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☆ Baltimore officials accused the ship that crashed into the Key Bridge of being 'unseaworthy' and leaving port even though its alarms had already gone off
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewCity of Baltimore officials on Monday accused the owner and manager of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge of allowing the vessel to set sail despite it being "clearly unseaworthy." "Reporting has indicated that, even before leaving port, alarms showing an inconsistent power supply on the Dali had sounded," the court petition reads. Authorities found that the 984-foot ship lost power as it navigated toward the bridge, causing it to lose propulsion. The crew on board broadcast a mayday call just before impact, allowing traffic police to seal access to the bridge. AdvertisementMeanwhile, President Joe Biden has said that the federal government will fund the reconstruction of the Key Bridge, and has agreed to disburse some $60 million in aid to the region.

Persons: —, Francis Scott Key, Dali, Grace Ocean, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Synergy Marine, Business, Baltimore Mayor, Grace, Synergy, Port, Authorities, National Transportation Safety Board, FBI, Washington Post Locations: Baltimore, Maryland, Singapore, Port of Baltimore, Sri Lanka, Patapsco

☆ The Port of Baltimore was humming along as it handled a record level of cargo in 2023. The collapse of the Key Bridge changed everything.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In 2023, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of international cargo valued at nearly $81 billion. But on March 26, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after the container vessel Dali struck the bridge and sent the 47-year-old structure into the Patapsco River. Moore recently spoke with Business Insider about the collapse of the Key Bridge and the economic impacts of the port's closure. Wes Moore: The port is the largest in the country when it comes to heavy trucks and agricultural equipment. The Key Bridge was a key artery in this region.

Persons: —, Francis Scott Key, Dali, Wes Moore, Moore, John L, Dorman, Joe Biden, Julia Nikhinson, It's, Jerry Jackson, we've, You've, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, We're, Biden, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, US Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Democratic Gov, Gov, Maryland Gov, AP, Port, Federal, Baltimore Sun, Tribune, Getty, Baltimore Mayor, WM Locations: Port of Baltimore, United States, Port, Baltimore, Patapsco, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan, United, It's

☆ A Situation Room scramble, daily calls and political intrigue: Inside the White House response to the Key Bridge collapse
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

ET, overnight staffers in the White House Situation Room began frantically reaching out to senior officials to notify them of the collision – and collapse – of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Jen Daskal, the deputy homeland security adviser, began preparing a briefing for President Joe Biden. Two Oval Office meetings were convened as staff at various levels began trickling into the White House. Seven barges and nine tugboats have deployed to the area, according to Tom Perez, the White House director of intergovernmental affairs. In another case – that of Moore and Perez – the two have already opposed each other on the ballot.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, Dali, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key, Buttigieg, ” Buttigieg, Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Jeff Zients –, Jen Daskal, Joe Biden, “, ”, Johnny Olszewski – Biden, ” Olszewski, Biden, “ I’ve, ” Biden, –, Tom Perez, ” Perez, Perez, “ It’s, we’ve, Natalie Quillian, Moore, Perez –, that’s, ” CNN’s Donald Judd Organizations: Baltimore CNN —, US Coast Guard, CNN, Maryland Gov, Baltimore Mayor, White House, Baltimore, Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, Maryland, White, Administration, Democratic Locations: Wyoming, Montana, Maryland, Baltimore County, Washington, Delaware, Baltimore, Patapsco, synchrony, Federal, White, United States

☆ As crews work to lift first piece of Baltimore bridge debris, officials eye a temporary channel around the collapse site
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Dalia Faheid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Crews are working to remove the first portion of Baltimore bridge wreckage – the starting point in a complicated, extensive cleanup process that could help open up a temporary channel to get more vessels into the water around the collapse site, officials said. In the meantime, conditions in the water make it unsafe for divers as pieces of the bridge remain submerged in the water. The port “handles more cars and more farm equipment more than any other port inside this country,” the governor said. Plus, “at least 8,000 workers on the docks have jobs that have been directly affected” by the collapse. In order to reopen the port, the Coast Guard says it will first clear debris from the deep draft channel, remove the ship, then clear debris from the bridge across the waterway.

