Edgewood is Site of Live-Action Laser Adventure Center
March 18, 2010
From Harford County government:
(Edgewood, MD) LaserNation, the ultimate live action laser tag entertainment complex, opened its newest Laser Tag Center in Edgewood, MD in February 2010. The center is located at 2208 Hanson Road and joins Food Lion, Dollar General, Triple Crown Martial Arts, Subway and Harford County Dental Clinic in the Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center.
LaserNation laser tag is a fun-filled live-action game played by up to 30 individuals at a time. It is an interactive, high-tech, laser game blending the simplicity of Tag or Capture the Flag with the real-time feedback and action of modern video game systems. The state-of-the-art LaserNation system has the flexibility to allow numerous game variations, assigning teams or individual team members various capabilities which force changes in tactics and game dynamics. The ability to tailor game situations for varying scenarios makes LaserNation particularly appealing to both experienced and new players.
Players work to best their own scores and skills in a family, team-friendly atmosphere. The challenging fast-action nature of laser tag has widespread appeal, enhanced by the facility’s smoke, alcohol and drug-free policy. Well-suited to individual players, birthday parties, church outings, sports teams and corporate team-building, the LaserNation laser tag experience allows players to develop skills and have fun in a safe, community-oriented environment.
The facility contains a lobby/reception area with video games, four private party rooms, a briefing room, vesting room and an arena. The arena is where the laser tag action is, with intricate mazes, fast paced music, and strobe lights, allowing players’ imaginations to enhance the playing experience.
LaserNation will celebrate its Grand Opening on March 19, 20, and 21, 2010 with special pricing on laser tag games. There will be giveaways from local businesses, including Pizza Hut on Edgewood Road and Pepsi-Cola Distributing Company of Havre De Grace, MD to add to the festivities. LaserNation will donate a portion of the proceeds from the weekend to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life campaign.
Company to Pay $115K for Religious Bias at Edgewood Office
March 18, 2010
From the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
BALTIMORE – Administaff, Inc., a nationwide company which provides full-service human resources to small and medium-size businesses will pay $115,000 and furnish substantial remedial relief to settle a harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to EEOC’s suit (Case No. 1:09-cv-02881-BEL) filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division, Kingwood, Texas-based Administaff and Conn-X, LLC, a Florida-based cable service provider, violated federal law by engaging in religious discrimination against employees at Conn-X’s Edgewood, Md., office.
The EEOC said that Scott Jacobson and Joey Jacobson, who are brothers, were called “dirty Jew,” “dumb Jew,” and other anti-Semitic slurs by managers and coworkers because of their religion, Judaism. The harassment began in September 2005 and continued for a couple of years and included the defacing of Scott Jacobson’s work vehicle with a swastika symbol, the EEOC said. He was also physically harassed when he was forced into a trash bin for the amusement of managers who observed them on a work surveillance camera and called it “throw the Jew in the dumpster.” The EEOC’s lawsuit against Conn-X, LLC remains unresolved.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious harassment. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.
“What happened to these workers was cruel and callous, involving physical mistreatment, as well as hateful religious slurs and anti-Semitic symbols” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act embodies the promise that no one should have to endure this kind of abuse in the workplace. We are gratified we fought and brought an end to the religious discrimination that was happening here, and that we could secure a measure of justice for these victims.”
In addition to the monetary relief to the Jacobsons, the consent decree settling the suit enjoins Administaff, Inc. from engaging in harassment on the basis of religion and from retaliating against employees who complain about it. The employer agreed to revise its policy against harassment and retaliation, provide training to its managers on anti-discrimination laws, and to post notices stating its commitment to maintaining an environment free of religious harassment and retaliation.
“Employers play a critical role in creating a work environment respectful of employee’s religious beliefs,” said EEOC Acting Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence of the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office, which oversees Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. “It is never acceptable to come to work and have your religion and heritage made the subject of such callous and impermissible treatment.”
Religious discrimination charge filings nationwide with the EEOC have increased substantially over the years. In Fiscal Year 2009, the EEOC received a record high level of 3,386 religious discrimination charges – nearly double the number of religious discrimination charges since FY 1992.
