$260 million dollar deal to remain with his team in April of 2023 ending an ugly period in which Jackson felt undervalued not just by his team He was there for anyone who wanted him for a moment there with the Ravens waiting until well after they could have signed him to more money seemed willing to touch the former MVP amidst lingering injury concerns Jackson has discovered a second part of his prime rattling off two consecutive healthy seasons after a few years of inconsistency and tacking on two First Team All-Pro appearances along with being named Most Valuable Player within a year of resigning The team's best course of action would be to put pen to paper on another deal before his upcoming $43.5 million paycheck takes its scheduled jump between seasons, which would make Jackson the newly-highest-paid player in NFL history. Dak Prescott currently holds that record with his four-year with some of Jackson's peers like Josh Allen Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love signing similarly hefty deals in recent years Allen, Jackson's old draft-classmate, just agreed to terms on a six-year deal two months ago, netting the reigning MVP $330 million over the next six years to look forward to It's likely in the best interest of the forward-thinking Ravens and the deserving Jackson to avoid the song and dance of the early 2020s rewarding their centerpiece proportionately Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! HENRY BROWNHenry covers the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER The Ravens signed 17 undrafted rookie free agents before kicking off their 2025 rookie minicamp Baltimore has a rich history of finding undrafted gems it will be a challenge for an undrafted player to crack the 53-man roster which doesn't include players participating on tryouts: 218 pounds) appeared in 58 games across five collegiate seasons (2020-24) including one season at Nebraska (2024) and four at Wake Forest (2020-23) totaling 1,991 yards and 16 touchdowns on 151 receptions He posted a team-high 587 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 44 catches at Nebraska He played his high school football in Washington 246) appeared in 33 games across four seasons (2021-24) including two at Temple (2023-24) and two at Florida (2021-22) after beginning his collegiate career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College including one year with Oregon State (2024) and four with Colorado (2020-23) He started all 12 games at left tackle for the Beavers allowing just two sacks and being charged with one penalty on the year He blocked for an offensive line that enabled the Beavers to rush for 189.2 yards per game and was named the top performer on the offensive line by the Pac-12 media 201) appeared in 43 games during his five-year career at Arizona State (2023-24) and Idaho State (2020- 22) where he accumulated 1,938 yards and 15 touchdowns on 134 receptions (14.5 avg.) He helped the Sun Devils to a Big 12 Conference Championship in 2024 recording 29 yards and two touchdowns to lead Arizona State to a 45-19 victory over Iowa State 224) appeared in 59 games (29 starts) across five seasons (2020-24) at Iowa He led the FBS in combined tackles (295) over his last two seasons Higgins started all 13 games in his final season with the Hawkeyes totaling a team high 124 tackles (53 solo) becoming the only player from a major conference with at least 100 tackles and four interceptions on the year The Athletic's Dane Brugler projected Higgins as a sixth- or seventh-round pick 302) started in 50 games during his five-year career at Miami (Ohio) He started all 14 games in his final season Holskey was named Miami's Offensive Power Player of the Year and helped the RedHawks rush for 135.3 yards per game and produce their second 1,000-yard rusher since 2006 305) appeared in 41 games during his five-year career at Albany (2019-23) He played in six games in his final season and earned second-team All-CAA honors despite missing time due to injury 223) appeared in 41 games over four seasons at Rutgers (2021-24) and finished with 186 tackles (95 solo) including 15 tackles for loss and seven passes defensed He started eight games during his senior season in 2024 and played in the secondary at Rutgers with Ravens sixth-round pick Robert Longerbeam 207) appeared in 45 games (33 starts) over four years (2021-24) at Illinois State He played in 13 games (12 starts) as a senior (2024) Jackson was named an FCS All-American by the Associated Press and first-team All-MVFC He was also selected to participate in the Hula Bowl and Senior Bowl 325) appeared in 50 games (14 starts) during his five-year career at Auburn (2022-24) and Oregon (2020-21) A top-10 high school recruit in Alabama by ESPN Jones recorded four tackles in the regular-season finale at No 204) was a five-year starter at Chattanooga (2020-24) and played in 46 games with 166 tackles three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and 15 passes defensed including 7.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions (one touchdown) 213) appeared in 47 games during his six-year career at Minnesota (2024) and Oklahoma (2019-23) where he totaled 1,185 yards and 11 touchdowns on 272 rushes (4.4 avg.) while also adding 321 yards and three TDs on 43 catches He appeared in 12 games (two starts) in his lone season at Minnesota (2024) rushing for 352 yards and three touchdowns 229) appeared in 44 games (36 starts) during his five-year career at Memphis (2023-24) and East Tennessee State (2020-22) He was named first-team All-AAC for the second-straight season and the Frisco Bowl Defensive MVP after recording 17 tackles in the 42-37 win over West Virginia 220) appeared in 42 games across six collegiate seasons (2019-24) including two at Monmouth (2023- 24) and four at Harvard (2019-22) he scored a touchdown in 21 of 23 games and ranked second in program history with 39 rushing touchdowns Ntoh appeared in 12 games in his final season producing 487 yards and 25 touchdowns on 109 carries en route to earning AP FCS All-America Honorable Mention and Phil Steele first-team All-CAA His 25 rushing touchdowns set a program single-season record and led the FCS 319) appeared in 48 games over six seasons (2019-2024) at Northern Iowa across various positions on the offensive line switching to left tackle for the Panthers in his final collegiate season but was a right tackle in 2023 and earned first-team All-MVFC honors Penning was selected to participate in the 2025 Hula Bowl He was college teammates on the offensive line with his older brother who was a first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2022 245) played in 44 games during his career at Minnesota-Duluth (2021-24) where he totaled 940 yards and 17 touchdowns on 71 receptions He appeared in 11 games in his final season tallying 360 yards and two touchdowns on a career-best 33 receptions He was an American Football Coaches Association Division II First-Team All-American (2024) and NSIC First-Team All-Conference (2021 192) played one season with Arkansas (2024) and one with Southwest Mississippi Community College (2021) A dynamic returner and highly productive college wide receiver LaJohntay Wester is ready for role as a Ravens rookie Zay Flowers' late-season knee injury did not require surgery First-round pick Malaki Starks was honored to break down the huddle when practice concluded Did the Ravens fill the holes on their roster See what number the 2025 draft picks are wearing next season After winning a fight against the NCAA that temporarily derailed his career rookie receiver Devontez Walker is grateful for his fresh start with Baltimore Beau Brade sits out practice with an ankle injury Tampa are rookie roommates and have a friendly competition Cutting down on interceptions is already a for sixth-round quarterback Devin Leary and defensive back Jordan Toles of Morgan State are among this year's undrafted rookie class 2 and second-round pick Roger Rosengarten will wear No Head Coach John Harbaugh said first-round WR Zay Flowers is picking things up quickly The Ravens have announced the 18 undrafted rookies they're bringing into Baltimore MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today stated that teams would be "pouncing on" Zach Eflin Seranthony Dominguez and Cedric Mullins at the deadline if the Orioles don't become contenders by the All-Star break Eflin was a major acquisition at last year's deadline and figured to be a great second starter, but concerns about the staff began to rise once it became clear that he would be the ace this season The 31-year-old has been injured since the beginning of April He has a 3.00 ERA with a 0.833 WHIP through 18 innings of work If Eflin can continue this level of play when he gets healthy he should be able to act as a nice trade piece for Baltimore so holding on to him doesn't make much sense They gave up three prospects to get him, two of which are top-30 for the Tampa Bay Rays The Orioles might be able to get at least close to that at this deadline Dominguez was another player that Baltimore traded for at the deadline last season It was a bit of a desperate move and he hasn't looked great but relief pitching will always have a market The 30-year-old has posted a 4.22 ERA over 10.2 innings during this campaign He still has a flamethrower fastball and solid stuff, but he has now been struggling with control. In those 10.2 innings, he has walked seven batters. A team may be willing to take a chance on figuring that out The best trade piece that the Orioles have He has posted a .255/.379/.491 slash line with seven home runs and five stolen bases A second 30/30 season is in reach and that would be music to the ears of many contenders right now It would be nice to see Baltimore extend him and keep at least some of their homegrown talent but that doesn't seem to be the route that the front office is going to take He could easily return a top-10 organizational prospect at the deadline, especially if he keeps playing like he is right now. BALTIMORE — A 6-year-old boy was shot and killed in Southwest Baltimore Saturday afternoon It happened inside a home in the 800 block of Vine Street That's where police found Micah Comegys suffering from a fatal gunshot wound Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances of this case Police say a handgun was recovered on the scene It's unclear if the gunshot wound was self-inflicted we seem to have these press conferences way too often of our young people getting their hands on a gun that should be secured by adults the gun owners," Commissioner Richard Worley said "I can tell you what will we find is that whoever owns the gun they will be prosecuted to the best of our ability.” In a separate case from January of this year, a grandmother is facing several charges after her 9-year-old