NYE Street Closures, Vehicle Restrictions For Tonight In Baltimore

Weekend Events

Numerous streets will be closed and commercial vehicles will be prohibited from a large area of downtown Baltimore for the annual New Year’s Eve Spectacular at the Inner Harbor.

Most commercial vehicles will be prohibited from an area bordered by the following streets from 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 31st until 2 a.m. on Sunday, January 1st:

- Fayette Street between Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and President Street. No commercial vehicles SOUTH of Fayette Street

- President Street between Aliceanna and Fayette Streets. No commercial vehicles WEST of President Street.

- Light Street between Pratt Street and Key Highway.

- Key Highway between Light and McComas Streets.

- Hanover Street between McComas and Montgomery Streets. No commercial vehicles NORTH of McComas Street, including on Hanover Street.

- Pratt and Lombard Streets between Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and President Street.

- I-395/Howard Street from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard exit to Pratt Street. Commercial vehicles will not be permitted on I-395.

- No commercial vehicle traffic will be allowed EAST of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard from I-395 to Fayette Street.

Tanker trucks will NOT be permitted and only commercial vehicles making local deliveries will be allowed downtown during this time. Cabs, buses and other mass transportation vehicles are excluded from the restrictions.

The following streets will be CLOSED from 10:30 p.m. on December 31st until the end of the event:

- Pratt Street CLOSED at Charles Street. Pratt Street must turn LEFT (NORTH) on Charles Street and may turn RIGHT (EAST) on Baltimore Street

- EASTBOUND Conway Street will be CLOSED between Howard and Light Streets

- NORTHBOUND I-395 at Conway Street– All traffic must continue NORTH on Howard Street

The following streets will be CLOSED from 11 p.m. on December 31st until the end of the event:

 - Lombard Street CLOSED at President Street. WESTBOUND Lombard Street traffic must turn RIGHT (NORTH) on President Street and may turn LEFT (WEST) on Fayette Street

- SOUTHBOUND Light Street CLOSED at Lombard Street. Light Street must turn RIGHT (EAST) on Lombard Street and may turn LEFT (SOUTH) on Sharp Street.

- NORTHBOUND Light Street CLOSED at Lee Street. Light Street traffic must turn LEFT (WEST) on Lee Street and may turn RIGHT (NORTH) on Charles Street.

The following lane closures will be in place for emergency vehicle use on December 31st from 7 p.m. until the end of the event:

- RIGHT side of Pratt Street from Greene to President Streets

- RIGHT side of Lombard Street from President to Greene Streets

- LEFT side of Charles Street from Conway to Fayette Streets

- RIGHT side of Light Street from Fayette to Conway Streets

NO PARKING on the following streets from 6 p.m. on December 31st until 3 a.m. on January 1st :   

- Gay Street from Pratt to Fayette Streets 

- Calvert Street from Pratt to Fayette Streets

- Baltimore Street from Charles to Gay Streets  

- EASTBOUND/SOUTHBOUND Key Highway from Light to William Streets

Those driving to the downtown celebration should park in commercial garages and should not park in neighborhoods. Neighborhood parking restrictions will be strictly enforced.

Source WBAL

4 People Shot, 2 Killed at Meek Mill Concert in Connecticut

RadioOnFire.com - Four males were shot, 2 of them killed, after a Meek Mill show at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT. The video above appears to show the start of the shooting as Meek Mill and his entourage seem to be leaving the event.  Following the incident, there was at least one car accident, although it is not clear that the occupants of the vehicles were involved in the shooting.  Wallingford police are currently investigating the shooting but have not announced any suspects or motive.

UFC 207: Amanda Nunes Destroys Ronda Rousey In 48 Seconds!

RadioOnFire.com - Ronda Rousey's future in the UFC looked all but over in Las Vegas as the former women's bantamweight champion was blown away in 48 seconds by incumbent champion Amanda Nunes.