Persons: CNN — Crews, Wes Moore, It’s, Francis Scott Key, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Moore, ” Moore, Shannon Gilreath, you’ve, ”, it’s, ” Gilreath, Al Drago, Roland L, Butler, Mark Martin, ” Martin, Martin, “ Organizations: CNN, ”, ” Maryland Gov, Authorities, Baltimore Mayor, US Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Bloomberg, Getty, SalvOcean Locations: Baltimore, ” Maryland, Maryland, Port of Baltimore, “, Patapsco, Baltimore Harbor

☆ Baltimore engineers begin clearing bridge wreckage to reopen channel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Engineers in Maryland on Saturday began lifting a piece of Francis Scott Key Bridge out of the waterway in Baltimore, the first step in a long process to reopen the city's shipping port. "I cannot stress enough how important today and the first movement of this bridge and the wreckage is," said Gov. To execute the first lift of the bridge on Saturday, engineers cut a piece of the bridge to make it manageable for their crane. "Our economy depends on the Port of Baltimore and the Port of Baltimore depends on vessel traffic."

Persons: Dali, Francis Scott Key, Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Joe Biden, we've, Shannon Gilreath, Moore Organizations: Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore , Maryland . Engineers, U.S . Coast Guard, Baltimore Mayor, Government, Coast Guard, Port Locations: Baltimore , Maryland, Maryland, Baltimore, Port of Baltimore, U.S

☆ How the Baltimore bridge collapse spawned a torrent of instant conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It is entirely possibly that millions of Americans encountered false claims about the bridge collapse when they woke up Tuesday morning before ever seeing the facts. Politics is everythingWhat is perhaps most notable about how quickly and widely conspiracy theories about a breaking news story spread is just how normal this all is right now. Jewish space lasersAs news unfolded on Tuesday, the conspiracy theories continued. Greene has not weighed in on the cause of the bridge collapse. Jewish space lasers were not responsible for the wildfires, nor the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, Israel, ”, Ben Decker, Andrew Tate, Tate, Tate’s, Elon Musk, meekly, Sandy Hook, Alex Jones, “, ” Jones, Jones, Baltimore’s, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, it’s, Biden, Taylor Swift, Joe Biden, Trump, X, David Simon, Simon, –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Maryland State Police, Coast Guard, Baltimore Mayor, Equity, FBI, Republicans, Netflix, HBO, Georgia Republican Locations: Baltimore, Covid, USA, Romania, United Kingdom, Florida, Texas, California, Georgia

Six people are presumed dead and two have been rescued from the Patapsco River, according to The New York Times. What Happened to Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge? Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship called Dali struck a column of the bridge, according to reporting by The Baltimore Banner. Where Is the Francis Scott Key Bridge and How Long Is It? The Francis Scott Key Bridge was assessed as being in “fair” condition in 2023, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory.

Persons: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key, Wes Moore, Dali, Maryland Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Francis Scott Key, Helen Delich Bentley, Banner ”, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Moore, ”, Joe Biden, We're, “, Pete Buttigieg, Scott, Buttigieg, Joseph Schofer Organizations: The New York Times, Maryland Gov, Biden Administration, White, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Banner, ABC News, Maryland, New York Times, Times, ” Synergy Marine Group, Baltimore Mayor, Transportation, Department of, World Association, Transport Infrastructure, U.S . News, Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, ” Engineers Locations: Patapsco, Maryland’s, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Maryland, Baltimore, Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Fort McHenry, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, U.S

☆ Baltimore, Maryland: Bridge collapses as officials announce lane closures and traffic detours
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Melissa Alonso | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Local agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship, traveling outbound from Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge, Cartwright said. There could have been a vehicle “as large as a tractor trailer” on the bridge at the time of collapse, he said. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a social media post around 3 a.m. that he was en route to the incident at the bridge. Footage captured the moment after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. The 1.6-mile, 4-lane bridge extends over the Patapsco River and serves as the outermost crossing of the Baltimore harbor and an essential link of Interstate-695, or the Baltimore Beltway.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, Kevin Cartwright, Cartwright, “, ” Cartwright, StreamTimeLive, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott Organizations: CNN, Baltimore, Francis Scott Key Bridge, Divers, Baltimore City Fire Department . Local, Maryland Transportation Authority, Baltimore Mayor, ”, Baltimore Beltway, “ Locations: Patapsco, Baltimore, Maryland, Fort McHenry

