Community issues

A Towson therapist is setting up a self-guided tour of Ladew Topiary Gardens part of a movement that uses nature to improve mental health.

An easy-to-get, loosely regulated loan used to buy rental properties has exploded in popularity across the U.S. since the pandemic, with Baltimore and other postindustrial cities at the forefront, a Banner analysis of national mortgage data found.

Maryland campaign finance law allows for spending at restaurants but says campaign spending is only permissible if expenses would not have occurred but for the campaign.

Antisemitic graffiti painted on a Brookeville school building over the weekend has prompted a police investigation, increased security and a reprimand from the governor.

The Baltimore City Fire Department said it had contained a hydrochloric acid leak from a railcar in South Baltimore and that it poses “no threat to the surrounding community.”

Yalanda Ward, of Southwest Baltimore, entered an Alford plea in Baltimore County Circuit Court to conspiracy to commit theft for her role in the Loving Care Pet Cremations scam.

A building in East Baltimore was condemned after partially collapsing Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

A man and a teen are facing charges in connection with an armed carjacking in the parking lot of the Towson Town Center, Baltimore County Police said Tuesday.

The Baltimore County legislation to protect animals from abuse comes in the wake of a hoarding case still unfolding in court; a Halethorpe woman faces nearly 500 counts of animal cruelty stemming from the condition of dozens of dogs, birds and reptiles she was keeping.

A Pasadena woman is charged with embezzling nearly $250,000 from a youth sports club she served as treasurer, allegedly using the money for personal expenses including bills, shopping and Disney tickets.

Melachi Brown, 23, of Gwynn Oak, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court to driving with a revoked license and admitted to violating his probation.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future means some schools will see big gains and others will face cuts for the first time in five years.

A 22-year-old Virginia man died over the weekend while kayaking near Great Falls.

A truck driver for Baltimore-based H&S Bakery was en route to a depot in Newark on Sunday when a United Airlines plane carrying 221 people struck his truck on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The Pulitzer Prize Board has recognized The Banner for a second consecutive year.

Instead of hosting Baltimore Harbor Splash on a single day this summer, organizers plan to stage the public swim as “a series of pop-ups,” with event dates announced about a week in advance.

Researchers at Morgan State University’s National Transportation Center have created a multisensory system to alert Maryland road workers to approaching speeding or erratic vehicles.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is beginning to show its age. The autumn maintenance crises forced the Inner Harbor institution, which normally closes only on Thanksgiving and Christmas, to shut its doors for five days for repairs, triggering an estimated $400,000 in lost revenue.

A Gaithersburg man pleaded guilty to selling a 15-year-old girl the fentanyl she later overdosed on, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

Charging documents say that Mark Thomas Ryan was angry after his wife obtained a temporary protective order against him.