granddaughter accidentally shot herself with a stolen gun Last August in Park Heights, a father was sentenced to ten years in prison after his 2-year-old daughter also mistakenly shot and killed herself with his ghost gun they're asked to contact Metro Crime Stoppers or homicide detectives at 410-396-2100 6-year-old boy shot and killed in Southwest Baltimore Saturday afternoon BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A 44-year-old woman sought medical treatment after being shot in Northeast Baltimore overnight officers were alerted of a walk-in shooting victim at a local hospital officers found the woman receiving treatment for a gunshot wound Police say the location of the shooting remains unknown at this time Northeast District Detectives are urging anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2444 Those wishing to remain anonymous can use the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP or submit an anonymous online text tip via the Metro Crime Stoppers website BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Dawn White’s family last heard from her April 14 Baltimore Police found the 53-year-old’s body inside a safe at her Violetville home Baltimore Police confirmed that detectives are still investigating what they call a “suspicious death” on the 3500 block of Benzinger Road after discovering a body April 19 A spokesperson for the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which rules on the causes and manners of most unexpected deaths said Monday that White’s case was still pending Family members said White’s body was found at her home inside a 4-foot-tall safe Without more information from investigators White’s family has been gathering information and piecing together a timeline of events Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun BALTIMORE COUNTY (WBFF) — A man died on Saturday, a day after being shot in a Baltimore County hookah lounge, police said. died on May 3 after suffering a gunshot wound during the shooting in the 1800 block of Woodlawn Drive around 12:30 a.m Police said that Lamback was transported from the scene after officers found him inside Azuz Hookah Lounge Another man was also found at the scene suffering a gunshot wound and three additional victims received treatment at area hospitals Authorities say that the shooting remains under investigation Anyone with information can contact 410-887-4636 Information may also be provided anonymously by contacting Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-756-2587 and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 A late-night shooting outside a Woodlawn shopping center has left four people injured and business owners calling for change Baltimore County Police say gunfire broke out just after midnight Friday in the parking lot of a shopping center along Woodlawn Drive near Security Boulevard Officers from the nearby Woodlawn precinct responded quickly finding two victims who had been shot at the scene The two other victims with gunshot wounds walked into a nearby police station The shooting has renewed safety concerns among small-business owners operating in the area “I had to redirect my clients to come in through the back door,” said Mercy Akiumbeni “A lot of people [were] in the parking lot just having fun and then the gunshots happened in that lounge I had to make sure I secured the doors at my braiding shop and get home safely with my son.” The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one. says the late-night activity has been a recurring problem “It’s just absurd that this keeps happening,” he said safety is a concern — the safety of my customers and employees.” Business owners say the problems often escalate during overnight hours loitering and violence becoming far too common there are a lot of empty liquor bottles — Hennessy This is not the first incident at the shopping center a separate shooting at the same location left one person dead and several others injured Bullet holes from that shooting remain visible on the exterior of BBQ Tonite Awan and others are urging police to step up patrols and for local officials to reconsider how late lounges and clubs in the area are allowed to stay open there should be at least one or two police cars around to keep an eye on things,” Awan said “I think that might help or at least get to the bottom of the real problem.” Akiumbeni echoed that sentiment: “Maybe they can cut down the hours that all of these lounges are open out here.” Baltimore County Police are still searching for suspects and persons of interest in connection with the shooting Anyone with information is urged to contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP Baltimore County has been challenged by recent incidents involving gun violence On April 14, a 16-year-old died after being shot in the 4000 block of Alan Drive in Arbutus On March 5, a teen was shot and killed after being chased by a gunman onto the property of Lansdowne High School The killing marked the 13th homicide of 2025 Despite concerning incidents, data from the Baltimore County crime dashboard shows a drop in weapons violations there were 196 incidents involving weapons violations and 197 victims That’s compared to 224 incidents involving weapon law violations and 231 victims in the same time frame last year WJZ is a media partner. 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If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com MCB Real Estate is in the process of buying the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor according to two people with knowledge of the situation Spokespeople for MCB and Hyatt declined to confirm a pending purchase of the Hyatt The Banner’s sources weren’t authorized to talk about the deal Acquiring a downtown hotel would mark a new direction for MCB. On its website, the firm advertises dozens of properties and development projects across the country shopping centers and warehouses — but no hotels The Hyatt Regency was Baltimore’s original Convention Center hotel It was pitched as a game-changing investment for Baltimore’s tourism industry The city went all-in to lure Hyatt in 1979 according to previous reporting by The Baltimore Sun Baltimore offered up a piece of city-owned land The city steered $10 million in federal urban development funds — money intended to help low- and middle-income neighborhoods — to construct the Hyatt replace the retail pavilions with five large buildings and rebuild the surrounding streetscape and waterfront promenade The estimated cost in 2023 was $900 million of which $400 million was expected to come from taxpayers State and local politicians largely cheered the plans though some residents have criticized the speed of the deal failure to come up with other ideas and lack of public input But in November, about 60% of voters approved a ballot question that paved the way forward for MCB‘s vision The question now is who will finance the reimagining of the Inner Harbor One source of money could be a new government body with sweeping powers over downtown Baltimore and the ability borrow funds and levy taxes to repay the debt the mayor’s office pushed state legislation that would have created a new independent authority to run the Convention Center That authority would also have had the ability to borrow money for the redevelopment of nearby properties Instead, the bill was amended to study the issue further Lawmakers are expected to reconsider the authority idea next year they generally agreed that something had to be done to buoy the city’s struggling Convention Center Along with Harborplace, MCB owns the office building at 1 E. Pratt Street and a parking garage on Lexington Street. The firm also controls a parking lot at 300 E. Pratt Street where it previously planned to build a mixed-use tower “MCB remains committed to the reimagining of Downtown Baltimore and putting Baltimore on a trajectory for growth for decades to come,” Alexanda Hughes we do not have any news to share regarding Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor.” The city also isn’t saying anything about a potential sale of the Hyatt A spokeswoman for the Department of Housing and Community Development referred comment to the Baltimore Development Corp. BDC Executive Vice President Kimberly Clark referred comment to Hyatt A Hyatt spokesperson said in a statement that the company doesn’t comment on potential transactions The Baltimore Ravens reached agreement on a new contract with former Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom on Saturday With the Ravens, Noteboom will serve as the swing tackle behind Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten the starters at left tackle and right tackle "To get Joseph Noteboom in here -- a veteran really to focus probably as a swing tackle as much as anything for us really need that veteran presence -- as a swing tackle but I think we'll be focusing on tackle," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Sunday Noteboom spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Rams and was part of the team that won Super Bowl LVI $40 million contract with the Rams in March 2022 but started just six games that season before tearing an Achilles tendon He played in 14 games (eight starts) in 2023 had an ankle injury in the Rams' 2024 season opener and went on injured reserve He played in four games (four starts) for Los Angeles after he was activated from IR in November but was inactive for the Rams' two playoff games he has appeared in 71 games in his NFL career ESPN's Jamison Hensley and Sarah Barshop contributed to this report Derrick Henry is on pace to break the NFL’s all time rushing record Through nine years of his NFL career, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has been nothing short of prolific He’s one of nine players to gain 2,000-plus yards in a single season rushing touchdowns thrice and bludgeoned run defenses on his way to ranking No 19 on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards leaderboard (11,423 yards) The gap between Henry and the top five rushers in NFL history is wide but Henry obliterated the 10,000-yard barrier — and the 11,000-yard barrier in 2024 He’s 62.2% of the way to Emmitt Smith’s record (18,355) How does he stack up compared to the top five rushers in NFL history Derrick Henry: 11,423 yards | 2,355 carries “If [player] stays healthy for [allotment of time] they have a chance to break [leader’s] all-time [category] record.” It’s Mad Libs It’s been that way and it will stay that way The most recent iteration being Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record “If Henry stays healthy for six or more seasons they have a chance to break Smith’s all-time rushing record.” Henry is 3,495 yards from unseating Peterson And at his current rate of averaging 84.0 yards per game