May 21, 2015
Landon Poore
News Writer
Flash News
Maryland
Prosecutor: 6 Officers Indicted in Death of Freddie Gray
All six officers charged in the police-custody death of Freddie Gray were indicted by a grand jury, a prosecutor said Thursday. The indictments were very similar to the charges Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced about three weeks ago. The most serious charge for each officer, ranging from second-degree “depraved heart” murder to assault, still stood. Gray suffered a critical spinal injury after police handcuffed, shackled and placed him head-first into a van, Mosby has said. His pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored, she said.
Buyers, sellers can make transactions in a safe place—the department
Annapolis police want people buy and sell items online to conduct face-to-face transactions in a safe place — the department. Chief Michael Pristoop tells The Capital of Annapolis (http://bit.ly/1F4ObdY) that there has been one homicide and several robberies in Anne Arundel County after people met in person after answer ads on Craigslist and other online sites. Pristoop said on Thursday that residents can conduct transactions in the department’s parking lot or inside the lobby. Officers can also use a database to check items that are being purchased to make sure they aren’t stolen.
Washington, DC
National & Dulles Airports Might Soon See Uber, Lyft Service
Travelers arriving to D.C. at Reagan National and Dulles airports could soon catch a ride from Uber and Lyft. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority revealed a plan that would allow both car ride services to operate at the airports with a designated staging area similar to taxis. Currently, Uber and Lyft are only allowed to pick up passengers if they have rides already set. The new plan could cut down on wait times for riders because they would be able to arrange a ride and quickly meet drivers outside. “Traditionally, I use a taxi because it’s easier, so I would like the option of being able to use Uber and have them be able to fairly compete,” said passenger Jim Porter. Both airports will hold public hearings on the proposal in June.
What You Need to Know About the Takata Air Bag Recall
Out of concern for the safety of drivers, the U.S. government may step in to manage a giant recall of air bags made by Takata Corp. On Thursday, the government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started the process to take control of the recall of 33.8 million air bags that can spew shrapnel into drivers or passengers. The recall covers roughly one in seven vehicles on U.S. roads. The Danger: In a crash, the air bag can deploy with too much force and pelt unsuspecting drivers or passengers with fragments from a metal inflator, causing injury or even death. Six people have died and at least 105 have been injured. The Solution: Takata agreed this week to declare millions of air bag inflators defective. That added 17 million cars and trucks to existing recalls by 11 manufacturers — BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Daimler Trucks, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. Takata will need 33.8 million inflators for the repairs — so far it has made 3.8 million. At its estimated rate of production, it will take 2 ½ years to crank out enough to fix all the affected vehicles.
Virginia
New House Bill Takes Aim at Predatory Towing
Arlington may stand to benefit from a bill in Congress intended to help localities tackle predatory towing. Congressmen Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today reintroduced The State and Local Predatory Towing Enforcement Act, a bill they say would solidify state and local governments’ ability to end predatory towing practices.
As federal law currently stands, state and local governments are prohibited from regulating local towing industries. Though a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision is considered to have given local governments the ability to regulate those industries, the reintroduced bill would codify it and reduce some legal uncertainties.
Low Gas Prices Mean Busy Memorial Day Traffic Forecast
More than 1 million Virginians will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, the American Automobile Association projects. They will join 37.2 million travelers nationwide who will drive or fly more than 50 miles from home during the holiday weekend. The 2015 projection is an increase of 4.2 percent over the number of Virginians who traveled in 2014 and the highest travel volume for the holiday since 2005, AAA Mid- Atlantic says. Virginia’s lowest gas prices in five years — around $2.69 a gallon in Reston –have boosted travel numbers. “Fluctuating gas prices had little impact on Virginians’ decision to travel in the past,” said Tammy Arnette, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Public Affairs Specialist. “This year is a different story, however, as gas prices hit a five-year holiday low and prompted more holiday celebrations away from home.”
Entertainment
LOOK: RG3’s First Child (A Baby Girl!) Was Born
Congratulations are in order for Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and his wife Rebecca on the birth of their first child. The Redskins starter had said in an interview last month if the child was a baby boy, he’d be named RGIV. Looks like that was not the case. Griffin, who last tweeted the announcement of his wife’s pregnancy on Feb. 12, tweeted a photo of his newborn child, named Reese Ann Griffin, on Thursday, May 21, 2015 — born a healthy-looking 7 pounds, 9 oz.
House passes bill to reform US-funded broadcasts
A House committee unanimously approved a bill on Thursday to reform U.S.-funded broadcasting to counter what a California congressman dubs the “weaponization of information” from Russia and anti-American propaganda being aired by Iran and Islamic State militants. “The Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency charged with leading the U.S. response effort, is crippled by an inefficient bureaucracy and incoherent leadership structure,” said Republican Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “We cannot allow these problems to fester any longer at an agency that is so important when the stakes are so high.” New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said America’s rivals are spending massive amounts of money to spread violent messages and disseminate propaganda. “This bill creates a new management structure to oversee our international broadcasting efforts, streamlines our broadcasting organizations and modernizes our tools for getting our message out,” Engel said
