers found the bodies of two victims, the foreman on the job, Alejandro Hernandez-Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and worker Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk.

Four others are still missing, including Maynard Sauzo Sandoval, who lived in Owings Mills. He was the married father of two children. He was originally from Honduras and lived in the U.S. for 17 years. Miguel Luna lived in Maryland for 19 years. He was a married father of three children, originally from El Salvador. Through an interpreter, other construction workers talked about the dangers they face.

“And I ask myself what would happen if I were to get injured or even worse,” worker Erica Aleman said.

The gathering was also intended to bring attention to the number of immigrants who come to the U.S. and work in dangerous or hazardous conditions with little protection.

“One day, I had a fall, fell into another roof. This is an experience that put me into great danger at work,” remodeler Darwin Orlando Lopez said.

Workers said they will not forget the sacrifice made by the bridge collapse victims.

Source: WBAL

Gas prices have climbed nearly 14% this year stressing household budgets

Gas prices have surged higher at the outset of 2024, stressing household budgets and complicating efforts to cool inflation.

Since the beginning of the year, the average national price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas has jumped nearly 14%, amounting to an increase of more than 40 cents per gallon, according to AAA data shared with ABC News.

In some states, prices have climbed dramatically over the past month. In Utah, the average price of a gallon of gas has increased by 60 cents, while prices over that same period have jumped 55 cents in Alaska and 43 cents in Oregon, AAA data showed.

Drivers may be distressed by the eye-popping price hikes but they roughly match the typical bounce in spring, when warm-weather travelers drive up demand and refineries switch to a more expensive blend of summer fuel, analysts told ABC News.

“Prices are doing what they always do: rise in the spring,” Andrew Gross, a spokesperson at AAA, told ABC News.

“Spring break travel is here,” Patrick de Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told ABC News. “This is the time of year Americans start using more gasoline.”

Alongside that uptick in demand, refineries have begun shifting to a more expensive, less-polluting blend of summer fuel. The summer blend accounts for changing weather conditions in an effort to mitigate environmental impacts, de Haan said.

Over the past six years, excluding a pandemic-related anomaly in 2020, gas prices in the U.S. have risen an average of nearly 50 cents between Jan. 1 and late March, de Haan said.

“We’re basically right on par with what we tend to see,” de Haan said.

Gross, of AAA, differed slightly, saying gas prices are seven cents higher than they were at this same point last year. However, Gross said he expects the gap between this year and last year to close within the next two weeks as price increases moderate.

The added cost, however, arrives at an inopportune time for U.S. consumers. Inflation ticked up in February, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showed, offering the latest sign that the path toward lower inflation has struck a rough patch.

Energy and housing costs accounted for more than 60% of the overall price increases last month, the BLS said.

Price increases have cooled dramatically from an inflationary peak of about 9%, but inflation still stands more than a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.

Additionally, a range of factors could exacerbate gasoline price increases in the coming months, analysts said. Crude oil, the key component in gasoline, accounts for more than half of the price, and oil prices have climbed so far this year, owing to supply limitations and geopolitical unrest, de Haan said.

Source: WBAL

Baltimore bridge collapse: Cranes removing wreckage of Key Bridge; 4 unaccounted for

ONFIRE-TV.com – Cranes continue to remove the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge Saturday as Gov. Wes Moore and several Maryland officials provided an update during a press conference.

Gov. Wes Moore says the massive crane, which can lift up to 1,000 tons, is one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the fallen bridge and the cargo ship that collided with it this week.

“The best minds in the world” are working on the plans for removal, Moore said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District told the governor that it and the Navy were mobilizing major resources from around the country at record speed to clear the channel.

The U.S. Navy will supply four heavy lift cranes, while 10 tugs, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats will also join the effort.

He warned of a long road to recovery but said he was grateful to the Biden administration for approving $60 million in immediate aid. President Joe Biden has said the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.

