Top 10 local stories of 2008

The downturn in the economy, a fatal accident on the Bay Bridge, violence in Annapolis and immigration raids head the list of the year's top stories.

Capital editors' picks

• No. 1: The economy
• No. 2: Bay Bridge accident
• No. 3: Violence in Annapolis
• No. 4: Immigration raids
• No. 5: Slots pass; Gilchrest ousted
• No. 6: Annapolis Towne Centre opens
• No. 7: Schools meet standards
• No. 8: Crab crisis
• No. 9: Landmarks reopen
• No. 10: Market House

Most read online stories

• No. 1: Driver killed as truck careens off Bay Bridge
• No. 2: Historic wreck on Bay Bridge
• No. 3: Driver says she fell asleep at the wheel
• No. 4: Deceased mid remembered for big smile, love of math
• No. 5: Academy names midshipman who died from meningitis
• No. 6: Herndon Climb, other USNA rituals changing
• No. 7: Teen's body found in bay
• No. 8: Three homes destroyed in 5-alarm blaze
• No. 9: 2 Crofton women die in crash
• No. 10: Ex-academy officer admits to prostitution

No. 2: Bay Bridge accident

A fatal early morning wreck Aug. 10 on the Bay Bridge sent a tractor trailer plunging into the water more than 30 feet below.

The ensuing cleanups and repairs closed at least part of the bridge for more than a day, creating massive 6-hour backups that extended for several miles on each side of the bay. And the investigation into how the truck was able to breach the bridge’s jersey walls found rusting bolts that prompted emergency repairs, creating more delays and backups over the busy Labor Day weekend.

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department investigated the 4 a.m. wreck that claimed the life of 57-year-old John R. Short Sr. of Willards. But after reviewing the police report and other facts of the case, Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Frank Kratovil decided last week to file only traffic charges against the driver who detectives believe was responsible for the crash, Candy Lynn Baldwin, 19, of Milligan.

Mr. Kratovil said in a prepared statement that it appeared Ms. Baldwin fell asleep at about 4 a.m. while driving her 1997 Chevy Camaro east across the Bay Bridge.

Two-way traffic was in effect on the eastbound span of the bridge, allowing Ms. Baldwin to drift left, cross the center line and sideswipe Mr. Short’s westbound tractor-trailer.

Police said Mr. Short unsuccessfully tried to avoid hitting Ms. Baldwin’s car on the narrow two-lane bridge — bumping the right Jersey wall of the eastbound span, swerving into the left concrete barrier and ultimately plunging into the Chesapeake Bay.

Mr. Kratovil, who was elected in November to the U.S. Congress, said Ms. Baldwin’s blood-alcohol content was .03 after the wreck. He described that as “well below the legal limit of .07 for impairment and .08 for under the influence.”

He said he needed there to be more alcohol in Ms. Baldwin’s system for him to prove “gross negligence” and charge her with auto manslaughter.

He charged Ms. Baldwin only with negligent driving, failing to drive right of center and violating a license restriction.

No. 3: Violence in Annapolis

When shots rang out just three weeks into 2008, city residents feared the worst.

Following a record nine homicides in 2007, concern was growing about crime in Annapolis, specifically violent crime.

On Jan. 19, fear became reality. The first and second homicides claimed the lives of Cecelia Brown and Charles Cully Jr., two Bay Ridge Gardens residents who were shot and killed inside Ms. Brown’s apartment.

The killings were swiftly followed by the shooting death of Timothy Hayes Marsh, a Severna Park man, on Feb. 17 in Robinwood.

State leaders stepped to the plate. Days after Mr. Marsh was killed, Gov. Martin O’Malley announced the Capital City Safe Streets initiative, designed to bring together federal, state and local resources to more effectively tackle crime in Annapolis. The plan included hiring a crime analyst and having the state’s parole and probation officials assist in keeping track of the most violent offenders in Annapolis, as well as expanding the jurisdiction of state Department of General Services police.