revitalizing him (weird saying that when he went back-to-back seasons with 1,100+ yards with the Titans in 2022-23) It’s fair to question how sustainable that is But Henry’s finished more seasons averaging over 100 yards than not since becoming the starting back Henry’s achieved 76% of Peterson’s rushing total on 72% of the carries Peterson amassed 11,675 yards; a difference of 252 yards But Peterson’s production plummeted after Year 9 and ultimately finished with 3,243 yards in his final six seasons (540 yards per season) All signs point toward Henry continuing his dominance In third place with an aesthetically pleasing 16,000 yards is Gore The Inconvenient Truth produced nine 1,000-yard seasons and in his 16-year career went above 600 yards in all but one (599 in Year 15) Henry will have to mimic Gore’s consistency (which he’s done thus far) He’ll need six straight seasons averaging 762.8 yards Henry’s achieved 71% of Gore’s rushing total and done so on 63% of the carries But Gore’s career was built on marathon-like endurance and distance but a consistent blacksmith hammer strike for 241 games Four-time single-season rushing yards leader charging behind The Great Wall of Dallas Henry must average nothing short of greatness he’s rushed for fewer than 68 yards in 59 of them (43.4%) he rushed for fewer than 68 yards in 90 games (39.8%) Henry has to have the higher highs than Smith Henry has 10 games above 174 rushing yards But Smith had far more carries by the end of Year 9 with 2,914 to Henry’s 2,355 (559-carry difference) Smith finished with 4,409 rushing attempts The difference between Smith and Payton (571) is nearly the distance between Payton and sixth-ranked attempts leader Peterson (3,230) To become the all-time rushing yards leader Henry will need to be as dominant as he’s displayed for nine seasons Doing so in the prime of your career is one thing But Henry’s crossed the midway point and now must stave off Father Time with his signature stiff-arm After making the postseason in each of the last two seasons General manager Mike Elias did little to nothing to improve the team's standings choosing instead to run things back while the rest of the American League East improved around him The Orioles are 5.5 games out of first in the American League East going into Saturday and 3.5 games back of the third American League Wild Card berth in a trade sending ace Zach Eflin to the Bronx "As the Baltimore Orioles are in freefall right now," writes Kistner "they could be looking to offload and subsequently reload for next offseason who is currently on the injured list with a back issue but is due back soon could be a target but Eflin is in the final year of a three-year Moving him is the logical decision for the Orioles and is likely to happen." While Eflin is certainly not on the same tier as Corbin Burnes, this past offseason showed that the Orioles are unwilling to extend or re-sign their star pitchers. They instead opt to bring in aging veterans like Charlie Morton, who has since been relegated to the bullpen after struggling to find his footing out of the rotation. Trading Eflin ahead of the deadline only makes sense. The Yankees are in need of pitching depth, though not necessarily at the top of the rotation. Eflin is Baltimore's ace, but that is more due to a lack of options than his actual ability. The move could help improve the Orioles farm system, while also giving New York a better chance at competing against whichever National League team makes it to the World Series, should the Yankees also make it that far. In the long run, it would be a win-win for both sides. By A burgeoning writer covering MLB on a local and national level This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Dallas Cowboys have some question marks in their cornerbacks room going into the 2025 NFL season Diggs has missed a significant amount of games over the past two seasons and his status for the start of 2025 is up in the air after undergoing another knee surgery in January which was the same knee he suffered a torn ACL on in 2023 And, because of his $97 million contract that has no more guaranteed money, and with the team drafting Shavon Revel, USA TODAY's Nate Davis rightly believes Diggs is "on thin ice" going into 2025 Davis' opinion has led to Last Word on Sports' Anthony Palacios to suggest possible landing spots for Diggs if he's traded and Palacios names the Baltimore Ravens as one of them It’s never a bad time to add more cornerbacks to strengthen a team’s roster the Baltimore Ravens had a questionable secondary unit where veteran Marlon Humphrey was carrying most of the weight Even though Brandon Stephens had his moments it wasn’t enough to earn him a new contract in Baltimore Head Coach John Harbaugh made a crucial switch in their safety unit and the secondary game got better once Ar’Darius Washington gave some relief The Ravens are coming off a season in which they sported one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL so improvements were desperately needed going into the offseason the team has added Chidobe Awuzie to start across from Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey is still under contract to man the slot However, Awuzie has had issues staying healthy during his career Baltimore also chose not to draft a cornerback until the sixth round Diggs looked to be on a superstar trajectory over his first two years in the NFL and was an electric playmaker over his first three seasons after returning several interceptions for touchdowns his coverage stats began to take a dip in 2022 and he has missed a ton of time since 2023 any team acquiring Diggs would be taking a leap of faith That said, he does only account for a $12.5 million cap hit and while his contract is scary on the surface at such a big number so the Ravens wouldn't be trapped if they trade for him But it's hard to envision any team taking a chance on Diggs thanks to his uncertain status for next season It would be quite the risky move to acquire Diggs not knowing when he'll be ready to take the field and it would be a pure disaster if a team trades for Diggs and he doesn't play at all Chances are Diggs is going to remain in Dallas through the start of the season but if he returns healthy before the NFL trade deadline all bets are off and he could definitely be dealt at that point Zay Flowers injury update offers details on wide receiver's status for 2025 After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire Police officers found a 6-year-old boy dead Saturday afternoon inside a west Baltimore house Police identified a 6-year-old boy who died Saturday afternoon inside a west Baltimore house City police said officers were called around 2:45 p.m to a house in the 800 block of Vine Street near Fremont Avenue where they found Micah Comegys dead from an apparent gunshot wound Police said they also found a gun inside the house but that no one else was home at the time when officers arrived “We don’t know if the child shot himself,” Baltimore police Commissioner Richard Worley said I can tell you what we will find is that whoever owns the gun that wasn’t properly stored Police believe the gun was fired from inside the home No further information was immediately available Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP and the flagship stations for the Baltimore Ravens Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs which means we may get paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites.©2023 on behalf of WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and FM 101.5 Two separate shooting incidents in Baltimore on Saturday evening left two men injured according to the Baltimore Police Department Police responded to a reported shooting at the 3400 block of Pulaski Highway in Southeast Baltimore around 7:20 p.m Officers reported that they were informed that a physical altercation outside an establishment led to a male being shot ALSO READ| Child found dead from gunshot wound in Southwest Baltimore home The 47-year-old victim left the scene but later sought treatment at a local hospital officers were dispatched to a large gathering at the 1900 block of Eagle Drive in Northwest Baltimore officers reported that they heard gunshots and canvassed the area police were notified of a 24-year-old male with a gunshot wound to his leg at a local hospital Detectives are investigating both incidents Authorities urge anyone with information to contact 410-396-2422 or the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP The city of Baltimore sued DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment accusing the sportsbooks of engaging in deceptive and unfair practices to target and exploit vulnerable gamblers which was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court alleges that the companies use misleading promotions to attract bettors and then leverage data and analytics to keep problem gamblers betting practices it says are in violation of the city's Consumer Protection Ordinance "These companies are engaging in shady practices and the people of our city are literally paying the price," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement "DraftKings and FanDuel have specifically targeted our most vulnerable residents -- including those struggling with gambling disorders -- and have caused significant harm as a result This lawsuit is a critical step to hold them accountable and protect all Baltimoreans." FanDuel said it would not comment on the allegations while DraftKings did not provide a statement "FanDuel does not comment on specific allegations in pending litigation," a FanDuel spokesperson said in a statement "We are confident the company operates in accordance with all laws including those established and enforced by the State of Maryland's Lottery and Gaming Control Commission." the companies acquire new users by offering bonus bets -- monetary credits that can only be used at the sportsbook -- as a reward for signing up These bonus bets are often only valid for seven days which encourages frequent betting in the early stages "Defendants are not interested in people merely dipping their toes in the water: They want bettors to bet the companies collect data on them and use the data to identify those most likely to gamble more One company owned by Flutter has collected "at least 186 attributes for each bettor including their propensity to gamble and susceptibility to marketing," the complaint reads Some of these users are set up in the sportsbooks' VIP programs where they are paired with hosts who provide them with exclusive offers and check in with them "to keep these players betting as much as possible," the lawsuit alleges the sportsbooks could use their data to identify and help them combat their addiction "DraftKings and FanDuel could leverage their troves of user data