Source: WBAL

20-year-old man sentenced in deadly I-695 construction zone crash

ONFIRE-TV.com – One of the drivers from the fatal 2023 construction zone accident has been sentenced for his involvement in the deadly incident. Malachi Brown, 20, will be sentenced to 18 months in prison in part of a plea deal that he had agreed to earlier this month. Under a plea, Brown will serve 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised probation, in addition to 40 hours of community service.

According to court documents, Brown is one of two drivers who were charged in the deadly accident that saw six construction workers die back in March of 2023. The other driver, Lisa Lea, is still facing charges, and her trial is set to begin April 1. The judge in this case decided to agree upon the plea deal that prosecutors formed with Brown. The victim’s families were consulted before the deal was offered. He faced up to 60 years in prison, but accepted a plea deal for much less jail time. As part of the agreement, Brown also waived credit for the time he spent in jail and on home detention.

President Biden OKs $60M in aid after Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse.

Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward the site to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete as a first step toward reopening a key shipping route blocked by the wreckage of the span.

Moore promised that “the best minds in the world” were working on plans to clear the debris, move the cargo ship that rammed into the bridge from the channel, recover the bodies of the four remaining workers presumed dead and investigate what went wrong.

“Government is working hand in hand with industry to investigate the area, including the wreck, and remove the ship,” said Moore, a Democrat, who said quick aid is needed to “lay the foundation for a rapid recovery.” President Joe Biden has pledged the federal government would pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.

“This work is not going to take hours. This work is not going to take days. This work is not going to take weeks,” Moore said. “We have a very long road ahead of us.”

U.S. Coast Guard officials said Wednesday night that barges were on their way to the spot where the bridge crossed the Patapsco River, but it was not clear when they would arrive.

The devastation at the site of the collapse, which happened when the powerless cargo ship struck a pillar supporting the bridge early Tuesday, is extensive. Divers recovered the bodies of two men in a pickup truck near the bridge’s middle span Wednesday, but officials said they have to start clearing the wreckage before anyone could reach the bodies of four other missing workers.

State police said the vehicles appeared to be encased in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris.

“We have exhausted all search efforts in the areas around this wreckage, and based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete,” Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of Maryland State Police, said Wednesday.

National Transportation Safety Board officials boarded the ship, the Dali, to recover information from its electronics and paperwork and to interview the captain and other crew members. Investigators shared a preliminary timeline of events before the crash, which federal and state officials have said appeared to be an accident.

Gov. Moore provides updates after Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, says ‘These families are living a nightmare’

ONFIRE-TV.com – Gov. Wes Moore held a news conference the day after the Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore.

On Tuesday morning after the collapse, it was reported that two people were rescued from the water. One refused treatment while the other was transported to shock trauma. Later that day, it was reported that 6 people, construction workers who were on the bridge at the time, were still missing and presumably dead. On Wednesday, Moore addressed the search for the remaining crew members.

“They [the rescue team] are in frigid conditions,” Moore said. “They are down there in darkness where they can literally see about a foot in front of them. They are trying to navigate mangled metal and they are also in a place where it is now presumed that people have lost their lives. So, the work of these first responders, the work of these divers; I cannot stress enough how remarkable these individuals are.”

Trump is selling ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills

 Former President Donald Trump is now selling Bibles as he runs to return to the White House. Trump, who became the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this month, released a video on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday urging his supporters to buy the “God Bless the USA Bible,” which is inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. Trump takes the stage to the song at each of his rallies and has appeared with Greenwood at events.

“Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless the USA Bible,” Trump wrote, directing his supporters to a website selling the book for $59.99.

The effort comes as Trump has faced a serious money crunch amid mounting legal bills while he fights four criminal indictments along with a series of civil charges. Trump was given a reprieve Monday when a New York appeals court agreed to hold off on collecting the more than $454 million he owes following a civil fraud judgment if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. Trump has already posted a $92 million bond in connection with defamation cases brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault.

Source: AP News