But a month later, 17-year-old Kwame Travon Johnson, a popular Annapolis High student, was shot to death in Robinwood.

At that point, already-concerned residents sprang into action. Church and community leaders organized peace walks and mentoring programs in an effort to stop the violence in the city, especially in troubled public housing communities.

Chief Joseph S. Johnson retired in March after 14 years in the city. In his place, Chief Michael A. Pristoop took the helm.

Chief Pristoop came to the city from the Department of General Services, where he served for less than a year. Before that, he spent 21 years with the Baltimore Police Department.

The new chief helped assuage fears in the community and appeared to take a more proactive approach to policing. He instituted more foot patrols, especially in public housing. The effect: more arrests for minor crimes, fewer serious crimes reported.

Despite early fears, the city may have fewer homicides than last year. There have been seven in Annapolis this year, and only two since Chief Pristoop took over.

No. 4: Immigration raids

On June 30, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents backed by about 50 county police officers raided a painting company and several Annapolis-area homes, arresting 46 people on illegal immigration charges.

“Illegal means illegal. There must be a respect for the law,” declared County Executive John R. Leopold, who has made cracking down on illegal immigration a cornerstone of his tenure.

He was jubilant, but immigrant rights groups were furious. At a protest in Baltimore the next day, Annapolis resident Irma Gonzalez carried a picture of the county executive with a line through it, reading: “John Leopold, we are not criminals.”

Immigrant advocates said in the long run, the raids will do more harm than good.

“Immigration is a civil offense, not a criminal offense,” said Mario Quiroz-Servellon, a spokesman for CASA de Maryland. “So when they act like this, what they’re doing is scaring people and breaking the trust that people have in law enforcement.”

In November, authorities moved to seize more than $4.7 million in cash, cars and homes from Robert Bontempo Jr., the owner of Annapolis Painting Services.

Most of the immigrants who were arrested have since been deported.

No criminal charges have been filed against Mr. Bontempo.

No. 5: Slots pass; Gilchrest ousted

On Election Day, Maryland voters did what the General Assembly couldn’t do.

It took years of stalemate, several lawsuits and an expensive campaign season, but slot machines are coming back, with 4,750 machines set to be placed within two miles of Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Cast as a David-versus-Goliath battle, the slots foes could never buy enough slingshots to defeat November’s referendum. For Maryland For Our Future, the major pro-slots group, spent almost $6.9 million on the campaign, about seven times the size of the anti-slots group’s wallet.

Voters from across the state agreed with the message — without expanded gambling, there will be cuts to precious programs or more taxes — and passed the measure by a 59-percent to 41-percent margin, with 59 percent of Anne Arundel County voters choosing to bring back the machines.

But Maryland’s political scene had an earlier earthquake when Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest’s 18-year career ended on primary night in February. He took solace in perspective offered by his son, Joel, a 33-year-old doing computer work at a base on the South Pole, from the bottom of the world.

“The sun will rise and set the same way, and water will still be wet,” Joel told his father.

But Mr. Gilchrest wasn’t done after being ousted in a brutal battle with State Sen. Andy Harris. The First District congressman would go on to endorse Democratic Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Frank Kratovil, and play a pivotal role in helping get Mr. Kratovil elected.

Now, the First District has Democratic representation for the first time in practically two decades, leaving Maryland just one Republican federal politician, in the western part of the state.

No. 6: Annapolis Towne Centre opens

The mixed-use “lifestyle center,” dubbed the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole, gave the face of Parole a makeover.

On Oct. 12, the Target anchor store for the development opened its doors, along with three other specialty shops: Coldwater Creek, Great Gatherings and Lucy Activewear.

Before the grand opening, 600 shoppers rushed to get a glimpse of the 32-acre retail mecca at a special VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony. And the crowds only continued to pour in once the center officially opened for business.

As the weeks wore on, more openings followed, including the restaurants P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant.

Much is at stake for development company Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, which invested five years of planning and labor and $500 million, just to get the project off the ground.

Despite a strained economy, the shoppers came to spend in droves.