Fast heavy hands from Brazilian Nunes, a renowned vicious starter, stunned Rousey who was returning to the Octagon for the first time since her defeat 13 months ago against Holly Holm in a bid to reclaim her bantamweight crown.

Rousey is understood to have earned $3 million for the fight. Rousey's time may be over, certainly against strikers of the power and intensity of Nunes, but without the queen of the armbar, women's MMA would never have grown so popular so quickly.

"This is my time," said Nunes. "Ronda Rousey did a lot for the sport and we thank her for that, but now I am the champion. I loved it that they disregarded me. I prepared my body and spirit for this moment. Ronda Rousey was never going to take this belt from me."

Nunes was defending her title for the first time since demolishing Miesha Tate in July, and landed a big right inside 15 seconds, before an onslaught which met little resistance with the American battered to a standstill until referee Herb Dean stepped in to rescue the returning fighter.

Cody Garbrandt also won the men's bantamweight title in the penultimate bout, battering champion Dominick Cruz to earn a surprising decision victory at T-Mobile Arena in the UFC's traditional end-of-the-year show in its hometown.

Garbrandt (11-0) remained unbeaten with a virtuoso performance to claim the belt held for the past 11 months by Cruz (22-2), who ended up with a gaping cut over his left eye. Garbrandt used precise striking, multiple takedowns and remarkable charisma to win over the judges, who all favored him by scores of 48-46, 48-46 and 48-47.

Cruz hadn't lost an MMA fight since March 24, 2007, winning 13 straight bouts in a career marked by multiple comebacks from major injuries.

Queen Anne's Sheriff's Deputy Shot, Critically Injured Following Domestic Disturbance Call

RadioOnFire.com  - A Queen Anne's County sheriff's deputy is out of surgery -- but remains in critical condition -- after being shot early Thursday morning.

The incident occurred at 209 Edmore Road in Chester Harbor.

Prior to the shooting, the suspect's girlfriend requested that her father call 911 as the two were just involved in a physical altercation.

Around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, deputies responded to the residence. Upon arrival, they found no one in the home -- the father picked up his daughter and transported her to the sheriff's office, according to Greg Shipley, spokesman for the Maryland State Police.

Just after midnight, Warren Scott Hogan, a four-year veteran of the force, escorted the female, and her parents, back to the residence to get her belongings.

Police say the suspect and his girlfriend, accompanied by Hogan, engaged in a verbal altercation upon entering the one-story home.

The suspect, identified as 52-year-old James Rich, then went into a back room, obtained a shotgun and fired a round toward the deputy. Rich and Hogan then exchanged gunfire once more, at close proximity.

Both subjects were hit -- Hogan was flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore with a close range shotgun blast to his torso, according to Dr. Thomas Scalea, the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center Physician-in-Chief. Rich was pronounced dead at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Scalea said Hogan is still quite ill but they are hopeful in his recovery. 

Source WBAL

President Obama Beats Out Trump as Most Admired Man in America

RadioOnFire.com - Earlier this week President Barack Obama said he's "confident" he could've won a third term, and judging by this year's annual Gallup poll, it appears that he's right. The poll results reveal Obama is the most admired man in America for the ninth straight year.

According to the Gallup poll, Americans named President Barack Obama more than any other living man when asked whom they most admire in 2016. The poll, conducted between Dec. 7 and Dec. 11, was open-ended and there was a huge variety in the answers, but more Americans named Obama than anyone else.

Obama won first place with 22 percent of Americans choosing him. President-elect Donald Trump came in second place with 15 percent of the vote. Obama's seven percent margin of victory was his smallest in the nine consecutive years he's won the annual poll. In third place was Pope Francis with four percent, and Bernie Sanders followed with two percent. Nobody else earned more than one percent of the vote, but the rest of the top ten included Rev. Billy Graham, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

The annual poll has been conducted since 1946, and incumbent presidents are typically chosen as the winner; 58 of the 70 times the Gallup poll was conducted, the president won. Obama's first time winning the poll in 2008, however, is when he was the president-elect, while President George W. Bush was still in office. Dwight Eisenhower, who won in 1952, is the only other president-elect to win the poll. Obama's ninth win puts him in second place overall, trailing Eisenhower who finished first in the poll 12 different times.

