Unlocked

Maryland is facing a serious budget crisis. One way the state could save money is by improving the parole system. This is a subject I know something about. I spent decades in the Maryland prison system, serving a life sentence for a crime I didn't commit, before I was exonerated. While my situation was unusual, there are many people serving long sentences in state prisons who pose little threat to society and are deserving of parole. The state could save millions of dollars, while still preserving public safety, by releasing many low-risk individuals onto parole.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security now incarcerates, via immigration detention, more people per year than any other state or federal agency. In 2012, the DHS detained over 429,000 noncitizens awaiting immigration hearings or deportation, at a $2 billion cost to taxpayers. Yet the DHS' new risk assessment technology, which comprehensively and individually assesses immigrant detainees and collects valuable data, makes it possible for Congress to improve detention practices while reforming broader U.S. immigration laws.

Baltimore Police arrested a man who they say forced a woman into her Mount Vernon home and raped her as he held a knife to her neck last month. Charick Scott Callaway, 31, of the 3900 block of Tiverton Road in Randallstown faces multiple charges including rape, assault and kidnapping. Baltimore Police Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez credited the arrest to "a very courageous woman" who came forward to police, and the community, who called in with tips, after officers distributed images of Callaway captured from surveillance cameras.

The following is compiled from police reports from the Towson and Cockeysville precincts. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. Three teenaged boys were robbed by two men just after midnight on June 6. The men stopped the boys at the intersection of Hillsway and Wentworth avenues in Towson to ask for cigarettes. Then one of the men pushed one of the boys and demanded cash, cellphones and their shoes. The teens refused to give up the shoes, so one of the men pulled a revolver, stole cash, iPhone and cellphone and the two fled.

Aberdeen Forshaye Deshawn, 21, of the 100 block of Holloway Road, was charged Monday with being a fugitive from Virginia. Shona L. Murray, 42, of the 4900 block of Villa Point Drive, was charged Monday with failing to appear in court for a case in which she was charged with second-degree assault, violating a protective order and theft less than $100. Aberdeen police report: A theft was reported Tuesday in the 200 block of Angus Drive. Multiple shots were fired Tuesday in the 900 block of Edmund Street.

Recently unsealed affidavits leading to search warrants and at least 18 raids last week on homes and cars throughout Baltimore allege that Johnnie Butler, 32, and his associates ran multiple heroin shops in the city, most concentrated on the east side, and had plans to open more. They maintained flashy cars - including a 2008 Mercedes-Benz supposedly purchased for $117,000 from Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward - and cleared hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash each month, according to the documents.

Baltimore prosecutors said Friday that a sexually charged video depicting teenager Phylicia Barnes and the man accused of killing her shows a turning point in the relationship that ultimately led to her death. Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Goldberg also said in opening statements that a witness will testify that defendant Michael Maurice Johnson showed him Barnes' body after she died, in a plea for help. Defense lawyers said that witness is unreliable and shows that the state has a weak case.

Baltimore CityARREST: Western District -- Police arrested a 24-year-old man last night and charged him with assault by pointing a handgun at Officer Jerry Tarud during an incident in the 600 block of Brice St. Police said Tarud was on patrol when the man spotted the officer walking toward him and fled. Tarud caught up with the man, who pulled out a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun and pointed it at the officer. No shots were fired by either Tarud or the gunman, who was arrested. Police said Ernest W. Taylor, of the 800 block of Bethune Road, was charged with pointing the gun at Tarud, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiracy.

Here, recycling is the name of the game. Copper and aluminum obviously, but also steel, brick and even seemingly worthless nuggets of concrete from demolished buildings find their way to new and productive uses. Grasses are planted to protect critical wetlands near the Chesapeake Bay, and further toward the Appalachian Piedmont, new trees will help protect tributaries of the Potomac River. Dedicated individuals pick up trash along miles of highway and reclaim historic sites. The mission spans the generations, as well; kids tend raised beds, pick cucumbers and make friends with writhing red worms in rich black soil.

By this time in a normal year, Ravens fan Kathi Smero would already have been to the team's training camp in Westminster to see how things were shaping up for the coming season. She might have already started replenishing her closet with Ravens gear for the Purple Fridays and game days ahead. This year, though, the lockout that idled the NFL forced the Ravens to cancel training camp at McDaniel College and put their fans' pre-season routines on hold. But with the lockout over and the Ravens having an open practice at M&T Stadium on Saturday, Smero and others are both happy and more than a little desperate to make up for lost time.