A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
From the Baltimore Sun: State lawmakers approve hundreds of millions in aid for Baltimore, await Hogan’s possible veto
"The General Assembly agreed Thursday to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to spark a renaissance in Baltimore.
"Mentorship programs would be created for children from low-income families who hope to attend college, after-school programs would be expanded, blocks of vacant housing would be demolished, rundown areas would be redeveloped and six city parks would be improved under bills guided through the legislature by leading Democrats.
"The swift passage Thursday will put the package before Gov. Larry Hogan as soon as today, forcing the Republican governor to decide by next week whether to veto policies he backs because they are attached to spending mandates he does not support.
"Other bills to help Baltimore that are pending but expected to pass would extend library hours in low-income neighborhoods, create incentives for universities to set up shop in blighted areas and study how to form an adult high school where dropouts could earn a diploma."
From the Washington Post: A Maryland court is the first to require a warrant for covert cellphone tracking
"A Maryland appeals court has issued what civil liberties groups called the first appellate opinion in the country stating that police must obtain a warrant before using covert cellphone-tracking devices, rebuking Baltimore police and prosecutors for 'misleading' judges for years about secret and 'unconstitutionally intrusive conduct.'
"Maryland’s intermediate Court of Special Appeals issued the strongly worded opinion late Wednesday following a March 3 order that Baltimore police could not use evidence collected by a cell-site simulator device against defendant Kerron Andrews, charged with attempted murder in 2014.
"Such devices, known by commercial names such as StingRay, Triggerfish and Hailstorm, imitate a cellular tower to have phones in an area connect to it. That enables real-time tracking of phones. The briefcase-size devices can be transported in vehicles and collect data from any bystanders’ phones in range."
From the Baltimore Sun: Community tips help lead to arrest in Morgan State stabbing, police say
"Baltimore police announced an arrest Thursday in the fatal stabbing of 20-year-old Morgan State University student Gerald Williams during an off-campus fight last month, saying tips from the school community helped lead to the arrest.
"'It was absolutely information that we received from the Morgan State University community that played a vital role in our ability to file charges in this case and bring some sense of closure to the family,' said Police Commissioner Kevin Davis.
"He said police arrested a former student at the school, Harry Malik Robertson, 20, of Bowie. Davis described the dispute that led to Williams' death as a fight over a 'small, inconsequential amount of money.'
"Williams, also of Bowie, was fatally stabbed in the groin Feb. 1 outside an apartment building in the Morgan View complex just off campus. The death, the same night as a basketball game between Morgan's men's basketball team and its crosstown rival Coppin State University, shook the campus community, with students expressing fears for their safety both on and off campus.
"University President David Wilson said in a letter to the Morgan community that the school would increase campus security measures and was working with the management company of the apartment complex to increase security there.
"The university's large alumni network rallied to support the students and called for answers in the slaying. On Thursday, Wilson said he and other university officials 'appreciate the diligent investigative work' of the Baltimore police and 'the courage of those who came forward to assist in this investigation by supplying key information.'"