A Baltimore City Public Schools teacher was arrested and charged on Monday with second-degree rape.
Detectives said they received information that 24-year-old Lewis Laury, who is a teacher with Baltimore City Public Schools, was having an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
In addition to being charged with second-degree rape, Laury has also been charged with sexual offense in the third degree.
Laury is currently being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and other officials on Monday cut the ribbon on two newly acquired hotels to aid the city’s efforts in combatting homelessness.
The Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services said funds from the American Rescue Plan Act were used to purchase the Sleep Inn & Suites on North Front Street and the Holiday Inn Express on North Gay Street in downtown Baltimore. The purchase is part of the city’s response to the nationwide housing crisis and the rise in homelessness.
“Tackling the issue of homelessness and housing insecurity in Baltimore is going to require approaches that reflect the needs and experiences of our most vulnerable residents,” Scott said in a news release. “This purchase is a major step forward in increasing our ability to address homelessness, expand our efforts to provide a pathway to housing security, and utilize ARPA funding to make a major impact on our most complex challenges. I cannot thank everyone who has been part of this process enough for their hard work, dedication, and deep love for all Baltimoreans. Together, from the Biden-Harris Administration and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to our state partners and down to our local leaders and advocates, we will continue fighting to make a difference in the lives of residents who need it most.”
The Sleep Inn & Suites most recently was utilized to house families, couples, former encampment residents and individuals and families who have become displaced due to housefires. The Holiday Inn Express has been primarily utilized to house and provide male clients with individualized case management, mental health services, housing navigation, vital records resources, employment assistance and additional on-site services through TIME Organization.
The total cost was reported to be $15.2 million for the acquisition and $3.2 million for the management agreement for both hotels.
The Supreme Court’s ruling Monday in former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case makes it all but certain that the Republican will not face trial in Washington ahead of the November election.
The Supreme Court did not dismiss — as Trump had wanted — the indictment alleging he illegally schemed to cling to power after he lost to President Joe Biden. But the ruling still amounts to a major victory for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, whose legal strategy has focused on delaying the proceedings until after the election.
Trump posted in all capital letters on his social media network shortly after the decision was released: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
The timing of the trial matters because if Trump defeats Biden, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecutions he faces. Or Trump could potentially order a pardon for himself.
Here’s a look at the ruling and what comes next:
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The court’s conservative majority said former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their “exclusive sphere of constitutional authority” and are presumptively entitled to immunity for all official acts. They do not enjoy immunity for unofficial, or private, actions.
The ruling means that special counsel Jack Smith cannot proceed with significant allegations in the indictment — or must at least defend their use in future proceedings before the trial judge.
The justices, for instance, wiped out Smith’s use of allegations that Trump tried to use the investigative power of the Justice Department to undo the election results, holding that his communications with agency officials is plainly protected from prosecution.
The justices sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who must now “carefully analyze” whether other allegations involve official conduct for which the president would be immune from prosecution.
Among the issues for further analysis is Trump’s relentless badgering of then-Vice President Mike Pence to not certify the electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. The justices said it was “ultimately the Government’s burden to rebut the presumption of immunity” in Trump’s interactions with Pence.
The order also directed additional analysis on the various posts on X, then known as Twitter, that Trump made — as well as a speech he delivered to supporters — in the run-up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Determining whether that communication represents official versus unofficial acts, the justices said, “may depend on the content and context of each” and thus needs more scrutiny.
The justices required fresh fact-finding on one of the more stunning allegations in the indictment — that Trump had participated in a scheme orchestrated by allies to enlist slates of fraudulent electors in battleground states won by Biden who would falsely attest that Trump had won in those states.
The Trump team had argued that the selection of alternate electors was in keeping with Trump’s presidential interest in the integrity and proper administration of the federal elections and cited as precedent an episode he said took place in the disputed election in 1876.
The Smith team, by contrast, portrayed the scheme as a purely private action that implicated no presidential responsibility.
The conservative justices in their majority opinion didn’t answer the question as to which side was right, instead saying that “determining whose characterization may be correct, and with respect to which conduct, requires a close analysis of the indictment’s extensive and interrelated allegations.”
Unlike Trump’s interactions with the Justice Department, the justices said, “this alleged conduct cannot be neatly categorized as falling within a particular Presidential function. The necessary analysis is instead fact specific, requiring assessment of numerous alleged interactions with a wide variety of state officials and private persons.”
Gov. Wes Moore said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” over the weekend that rebuilding the Key Bridge will likely cost close to $2 billion. Moore said the state needs federal money to get the project completed in a timely manner.
He is pushing for a 100% federal cost share, meaning the federal government would cover the entire cost.
“I need to get this done on time and on budget,” Moore said. “We know that in order to move fast, we’ve got to get that 100% cost share. So we are spending time working with- with members of both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans.”
The governor also spoke out on the Rachel Morin case, the 37-year-old mother found murdered last August in Harford County.
The Harford County sheriff called out the president and Congress for “failed immigration policies” when announcing that an immigrant living in the country illegally had been arrested for Morin’s death.
Moore said he agreed with the sheriff and said the nation has an immigration policy that needs to be dealt with.
“We have an immigration policy that needed to have been dealt with and was not,” Moore said. “And the consequences then fall on us as the chief executives of our state, the consequences fall on us as the leaders of our individualized jurisdictions. And– and we know that we have got to fix a broken immigration policy. And we know that we need Congress to act on this.”
