City

A 48-minute rain delay on Tuesday night might have cost the Orioles their late-inning lead, but it did nothing to their grit. Soon after the storms over Camden Yards faded, so did a two-run seventh-inning cushion. But that only set the stage for more late-inning heroics. Catcher Matt Wieters drove in three runs, including an eighth-inning RBI double that proved to be the difference in a 4-3 win over the upstart Kansas City Royals, rewarding those among the announced 12,921 who remained until the final out. “This team grinds it out,” said winning pitcher Tommy Hunter, who threw 1 1/3 perfect relief innings in a tied game.

The Baltimore City department responsible for leasing the Hollywood Diner is asking the Board of Estimates to to terminate the rental agreement with the restaurant's operator. But Richard T. White, who runs the diner, is vowing to continue at the city-owned property, made famous by Barry Levinson's nostalgic 1982 movie “Diner.”  In its first six months of operations, the diner reported revenue of about $18,900 and expenses of $24,600, according to a report by the Department of Real Estate. In addition to being a traditional diner, it also serves as a culinary-arts youth training program  - a requirement for operators of the city-owned property.

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso's resignation at the end of this academic year is a major blow to a city whose trajectory he helped change. There can be little doubt that the energetic and rapid reforms he implemented in the city's long-struggling school system have set the stage for broader renewal and growth in Baltimore. But city leaders also need to look on his departure as a tremendous opportunity, a chance to bring in a new superintendent who will build on Mr. Alonso's successes.

Ruth M. Land, a retired Baltimore public schools guidance counselor, died April 26 of complications from dementia at Union Memorial Hospital. She was 93. The daughter of farmers, Ruth Margaret Williams was born and raised in Ocala, Fla. After graduating in 1935 from Howard Academy in Ocala, she attended Florida A&M University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1939 from West Virginia State University. In 1940, she entered Howard University to study for a master's degree in education, but withdrew on the eve of World War II to take a job as a residence hall director at what is now Hampton University.

As city schools CEO Andrés Alonso steps aside, he's turning the system over to a close adviser he's trusted during some of his administration's most trying moments. Alonso's chief of staff, Tisha Edwards, will lead the system through the 2014 school year as the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners searches for a permanent replacement. During a news conference Monday at school headquarters, Alonso called her an "extraordinary leader" who has been "a part of every moment of crisis and every moment of celebration.

It takes incredible courage for a victim of domestic violence to apply for a protective order. Victims must make their way to the courthouse, often while they are still experiencing the effects of their abuse. At the courthouse, they must write a description of how they were abused, and then describe their abuse again to a judge, often in front of a courtroom filled with strangers. If the judge determines that there has been abuse, the judge will issue a temporary protective order that must be served by a law enforcement officer on the alleged abuser.

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso tearfully announced his resignation Monday, ending a six-year tenure marked by bold yet often divisive reforms and casting uncertainty on the future of the long-troubled school system. Under Alonso's leadership, city schools saw growth in test scores, graduation rates and enrollment, but his administration was dogged by fiscal problems and cheating scandals. "I have enjoyed being the superintendent of the school system in ways that are so astonishing," Alonso said, choking back tears.

Baltimore City Police say a woman shot on Saturday afternoon suffered non-fatal injuries, and took herself to a hospital. According to police, the 23-year-old woman had been walking in the 1100 block of Windsor Mill Road when someone shot at her. She was struck in the right shoulder. Police said the woman transported herself to an area hospital. Police said no suspect description or motive was known as of Sunday morning, and detectives were investigating. Anyone with information may call 410-396-2488.

A city councilwoman is challenging Baltimore's plan to charge businesses some of the highest stormwater fees in the state - and divert some of the money that had gone to Chesapeake Bay cleanup to help fund property tax cuts. Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke says the Rawlings-Blake administration's stormwater plan would create a financial hardship for many local businesses. And Clarke and environmental groups object to raising revenue intended for pollution abatement to help pay for property tax relief.

Isaiah Dixon Jr., a jazz fan, world traveler and four-term state delegate from Baltimore City whose accomplishments included introducing a bill that made cross burnings a felony in Maryland, died of heart failure April 26 at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. He was 90. "He took his position very seriously," said Baltimore Circuit Court Clerk Frank M. Conaway, a longtime friend who served two terms alongside Mr. Dixon in the General Assembly. "He thought that he needed to make a difference, and he tried.