for good if they wanted to," it reads It also cites a study from the University of Maryland's Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling that found 20.8% of online sports bettors showed signs of disordered gambling compared to only 11.3% of in-person sports bettors The sportsbooks' practices are so well known in the industry that sharp bettors "have learned to mimic the behavior of problem gamblers" in order to receive rewards and maintain higher betting limits The lawsuit also notes that Flutter implemented certain protections in the United Kingdom that it has not in the U.S These include financial vulnerability checks the curtailing of VIP programs and restrictions for bettors under 25 years old "These changes and others could aid problem gamblers and forestall Baltimoreans from developing and becoming victim to gambling disorders," the complaint reads While individuals have made similar allegations in lawsuits against the major sports betting companies in recent years the law firm representing the mayor and city council of Baltimore told ESPN this is the first case brought by an American public entity against online sportsbooks since a 2018 Supreme Court decision allowed states to begin legalizing sports betting Levitt said that a city like Baltimore has an advantage in bringing forward a suit compared to individual bettors who agree to an arbitration clause when signing up for the apps that essentially prevents them from being part of a class-action lawsuit "Public entities are not subject to those sorts of arbitration clauses," he said "Public entities can bring claims to protect their citizens for this type of wrongdoing." and the state's sportsbooks reported taking nearly $5.4 billion in sports bets for fiscal year 2024 resulting in over $60 million in revenue for the state Maryland bettors wagered more than $457 million on DraftKings and FanDuel contributions to the state from sports wagering are directed to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Fund The city of Baltimore receives no direct revenue from sports betting The city is seeking statutory penalties as well as injunctive relief requiring the sportsbooks to stop these practices and reform their platforms FanDuel and DraftKings have about 30 days to respond its twisted wreckage still draped across the cargo ship Dali the Baltimore Community Foundation launched a major fundraising campaign to help the survivors and families of the six construction workers who died in the collapse Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund drew wide support donations came flooding in from local businesses philanthropists and Baltimore’s sports teams the Baltimore Community Foundation acknowledged that it awarded none of the $16 million it raised to those survivors or families a human services center in Dundalk and a forthcoming museum exhibit about the catastrophe A spokesperson said the foundation decided to change its areas of focus after learning the mayor’s office had launched a separate fund solely for the benefit of the two survivors and families of the deceased the foundation mentioned support for the victims prominently on its website and in other communications “BCF’s focus will be on addressing residual and long-lasting effects for children of the deceased and survivors,” a community foundation fundraising email sent a week after the disaster read a $10 million donation from the owners of the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles that some of it would go to help the victims’ families “Our heartfelt condolences are with the victims of this tragedy and their families,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in an April 5 three of the construction workers’ bodies were still lost in the wreckage The Baltimore Community Foundation spokesperson said the organization pivoted to other areas of support not long after the Orioles and Ravens’ gift after $15 million had already been secured The areas of focus mentioned in that email were port workers and their families The shift was made out of respect to Mayor Brandon Scott’s office associate vice president of marketing and public affairs for the Baltimore Community Foundation “When it was very clear they were handling this and their sole responsibility was for the families and for taking care of the families ’Great we will not try to do things for the families’ because we are also respecting them for taking the lead,‘” Eisen said Eisen said the mayor’s office did not make a grant request the Baltimore Community Foundation would have “entertained that proposal.” The Baltimore Community Foundation stated on its website and in fundraising emails that it would be working with the mayor’s office to “strengthen the immediate relief provided” to the families said the foundation did not tell the city it needed to apply for a grant despite repeated conversations about how the mayor’s office was helping the victims’ families In a May 20 message posted to the foundation’s website Vice President of Philanthropy Ashley Mancinelli wrote: “Whatever the needs BCF will respond,” in apparent reference to the six families The webpage for making donations to the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong fund also mentioned the victims’ families through the summer “BCF’s focus will be on addressing residual and long-lasting effects for children of the deceased and survivors,” the section read and any reference to the families was removed Eisen acknowledged the “murky” nature of the foundation’s initial messaging in the fundraising effort but said in an interview that the organization had acted with integrity “We have always acted with full transparency about what we are using this money for were surprised to learn that no portion of their gifts reached the victims’ families said she understood her donation would be used for a wide array of relief “That makes my stomach upset actually,” Glose said when informed the families had not received any of the money Asked about the funds not reaching the victims’ families a spokesperson for the Ravens and Bisciotti said they were “unable to comment.” The Orioles and team owner David Rubenstein declined to comment The Baltimore Community Foundation is a donor to The Baltimore Banner and the foundation’s CEO, Shanaysha M. Sauls, sits on The Banner’s board of directors at an event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the bridge disaster a special secretary for the governor said the city-managed funds would run out by year’s end The families are suing the owners of the ship that hit the bridge but any potential settlement or damages are likely years away Efforts to reach the victims’ families for this article were unsuccessful One of the widows of the construction workers said last year that money from the mayor’s office had been a lifeline as she and her family figure out how to navigate life without a husband and father “They didn’t just help me pay a bill,” the woman said “They made it so that I could have time to be with my kids and take care of them.” Although the Baltimore Community Foundation said on its website that it was coordinating with the mayor’s fund to help meet the families’ needs Baltimore Strong fund would be used in part to help the victims “Whoever made this decision to not assist the families especially after fundraising with that purpose should be ashamed of themselves,” Ramos said She demanded that the community foundation allocate “significant dollars” to the families over the next two years “If there is an opportunity to reopen the process and BCF wants to get additional money in the hands of families we are willing to help facilitate that,” the Scott administration official said “Our focus is on the families and how we can most effectively help them moving forward.” It seems any discussion about that is a moot point Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund money has been allocated “I think this is an unfortunate timing issue because we have committed all the money,” Eisen said Not all of the awards have been announced — Eisen said the foundation would not publish a grant recipient’s name until after all the paperwork had been formalized — but the almost $8 million in funds already sent out correspond to other relief efforts the three largest the Baltimore Community Foundation awarded are: $4.4 million in cash assistance to port workers; $1 million to Associated Catholic Charities to establish a human services center in Dundalk; and $570,000 to the Baltimore Museum of Industry for an exhibit memorializing the bridge collapse Banner reporters Hallie Miller and Danny Zawodny contributed to this article Lee O. Sanderlin Lee.Sanderlin@thebaltimorebanner.com Sanderlin is an Enterprise Reporter for The Baltimore Banner he worked at The Baltimore Sun as a reporter covering a wide array of topics including stories about abusive politicians Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker (WBFF) — After serving a seven-day suspension a Towson High School senior returned to class on Tuesday – ready to fight back Marine hopeful Parker Jensen has filed a lawsuit against Baltimore County Public Schools stating his constitutional rights were violated when the district suspended him while he was inquiring about missing American flags “I think it's very important,” stated Sarah Spitalnick a Baltimore based attorney who filed the lawsuit against BCPS “I would definitely say it's some kind of bullying,” Spitalnick said America’s 22nd largest school system with a $3 billion budget acted unlawfully when it suspended Jensen for a week “Do you believe Jensen's constitutional rights were violated?” Asked Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst Project Baltimore broke the story that Jensen withdrew from his class and drove to the Baltimore County Board of Education building hoping to speak with district leadership about missing American flags at Towson High School According to Baltimore County School Board Policy 6307 and Maryland Education Code 7-105 an American flag must be displayed in each classroom But Jensen said some classrooms at Towson High did not have flags he went to the Board of Education to find out why and recorded much of his visit “I have a Towson High School Lacrosse shirt on And the 18-year-old was told by Richard Muth that he was immediately suspended for seven days “He was summarily suspended without any due process whatsoever which every student in Baltimore County and Maryland has the right to and they stripped him of that within five seconds,” said Spitalnick Baltimore County Public Schools declined to comment on the lawsuit BCPS did tell Fox45 News in an previous email flags have been installed in the classrooms that did not have them.” Jensen asks for his suspension to be vacated along with monetary relief from BCPS for damages