Among the women chosen in their poll, Hillary Clinton won for the 15th consecutive year. She's won 21 times overall with her first victory in 1993 when she was the First Lady of the United States. Eleanor Roosevelt, who finished first in the poll 13 times, has the second-most victories among women.

This year, Clinton won 12 percent of the vote, First Lady Michelle Obama came in second with eight percent. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was third, followed by Oprah Winfrey at fourth, and Ellen Degeneres coming in fifth. Rounding out the top ten for women is Queen Elizabeth, Malala Yousafzai, Condoleezza Rice, Elizabeth Warren, and Sarah Palin.

Source: complex.com

Woman Stabs Transgender Man On Train After He Offered His Seat

RadioOnFire.com - This past week, a transgender man named Ijan Jarrett was stabbed by a woman on Christmas night while riding the MTA 4 train in New York City after offering her his seat.

According to Jarrett, a woman named Stephanie Pazmino was riding the 4 train along with her cousin when he decided to offer his seat to the woman. Pazmino declined, then immediately told her cousin that she doesn't want to sit next a black person. Jarrett said "I got up anyway and said to her that she didn’t have to sit next to me. I took a seat across from her and just forgot all about it.” From there, when the woman got up to get off the train, she began to punch Jarrett. However, the woman also had a knife in her hand, which Jarrett did not realize. According to police reports, the woman had a two-inch knife which she used to slash the man in the face with. From there, Jarrett hopped off the train and ran to alert the police, then passed out shortly after. Pazmino ended up getting caught at the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Ave in Harlem.

She was charged with weapons possession, reckless endangerment, and assault as a hate crime.

Source: nydailynews.com

Dylann Roof Is Not Attempting To Defend Himself Against Death Penalty

RadioOnFire.com - In 2015, a white supremacist named Dylann Roof fatally shot nine black church members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof was taken into custody and his trial began on December 7, 2016.

However, Roof eventually went on to tell the judge in the case that he planned on presenting no evidence to convince the jury that he shouldn't receive the death penalty for killing the church members in cold blood. This comes after the murderer let go of his original defense attorneys in the case. Roof did this after a jury convicted him of 33 counts of hate crimes along with obstruction of justice at the beginning of December. According to the L.A. Times, Roof told the judge he still plans on being his own lawyer even when the penalty phase of his trial kicks off next week. Despite his claims, Roof's former lawyer says he still has the ability to change his mind about bringing back attorneys until opening statements begin next week.

Source: latimes.com

Former NFL Safety Keion Carpenter Dead at 39

RadioOnFire.com - Keion Carpenter, a former Woodlawn High School standout and ex-NFL safety, has died at the age of 39 in Miami, Florida at Jackson South Community Hospital, according to a statement released by a family spokesperson.

Carpenter collapsed during a family vacation and was in a coma for 24 hours leading up to his passing.

The Maryland-native played college football at Virginia Tech before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 1999 as an undrafted free agent. He was then traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 where he finished out his six-year career.

After his career, he founded The Carpenter House in Baltimore, a nonprofit organization utilized to empower the community through affordable housing, youth athletics and mentorship.

"His strongest connection in the city were the kids within the community," spokesperson Casay Vaughn said. "No matter where he was, he made sure to come back and show them that (anything is possible)."

Diamond K of RadioOnFire.com said the following, "I had the chance to me Keion Carpenter on a few separate occasions. He was a great man that will be missed."



Additional reporting by: Women Luv Sports 2

Baltimore Co. Police Release Video Of Pikesville Police-Involved Shooting

Baltimore County Police on Wednesday released body camera footage of the Pikesville police-involved shooting.