He referenced President Biden’s executive order on immigration, saying he agrees with the action, but it is not going to be enough. Moore says Congress needs to be on the same page when it comes to stricter border policies.
Source: WBAL
Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.
He was 86.
West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor.
West was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in announcing his death. West’s wife, Karen, was by his side when he died, the Clippers said.
He was an All-Star in all 14 of his NBA seasons, a 12-time All-NBA selection, part of the 1972 Lakers team that won a championship, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969 and was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
West was general manager of eight NBA championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping build the “Showtime” dynasty. He also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors and the Clippers. Among his many, many highlights as an executive with the Lakers: he drafted Magic Johnson and James Worthy, then brought in Kobe Bryant and eventually Shaquille O’Neal to play alongside Bryant.
Even in the final years of his life, West was considered basketball royalty. He routinely sat courtside at Summer League games in Las Vegas, often watching many games in a day while greeting long lines of players — LeBron James among them — who would approach to shake his hand and pay him respect.
“The game transcends many things,” West said while attending Summer League last year. “The players change, the style of play may change, but the respect that you learn in this game never changes.”
He’s 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and while the league has never confirmed that West was in fact the model for its logo — a player dribbling a ball, set against a red-and-blue background — the league has never said otherwise, either.
“While it’s never been officially declared that the logo is Jerry West,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in 2021, “it sure looks a lot like him.”
Hunter Biden patted defense attorney Abbe Lowell on the left shoulder after the judge’s courtroom deputy read aloud the guilty verdict in his federal gun case. Hunter Biden hugged both of his attorneys and said thank you after the jurors left the courtroom. He smiled wanly at his relatives in the gallery and then hugged and kissed his wife before leaving the courtroom.
First lady Jill Biden arrived to the courthouse minutes after the jury delivered its verdict and wasn’t in the courtroom when it was read.
Hunter Biden left the courthouse holding hands with the first lady and his wife, Melissa. They did not speak to reporters, got into waiting SUVs and drove off.
Sexyy Red was arrested in New Jersey over the weekend on a minor offense. The “U My Everything” rapper was part of a big airport brawl, TMZ got their hands on the video. It appears to show the St. Louis recording artist holding a retractable belt barrier before falling to the ground. That was going to be a rowdy flight. Watch the video clip below.
She spent time in jail over the weekend and was released. Sexyy Red also addressed the altercation in a separate Instagram story, stating that she would replace the phone of whoever was involved.
Sexyy Red will be in Washington, DC for the Broccoli Festival at Audi Field on July 27th and July 28th. Get tickets here.
Two speed cameras were activated on Monday in two Baltimore City school zones as part of the city’s Automated Traffic Violation Enforcement System.
The speed camera monitoring system consists of portable and fixed cameras that detect vehicles that exceed the posted speed limit by at least 12 miles per hour. Drivers exceeding the speed limit by 12 mph or more will be fined $40.
New speed camera locations include:
– 2200 block of Mount Royal Terrace – Dorothy I. Height Elementary School, The Mount Royal School
– 2100 block of W. Franklin Street – Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School, Franklin Square Elementary School
The cameras operate weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the year and when school is not in session. All speed camera zones are marked with signage.
Baltimore’s automated speed enforcement program is designed to promote safe driving by reducing driver speeds in school zones throughout the city.
The new camera installations come just 10 days after the state of Maryland issued an increased fine for speeding in work zones. Those fines doubled from $40 to $80.
A full list of speed cameras in Baltimore City can be found here.
Baltimore police arrested a 34-year-old man in April for the murder of his younger brother.
Officers said that Michael Conley fatally shot 27-year-old Devon Thomas in Cherry Hill, following a dispute on the morning of April 11 in the 3400 block of Spelman Road.
Conley was found and arrested the following day in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was taken into custody without incident.
Conley was extradited to Baltimore on Thursday where he was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held at the Central Booking Intake Facility with a no-bail status.
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be interviewed by New York probation officials Monday, a required step before his July sentencing in his criminal hush money case , according to three people familiar with the plan.
Trump will do the interview via a computer video conference from his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, the people told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose the plans publicly.
One of Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, will be present for the interview. People convicted of crimes in New York usually meet with probation officials without their lawyers, but the judge in Trump’s case, Juan Merchan, said in a letter Friday that he would allow Blanche’s presence.
The usual purpose of a pre-sentencing probation interview is to prepare a report that will tell the judge more about the defendant, and potentially help determine the proper punishment for the crime.
Such reports are typically prepared by a probation officer, a social worker or a psychologist working for the probation department who interviews the defendant and possibly that person’s family and friends, as well as people affected by the crime.
Presentence reports include a defendant’s personal history, criminal record and recommendations for sentencing. It will also include information about employment and any obligations to help care for a family member. It is also a chance for a defendant to say why they think they deserve a lighter punishment.
A jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records at his own company as part of a broader scheme to buy the silence of people who might have told embarrassing stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. One $130,000 payment went to a porn actor, Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump, which he denied.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, says he is innocent of any crime and that the criminal case was brought to hurt his chances to regain the White House.
Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, said in statement Sunday that President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party allies “continue to ramp up their ongoing Witch-Hunts, further abusing and misusing the power of their offices to interfere in the presidential election.”
“President Trump and his legal team are already taking necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan DA case,” he said.
Merchan has scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11. He has discretion to impose a wide range of punishments, ranging from probation and community service to up to four years in prison.
