MTA to begin free Holiday Bus rides today
The Maryland Transit Administration will offer free rides on its specially decorated Holiday Bus, featuring Santa Claus and his elves, on weekdays from today through Dec. 20, the agency announced Tuesday. While the Holiday Bus’ schedule will vary each day and won’t be released in advance, passengers can track it using the Transit App or by following the MTA on Facebook or Twitter for clues on its location. “This is a special time of year to thank our riders and wish them a happy and joyous holiday season,” MTA CEO Kevin Quinn said in a statement. “I’m always thrilled to meet and speak with passengers and see the faces of children light up as they board our Holiday Bus.”
1 inmate killed, 3 hurt in accident on I-70
Four inmates were struck, one fatally, by a tractor-trailer in Frederick County on Tuesday morning while the men were working along Interstate 70, according to Maryland State Police. Milton Pajak, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to police. The injured victims were identified as Wade Rickets, 24, and Robert Knight and Aaron Abrecht, whose ages are unknown. Each of the injured was transported by ambulance to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown for treatment. The victims were part of a crew of six people, supervised by a corrections officer with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. They were working along the shoulder of the highway near Myersville around 9:30 Tuesday morning when a red tractor-trailer heading west swerved onto the right shoulder, according to state police. The truck struck two men and debris from the crash hit two others. The driver of the truck is identified as Frenel Pierre, 53, of Columbia, who was uninjured in the crash. Charges are pending. Earlier this month, Pierre was stopped on I-70 and charged with failure to comply with local laws, according to online records. The brakes on the tractor-trailer he was driving were out of adjustment. He had previously faced other charges for problems with his vehicle. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
Warning issued for damaging wind gusts today
Meteorologists warned of damaging wind gusts across Central Maryland today as cold air blows in from the northwest. Winds could gust up to 40-50 mph, and a steady 20-25 mph breeze is forecast otherwise, the National Weather Service said. A wind advisory is in effect across the Baltimore region from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Temperatures are forecast to reach the upper 30s, but wind chills are expected to make it feel like the 20s throughout the day. A strong northwest flow is expected to develop as a center of high pressure moves into the eastern United States and low pressure shifts out of New England toward eastern Canada. Strong winds were reported Tuesday, with gusts of up to 36 mph at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Boy, 3, and man injured
in East Baltimore shooting
A 3-year-old boy was grazed on the arm by a bullet and a man was injured in a shooting Tuesday afternoon in East Baltimore, according to police. It’s the second time this month a young child was hurt in the city’s rampant gun violence. Last week, 5-year-old Amy Hayes was injured in West Baltimore in what police said was a shooting between two unknown persons, one in a car and one on foot. Just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, police went to the 600 block of N. Ellwood Ave. in the Ellwood Park area for a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found a 38-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his leg and the 3-year-old male with a graze wound to his arm. Both victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Detectives from the Citywide Shooting Unit are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call 410-396-2221 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.
NRP spokeswoman
wins reinstatement
It took a court order for Natural Resources Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson to complete her last four days of work. After suing the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Thomson won reinstatement as NRP spokeswoman for four days before retiring this month. Judge Ellen Hollander ruled Nov. 2 for Thomson’s position to be restored after a two-day hearing at the District Court of Maryland in Baltimore. “I could have done my last days in a diminished role but I just couldn’t let it go,” Thomson said. “It was a great job and I found it something worth fighting for. I didn’t know what the outcome would be but I'm grateful it came out the way it did.” Thomson’s complaint filed last month claimed DNR Secretary Mark Belton violated her First Amendment rights when he demoted her after she called Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous an “a**clown” on her personal Facebook page. The agency’s spokesman, Stephen Schatz, denied Thomson was demoted when the complaint was filed. He did not immediately respond for comment Tuesday. Thomson said she knew when her hearing date was set that if she won, she would have less than a week in her original position. Her court expenses are yet to be determined, she said. She did not lose income but she was stripped of her duties and state assigned vehicle while the case was pending. “After being humiliated by DNR officials, I wanted to go out with my head held high and my 45-year reputation intact,” she said. Thomson said she worked four days before her retirement, with her last day being Nov. 6. Thomson worked for 40 years as a journalist, including 25 years with The Baltimore Sun, before becoming the NRP public information officer in 2013. She called her last four days as spokeswoman “great.”
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