Warning: The videos may be disturbing to some viewers.

The incident, still under investigation, saw an Officer Remmers fire once at Bryant Junious Palmer, 48, who lived in an apartment in the 4600 block of Debilen Circle. Police released videos from the cameras worn by both Remmers and the other officer at the scene. Department policy is to only release the last names of officers involved in shootings. Remmers has been on the force for seven years, and has no previous shooting incidents on his record.

Police said Palmer moved toward the officers in a threatening manner, an account supported by the video. After officers arrive to the apartment's front door and turn on the audio recording on their body cameras,the man emerges from the apartment and, with a knife in his hand, moves toward police. The officers retreat down the stairs behind him and Remmers fires one shot from near the building's front door. Nobody else was in the apartment at the time.

This is the first time that Baltimore County Police have released body camera video of a police-involved shooting. Police released body-worn camera video from the scene of Korryn Gaines' shooting death at her apartment in Randallstown earlier this year, but none of the officers in the standoff with Gaines had yet been equipped or trained with body cameras. After Gaines' death, police sped up the rollout of their nascent body camera program.

Palmer is charged with three counts of first-degree assault and related charges. Police didn't have information on Palmer's bail status or current condition, though they've noted he suffered non-life threatening injuries and is expected to survive. The incident remains under investigation by the police homicide unit, a routine step for police-involved shootings, after which it will be reviewed by county prosecutors, police said.

This article has been edited to reflect that it's unknown where the other voice on the video came from.

Source WBAL

Anne Arundel County Soccer Coach Charged With Sexual Abuse Of Youth

RadioOnFire.com - A youth soccer coach has been charged in Anne Arundel County in the alleged sexual abuse of one of his players.

Eris Murray, 55, of the 1700 block of Wolcott Way in Hanover, turned himself in last Thursday. He's been charged with two counts each of second-, third- and fourth-degree sex offense, one count of sexual abuse of a minor, one count of second-degree child abuse, two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of sodomy.

In October, the Department of Social Services got a report of sexual child abuse. Police say they worked with social services staff and spoke with the victim, who said they were abused on two occasions about four to eight years ago. The victim said the perpetrator, identified as Murray, was their youth soccer coach for the Maryland City Mustangs at the time.

Murray has since been freed on bail.

Source WBAL

President Obama Says He Would Have Beaten Trump, Trump Responds

RadioOnFire.com - In an interview with David Axelrod released yesterday, December 26th, President Obama claimed that he would have defeated Donald Trump had he been allowed to run for a third term. "I'm confident that if I — if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it," Mr. Obama said.

President-elect responded on Twitter with a firm denial that Obama could have beaten him.

It's an interesting debate: President Obama won the popular vote in both the 2008 and 2012 election, while Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 but did not defeat Hillary Clinton in the popular vote.

Source: nytimes.com

The Obamas Give Their Final Christmas Address

A&E's KKK Docuseries Has Been Canceled

RadioOnFire.com - A&E has taken a lot of heat over its upcoming KKK docuseries, at first titled, "Generation KKK," and later changed to, "Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America."  Yesterday, A&E released a statement announcing that the show will be canceled altogether.

According to the statement, the show was canceled after the network learned that some of the show's producers violated ethical guidelines by paying for access to subjects.  "While we stand behind the intent of the series and the seriousness of the content, these payments are a direct violation of A&E's policies and practices for a documentary," the statement reads.  In other words, producers paid members of the KKK in order to gain access for the documentary series.

A&E said that the network will continue to pursue ways to expose hate groups in America.

Source: fortune.com

Police Shoot Man Holding Knife

RadioOnFire.com - A man allegedly holding a knife was shot by Baltimore County officers Friday night in Pikesville.

Officers responded to the 4600 block of Debilen Circle just before 11 p.m. Friday after receiving a call reporting a disturbance. When officers knocked on the door of the apartment from where the call was placed, a man answered the door allegedly holding a knife.

