Grand Prix Street Closures, Delayed Rule Changes for Chicken Manure Use, DC-Based Federal Workers Urged to Stay Home on Wednesday, the NWS Confirms A Tornado In Harford County Earlier This Month, and more…
Grand Prix Street Closures: The Grand Prix of Baltimore is fast approaching – taking place this weekend – and as the Baltimore Sun reports, city officials are advising motorists to be prepared for detours, delays and mass transit modifications when they try to get around downtown. The first street closings are already in place and, by Thursday, all roads will be closed along the race route. City transportation officials are warning drivers to have alternative routes when heading into the city, especially from the south. Information about all the closures is available here.
OPM Urges DC-Based Federal Workers To Stay Home Tomorrow: Folks who work for DC offices of the Federal Government are being urged to stay home tomorrow. The US Office of Personnel Management is encouraging federal employees to use telework on Wednesday, when more events are scheduled to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. OPM says the federal government will remain open that day, but that commuters should expect an increase in traffic, road closures and other disruptions.
Preliminary Hearing Today For Naval Academy Football Players On Rape Charges: Three former US Naval Academy football players are expected in a military courtroom today to determine if they'll be tried for rape. A spokesman for the Academy tells the Washington Post that the mens’ names will be made public at that preliminary hearing; the proceedings are expected to last three days, and will be spent determining whether there is enough evidence to merit a court martial.
Rule Changes Delayed For Chicken Manure Use: Maryland officials have withdrawn a request to make emergency changes to the rules governing when farmers can use chicken manure to fertilize their crops. As the Baltimore Sun reports, the state’s Department of Agriculture had wanted to require that farmers’ fields be analyzed by a new tool developed by the University of Maryland to see whether they should be fertilized with chicken manure. State officials say policy change now won’t take place until next year, at the earliest.
Tornado Confirmed In Harford County: On the morning of August 13th, a wave of powerful thunderstorms was washing over the northeastern parts of the WYPR listening area. As the Baltimore Sun reports, the National Weather Service has confirmed what it had warned of the time – that those storms included a tornado. The twister’s winds could have reached 70 miles-per-hour; it touched down in Harford County, between Bel Air and Abingdon, but its damage limited only to trees. Investigators say other storm damage that morning in Havre de Grace was caused by straight-line winds.
Under Armor Ends Sponsorship For The Baltimore Running Festival: The Baltimore Marathon may no longer have a title sponsor, but officials say that the race will go on. Over the weekend, apparel company Under Armor announced that it would end sponsorship of the event – officially, the Baltimore Running Festival. Under Armor had sponsored the festival for the last decade, starting when the event was in dire need of support. Now, officials tell the Baltimore Sun that the event’s finances are now in a place that they can make money without the sponsorship. This year’s Running Festival is set to go on as scheduled on October 12th.
City Paper On Sale: The Baltimore City Paper is going on sale. Not the papers themselves (they’ll still be free for the foreseeable future) – but the organization that publishes them. The City Paper is one of five alternative weekly papers owned by “Times-Shamrock Communications,” – and the company announced yesterday that it’s looking to sell all five of those publications. While the sale is underway, the City Paper will continue to publish. The Baltimore Business Journal notes that the City Paper isn’t Baltimore-focused publication on the market… the Tribune Company is looking to sell the Baltimore Sun as well.
Former News American Site On Sale: A long vacant site on Baltimore's Inner Harbor appears poised for a transformation. As the Baltimore Sun reports, Chicago based InterPark Holdings has purchased the one acre site on East Pratt Street that formerly housed the News American newspaper for an undisclosed amount of money. The developer is planning a mixed use project, possibly a tower with apartments and ground level retail. The tract of land has been a parking lot since it was cleared in 1990, and several earlier high profile plans for the land have fallen through.
Camden Yards Bomb Threat A Hoax: A bomb threat at Camden Yards last night has turned out to be a hoax. Police tell the Baltimore Sun they got a call at around 9 o’clock yesterday saying that there was a bomb inside Oriole Park. A search with bomb-sniffing dogs was conducted, but no roads were shut down or buildings evacuated during the incident. Police gave the all-clear at around 11 pm.
Baltimore Baseball: The Orioles are in Boston tonight, to begin a three-game series with the Red Sox. The O's are five-and-a-half games back of the Sox in the American League East and two-and-a-half games out of a wild card spot.