According to its web site (www.administaff.com), “Administaff, Inc. is the nation’s leading professional employer organization (PEO), serving as a full-service human resources department for small and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. Administaff delivers its personnel management services by entering into a co-employment relationship with a client company and the client company’s existing employees, including the business owner. Under this arrangement, Administaff assumes or shares many of the responsibilities of being an employer.”
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the Commission is available at its web site (www.eeoc.gov).
Washington: “I Have Decided To Withdraw My Bid For The House Of Delegates And Campaign For The Maryland State Senate Seat in District 34″
March 10, 2010
From the campaign of Rovall M. Washington:
Dear Residents of Harford and Cecil Counties,
It is without question that I wish to serve my community. Since my initial beginnings of developing an afterschool program in Edgewood, MD at Anthony’s Barbershop, I have collaborated and donated personal time and financial resources to non-profit organizations like Harford County based Gospel of Life Ministries to help the unfortunate. Over the last year, I have served as a Board Member on the Joppa/ Joppatowne Community Council. During this timeframe I have cultivated a deeper appreciation for the needs of an established community. Concurrently, I was drawn towards the needs of the neighboring community of Edgewood; of which is fighting to change its status among the county. To ensure the success of this conversion, I avidly attend and support the Edgewood Community Council meetings and Servefest functions that better our community. I am a mentor for Harford County’s Kids C.A.N. Project whose mission is to identify and provide opportunities for caring adults to help young people succeed in life. Within my heart bleeds the passion to make a difference.
I began this journey of public service with the belief that a seat in the House of Delegates would allow me to serve my community to the fullest. However, after reading a passage from the late Dr Martin Luther King JR that reads, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity… “, I felt drawn to allow myself to serve my fellow Harford and Cecil County residents in such a way that my passion for equality and zeal for what is morally just be utilized to benefit my peers. It is because of this that I have decided to withdraw my bid for the House of Delegates and campaign for the Maryland State Senate seat in District 34.
I am the best candidate for this position because I see a severe flaw in our current state senator. I possess the spirit, confidence, and morality to help lead and shape our community for a better tomorrow. As a father, I know what it is like to have to lead by example. As a survivor of divorce, I know what it is like to have to pick up the pieces and start over. In this last recession I learned what it was like to be vulnerable to the economy, while watching our government react slowly and at times uncaringly. I understand these things because I am just like you. It is because of this similar trait that I can and will serve Harford and Cecil County better than anyone else; especially those who choose to deceive and manipulate the system because of his/her economic status. I choose to be a candidate for the Maryland State Senate because I am you. I am and will always be your voice. With the guidance of my campaign manager, Edgewood Community Council Chairman Jansen Robinson, and the support of community leaders like Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie, I will not only serve my fellow residents to the best of my abilities, but I will be an open resource to those who need me in their time of need and the capabilities the office provides.
As the only Democratic State Senatorial candidate that resides in the district I wish to serve, I promise to listen, promote, and understand your needs collectively and do my all to provide you with the results you desire in the State Senate. I am not a politician. I am a man who is tired of the loss of interest by our elected officials once they are in office. Your interest is my interest. I hope you give me an opportunity to prove my loyalty to my district and my state.
My name is Rovall Washington and I want your vote to be the next State Senator in District 34 this fall.
Humbly,
Rovall M Washington
Candidate, Maryland State Senate 2010
District 34
Police Charge Two in Armed Robbery of Edgewood Royal Farms
February 15, 2010
From Maryland State Police:
EDGEWOOD _ Two men face charges from the Maryland State Police in Harford County this week in connection with a brazen armed robbery of an Edgewood Road convenience store.
Maryland State Police criminal investigators charged Steven Lamar Joseph, 19, of the 300 block of Canoe Lane, Edgewood, MD and Adam Elijah Williams, 21, of the 9800 block of Dee Way, Middle River, MD with armed robbery, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, 1st degree assault, 2nd degree assault, theft under $1,000 and weapons violations.
