May 18, 2015
Landon Poore
News Writer
Flash News
Maryland
Supreme Court Strikes Down Maryland Tax Law
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Maryland tax that has the effect of double-taxing income residents earned in other states. The justices agreed with a lower court that the tax is unconstitutional because it discourages Maryland residents from earning money from outside the state. The 5-4 ruling means the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Maryland’s coffers and affects similar tax laws in nearly 5,000 local jurisdictions in other states, including New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Baltimore prosecutor seeks gag order, citing defense actions
Prosecutors want a judge to bar attorneys, police and witnesses from talking outside court about the case of Freddie Gray, arguing that statements by attorneys for some of the six police officers accused in Gray’s death could prejudice the public, according to court documents obtained Monday.“The efforts by defense counsel will have the necessary effect of undermining both the state’s right to present the investigation to a fair and impartial grand jury in this matter and tainting the pool of potential jurors who may ultimately decide this case in a court of law,” wrote Antonio Gioia, a deputy state’s attorney, in the motion filed last week.Gray died April 19, a week after he suffered a spinal injury during his arrest and transport without a seatbelt by Baltimore police. On May 1, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced charges against the officers who arrested him and took him in a van to a police station. The charges ranged from second-degree “depraved heart” murder to misdemeanor assault. Four officers, including the most senior ones and the van driver, are charged with felonies, while two officers face misdemeanor counts.
Virginia
Sweet Briar College among ‘most endangered’ Va. Places
Sweet Briar College is among Virginia’s most endangered historic places, according to a preservation group. The designation was announced Monday by Preservation Virginia in the 11th edition of its annual list. Sweet Briar College announced in March it would close in August because of crushing financial challenges. The 114-year-old women’s college held what could be its final commencement over the weekend on its historic, 3,250-acre campus in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The former plantation has 21 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The campus also includes a slave cemetery.
Young Republicans to host Death Penalty Discussion
Tonight (Monday) the Arlington Falls Church Young Republicans will host a presentation of “the conservative case against the death penalty.”The discussion will be held at the AFCYR’s monthly meeting, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Hard Time Cafe in Clarendon (3028 Washington Blvd). The group Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty will tell young Republicans why they’re “questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles.” The organization notes that 152 individuals, to date, have been released from death row after it was determined that they were wrongfully convicted.
Washington. D.C.
Settlement would change US Park Police mass arrest policies
A proposed $2.2 million settlement of a case that started with the arrests of hundreds of protesters in 2002 would change how U.S. Park Police handle mass arrests. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued preliminary approval for the settlement of the 12-year-old class action lawsuit last week. The lawsuit stems from about 400 arrests during International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in 2002. The settlement outlines changes to policies for the U.S. Park Police, who are responsible for areas in front of the White House and other key security sites. The changes include prohibiting encircling protesters with police lines, requiring particularized probable cause for any protester arrest, and giving fair notice before arrests.
D.C. ranks No. 3 for mosquitos in the U.S.
Not only is mosquito season fast approaching, but also D.C. has ranked toward the top of the list of Orkin’s latest Top Mosquito Cities ranking. Using data from service calls in 2014, Orkin placed Washington, D.C., at No. 3, according to the list it released Monday.“Mosquitoes can be a major health concern during the summer, no matter where you live,” Entomologist and Orkin Technical Services Director Ron Harrison, Ph.D. said in a news release. “Their bites can cause allergic reactions and spread diseases, which means families need to take precautions against mosquitoes when outdoors in their own yards and around their communities, as well as when they travel.”Mosquitoes can spread West Nile virus and chikungunya virus, which is relatively new in the U.S.
Entertainment
Men’s Rights activists call for boycott of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ citing feminist agenda
A well-known “men’s rights activist” blog is calling for a boycott of the postapocalyptic film “Mad Max: Fury Road” for being a “feminist piece of propaganda posing as a guy flick.” Author Aaron Clarey admits he has not seen the film yet, but his self-proclaimed “spidey sense” noticed that Charlize Theron “talked a lot during the trailers” for the film, and he said Tom Hardy only seemed to have cameo appearances.” Clarey writes that he is concerned “men in America and around the world are going to be duped by explosions, fire tornadoes, and desert raiders into seeing what is guaranteed to be nothing more than feminist propaganda, while at the same time being insulted AND tricked into viewing a piece of American culture ruined and rewritten right in front of their very eyes.”
Janet Jackson announces new album, world tour
Janet Jackson took to Twitter to answer any fans who might be asking, “What have you done for me lately?” In her mysterious 32-second video, which featured a studio soundboard and a computer screen displaying her voice levels, she says, “I promised you’d hear it from my lips. And now you will. This year. New music. New world tour. A new movement. I’ve been listening. Let’s keep the conversation going.”