Spitalnick fears the suspension could negatively affect Jensen’s grades and future Jensen is set to report for Marine boot camp in August But if he decided after serving in the Marines to go to college this high school suspension could affect his college application “We're still pushing to make sure that he has the most successful and active senior year he possibly can,” Spitalnick told Project Baltimore Jensen cannot attend his senior prom – which is scheduled for mid-May If the lawsuit is successful and the suspension is vacated “He got suspended for very little cause,” remarked Spitalnick “He did nothing wrong besides try to bring forth his First Amendment right and really enforce a Maryland law which is to have American flags in every single classroom.” When the police were called on Jensen at the Board of Education on March 28 BCPS threatened to charge him with trespassing Follow Project Baltimore's Chris Papst on X and Facebook That Monday started off like any other day for Karen Cruz Berrios The 18-year-old and her mother — Elsy Noemi Berrios which happened daily in the month of March Cruz Berrios recently started as a seamstress where her mom had worked for the past five years But March 31 was different for Cruz Berrios (Update: Berrios deportation hearing set for April 30) Their car on a street in Westminster was suddenly surrounded by ICE agents They shouted orders at the mother to get out of the car ICE agents break window to arrest Maryland woman The confrontation came amid ramped-up efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on undocumented immigrants citing some of their involvement in violent crime as the reasons for deportation Critics have called these efforts a misguided policy that unfairly targets non-white immigrants Supreme Court seeking to return him to the U.S. During the ICE confrontation in Westminster Cruz Berrios said in an interview this week that she immediately knew who the agents were The officers shouted at them through the locked doors The mother and daughter believed the agents had been after her undocumented mother That’s because ICE officers previously came to the family’s Westminster home twice but were denied entry each time The most recent incident was caught on video by Cruz Berrios on her cellphone which begins with the mother and daughter in a parked car it shows ICE agents trying to convince Berrios to get out of the car “I don’t need to show you the order,” an officer said in Spanish Most of the video includes the officer speaking in Spanish but the voice was barely audible in the video because the car window was partially rolled up it’s in the car,” the officer said just before the mother was taken from the car “You guys cannot take her just because you want to.” instructing her daughter in Spanish to calm down while using a term of endearment “Don’t grab her like that!” the daughter continued as her mother is placed into handcuffs Cruz Berrios said she was scared throughout the ordeal There were a lot of emotions going through my head I did not expect anything to happen like that,” she said who is originally from El Salvador and seeking asylum is currently being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania “I didn’t know they could do something like that — especially when you hadn’t done anything,” her daughter said The government said that Berrios’ apprehension was driven in part because she is an associate of the violent gang MS-13 “Americans can rest assured that she is off our streets and locked up I hope the media will stop doing the bidding of these gangs that murder while ignoring the innocent victims,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in an email McLaughlin did not respond to a request for details of Berrios’ alleged gang behavior Cruz Berrios and her mother’s attorney vehemently deny that Berrios has a connection to gang membership she works really hard since she was really little and she never had anything to do with gangs or anything like that,” Cruz Berrios said during a recent interview on CNN in 2017 and has been living in Westminster with her 24-year-old son Berrios had been granted the ability to work while her asylum case is pending Cruz Berrios touts the hard work her mother has done to support her and her three older siblings “She was working hard to give us everything she could That makes her a great mom,” Cruz Berrios said She asked: ‘How was I doing?’ Things like that She has been praying with the women there,” Cruz Berrios added Berrios has a bond hearing in a New Jersey immigration court on April 14 The government has not yet filed any official documents regarding her arrest John-John Williams IV johnj.williams@thebaltimorebanner.com equity and inclusion reporter at The Baltimore Banner he has lived in Baltimore for the past 17 years Deciding not to pick a fight with the Trump administration Maryland school leaders plan to sign a letter to the U.S Department of Education that says their school districts are complying with all civil rights laws The two-paragraph letter could deflect a confrontation over whether the state’s public schools run diversity equity and inclusion programs that the Trump administration has called illegal which was shared by a school administrator who declined to be identified because the letter has not yet been sent are based on a warped interpretation of civil rights law Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote in a letter to state and local school superintendents on April 3 that they must certify their compliance with “antidiscrimination obligations” by April 14 to continue receiving federal funds for high-poverty schools including the American Civil Liberties Union and teachers unions have filed suit to block the federal action asked a federal judge to grant a preliminary injunction to prevent the federal education department from requiring districts to certify they are in compliance “If we cannot teach the complex history of every student and meet the diverse needs of every student then we cannot have an education system that serves all Marylanders,” AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell said in a statement The ACLU and the National Education Association sued the federal government and then reached an agreement on Wednesday that prohibits the department from investigating or terminating funding from public schools for diversity equity and inclusion programs until April 24 The ACLU said in a press release that the Trump administration is threatening to punish students parents and educators in public schools for “fostering inclusive classrooms where diversity is valued Maryland school system superintendents have discussed standing together and signing the letter written by Maryland State Department of Education officials according to the administrator with knowledge of the discussions The department was expected to send the letter but it is unclear what will happen given the extended deadline “We are reviewing their request internally and have no comment at this time,” said Raven Hill a spokesperson for the state education department in part: “I acknowledge the LEA [local education agency]’s full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964....and its prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race as well as related federal regulatory authority and other mandatory authority.” It also acknowledges that receiving federal funding is conditioned on complying with nondiscrimination laws The Trump administration contends that many public schools are breaking the nondiscrimination laws by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another group based on “identity characteristics.” has not clarified for states exactly what programs it believes do not meet the provisions of the civil rights act For instance, it is unclear whether the federal government would consider the Advanced Placement African American Studies class in violation of the department’s order A number of Maryland schools offer the class which delves into the history and culture of African Americans The federal government has generally left decisions about curriculum and what gets taught in the classroom to the states co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California “It is a very radical view of the powers of the president and I don’t think it is supported by law,” Orfield said of the recent action requiring states to certify what they are teaching “The idea that someone should be moving in and claiming they have the right to cut off funds is a truly radical idea,” Orfield said He hopes states stick together in opposing the action advocacy director for the national School Superintendents Association said states are taking three tacks in responding to the federal education department: refusing to sign signing on behalf of all the state’s school districts or leaving the decision to each district in the state She said the state superintendents in Maryland adding that some states have yet to make up their minds could still be targeted by the federal government But, if federal funds are taken away, the state could sue, as it did earlier Friday when it joined at least a dozen other states in protesting the education department’s revocation of federal pandemic relief funds This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more Liz Bowie liz.bowie@thebaltimorebanner.com A pharmacist at the University of Maryland Medical Center allegedly carried out a nearly decade-long campaign of cyber-voyeurism hacking hundreds of hospital computers to activate the webcams and watch young female doctors and medical residents undressing and pumping breastmilk according to a class-action lawsuit by six women that was filed Thursday Matthew Bathula of installing software on hospital computers to steal their personal passwords and take control of their home networks Allegations include that Bathula watched the women in real-time He is accused of disabling the camera light inside another woman’s home to secretly record videos of her with her children and of hacking into the cloud account of yet another plaintiff to see her personal photos “The scale of the privacy invasion giving rise to this action is as unprecedented as it is shocking,” Steve Kelly wrote in the Baltimore Circuit Court lawsuit a single pharmacist named Matthew Bathula installed spyware on at least 400 computers in clinics labs and a variety of other locations at one of the nation’s premier teaching hospitals.” The women are suing the hospital for negligence saying they only discovered that they had been spied on in recent months after FBI agents showed them some of Bathula’s photos and videos State and federal court records show Bathula Bathula could not immediately be reached for comment He’s listed online as having a medical office on Eastern Avenue in the Bayview neighborhood of Southeast Baltimore and there’s been no response to a message left there A spokeswoman for the Baltimore office of the FBI declined to comment saying their policy prohibits the bureau from confirming or denying any contacts or investigations University of Maryland Medical System officials have been working with the FBI and federal prosecutors for the past several months as part of the ongoing criminal investigation “The actions alleged in this matter run counter to every single value we stand for,” wrote spokesman Michael Schwartzberg in an email we are deeply disappointed and angered at the actions of the individual at the center of this criminal investigation It’s our most sincere hope and expectation that the person alleged to have violated the trust of his colleagues and of our organization will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.