The arrests of both men followed a month-long investigation by Troopers into the January 11th armed robbery of the Royal Farms convenience store located in the 600 block of Edgewood Road. Troopers were summoned to the store near Hanson Road shortly before 2 a.m. after two masked men entered the establishment and brandished a handgun. During the robbery, the clerk questioned the suspects about the authenticity of the firearm, at which time one suspect discharged the weapon. The clerk was uninjured during the holdup. Both suspects fled the store on foot after receiving an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency.
Afterwards, Troopers flooded the Edgewood community with reward fliers about the robbery. Soon after, a tip was received through Metro Crime Stoppers Inc. of Maryland, which led to the identity of the accused Joseph. On February 4th, investigators from the Joint Investigative Task Force (comprised of Troopers and Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies) raided a residence on Canoe Lane in Edgewood, MD. Joseph was taken into custody without incident. Five days later, Troopers located Williams and arrested him without incident.
“The partnership between the community and law enforcement was instrumental in the success of this investigation and is unquestionably helping to make Harford County a safer place” said Sergeant James DeCourcey – Maryland State Police, Bel Air Barrack. Sergeant DeCourcey is one of the lead supervisors of the unit and provided much support to the primary investigator in this case.
Both suspects were taken before a District Court Commissioner for Harford County. Joseph was remanded to the Harford County Detention Center in lieu of a $250,000 bond; Williams was jailed after being denied bond.
Police Seek Gunmen In Edgewood Home Invasion/Robbery
February 4, 2010
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
On Friday 01/29/10 at approximately 1830 hours the person depicted in the composite and accompanied by a second suspect did unlawfully enter a home on Windstream Way in Edgewood, MD. Both suspects were armed and robbed the occupants at gunpoint.
The victims, three males residents ages 37, 30, and 35, arrived home, the 800 block of Windstream Way in Edgewood, from work at approximately 6:30pm on January 29, 2010. Hearing a knock at their front door, while putting away groceries, they opened the door. Two black males wearing dark clothing and facemasks, pressed their way into the apartment, pushed them to the ground, and held them at gunpoint. Cash was stolen.
Anyone with information in reference to this incident is urged to contact Metro Crime Stoppers. Callers may remain anonymous.
If Your Tip To The Hotline Leads To An Arrest And Indictment in this case, You May Be Eligible For A Cash Reward Of Up To $2,000!!!
If you have information on the above crime/suspect contact:
Metro Crime Stoppers Hotline @Toll Free 1-866-7LOCKUP.
You can also provide information confidentially online @ http://www.metrocrimestoppers.net/ or by texting “MCS plus your message” to CRIMES(274637)
Tips Are Not Recorded AND Callers Remain Anonymous
Harford Schedules Second Public Budget Hearing For Jan. 25 in Edgewood
January 19, 2010
From Harford County government:
(Bel Air, MD) – - Harford County Executive David R. Craig has scheduled a second public budget hearing prior to preparation of the FY 11 county budget. The budget hearing will be held Monday, January 25, 2010 at Edgewood High School on Willoughby Beach Road in Edgewood and will commence at 6:00 p.m.
“Preparation of the annual budget for Harford County is one of the most important responsibilities of the County Executive. I want to ensure the public has ample opportunity to express their opinion and recommendations with respect to the FY 11 budget,” County Executive Craig stated.
The county executive and his cabinet will also hold a public budget hearing on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 in the auditorium of C. Milton Wright High School. The budget hearing will also begin at 6:00 p.m.
The FY 11 budget will be prepared between January and March 2010. The proposed budget will be presented to the Harford County Council by April 1, 2010. The Harford County Council reviews the proposed budget from the county executive and has the oversight authority to decrease or eliminate some budget items. The County Council can only increase the budget of the Board of Education. The County Council is required by the Harford County Charter to pass the budget by June 30.
Those wishing to speak at either public budget hearing should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the hearing to sign in. Those persons addressing the county executive and cabinet will be allotted three minutes to speak. Those individuals representing a group or organization will be allotted five minutes to speak.
Police Seek Two Who Invaded Home and Robbed Four Elderly Women in Edgewood
January 18, 2010
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
(Edgewood, MD – January 18, 2010) On Sunday, January 17, 2010 at approximately 10pm, a home invasion occurred, in the 1900 block of Edgewater Drive, Edgewood MD, after a guest in the apartment opened the door to two males who entered the home and robbed the four women in the apartment. The victims of the incident include the resident, a 63-year-old woman and three elderly females between the ages of 62 and 95 years old that were visiting for the evening.
