Allan James Vestal
senior data visualization reporter
Allan James Vestal is The Baltimore Banner’s senior data visualization reporter. He previously worked for Politico, Bloomberg News, The Dallas Morning News and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He’s been part of teams that have exposed serious flaws in the nation’s newborn screening system, tracked the root causes of deadly natural gas pipeline explosions and found tragic accountability gaps in state-run nursing homes for military veterans. His work has led to state and federal reforms and has been honored by the Gerald Loeb Awards, the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting and the Livingston Awards, among others. In 2020, 2022 and 2024, Allan James directed teams of journalists and developers in building interactive election-night experiences, combining real-time data with deep context and expert analysis.
The latest from Allan James
Maryland school test scores: See how your school performed on the MCAP in 2026
Statewide scores have hardly budged since last year.
Maryland students still struggle with high school-level math: See your school’s scores
Maryland students continue to struggle with high school-level math, with only 21.3% passing the Algebra I MCAP exam and disparities across districts and demographic groups.
If Maryland can’t revive one Eastern Shore river, can it save the bay?
Disappointment in the progress of the Corsica raises a bigger, more troubling question. If, in two decades, officials can’t revive one relatively small tributary, can they really save the bay?
How a Prince George’s County middle school more than doubled its English proficiency rates
In a three-year period, Andrew Jackson Academy doubled the percentage of its middle schoolers who pass the state English test, skyrocketing from 14.1 percent in 2022 to 35.8 percent in 2025.
Grading the glizzies: How each hot dog at Camden Yards measures up
Armed with a kitchen scale, a ruler, butcher’s twine and a serious commitment to the bit, The Banner analyzed every hot dog configuration at Camden Yards.
We asked where downtown Baltimore is. Chaos ensued.
Where does downtown Baltimore begin and end? Nearly 700 readers sent maps — and a Banner analysis reveals the areas most people agree on.
How do you define downtown Baltimore? Draw it and show us.
Depending on how you draw its boundaries, downtown Baltimore is either a depressing and increasingly empty collection of tall buildings, or it’s a dynamic and diverse community poised for success.
Ethiopian-born population in Montgomery County jumped nearly 150% in 15 years
Montgomery County’s Ethiopian immigrant population — now about 22,000 people — has grown nearly 150%, according to U.S. Census data released Thursday.
Andy Harris out? How Maryland’s proposed new districts would have voted in 2024.
A proposed new map of Maryland’s congressional districts would wipe out Republicans’ advantage in the one seat they hold, swinging the voter makeup from solidly red to solidly blue.
Holiday travelers flood Maryland roads around Thanksgiving. So will drunk drivers.
As Thanksgiving approaches, here is a look at recent patterns of drunk driving in Maryland and what's being done to mitigate the issue.
School buses for every Baltimore student seemed impossible — until now
School transportation company HopSkipDrive used AI and a Banner analysis to map how yellow buses, vans and cars could get Baltimore students to school safely and on time for less than 5% of the district’s budget.
Maryland sees first snow of the season as temperatures drop statewide
Maryland’s first cold snap of the season has arrived, bringing snow in the mountains, freezing temperatures to its southern counties and a sharp temperature drop statewide.
Teen faces attempted murder charge after alleged robbery, assault at Towson Town Center
Baltimore County Police said the incident involved a group of teenagers that was robbed and then assaulted at the mall, and that one of the victims was slashed with a screwdriver.
Black women’s foothold in the federal workforce is at risk
Black women are about 6% of the nation’s employed, but account for 11% of all federal workers.
5 takeaways from Montgomery County’s 2025 MCAP scores
While Montgomery County students outperformed their peers statewide overall, children in the county didn’t see the same level of progress as in some other districts.
Maryland public school test scores: Search to see how your school performed in 2025
Wondering if your school improved its standing? Or which schools have made particularly large gains in recent years? With our searchable tables, you can explore MCAP scores for your local school — or any school in Maryland.
Maryland sees a reading rebound, though ‘alarming’ math gap looms large
State leaders highlighted how students fared on the exam known as the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, or MCAP.
Traffic on I-695 outer loop in Baltimore County moving again after truck fire causes closure
Traffic is moving again after a truck fire caused the closure of a stretch of the Baltimore Beltway on Saturday afternoon.
Trucker charged in Baltimore County shooting possibly tied to I-83 attacks in Pennsylvania
An Illinois truck driver arrested in connection with a shooting that endangered a toddler along a Baltimore County freeway may be linked to three other shootings that in Pennsylvania the same night, according to Maryland State Police.
These charts show how Baltimore has changed since Freddie Gray’s death
Baltimore is markedly different than it was then years ago — and, in some ways, exactly the same.