“ The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore alerted employees in October of a “serious IT incident,” according to the lawsuit Hospital system officials circulated an email that described the event as a “highly sophisticated and very difficult to detect cyberattack that has resulted in the theft of data from shared UMMS computers.” The hospital system placed Bathula on administrative leave and later fired him But administrators failed to warn his new employer of the allegations The Maryland Board of Pharmacy shows Bathula has an active license that was issued in June 2008 and expires in September The women are alleging that hospital security officials should have known Bathula was using his electronic badge to swipe into rooms and tamper with the computers where he had no legitimate business He used this unfettered access to install keystroke loggers onto hundreds of hospital computers over the course of about a decade Keystroke loggers come in software that can be secretly downloaded to record everything someone types Bathula allegedly hacked the computer cameras in the James Frenkil Building in downtown Baltimore The hospital system removed and replaced all the compromised computers and all the cameras in the patient exam rooms of the Frenkil building They also installed software to block keystroke loggers “We continue to take aggressive steps to protect our IT systems in this challenging environment We understand the sensitivity of some of the information involved in this matter and extend our deepest regret and compassion to those affected by this individual’s actions,” Schwartzberg said the hospital administrators have failed to notify all staff and patients about the extent of the hack “We do not know the full scope of those who have been directly impacted by UMMC’s shocking institutional failures,” Cindy B “While our clients fully intend to respect and cooperate fully with the federal investigation we filed this Complaint to ensure that the offender is immediately prevented from harming others and so that all of his victims are offered a chance to seek justice and hold UMMC fully accountable.” serves as the academic campus of the University of Maryland Medical System’s hospitals and clinics The women called the security measures “woefully inadequate” and saying the incident has destroyed their sense of security Identified as Jane Does 1 through 6 in the lawsuit All are current or former employees of the hospital system In 2015, Bathula was recognized as a Preceptor of the Year by the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy He graduated from the pharmacy school in 2008 and went on to a residency at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center A president’s report from the Montgomery County Community College in 2011 celebrated Bathula for being appointed as a clinical specialist in pharmacy in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical System and as a teacher in the pharmacy school This is a breaking news story that may be updated Tim Prudente tim.prudente@thebaltimorebanner.com Tim Prudente is an enterprise reporter for The Baltimore Banner Maryland is changing course — again — on how it manages the struggling sport of thoroughbred horse racing eliminating a state panel that has been overseeing a massive transition in the industry shifting its responsibilities to the state’s stadium authority and its economic development arm The Stronach Group that owned historic but dilapidated Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore agreed to turn over the property to the state A state-created nonprofit that adopted the historic name Maryland Jockey Club took over the responsibility of running horse races in the state beginning in January though no board has yet been appointed to oversee that entity a volunteer panel led by attorney Greg Cross from the Venable law firm had been expected to provide stability to Maryland racing through the transition until 2029 But instead it will cease to exist on June 30 after a pivot in the final days of the Maryland General Assembly session It’s not clear why this action was taken through the final step of the budget process rather than by introducing and passing a bill to end the racetrack authority’s work Wes Moore’s office explained how — or why — the provision was tucked into the budget “There is a belief that we will get a lot better results and more accomplished by shifting some of the authority to some known entities chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Asked if there were concerns about how the racetrack operating authority was run “I guess the simplest way to say it is: We want to make sure it’s done the best possible way and we believe this is going to lead to that.” to be able to understand and know what’s going on in real time chair of the House of Delegates committee that oversees racing Members of the racing authority’s board of directors had expressed frustration with Cross in recent months and had asked in meetings for more transparency Multiple members of the board did not attend the most recent meeting Cross said the time is right for the racetrack operating authority to wrap up its work and hand the baton to the entities that will manage the tracks and racing in the long term “We were set up with specific tasks to accomplish will be almost totally completed,” Cross said “It is time for the new Maryland Jockey Club and the Maryland Stadium Authority to take it from there.” The dissolution of the racetrack operating authority is not expected to result in significant changes to the blueprint for racing going forward The Maryland Stadium Authority will pick up the responsibility of building Pimlico as well as a new training center for horses the projects are expected to cost the state $500 million the stadium authority’s executive vice president for capital projects said there will be “no real changes” as the authority continues to design the projects and prepare for the rebuild of Pimlico it should be a smooth transition,” he said After the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes in May The 2026 Preakness meet will be held at Laurel Park during construction at Pimlico the renovated Pimlico will reopen for the 2027 Preakness Pimlico will be the home of year-round thoroughbred racing in Maryland and racing at Laurel Park will be discontinued Eliminating the racetrack operating authority is also expected to save the state money Six employee positions and $3.4 million worth of funding were removed from the state budget for the next budget year Delegates and senators are expected to take final votes on the budget bills including the provisions to eliminate the racetrack operating authority the final day of their legislative session (Register now to talk politics with Banner reporters The Baltimore Banner was awarded the Pulitzer Prize on Monday for groundbreaking local journalism that exposed Baltimore as the deadliest large city in the nation for drug overdoses calling attention to a crisis that has unfolded as government officials paid little attention to the problem and treatment centers were poorly regulated “Less than three years after The Banner’s launch our team is extraordinarily honored to accept the organization’s first Pulitzer Prize,” Zhu said “We are even more honored to see the information we brought to light is now helping shape new conversations policies and programs to tackle overdoses in our city and state A deep look at drug overdoses was among the most ambitious early ideas at The Banner as editors recognized that a crisis killing thousands of people in the city annually was going underreported — and overlooked said the decision to investigate Baltimore’s overdose crisis forced a costly and unexpected legal fight over public records but one that was necessary to understand the scope of the problem The Banner sued the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in 2022 after the agency refused to provide complete autopsy reports. A judge sided with The Banner in January 2024 ordering the state to turn over the public records which became the foundation for the overdose series “Our reporting has brought much-needed attention to this deadly problem and forced it back onto the city and state’s priority list There’s no doubt we will help save lives,” Yoshino said “It’s also shown how important it is to have strong local journalism that holds our leaders accountable.” The prize committee called their work “a compassionate investigative series that captured the breathtaking dimensions of Baltimore’s fentanyl crisis and its disproportionate impact on older Black men.” The Banner is also working to make the autopsy data available to academic researchers The award is a milestone achievement for the nonprofit startup which launched in June 2022 and is now the largest newsroom in the state with 85 journalists and paid subscribers in every Maryland county And while other news organizations across the country are shrinking The Banner is on track to reach financial sustainability The Banner has more than 63,000 digital subscribers and revenue grew 40% in 2024 over the previous year “Our job is to inform and strengthen communities in Maryland by providing trusted and independent local news,” said Cohn “The quality of the journalism has proved to be rocket fuel to the business helping our commercial teams drive subscriptions The Pulitzer Prize is also the first for the New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship a program that began in 2023 with Zhu in its inaugural class said The Banner was the first newsroom he visited after starting the program  “It was a glimpse into the possibilities of the next generation of journalism And this story was the perfect investigation and explained its deep origins,” Baquet said a non-profit based at Stanford University that collaborates with journalists on data projects The award caps a strong run of national recognition for The Banner