Morning Roundup

Attorneys for the family and descendants of Henrietta Lacks have filed suit against California-based biopharmaceutical company Ultragenyx, claiming the company reaped rewards from the racist medical system that took advantage of Lacks. This comes one week after the family settled a lawsuit against a biotech company they accused of unjustly profiting off her cells for generations.

In 1951. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital saved a sample of her cancer cells collected during a biopsy — without her knowledge or consent. Lacks died at 31 but her cells (“HeLa Cells”) became the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes and led to the development of the polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even COVID-19 shots. (WTOP) pp

The case of Rachel Morin’s murder along a Harford County hiking trail last weekend has led to hundreds of tips coming in to authorities looking for her killer but they say many have been fake and are a distraction to their investigation. (WBAL 1090)

Morin’s family is asking for compassion. (WJZ)

The increase in COVID cases this past week in Maryland has the attention of the medical community but the consensus is that we are much better equipped to handle it than ever before. And while hospitalization rates are up (at the beginning of July, there were 57 statewide…on Monday, there were 125), it’s still low and so is the death rate. Medical officials say a new vaccine, out this fall, will do well against the new EG.5 variant. (WMAR)

Thursday marked the 45th day since the July 2 mass shooting in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood of South Baltimore and the last day of the city and communitywide stabilization plan. The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, or MONSE, is the mayor’s non-policing public safety agency. Officials say the work will continue after the 45-day response through the help of community partnerships. (WYPR)

A judge has thrown out the criminal case against a Baltimore Police officer who had been accused of grouping a female colleague, ruling that the allegations, even if true, did not constitute misconduct in office. (Baltimore Banner)

Baltimore Police need the public’s help in finding the killer of a man who was shot on Gorsuch Avenue back on Sunday. (Metro Crime Stoppers)

Those 19 and under in Baltimore are being killed and shot in 2023 at a pace not seen in at least a decade, according to a new Baltimore Sun analysis of police data. (Baltimore Sun)

Addressing some Baltimore teens’ belief they ‘need’ a gun is at the heart of new efforts to reduce youth violence. (Baltimore Sun)

Officials say that a truck stolen from a firehouse in Prince George’s County is back where it belongs after investigators were able to track it down. On Thursday morning, a marked 2011 Chevy Silvarado was taken from the Ritchie Volunteer Fire Department in Capitol Heights. It was found by a Capitol Heights resident parked on a neighborhood street later in the day. (Anne Arundel Daily Voice)

Talbot County residents, specifically in the town of Trappe, are expressing concerns over large housing developments and the environmental impacts they could have on the Eastern Shore. (WMDT)

Heading to the beaches this weekend? Bethany Beach in Delaware is under a bacteria advisory. (WRDE)

A Brandywine man is facing additional charges related to a July 18 home invasion and attempted carjacking in Charles County. (Southern Maryland News)

A manufacturing facility is coming to Southwest Baltimore that will create 115 jobs over four years. (Baltimore Sun)

Montgomery County Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles (D) is joining the 6th District race for Congress. (Maryland Matters)

Washington D.C. Metro is requiring supervisors to conduct checks on train operators working split shifts after an intoxicated operator left passengers stranded for 40 minutes last year. (Washington Post)

Riders of Maryland’s MARC commuter train service should make plans for alternate routes when construction closes the Laurel station for ten weeks. The station is getting a new platform, stairs and ramps. (WTOP)

If you use the Orange, Blue, Silver or Red lines on the D.C. Metro in suburban Maryland, prepare for disruptions over the weekend as service will be slowed due to track work repairs. (WTOP)

Police apprehended a suspect who was driving a stolen vehicle Thursday night when it backed into two Baltimore City police cruisers, then fled on a pursuit into Prince George’s County. (WBFF)

The attorney representing a teenage squeegee worker found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Timothy Reynolds in July 2022 will be asking the judge to have the case transferred to the juvenile system. (WJZ)

The Montogomery County Fair opens today in Gaithersburg. (WTOP)

Maryland State Police troopers came to the rescue of a woman in West Virginia after she was driving and took a precipitous fall off a cliff. (Anne Arundel Daily Voice)

Baltimore’s City’s youth curfew is set to end in about four weeks, on Labor Day. How effective has it been? (WBFF)

Governor Wes Moore announced thirteen attorneys who will make up the newly minted Anne Arundel County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission. (Baltimore Sun)

The governor also announced $110,000 in grants to two Harford County houses of worship from the state’s Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant program for fiscal 2024. (Baltimore Sun)

The number of people affected by the Johns Hopkins data breach earlier this year is much higher than first reported. (WBAL)

THIS DAY IN HISTORY – AUGUST 11

The Public Service Commission has ordered Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. to remove a controversial electrification plan from its proposal to raise customers’ gas and electric delivery rates. (Baltimore Sun)

As of noon Thursday, Baltimore Gas and Electric reported that less than 200 customers remained without power in Carroll County after Monday’s powerful storms. (Baltimore Sun)

Baltimore-based Phoenix Home Remodeling Group is being ordered to pay $550,000 in penalties for failing to perform work. The contractor was first charged in December. (Baltimore Business Journal)

A Salisbury hearing aid company has reached a settlement in a lawsuit over unfilled orders. (Delmarva Now)

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The Orioles maintained a notable streak. With their 5-4 win over the Astros yesterday at Camden Yards, the team has gone 76 series without being swept, a streak that goes back fifteen months. That’s the fifth-longest streak in major league history and the longest since the St. Louis Cardinals set the record of 124 from 1942-44. The previous sweep against Baltimore was at Detroit from May 13-15, 2022. (Camden Chat)

Dean Kremer after pitching seven quality innings against Houston…

The team heads west for a three-city trip that includes Seattle, San Diego and Oakland.

Even better news: the Rays lost yesterday so the Orioles gain ground in the division. The magic number for them to clinch the AL East is 45.

Greedy much? Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos reportedly wants the use of public land for renovations and new development around the stadium, a request that has held up negotiations on a new stadium lease. (Baltimore Banner)

There is talk of moving the date of next year’s Preakness Stakes that could shake up the Triple Crown schedule. (Baltimore Sun)

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The 2002 La Plata tornado was an extremely powerful and fast moving multi-vortex F4 tornado that devastated the town. It killied 3 people and injured 122 others. It was the costliest tornado of the tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002 causing at least $115 million in damages. It is also one of the strongest tornadoes ever to hit the greater Baltimore-Washington D.C. area.

Here’s a look back at the night the town was changed forever…