Officers

The Harford County State's Attorney's Office honored local law enforcement officers, at the annual DUI Award Ceremony May 15, for their drunk driving enforcement efforts. Harford State's Attorney Joseph Cassilly presented awards to law enforcement officers who made outstanding drunk and drugged driving arrests during 2012. The ceremony was held in the ceremonial courtroom in the Harford County Courthouse in Bel Air. "Our law enforcement officers are the best in their efforts to maintain safety on the county's roads," Cassilly said.

A Baltimore County Board of Appeals panel has ruled against a community group fighting a planned medical office building in Catonsville. The three board members on Thursday affirmed an earlier decision by a county administrative law judge who had approved a proposal for Whalen Properties' Southwest Physicians Pavilion, finding that the development plan meets legal requirements. The Kenwood Gardens Condominium Association had filed its appeal in March, pointing to developer Steve Whalen's conviction in January for making illegal campaign contributions to county politicians.

The University of Maryland says it alerted the state attorney general nearly 25 years ago that the school's head swimming coach had acknowledged sexually abusing a girl at his private club, but he was not charged until last year. Rick Curl, founder of Washington's pre-eminent Curl-Burke Swim Club, resigned his position at College Park in August 1988 after the parents of the teenage victim gave the university a letter signed by Curl that acknowledged the abuse. Curl and the parents entered into a legal settlement around that time.

Baltimore police said an officer who was integral in arresting a suspect in the Cherry Hill shooting that killed a 1-year-old boy Friday night shot a suspect connected to a Saturday afternoon shooting near a downtown deli. The officer-involved shooting took place in the 300 block of S. Poppleton St. in Pigtown, according to Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk, who said the suspect was struck several times and is being treated at an area hospital. Kowalczyk said the man was armed but that it was not yet clear whether he shot at officers first.

President Barack Obama told Naval Academy graduates Friday that declining faith in government and other institutions makes it more important than ever that they retain their moral center as they embark on military careers. As a cold rain fell on the 1,047 graduating midshipmen, the president spoke of the sexual assaults that have plagued the military and made reference to political scandals that have roiled the early months of his second term. "As we've seen again in recent days, it only takes the misconduct of a few to further erode the people's trust in their government," the president said.

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough visited the Baltimore regional office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday to discuss efforts to address the agency's persistent backlog of veterans disability claims. The Baltimore office, which serves half a million veterans in Maryland, is among the nation's worst performers in processing claims, The Baltimore Sun has shown in a series of stories. McDonough's visit was not announced and was not open to reporters. McDonough met with managers in the office as well as employees who handle the claims processing.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers pressed the Obama administration Wednesday to reduce the backlog of disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs by improving cooperation between the several agencies that have a role in the process. Senators emerged from a closed-door meeting with VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and said the agencies would work to improve communication, provide more regular updates to Congress and identify high-level staff who will ultimately be responsible for addressing the delays.

During a career spanning four decades, Baltimore police Officer Ron Starr says, he never really considered leaving the department's Southeastern District and moving up the chain of command. "I never wanted to," Starr said, a longtime foot patrol officer. "I'm not knocking what they do, because we need administrators, but when you put three stripes on, you're not out there working with street, and I've had a love affair with the street for 38 years. " Starr, who is single, flashed a silver band with a blue line that he wears on his ring finger.

Eric Schwaab, a native Baltimorean who's spent the last three years in the federal government overseeing fisheries and coastal conservation efforts, is returning home to take a new post at the National Aquarium . Schwaab, 52, currently an acting assistant secretary in the leadership at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , will join the aquarium July 1 as its first-ever senior vice president and chief conservation officer, the...