After exchanging words with the police, the man allegedly moved toward the officers in a threatening manner, police said, and one of the officers shot the man.

The man was shot in the upper body and was taken to Sinai Hospital, where he is being treated for injuries that are not life threatening.

The officer will be placed on routine administrative leave. The investigation will be reviewed by the State's Attorney's Office, once completed.

Source WBAL

Donald Trump Tweets About the U.S. Strengthening Nuclear Capabilities

RadioOnFire.com - President-elect Donald Trump stirred up controversy on Thursday (Dec. 22) night after he tweeted that the U.S. "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability." Trump added that the country should continue to do so "as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

Trump's communications director Jason Miller clarified the message, telling the media, "President-elect Trump was referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it — particularly to and among terrorist organizations and unstable and rogue regimes. He has also emphasized the need to improve and modernize our deterrent capability as a vital way to pursue peace through strength."

Source: USA Today

Berlin Market Suspect Killed In Milan

RadioOnFire.com - The Tunisian man suspected of driving a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin was killed early Friday in a shootout with police in Milan, ending The Tunisian man suspected of attacking a Christmas market in Berlin was killed early Friday in a shootout with police in Milan during a routine patrol, ending a Europe-wide manhunt. 

"The person killed, without a shadow of a doubt, is Anis Amri, the suspect of the Berlin terrorist attack," Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said. Amri, who was the subject of a Europe-wide manhunt, was identified with the help of fingerprints supplied by Germany. 

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for Monday's attack outside Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in which a truck plowed into a crowd of shoppers, killing 12 people and injuring 56 others. 

Amri, 24, who had spent time in prison in Italy, was stopped by two officers during the routine police check in the Sesto San Giovanni neighborhood of Milan early Friday. He pulled a gun from his backpack after being asked to show his identification and was killed in an ensuing shootout. 

One of the officers, Christian Movio, 35, was shot in the right shoulder and underwent surgery for a superficial wound and was in good condition. Movio's 29-year-old partner, Luca Scata, fatally shot Amri in the chest. 


Amri's death doesn't reduce the terrorist threat to Germany, the country's top security official said. 

The threat "remains high" and security won't be scaled down, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. 

He praised the two Milan police officers "who did excellent work and acted with great bravery." 

Source WBAL

One Dead in Early Morning Shooting

RadioOnFire.com - Baltimore City Police are investigating an early morning homicide in South Baltimore. 

At around 6:30 this morning, police received a call for someone who was not breathing in the 1100-block of Ward Street. 

Officers discovered a 59-year-old man who was shot in the stomach. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Detectives are trying to identify a suspect and a motive.


Source WBAL

Bedridden Man Found Dead In Canton House Fire

RadioOnFire.com - A bedridden man was found dead in a house fire in Canton Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to a house in the 600 block of South Belnord Avenue off Fleet Street near Patterson Park.

Officials said crews found the body of a man in his 60s or 70s in the house.

No further information was immediately available. This is a developing story.

Source WBAL

Baltimore Co. Police Say Distracted Pedestrians Driving Rise In Fatalities

RadioOnFire.com - Baltimore County Police say they're seeing more and more fatal pedestrian-involved accidents and say pedestrians themselves are to blame.

Chief James Johnson said police have recorded 18 fatal incidents this year, close to the 20 seen last year in 565 incidents where a pedestrian was hurt. He said the spike cropped up in recent years, and only part of it has to do with an increase in traffic density.

"When we examined these cases, we determined that the pedestrian is usually at fault," Johnson said. "In fact, this year alone, in 14 of the cases, the pedestrian was at fault."

There were 14 cases last year, as well, where pedestrians were at fault in fatal incidents.

While unlike for drivers, there are no laws in Maryland that force pedestrians to look up from their cell phones, Johnson said it's up to pedestrians to exercise good judgment.

"We're so focused again on the next destination. We're preoccupied with electronic devices," Johnson said. "What we see in case after case is an individual not paying attention to what's going on."