His death ignited widespread calls for police reform in Baltimore and led the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the agency. As a result of those findings, the department entered into a consent decree with federal prosecutors in 2017 that outlines a series of mandated reform measures. Prosecutors acknowledged the department's progress in a joint motion filed Tuesday, saying the agency had complied with two sections of the decree. The department has achieved full compliance with 25% of the paragraphs contained in the consent decree, while another 60% have been deemed to be on track to compliance, officials said. “Reform and accountability go hand in hand with law enforcement productivity,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

Persons: Freddie Gray, Gray, Ebony Thompson, Richard Worley, ”, ” Worley, Worley, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, “ Organizations: BALTIMORE, —, Baltimore Police Department, U.S . Department of Justice, Prosecutors, “, Baltimore Mayor Locations: Baltimore

☆ Baltimore to pay $48 million after wrongful convictions, imprisonment of Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Jay Croft | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Baltimore has agreed to pay $48 million to three men who were wrongfully convicted of murder as teenagers and spent 36 years in prison. Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart were 16 when they were arrested on Thanksgiving Day 1983, according to the federal lawsuit they filed after being freed. Mary Stewart, left, walks with her son, Andrew Stewart and her daughter, Ulonda Stewart, after his release. Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesBut they were declared innocent decades later, after Chestnut filed a public records request. Investigators “ignored eyewitness evidence and physical evidence that contradicted their chosen narrative, including evidence pointing to a different suspect.

Persons: Justin Conroy, Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart, DeWitt Duckett, Mary Stewart, Ulonda Stewart, Matt McClain, Chestnut, John Doe ”, DeWitt, “, Marilyn Mosby, ”, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, ” Scott, Nick Mosby Organizations: CNN, Baltimore, ” Baltimore Police Department, city’s, Washington, State of, Baltimore City, Baltimore Mayor, Baltimore Police Department, City Locations: State of Maryland

BALTIMORE (AP) — A medical waste processing company has pleaded guilty to dozens of environment-related charges and agreed to pay $1.75 million in fines after state prosecutors in Maryland accused a south Baltimore incineration plant owned by the firm of exposing the public to biohazardous material. It’s supposed to be burned into ash before being transported to landfills, a process that prevents disease transmission, state officials said Tuesday at a news conference announcing the settlement agreement involving the nation’s largest medical waste incinerator. The fine incurred by Curtis Bay Energy is among the highest environmental penalties imposed in Maryland’s history. Witnesses provided photographs from the site showing substantial amounts of unburned medical waste, including surgical gloves, medical supplies and bedding, according to court documents. In addition to evidence of unburned medical waste, investigators found the company had knowingly installed an illegal pump that was discharging wastewater onto an adjacent property.

Persons: ”, General Anthony Brown, ” Kelly Love, “, ” “, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Curtis Organizations: BALTIMORE, Curtis, Curtis Bay Energy, Maryland Attorney General’s, ” “ Curtis, ” “ Curtis Bay Energy, Water Fund, Prosecutors, Baltimore Mayor Locations: Maryland, Baltimore, Curtis Bay, Baltimore’s Curtis Bay, Patapsco, Virginia, ” “ Curtis Bay, Curtis

☆ Pava LaPere killing: Manhunt underway for 'extremely dangerous' convicted felon suspected of murdering the 26-year-old female tech CEO in Baltimore
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe Jamiel Lynch Holly Yan | Elizabeth Wolfe | Jamiel Lynch | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Baltimore police are scrambling to find an “extremely dangerous” man suspected of murdering 26-year-old tech CEO Pava LaPere, who was found dead in an apartment building on Monday. Hours later, police were called to a downtown apartment building, where LaPere was discovered with signs of blunt-force trauma to her head, Worley said. The building where she was found had security measures that would have required someone to “allow the (suspect) in the building,” Worley said. Pava LaPere EcoMap TechIn August, the company said it had reached nearly $8 million in financing. In addition to being a driving force behind EcoMap, LaPere strove to uplift others in Baltimore, the mayor said.

