Cardin calls for Senate infrastructure investment
Just days after a water main break caused major flooding near Baltimore, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin has called on the Senate to invest more in America's infrastructure. Cardin said Tuesday that the rupture of a 6-foot water main in Dundalk was a reminder that infrastructure here "is in dire straits." The water flooded homes and businesses, washed out a main road and turned other streets into rivers, stranding dozens of people. He said the situation in Maryland caused by infrastructure that has outlived its 50-year-life span is not unique. Cardin and other senators have proposed the Water Infrastructure Financing Act to provide more than $35 billion in funding for clean, safe water and improving infrastructure.
- Associated Press
Potato chip stall owner gets 15 months for gun sales
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The owner of the Utz Potato Chip stall in Lexington Market was sentenced Tuesday to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to selling illegal guns from his stand. Michael Papantonakis, 53, will serve three years of supervised release after his prison term, according to the U.S. attorney's office. A federal grand jury indicted Papantonakis and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Sharon Heberle, on one count of conspiring to sell guns without a license and another count of doing it. The indictment came two weeks after a detailed criminal complaint was filed in Baltimore's U.S. District Court outlining allegations that Papantonakis, with Heberle's help, sold more than a dozen guns in six transactions from September 2007 through March 2009. Papantonakis, whose family has run the stall since 1970, admitted to The Baltimore Sun in a jailhouse interview in May that he sold guns to make ends meet but denied that he sold them to gang members, as alleged in the indictment. He also said that he did not sell the guns from his counter, though he acknowledged doing cash transactions there.
- Nicole Fuller
Mayor puts in a plug for weekend's book festival
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Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon encouraged city residents Tuesday to turn off their televisions (and put down their newspapers) this weekend to make time to visit the city's annual book festival in Mount Vernon. The mayor said she has developed a keen interest in the festival in part because she is considering becoming an author. "Believe it or not, one day real soon probably I'm going to hope to have a book," Dixon said at an event to promote the festival. The mayor said that she's been keeping a journal and wants to give readers "a great insight" into her life and "the truth about life in this great city that I live in." The festival runs Friday through Sunday and will feature talks by recently published authors, including astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former "Brady Bunch" cast member Maureen McCormick and presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
- Annie Linskey
Mount Airy blaze was deliberate, officials say
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Fire officials say a blaze in Mount Airy that critically injured an 87-year-old man was deliberately set. The blaze was reported about 11:20 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Hill St. About 80 firefighters from four counties battled the fire and brought it under control in 25 minutes. An occupant of the home, 87-year-old William Thompson, was taken to John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for smoke inhalation. Thompson's son, 47-year-old John William Thompson, who also lived at the home, discovered the fire and alerted authorities. Deputy State Fire Marshals say John William Thompson was taken to Carroll Hospital Center for an emergency evaluation. Officials say the fire was set on the rear deck of the home.
- Associated Press