Recently, The Banner won a prestigious George Polk Award for the same overdose series The newsroom’s work covering the Key Bridge collapse and its fallout and its incisive investigation into abuse in a local megachurch with global reach Stewart Bainum Jr., founder of The Baltimore Banner said the national awards — and especially the Pulitzer — are “a powerful affirmation of The Banner’s commitment to serve the Baltimore and Maryland community.” The opioid reporting team’s work has made a difference in people’s lives and the national recognition for their work gives the organization “a hell of a boost.” “I think this helps us advance our goal of building a sustainable business model at scale and one that can be replicated in communities across the country,” he said Cody Boteler cody.boteler@thebaltimorebanner.com Cody Boteler is a reporter on The Banner’s Express Desk trending stories and interesting things in and around Baltimore His work has appeared in The Baltimore Sun Second-round outside linebacker Mike Green was expected to be drafted much higher but is thankful for where he landed Green had 17 sacks last season at Marshall and was a first-round talent who fell to the Ravens at No He has denied two sexual assault allegations made against him and Green said he looked forward to moving on with his promising career "I'm just blessed to be here," Green said after his first practice at rookie minicamp I didn't get picked up in the first round like I wanted to But coming to the Ravens was a blessing in disguise I can honestly say I don't think there's a better franchise I can be a part of "I'm just looking forward to moving on with my life and with my career Every team asked me [about the allegations] and I've been completely open about everything and from this point forward I'm just focusing on moving on." OLB Mike Green on getting the call from General Manager Eric DeCosta Green broke into tears when he saw the 410 area code on his cell phone knowing it was General Manager Eric DeCosta and the Ravens coming to get him "I really just wanted to get picked up," Green said "I didn't care if that was the first pick of the draft Irrelevant.' I just wanted to get picked up This team has a lot of great culture that's been going around and you have to think about the guys who have been through here: Ray Lewis It means a lot more since I'm a defensive player And just seeing all those great defensive players walk through here New Raven Mike Green gets emotional when General Manager Eric DeCosta makes the draft call Third-round offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr has a shoulder injury that will keep him sidelined possibly until training camp who was a three-year starter at right tackle for LSU observed Sunday's rookie minicamp practice from the sideline Jones is expected to add depth as a swing tackle with the potential to compete with Andrew Vorhees for the starting job at left guard Harbaugh said Jones' return to practice was not imminent "It's going to be a little while," Harbaugh said "He had a labrum/shoulder issue I don't think you guys were aware of He's not going to practice in the immediate future." Head Coach John Harbaugh on Zay Flowers' knee Wide receiver Zay Flowers did not require surgery for the knee injury suffered in the 2024 regular-season finale that kept him sidelined for Baltimore's two playoff games Flowers had a career-high 1,059 receiving yards in his second season and averaged 14.3 yards on 74 catches becoming the first Raven to make the Pro Bowl at wide receiver Harbaugh said Flowers felt great after rehabbing the injury he was doing a little dance in the weight room this last week and said he's feeling great Team insiders Ryan Mink and Clifton Brown share their notes from the Ravens' rookie minicamp practice a couple injury updates from Head Coach John Harbaugh First-round safety Malaki Starks showed his ability to think fast on his feet when Harbaugh asked him to break down the huddle to end Sunday's practice I'm happy I got to do it and hopefully I can do it again I told them just to be on time again tomorrow (Monday) and come out with the same energy and keep having fun Harbaugh said Starks handled the breakdown and everything else well "Really impressed with his maturity," Harbaugh said That's not an easy thing to do your first time." S Malaki Starks on breaking down the practice huddle what he wants to learn from Baltimore's safeties Undrafted free agents and players on tryouts joined the draft picks on Sunday Collin Schlee (Virginia Tech) who was born in Maryland and played at Oakville (Md.) High School was among the players who impressed Harbaugh especially on the out-breaking routes on the sideline Tryout guys participating in Ravens minicamp: QBs Brayden Schager (Hawaii) Collin Schlee (Va Tech); RB Sidiki Kone (American Int); FB/TE Lucas Scott (Army); WRs Cade McDonald (Miami OH) Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum diligently preparing for next season and putting contract matters on the backburner Eric DeCosta is confident Ar'Darius Washington will return next season The Ravens would like to add a punt returner in the draft DeCosta addresses Mark Andrews' status in Baltimore John Harbaugh expects Ronnie Stanley will 'continue to ascend.' Harbaugh expects Trenton Simpson to start next season Keaton Mitchell could be on a 'whole different level' in 2025 The Ravens remain interested in bringing the NFL Draft to Baltimore John Harbaugh's contract extension continues the Ravens' organizational continuity Renovations to M&T Bank Stadium continue and remain on schedule The Ravens could draft an offensive lineman as early as Round 1 and Sunday's workouts at the NFL Combine gave them options to mull This year's running back class showed its speed during workouts Restricted free agent tenders have been released Safety prospect mocked to Ravens has huge day Two Maryland wide receivers would love to stay home Shemar Stewart blows up the Combine drills Top two safety prospects look up to Kyle Hamilton Myles Garrett is reportedly 'not open to' negations with the Browns Defensive line prospects praise Ravens pass rushers Mike Macdonald says he's proud of Zach Orr Harbaugh has regrets about goal-line sequence Zay Flowers is not expected to have knee surgery Ravens talk about difficult seasons for Marcus Williams Patrick Ricard makes it clear that he wants to retire a Raven "The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler had Higgins as the 22nd-best inside linebacker in the draft class and projected him to be a sixth- or seventh-round pick," Zrebiec wrote "A two-year starter and a defensive signal caller Higgins played the Mike linebacker spot and was a tackling machine leading the FBS with 295 combined tackles over the past two seasons but he has excellent instincts and plays with smarts and energy "HE'S EVERYWHERE!"Jay Higgins with the INT for @HawkeyeFootball 🔥 pic.twitter.com/atmranLqt1 "The Ravens are one of the league's best at unearthing and developing high-quality off-ball linebackers from the undrafted ranks and the former Hawkeye could very well be the next," Reed wrote "Higgins earned Second and First Team All American as well as First Team All Big Ten honors in his final two seasons and led the FBS with 171 total tackles in 2023 and followed it up with a team-leading 124 in his final year nine pass breakups and three forced fumbles." "Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta vowed to add more big bodies inside is your prototypical space-eating nose tackle who could find a spot in the defensive line rotation," Zrebiec wrote "He played one season at Oregon and three at Auburn Jayson Jones found a home with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft @TheJaysonJones From world famous Calera, AL (Calera HS), Jones anchored Auburn’s defensive line. He tallied 19 tackles 3 TFL in 2024 per Auburn Tigers stats. The 6'6 340… pic.twitter.com/HDTdPJechj plays with impressive power at the point of attack and is difficult to move even when double-teamed," Reed wrote "His performance in exhibition games will be vital to his chances of making the roster and as was the case with Pierce a decade ago it could come down to the preseason finale to put him over top." "When looking at the potential of Nash Hutmacher as a nose tackle for the Baltimore Ravens one can't help but think back to Kelly Gregg since the two have similar wrestling backgrounds," Sobleski wrote "Gregg was a three-time champion wrestler in the state of Oklahoma according to his Nebraska Cornhuskers bio: 'On the wrestling mat the first four-time heavyweight state champion in South Dakota history and the first four-time champion in one weight class in state history Hutmacher went 166-0 from his freshman to senior season... Hutmacher won each of his final 73 matches by pin - 71 in the first period - the second-longest pin streak in the history of high school wrestling.' Coaches love former wrestlers because they understand leverage "Hutmacher is built and plays like a true nose guard at 6'3" and 314 pounds and can take on and defeat double teams," Reed wrote "He comes from a strong wrestling background as the first-ever four-time heavyweight state champion in South Dakota's history which shows up on tape as he possesses a great understanding of how to gain and take advantage of leverage." Following the draft, Jonas Shaffer of "The Banner Ravens Podcast" shared his thoughts on the Ravens' roster holes and if they've been filled: "Ronnie Stanley is obviously the big piece there to get him back to be Lamar's blindside protector Good news to get him for even less than what would have been a crazy free agency market we don't know how big a drop off or if there will be a drop off from Patrick Mekari to Andrew Vorhees But I think based on what we saw when Vorhees made some snaps The reviews from the coaches have been good The reviews from his teammates have been good it's going to be another matter when the pads come on and he's going against Travis Jones and Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington But at least there will be other options behind him." "I think any time that you bring back as many starters as are bringing back from the NFL's best offense it's hard to be too miffed about what they did or did not do in free agency You like what Tylan Wallace showed in spots last year He caught almost everything thrown his way You hope that there is that Year 2 leap from Devontez Walker you hope that LaJohntay Wester can maybe give you something in the slot I think they have to feel good about their receiving options To say nothing of the incredible depth they have at tight end and at fullback It does seem like more of their moves on that offensive side of the ball this year have been about setting Lamar up and setting this offense up for long-term