Persons: Pava LaPere, Jason Dean Billingsley, Richard Worley, LaPere, Worley, ” Worley, Billingsley, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, ” Billingsley, “, ” EcoMap, Sherrod Davis, Pava, “ Pava, ” Scott, EcoMap, Delali Dzirasa, CNN LaPere, ” Dzirasa Organizations: CNN, Baltimore, Baltimore Police, Technologies, Forbes, Baltimore Mayor, Maryland’s Department of Public Safety, Correctional Services, The New York Times, Johns Hopkins University, Tech, LaPere Locations: Baltimore

☆ Fact Check-No proof of ‘deadly mosquitoes’ at AFRAM in Baltimore
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

AFRAM, an annual cultural festival celebrating Black excellence, was held over Juneteenth weekend at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland (here), (aframbaltimore.com/about-afram). Weeks later, Instagram posts shared a clip from the festival that shows attendees swatting and fanning themselves and includes the text: “Helicopter released deadly mosquitoes in Baltimore, MD AFRAM 2023” (here). In other posts from the event, however, users say the flying bugs were gnats, not mosquitoes (here), (here). MALE MOSQUITOES SWARM, DON’T BITEMale mosquitoes swarm to mate but don’t bite, and the swarming flies in social media posts do not look like mosquitoes, said George Dimopoulos, a deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (here). Social media clips of a Baltimore festival do not show “deadly mosquitoes,” entomology and health experts said.

Persons: Weeks, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Michael Raupp, gnats, Raup, Brian Federici, midge, ”, George Dimopoulos, Johns, Laura Harrington, “, Arinze Ifekauche, Dimopoulos, Read Organizations: Baltimore, Helicopter, Baltimore Mayor, University of Maryland, University of California, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Cornell University, Health Department, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Reuters Locations: Maryland, Baltimore City, Druid, Baltimore , Maryland, Baltimore, Riverside

☆ Baltimore mass shooting: Investigators searching for suspects in block party shooting that killed 2 and injured 28 others
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe Melissa Alonso | Elizabeth Wolfe | Melissa Alonso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Investigators in Baltimore are searching for multiple suspects in a mass shooting that launched a beloved annual neighborhood block party into chaos early Sunday, killing two people and injuring 28 others, most of whom were teens, officials said. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Sunday his office is mobilizing every available resource to assist with the investigation. Residents watch as Baltimore police investigate the site of a mass shooting in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood on July 2, 2023. The archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter. Gunfire shatters community festivityMembers of the Kingdom Life Church pray at the site of a mass shooting in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood on July 2, 2023.

Persons: Mayor Brandon Scott, Aaliyah Gonzales, Kylis Fagbemi, Richard Worley ., Worley, –, Gonzales –, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Scott, ” “, Nathan Howard, ” Scott, Nick Mosby, ” Mosby, Yvonne Booker, she’s, I’m, I’ve, ” Booker Organizations: CNN — Investigators, Mayor, CNN, Baltimore Police Department, Police, Baltimore Mayor, Baltimore, Brooklyn Homes, Getty, Baltimore City Locations: Baltimore, Brooklyn, Worley, Maryland

☆ Baltimore gun battle highlights surge in US mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As of Monday, 340 mass shootings have taken place across the country so far this year. At that pace, the United States will experience 679 mass shootings in 2023, the second most in a calendar year since 2014, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The definition of a mass shooting differs among organizations and media outlets that track gun violence. For example, the online database Mass Shooting Tracker defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more are shot, including the shooter or shooters. The FBI defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are murdered with a gun.

Persons: James Alan Fox, Fox, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Brendan O'Brien, Grant McCool Organizations: Northeastern University, Baltimore Mayor, CNN, South Baltimore's Brooklyn Homes, FBI, Thomson Locations: Baltimore, United States, South Baltimore's Brooklyn, Wichita , Kansas, Monterey Park , California, Allen , Texas, Chicago

CNN —An 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man were killed and 28 others injured in a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party, officials said. Nine people were transported from the scene to hospitals and 20 people walked into hospitals in the area. The 18-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene and the 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. Police received multiple calls after 12:30 a.m., and arrived to find one woman dead and another nine people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Baltimore Police Acting Commissioner Richard Worley. There is no information on suspects or a motive at this time, but investigators are “working an extensive crime scene,” Worley said.

Persons: Adams Cowley, Michael Schwartzberg, Richard Worley, ” Worley, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, ” Scott, “, ”, CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Amara Walker, Scott, ” “ Organizations: CNN, Adams Cowley Shock Trauma, University of Maryland Medical Center, University of Maryland Medical, Police, Baltimore Police, Baltimore Mayor Locations: Baltimore, Brooklyn

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