Reporter

I've faced tough tests in discharging my journalistic duties, and truth be told, I've withstood them all. Fearless is not too strong a word to characterize my efforts on behalf of you, the noble reader. Why, just the other day, I found myself staring down the barrel of a gun. Sure, at the time, I was sitting on a couch watching TV. Yes, no actual threat ever emerged to me, personally, um, ever. But it's a breathtaking tale nonetheless, one defined by tragedy off camera and melodrama on it: In the early morning hours on March 19, according to police, two brothers shot three men who broke into their twice-burglarized concrete plant in Reisterstown.

Mary F. Hewes, a former newspaper reporter and longtime Charles Village resident, died May 16 from cancer at Mount Pleasant Hospice. She was 81. The daughter of a real estate broker and a homemaker, the former Mary Frances McClatchy was born and raised in Berwyn, Pa. After graduating from Villa Maria High School in Malvern, Pa., she earned a bachelor's degree in 1954 from what is now Immaculata University, also in Malvern. After a hitchhiking tour of the U.S. and Europe, she went to work as a newspaper reporter for The Stratford News in Stratford, Conn.

The investigations into anonymous leaks in the nation's capital could confound the symbiotic relationship between government officials and reporters, according to observers of the interaction between the press and the politicians they cover. The probes, first in the Valerie Plame case and now in The Washington Post's story about covert CIA prisons, have prompted questions about the benefits and pitfalls of leaking national security secrets, and whether the prospect of investigations into their provenance will mean the leaks could dry up. "What if the government starts enforcing the espionage statute whenever there's a leak?"

John Richard "Dick" Irwin, a tough, accurate veteran police reporter with a heart of gold whose signature Police Blotter became required reading for both crime aficionados and the just plain curious, died Wednesday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center of complications from diabetes. Mr. Irwin, whose career at the News-Post, News American, The Evening Sun and The Baltimore Sun spanned more than 40 years, was 76. "He had the mutual respect of the police. He was an honest man, and he didn't like when people tried to fudge things with him. He believed that the police had to be as transparent as possible, and he was right," said Bill Toohey, former Baltimore County police spokesman.

Christopher Gaul, former managing editor of the Catholic Review and reporter for The Sun and The Evening Sun and area television stations, died of lung cancer Thursday at his home in Essex. He was 72. He joined the Catholic Review as a writer in 1995 and worked there until he retired in 2005. George P. Matysek Jr., the Review's assistant managing editor, remembered Mr. Gaul as a mentor to the junior writers at the paper, taking time to carefully edit their work. "He really showed us what went into a good story," Mr. Matysek said, "He was very nurturing in how he dealt with younger writers.

Patricia P. Ritter, a former Evening Sun reporter who later became a Life magazine staff writer, died Aug. 20 of pneumonia at the Atria assisted-living community in Kennebunk, Maine. The Baltimore native was 83. The daughter of a former president of United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. and a homemaker, Patricia Phillips was raised on Northway in Guilford. She attended Calvert School and graduated in 1947 from Bryn Mawr School. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1951 from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass.

Ravens chat with Jeff Zrebiec

     Baltimore Sun Ravens reporter Jeff Zrebiec addresses the return of Ed Reed and the signing of running back Ray Rice.

George Baumann, who became one of Maryland's best-known broadcast journalists during a 38-year career at WJZ-TV, collapsed at his Timonium home from a heart attack Monday night and was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 74. Mr. Baumann had been a news reporter, co-anchor and host of the interview program Eyewitness Newsmakers, and for nearly a decade before his 1998 retirement had entertained and informed viewers with his popular "Maryland by George" features on subjects that took him across the state.