The two suspects knocked on the door, stating it was “Junior”. Since the victims have a friend with the same name, they opened the door. The first suspect is described as a light complexion black male, with a baby face wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt and jeans, somewhere between the age of 17- 22. The second suspect, also between the age of 17-22, is described a darker complexion black male with a thin build, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt covering his face with a beige/tan bandana. The first suspect entered the residence and proceeded to the resident’s bedroom where he brandished a gun and demanded any pain medication and valuables that she may have. The second suspect stayed in the living room watching over the guests until both suspects fled the apartment in an unknown direction. Stolen from the group of women were purses, cash, bankcards, a cell phone, various medications and personal identification. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact Detective Pete Georgiades of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division at 410-836-5431.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind citizens of Harford County to practice good personal safety habits at all times. Always keep doors and windows locked. Use a peephole/door viewer before opening the door to anyone. Do not rely on a door chain for your protection when getting identification of a visitor and never open the door to a stranger. For additional personal safety tips, visit the community safety section of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office website at www.harfordsheriff.org.
UPDATED: 18-Year-Old Charged In Shooting on Starr Street in Edgewood
January 14, 2010
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
(Edgewood, MD – January 14, 2010: 4:00pm) On Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at approximately 11pm, Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call in reference to a shooting that occurred in the 2000 block of Starr Street in Edgewood MD. The victim, Thomas Joseph Sweiger, 20, of Bel Air, MD was shot twice. He was transported by ambulance to Bayview Medical Center by Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company. At this time, his condition is stable. Within minutes of the initial call, deputies were on scene and able to quickly determine and locate the suspect, who is currently in custody.
Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 500 block of Edgewood Road in response to a 911 call received at approximately 11pm on January 13, 2010 for a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies located two individuals, the victim, Thomas J Sweiger, 20 of Bel Air MD, who had been shot in the leg and the head, and a second uninjured person. The two informed deputies that the incident had occurred somewhere in the Harford Commons area of Edgewood MD. This information led deputies to a second location where witness accounts were able to assist deputies in identifying a potential suspect in the incident. In less than fifteen minutes, deputies were able to locate and apprehend the alleged shooter, as well as determine that the crime had taken place in the 2000 block of Starr Street, Edgewood, MD. Sweiger was transported to Bayview Medical Center by Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company. He is currently listed in stable condition.
It was the information provided to and previous experiences with the alleged shooter that allowed the deputies to locate the suspect so quickly after the original 911 call. He was discovered in the 400 block of Gateshead Court bleeding from an open wound to the head. The suspect was transported to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center by Joppa Magnolia Fire Company for treatment of his injuries.
The suspect was identified as Shawn Scott Stansbury Jr., 18 of Edgewood MD. Investigation revealed that Stansbury entered the residence in the 2000 block of Starr Street in Edgewood MD at approximately 11:45pm on January 13, 2010, displayed a handgun, pointed it at the resident and demanded they produce any valuables. In addition to the person who resides in the home, there were three others including victim, Thomas Joseph Sweiger. Through investigation, detectives of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office/Maryland State Police Investigative Task Force determined that while pointing the gun from victim to victim, Sweiger found an opportunity to grab a baseball bat that was in the area of where he was standing and struck Stansbury in the head. Stansbury, then shot at Sweiger striking him in the forehead and lower leg. As Sweiger fell to the ground, Stansbury shot randomly inside the residence towards the direction of the other victims causing an immediate threat to them. As Sweiger lay on the ground injured, Stansbury pointed the gun towards Sweiger, continually pulling the trigger. The gun clicked, but no rounds exited the gun indicating that all the live rounds within the weapon had been fired. Stansbury then fled the scene on foot with a bloody head injury received when being struck by the bat. He was apprehended by Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies at his residence in the 400 block of Gateshead Court in Edgewood MD. A .22 caliber revolver was recovered in Stansbury’s residence.