He said a focus is needed on educating county drivers and pedestrians, training officers and examining engineering issues. Just a week ago, Johnson said, he personally stopped someone who tried to cross Joppa Road through traffic. A little education, he said, can go a long way.

"We like to be optimistic about the ability to reduce these fatalities that are obviously very, very tragic, extraordinarily costly, even when the victim survives," Johnson said.

That means reminding drivers, too, to stay alert and avoid distractions.

"I think when you find yourself in a high density environment, a business area...in these areas you should anticipate, abruptly, someone darting out," Johnson said.

Even if the person behind the wheel isn't at fault, he added, "the driver that now has to live with the impact of being involved in one of these crashes."

Source WBAL

Police Drug Lab Supervisor Charged With Drug Possession

RadioOnFire.com - An administrator at a police drug lab in Maryland has been accused of stealing opioid painkillers from a box where people can drop off their unwanted prescription medications. 

Anne Arundel County police said in a statement that 48-year-old Annette Box of Pasadena was arrested Wednesday and faces numerous charges. Police say investigators traced drugs found in her car to the drop box. 

As a result of her arrest, police say the drug lab's activities have been temporarily suspended. Police Chief Timothy Altomare has asked the Drug Enforcement Administration to do an audit of the drugs in the department's possession. 

Box is the manager of the department's drug lab, a position she's held since 2012. Police say she's been suspended from duty. No attorney was listed for her in online court records.

Box has been  criminally charged with possession of the following prescription controlled dangerous substances:

-          One pill Hydrocodone 1.5 mg

-          One pill Alprazolam .25 mg

-          50 pills Hydromorphone

-          29 pills Tramadol 50 mg

-          31 pills Diazepam 5 mg

-          29 pills Diphenoxylate-Atropine

Source WBAL

Lawyer who Killed Wife & Blamed BLM Gets Charged with Manslaughter

RadioOnFire.com - Claud "Tex" McIver, a prominent Atlanta attorney, was charged with involuntary manslaughter (a felony) and reckless conduct (a misdemeanor) after killing his wife in what he claimed was an accidental shooting inspired by his fear of Black Lives Matter protesters.

Back in September around 12:30 a.m., a driver took Tex and his wife Diane to their house in the city's Buckhead neighborhood.  Diane rode in the passenger seat while Tex rode in the backseat of the SUV.  McIver claims he was worried about "unrest" in the city from Black Lives Matter protests happening in Lenox Square and downtown over the weekend.  His paranoia reportedly got worse when the driver took a wrong turn and ended up in an unfamiliar downtown area after trying to take a quicker route, said McIver's spokesperson Bill Crane.  While lost and surrounded by people who he claimed looked threatening, and supposedly fearful of getting carjacked, McIver asked his wife for his gun which was kept wrapped in a grocery bag in the middle console between the front car seats.   McIver reportedly put the gun on his lap and fell asleep, but when the SUV hit a bump in the road, the gun was set off fatally injuring Diane in the back.

On Wednesday, McIver's charges were handed down, and he turned himself into police, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Tex's brother, John "Spike" McIver, told the AJC that his sibling was "very depressed" about the situation, especially given the timing.

"He’s upset that this is occurring on Christmas week," McIver said. "They [the police] could’ve waited, but they work in strange ways.”

Tex McIver's lawyer, Steve Maples, said his client was "very, very embarrassed and very, very humiliated" by the charges.  Maples also changed the account of the shooting, differing from McIver's initial comments.  Maples now claimed there was no bump in the road (a mistake he blames on McIver's spokesman Crane) and that the gun just went off after McIver was suddenly woken up.  The woman who was driving, however, says the SUV wasn't moving when the shooting occurred.