On weekday mornings, I'll post the most controversial, shocking and (of course) ridiculous stories for your reading pleasure. That way, when you walk into work, you'll be the master of witty conversation. National  • The KKK takes on the Westboro Baptist Church . (The Atlantic)  • Michael Ian Black collaborating with Meghan McCain? (The Atlantic)  • Palin dines  with Trump  over pizza. (Politico)  • Romney gives Obama an 'F.' (Politico)

Aberdeen A cashier at the Rite Aid in the 1000 block of Beards Hill Road reported $100 had been stolen Wednesday. The suspect was described as a black man with a medium build, wearing black pants, a blue button-down shirt, a large necklace and appeared to be 40 to 50 years old. A theft of a television was reported at the Target in the 1000 block of Middleton Road. The suspect was described as a balding white man of medium build, wearing a white shirt, light-colored shorts.

A series of articles and editorials written by members of The Aegis staff about the alarming rise in traffic deaths in Harford County last year - and how law enforcement rushed to address the situation - has been named the best public service journalism in the region last year. The Best in Show for Public Service was one of nearly three dozen honors earned by the editorial, photography and sports staffs of The Aegis and The Record at the annual Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association awards luncheon held near BWI Marshall Airport on Friday.

Laurel police report felonies, arrests and property crimes. Prince George's County police report violent crimes and property crimes. Anne Arundel County Police report major crimes. Howard County police report major crimes, break-ins and car thefts. City of Laurel Dorset Road, 15600 block, May 9. Unforced burglary. Seventh Street, 600 block, May 9. Robbery with firearm. Main Street, 500 block, May 8. Theft from motor vehicle. Irving Street, 100 block, May 8. Theft from building.

Baltimore City's schools are Maryland's oldest, and Baltimore County's are the second-oldest. The problems posed by the aging facilities in the two jurisdictions are different — the city has an overabundance of underused buildings, while the county has for years been dealing with overcrowding in one region or another — but the first step toward a solution, county schools officials hope, may be the same: developing a comprehensive modernization plan....

Amid the unfolding jail scandal in Baltimore right now, there are two things relevant to the gay community that I want to bring up. I'm not sure if there are any connections between the two, or if one affects the other. But viewed together, they do present some interesting questions. First: Non-heterosexual inmates in jails and prisons across the country reported a far greater degree of sexual victimization in the last two years than their straight counterparts, according to a study released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week.

The world is waiting Sunday to find out who bought the Powerball jackpot winning ticket at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, Fla. Nobody had come forward by mid-morning.  It could take a few days before anybody claims the prize, but it's best to be skeptical of anything that comes out before lottery officials make a formal announcement. Remember the circus surrounding the Mega Millions jackpot winner sold in Maryland last year? It started in the middle of the night, just after it became clear that a hot ticket had been sold in Baltimore County.

WASHINGTON -- During a news conference yesterday after his surprise visit to Iraq, President Bush engaged in a little repartee with reporters, as he often does. When he called on Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times, he commented on the reporter's sunglasses. "Are you going to ask that question with shades on?" the president asked. When Wallsten offered to take them off, Bush said, "I'm interested in the shade look, seriously" and noted that "there's no sun." Wallsten later told another reporter that he suffers from macular degeneration, has lost most of his central vision and needs the glasses for protection from glare.

From: Sandra G. KempOfficial Court ReporterCounty Circuit CourtBel AirIn reference to Alan J. Craver's article in the Harford County Sun, Oct. 27, "Girl with multiple personalities seeks to testify," regarding the postponement of a court case, I have a few comments. I am the court reporter in that case.I found Craver's need to mention the reason for my having to leave that day irrelevant to his story. In doing so, he was thoughtless and cruel.In ordinary living, people do experience a need for personal leave at times.

Coppin State University is a mess, and the problems go well beyond its abysmal six-year graduation rate of 15 percent. A report to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents by a committee assigned to study the school in the wake of former President Reginald Avery's departure found massive mismanagement, inefficiency and indifference. The state puts more resources per student into Coppin than any other institution in the university system, and it gets the least return. That's bad for the taxpayers, but it's worse for the students whose dreams of advancement go unfulfilled.