Shawn S Stanbury Jr, 18 of Edgewood MD has been charged with the following: Attempted 1st and 2nd degree murder, armed robbery, various handgun violations, assault in the 1st and 2nd degree, and reckless endangerment. He is being held without bond at the Harford County Detention Center. His bail review hearing is scheduled for January 15, 2010 at 1:15pm in the District Court of Maryland for Harford County located at 2 S. Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014.
Police Seek Armed Robbers Of Edgewood Royal Farms Store
January 11, 2010
From Maryland State Police:
On 01/11/10 at 1:31 a.m., Maryland State Police Troopers responded to the Royal Farms Store in the 630 Edgewood Road for an ARMED ROBBERY. The store employee advised two subjects wearing hooded jackets or sweatshirts entered the store, at which time one suspect displayed a handgun. The robbers ordered the clerk to give them money and then fled the store.
One suspect was a dark-skinned black male, height approx. 5-9, weight 160 pounds, 15 to 18 years old. The second suspect was a black male, height approx. 5-3, weight 140 pounds, 15 to 18 years old. One suspect was wearing a off-white hood sweatshirt with unknown design on thehood. The investigation is assigned to the
Maryland State Police/ Harford County Sheriff’s Office Joint Criminal Investigations Unit under case number 10-53-000293.
Harford 2009: The Dagger’s Top Ten Stories Of The Year
December 31, 2009
The year 2009 opened on a sad note in Harford County with residents still mourning the death of prominent, longtime school superintendent Jacqueline Haas. Before the year was over, Harford County would lose two other wellknown female leaders – former delegate Joanne Parrott and Harford County Councilwoman Veronica Chenowith.
It was also a year of contradiction. Even as President-Elect Barack Obama slowed his inaugural train ride through Edgewood in January to wave and thank a thousand or so supporters, there were a thousand or so more Harford County residents who fought tooth-and-nail in September to prevent President Obama’s live address to be shown to their children during the school day.
Bel Air High School was demolished and Fallston Library was spared from closure. Art Helton survived another political scandal in Aberdeen while Harford County’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly played a furious and humiliating game of musical chairs in Annapolis.
Citizens were outraged that Del. Pat McDonough couldn’t carry his questionable campaign signs during the Bel Air Independence Day Parade, yet couldn’t muster the same reaction when it was exposed that the Board of Education may have seriously bungled the bidding process for the new Red Pump Elementary School.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 stories of 2009, as chosen by The Dagger staff:
#1 – Obama Slows His Roll Through Harford To Greet Edgewood Crowd
While his ride never came to a stop, President-Elect Barack Obama, with Joe Biden by his side, smiled, waved and even interacted with a few people, which was good enough for the thousand or so gathered at the Edgewood train station who had waited hours in the stinging cold of mid-January to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be president aboard the train that would eventually take him to Washington D.C. for his inauguration.
#2 – Harford Schools Will Not Broadcast Obama’s Live Address To Students
The White House issued an advisory that President Barack Obama would be speaking live to the nation’s school children at noon on September 8th in an address that could be streamed directly into the schools. The President’s speech about the importance of education was reportedly planned for weeks, but a national backlash erupted that included a call to boycott the schools that decide to air the speech by keeping students home on the day of the broadcast.
Harford County Public Schools sent a mass Alert Now phone call out to parents with a message saying the speech would not be broadcast live in school, but leaving open the possibility that the speech might be used in the classroom at a later date.
#3 – Three Of A Kind: Our Dearly Departed (Haas, Parrott, Chenowith)
They say these things happen in 3’s, so we included Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Haas in our triumvirate of dearly departed, even though she passed away just a few days shy of 2009. Haas died after apparently suffering an asthma attack and then going into cardiac arrest in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
In early March, Joanne S. Parrott, a former state delegate and Harford County Council President, was found dead in her home at the age of 68.
Just a few weeks later, longtime Harford County Councilwoman Veronica “Roni” Chenowith, who had represented Fallston and Emmorton since 1994, died after battling cancer for several years.
#4 – “The Goal Was To Destroy The Harford County Delegation…”
Dissension in the ranks led to all out mutiny among members of the Harford County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, who, within two weeks, re-elected and then booted the chair and vice chair of the county delegation.