Source: complex.com

Tom Arnold Tweets "It's On!" When Speaking on Racist Trump Video Release

RadioOnFire.com - Actor Tom Arnold broke the news on Tuesday (Dec. 20) that he has a video of president-elect Donald Trump making racial and sexist remarks during outtakes of "The Apprentice." At first, Arnold said he didn't want to release the tape in order to keep his friends who worked on the show safe. Now, he took to Twitter to say "it's on!" after he claims Trump's camp left a voicemail about a defamation suit.

Tom tweeted, "Wife told me there's house line VM from Trump Camp about defamation suit so it's on! Open Apprentice vaults 4 discovery! Miss Universe too!!"

Check out what else he had to say about the situation above.

Source: Twitter

Police: Retired Officer Shoots Carjacking Suspect In Carroll Park

RadioOnFire.com - Baltimore City Police say they are investigating the shooting of a would-be carjacker in southwest Baltimore.

Police were called around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday to an area near Washington Boulevard in Carroll Park, where three young men had approached a man sitting in his car.

Police said the assailants tried to carjack the victim.

Police said when one of the assailants pulled out what appeared to be a handgun, the victim pulled out a gun and shot the assailant once. The assailant, a 13-year-old boy, is in critical condition. The firearm he possessed was a replica, police said.

The two other assailants fled.

Police said the victim is a 73-year-old former Baltimore City police officer, who retired in 1974. Police said he currently works as a private investigator and has a handgun permit from the Maryland State Police for the weapon.

Police say the man  remained at the scene.

Source WBAL

Baltimore's Mayor and City Council Getting Raises

RadioOnFire.com - The mayor and other top officials in Baltimore will be getting a pay raise in the new year.

Without debate, the Board of Estimates approved raises for Mayor Catherine Pugh, Comptroller Joan Pratt, City Council President Jack Young and the members of the City Council.

All three officials sit on the board, though they abstained from voting for their own raises.

Under the plan, the mayor gets a nearly $4,300 raise for an annual  salary of $175,926.00.

Young and Pratt will each get raises of nearly will see raises of more than $2,800 each for an annual  salary of $116,490.00.

City Council Vice President Ed Reissinger will get a more than $1,800 for a salary of $74,888.

The remaining 13 members of the city  council will each get a more than $1,600 r raise to earn nearly $67,756.00 a year.

The raises will take effect on January 1.

Source WBAL

Former NFL Player Robert Eddins & Friend Found Dead in Detroit Basement

RadioOnFire.com - Former NFL linebacker, Robert Eddins, 28, and another man, Ricky McFarland, 32, were found shot to death in Eddins' Detroit home on Tuesday [Dec. 20].  The gas stove was left on, leading investigators to believe the suspect(s) tried to cover up their tracks.  According to police, there were no signs of forced entry, giving investigators the impression that the victims might have known whoever committed the double homicide.

"There's at least one if not more individuals that just committed a double murder," said Capt. Kurt Worboys.

The victims were found by Eddins' father, who came to check on his son. "The last time he had spoken to him was 6 p.m. last evening," said Bridget Eddins, his mother. "Between then and now is when the crime occurred."

"All they know is they went out last night," she said. "There isn't a car here. There's nothing here. That's his dad's truck. He came here and found him. That's all we know, dead in the basement. Shot."

Police say whoever killed both men also tried to cover up the crime. "The gas was on from the stove," Worboys said. "The pilots were not lit. It looks like an intentional act."

Investigators say the house had heat and was, in their words, "in good shape except for one room." Worboys explained, "There was one room that was tossed, so it looked like they were looking for something."

Eddins played in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills in 2011.  He also played in college at Ball State. "He played pro football. We are all proud of him," said Bridget. "But it is what it is. (We) don't know what happened."

While it's unclear what happened in the house, Bridget says her son wouldn't have lost his life without a fight. "I know one thing, whoever did it, he wasn't going out like that," she said. "He probably told them to give me your best shot that's how he was."

Police revealed they were found outside a ransacked room.

Source: bossip.com| Photo cred: Buffalo Bills