success." "The biggest question that you have now for this [defense] is probably not the outside parts of the field and the downfield parts of the field it's that middle because we saw how much of an issue Roquan had at times We saw Trenton Simpson certainly be lost a bunch of times We had PFF's Gordon McGuinness on and basically what the PFF data told him was that a lot of the problems that the Ravens had over the middle was not really Roquan's fault and so if you are betting on a bounce back from Roquan you can definitely find a lot of logic there you need to have another guy that knows where to go in zone drops While many are taking stock of the undrafted rookies and top picks, CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo suggests fans take note of fifth-round offensive lineman Carson Vinson during rookie minicamp 321-pound Vinson undoubtedly improved his pre-draft stock following impressive showings in his school's matchups against Vanderbilt and Auburn," DeArdo said "Vinson's journey to the NFL can at least partly be attributed to his drive to prove people wrong after he was lightly recruited coming out of high school He said that he wanted to go to North Carolina which didn't show interest in him until after he had already started to establish himself at Alabama A&M." Vinson was one of three offensive linemen selected by the Ravens in the draft. With third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. dealing with a labrum injury that could keep him sidelined until training camp Vinson has a greater opportunity to jockey for early playing time Pittsburgh’s hosting the draft in 2026. Now Washington’s getting it in 2027. Sashi Brown said last year that the Ravens hoped to bring the draft to Baltimore in the “relatively near future.” https://t.co/GTTD6t7Vqi Legend! Should be in the HOF. Would've been top 5 in receptions (currently 9) and EASILY top 10 in yards(currently 14th) if it weren't for the Baltimore Ravens style of play. One of the toughest football players ever AND Walter Payton Man of the year. Also, SUPER BOWL CHAMP! https://t.co/d8ak2sFwkW Eric DeCosta said the Ravens will likely use LaJohntay Wester as a punt returner since that is one of his strong skillsets. They put him right to work on special teams at rookie minicamp ⬇️ #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/v6oidsrclU All for nothing? LETS TURN IT UP A NOTCH ‼️ #25-26 #Patientlywaiting🏈 https://t.co/geALjh9Ko0 The Sun sports team discusses how the Ravens fared in the draft, which rookie will have the biggest impact, who could surprise and more. https://t.co/gxAfAhvXIy A Sports Illustrated writer questions the Ravens' draft strategy League executives offer 'unfiltered thoughts' on Baltimore's draft The Ravens are again named a landing spot if the Dolphins trade Jalen Ramsey Wide receiver and cornerback are popular positions for the Ravens in 2026 mock drafts Malaki Starks impressed former NFL players with his smarts Aeneas Peeples is named a Day 3 pick who can make an impact The Ravens are deemed the AFC North draft winners Two Ravens games are ranked among the 10 best matchups of the 2025 season Teddye Buchanan and the Ravens are ranked among the 10-best scheme fits from the draft More accolades for Malaki Starks and Mike Green Jeff Zrebiec analyzes the Ravens' post-draft depth chart Brian Baldinger says the Ravens are one of two teams who improved the most in the draft Malaki Starks is named one of pundit's three favorite first-round picks Projecting Ravens rookies' roles in 2025 and their long-term outlook Mike Green is an A+ pick and 'big-time steal.' Emery Jones Jr is 'yet another smart pick' for the Ravens Should the Ravens consider drafting Shedeur Sanders Pundit on Steelers' third-round running back: 'Honey Day 2 mock drafts have the Ravens adding more defenders ESPN analysts link the Ravens to Ohio State offensive tackle and Georgia safety Bold prediction has the Ravens trading up for a tight end in the first round Which players mocked to the Ravens lack traits the team historically covets Edge rusher prospect wants to sack Lamar Jackson but isn't sure he can catch him Jeff Zrebiec looks at the Ravens' best- and worst-case first round scenarios The Ravens are urged to avoid polarizing edge rusher prospect Getting edge rusher Mykel Williams would be a 'classic Ravens thing.' Baltimore takes Kentucky cornerback in 'chaos' mock draft Pundit says the Ravens' biggest need entering the draft isn't about any one position The Ravens are among the teams with the biggest Super Bowl windows Daniel Jeremiah mocks a polarizing edge rusher to Baltimore Looking at the first three picks in Jeff Zrebiec's Ravens mock draft Former Walters Art Museum CEO and Executive Director Julia M Alexander died Sunday night at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center which supports the studies of European art according to a statement from Alexander’s family provided to the Walters Kate Burgin, who took over as the Walters’ CEO and executive director in January said in a statement that Alexander was “both a mentor and a friend.” “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Julia Alexander is both lasting and significant,” Burgin said “One of her most important contributions to the Walters was shifting the museum’s focus toward creating greater and more meaningful engagement with our local community — a visionary decision to center our work on Baltimore and Maryland.” president of the Walters’ board of trustees said in a statement that Alexander’s leadership “not only strengthened the museum’s foundation but also deepened its relevance and connection to the many audiences it serves.” Julia was more than a colleague — she was a friend,” Bain said “She shared her deep love of art generously along with a steadfast belief in its transformative power to bring people together said in a statement to The Banner that Alexander welcomed her “with open arms” when she was appointed the institution’s new leader in 2024 “Instead of leaving me to my own devices after that not to mention making me laugh,” Naeem said Alexander studied art history and French at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and earned master’s degrees at New York University and Yale University where she also completed a doctoral degree in art history in 1999 she worked at the Yale Center for British Art at Yale University and the San Diego Museum of Art In a 2024 interview with The Banner Alexander praised Baltimore’s “vibrant art and culture scene.” “There’s really an integrated community of living artists and art from the past And it’s in a city that’s not too big for itself so all of us come together regularly and deeply,” she said When asked her advice for the next director Alexander said to “lean into every single thing Baltimore has to offer.” It has so much potential to be the leading arts city in the world,” Alexander said After Alexander headed north to lead the Kress Foundation “She was committed to our beloved Baltimore and we were all rooting for her from afar,” she said “I daresay I will never have a colleague as genuinely supportive.” Wesley Case wesley.case@thebaltimorebanner.com Wesley Case is an arts and culture reporter for The Baltimore Banner and covered Baltimore’s arts and nightlife as a reporter and critic at The Baltimore Sun for a decade The Ravens are adding offensive line depth as they signed tackle Joseph Noteboom on Saturday Noteboom spent his entire seven-year career with the Rams playing at both guard and tackle positions He has played 71 career games with 35 starts "To get Joseph Noteboom in here – a veteran really to focus probably as a swing tackle as much as anything for us .. but I think we'll be focusing on tackle," Head Coach John Harbaugh said The Ravens bolstered their offensive line room in the draft by adding Emery Jones Jr General Manager Eric DeCosta said he sees Jones as a possible swing tackle right away Adding the 29-year-old Noteboom gives Baltimore a proven versatile veteran that can step in when needed He fills a hole left by the Ravens' swing tackle last season General Manager Eric DeCosta released a statement on the release of kicker Justin Tucker The Ravens signed an All-American linebacker from Iowa the younger brother of a 2022 first-round pick Baltimore's draft picks in Rounds 3-7 have all signed their rookie contracts General Manager Eric DeCosta said the Ravens want both players in Baltimore long term Ar'Darius Washington returns to Baltimore after finishing last season as a starting safety The Ravens added a starting cornerback after the departure of Brandon Stephens in free agency The Ravens have agreed to a reported two-year deal with veteran backup Cooper Rush Wide receiver Tylan Wallace was dependable on offense and strong on special teams The Ravens bolstered their offensive line depth by bringing back Ben Cleveland Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has reached agreement with Baltimore The Ravens will have their Pro Bowl fullback paving the way again BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A two-alarm fire broke out early Monday morning in a two-story residential building in Northwest Baltimore according to the Baltimore City Fire Department The fire department said firefighters were dispatched at 5:45 a.m A second alarm was called a few minutes after at 5:48 a.m The fire was quickly brought under control The cause of the fire is currently under investigation The Ravens' rookie jersey numbers for the 2025 draft class are here Starks' No. 24 was worn by safety Beau Brade last season. Starks wears 24 to honor his late cousin 45 was last worn by Christian Matthews in 2024 He will become the seventh Raven to don the number Green wore 15 at Marshall and 31 and 4 at Virginia 51 was worn by linebacker Josh Ross last season 40 was worn by linebacker Malik Harrison for the past five seasons 71 was most recently worn by offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu Vinson will become the ninth Raven to wear the number 33 was worn by running back John Kelly in 2024 83 was worn by tight end Qadir Ismail last season 93 was last worn by defensive tackle Calais Campbell from 2020-22 Peebles will become the eighth Raven to wear the number 37 was worn by safety Andrew Adams in 2023 74 was worn by offensive lineman Josh Jones last season Drafting three offensive linemen should keep Baltimore's depth up front very solid Mike Green's assortment of pass rush moves caught Eric DeCosta's eye This Ravens fan became a part of history when he announced Baltimore's fourth-round pick from London The Ravens added 11 draft picks to this year's roster Malaki Starks was a huge Lamar Jackson fan long before the Ravens drafted him How much playing time will Mike Green get as a rookie Malaki Starks can 'do it all' but projects best at free safety