Dels. Susan McComas and Rick Impallaria were removed in early February as chair and vice chair in a controversial vote which both challenged. Dels. J.B. Jennings and Wayne Norman were installed in the place of McComas and Impallaria, who had just recently being reelected to their leadership positions. Then, in a letter dated April 20, Dels. McComas, Impallaria and Pat McDonough have formally requested that Jennings and Norman step down from their largely ceremonial positions as chair and vice-chair of the delegation.
#5 – Bel Air High School – Thanks for the Memories
The Bel Air High School building rose from the earth sixty years ago and it was demolished in fall of 2009. In August, as the wreckage had already begun with the glorious new replacement building standing by, ready to welcome students at the start of the new school year, The Dagger took a final tour of the old BAHS and the memories of those who taught and learned there.
#6 – Tempest In A Teapot? Independence Day Incident Brews Angry Response
An Independence Day incident, during which Del. Pat McDonough was apparently asked to observe long-standing July 4th parade rules forbidding the use and display of campaign signs, turned into a full-fledged fiasco that played out on airwaves and email in the first week of July.
McDonough cried “censorship!” and the rest is history. McDonough and his “angry mob that wasn’t” later went on to attack anything within reach, including The Dagger.
#7 – Fallston Library May Close In Wake Of Harford Budget Cuts
The Fallston Branch of the Harford County Public Library was set to close by the end of June in a cost-saving manuever deemed necessary after the County Executive and County Council mandated an additional 5% cut from each departmental budget.
Facing confusion and concern regarding the proposal, the Harford County Council issued a resolution urging all library branches to remain open and requesting the County Executive David Craig transfer money in the budget to save the Fallston branch.
#8 – The Art of War: No Tactic Off-Limits During Aberdeen Election Season
A police report filed in early summer against former State Senator and Harford County Councilman Art Helton became the most talked about topic during Aberdeen’s municipal election season this fall. According to the report, Helton was not charged earlier in the year after a 32-year-old woman who rented one of his properties accused him of harassment.
Much more interesting than the non-charges against Helton was the timing of the release of the police report bearing her accusations. The authorities canned their brief investigation months ago, but in an Aberdeen election, nothing stays buried.
#9 – Did Bidding Irregularities Stall Red Pump Elementary?
When the Harford County Board of Education cancelled plans to build Red Pump Elementary School last December, the school board was just days away from approving nearly $23 million in construction contracts that would have put shovels in the ground. The decision sparked a public debate over the fate of the school.
The Dagger learned in August that contractors who bid on Red Pump before it was cancelled filed an unusual number of protests over the bid process, raising the potential for legal action against Harford County Public Schools in the weeks leading up to the decision to scrap the school.
Was the specter of legal action the real reason Red Pump was ditched? And if it was not a factor, why wouldn’t the possibility of a court battle have been among the board’s considerations? More importantly, were the allegations of impropriety surrounding the bid process true? And if so, were they the result of one-time errors, or ongoing, systemic problems within HCPS?
#10 – “You Can’t Get The Ink Out Of Our Blood” – Baltimore Sun Takes On The Dagger
In early March, a few of us sat down with Baltimore Sun Today Editor Andrew Ratner for about an hour-and-a-half. A Harford County resident himself, Ratner had been following The Dagger for some time and was interested in writing a story about us.
If you haven’t read the now-epic story, you missed former Aberdeen mayor Fred Simmons trying to expose our embedded sources and opining on tattoos he thought I had; School Board member Mark Wolkow dissing our name; State Senator Barry Glassman sticking up for us; and Ratner himself commenting on my apparent apathy toward our website.
Ratner, a good journalist and a great guy, would leave The Sun within weeks of the story’s publication during one of many staff purgings at the paper in 2009.
Those were our hand-picked favorite stories of the year, but statistically speaking, the most popular, most read, most commented stories of the last year on The Dagger, even if they weren’t written in 2009, were:
- Two Years After The Attack, Alleged Rape Suspect Arrested In Forest Hill
- C. Milton Wright Fight Sends Student to Shock Trauma, Three Students Face Charges
- Charges Pending In Double Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision In Street
- Longer Terms, Weaker Mayor, Recall Votes Provided Through New Aberdeen City Charter