“For so many years, this property sat as an eyesore and a real blight to this community,” said Brian Gibbons, president and CEO of the development company, at the grand opening. “It’s really been a symbol of failed promises. So many people said it could never get done. And today, here we are.”

But long before the climactic grand opening, local anticipation was brewing. In September hoards of job-seekers packed the Annapolis Sheraton Hotel on Jennifer Road to fill out applications for 12 Towne Centre businesses.

The project still is in bloom. Several more retailers are set to open in 2009, along with Mariner Bay luxury apartments, according to the Annapolis Towne Centre Web site. Updates on future store openings are posted at www.visitatc.com.

No. 7: Schools meet standards

Annapolis High School students and parents have endured a lot of bad headlines over the years.

They watched as students got into brawls, and they suffered through a painful staffing overhaul enacted in the name of improvement.

So when they heard Oct. 9 that their school had finally met state academic standards, a measure called Adequate Yearly Progress, it felt like turning a corner.

For six years, the federal government had been holding schools to the standard, and Annapolis High failed it every time.

But not this year. The halls rang with cheers and applause that day and there were triumphant speeches by school officials.

Some students shrugged.

“Our school’s finally adequate, so that’s good,” senior Quentin Rayhart, 17, told The Capital.

But others said the news heralded a new era for Annapolis High, one where every student will get the education and support he or she needs to be successful and graduate.

And then on Nov. 14, the county’s other public high schools heard that they had also met AYP, making 2008 the first year all 12 had hit the mark.

“We’re thrilled,” said Shelia Hill, acting principal at Old Mill High School. “It’s an energizing shot in the arm and one of those positive moments that helps you move forward.”

No. 8: Crab crisis

On a sunny April afternoon, Martin O’Malley and Tim Kaine stood on the banks of the Potomac River and did something the governors of Maryland and Virginia rarely do: they agreed on how to protect the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crabs.

The states have been notorious for fighting over the bay’s resources, including oysters, rockfish and crabs. But Mr. O’Malley and Mr. Kaine saw crab science pointing in all the wrong directions, and worked together to cut the harvest.

The problem was that the overall crab population was shrinking, while the percentage harvested was increasing. The states aimed to cut the harvest of females by 34 percent, as scientists said that would help enough crabs survive to produce the next generation of crabs.

“We think there’s much good we can do and if we do it together, we can make more progress,” said Mr. Kaine, Virginia’s governor.

Each state took a slightly different approach to changing crabbing rule, and the cuts weren’t easy.

No. 9: Landmarks reopen

This year saw three Annapolis landmarks reborn — the State House, the McNasby Oyster Co. building and the Quiet Waters Park ice rink.

For months, the most famous building in Annapolis looked more like a landfill than the seat of Maryland’s government. A $10 million renovation project in the State House focused on replacing an antiquated heating and cooling system, and shut the iconic building down for most of the year.

Wood covered the large marble staircase leading to the governor’s offices and furniture, wires and other debris were scattered throughout the National Historic Landmark. Despite being surprised by the amount of outdated, cloth-covered “rag” electrical wire and phone and data cabling that had to be removed, workers were able to ensure the 426th General Assembly session starting in January will continue the State House’s title as the oldest state capital in continuous legislative use.

Over in Eastport, supporters of the Annapolis Maritime Museum were down — but not out — after Tropical Storm Isabel blew through in 2003.

The storm flooded the museum’s home, the historic McNasby Oyster Co. building on Back Creek. Gaping holes were knocked through the walls.

After years of fundraising, planning and construction, the $1.2 million renovation of the McNasby building was unveiled with a boisterous party in December.

“What a day,” said Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, an Eastport resident. “We’ve vanquished Isabel, haven’t we?”

There’s still more work to go, however. The museum’s permanent exhibit on the history and ecological properties of oysters won’t be installed until 2010.

And last but not least, the Quiet Waters Park ice rink reopened in November after an embarrassing series of problems.

The most recent rebuild of the rink, overseen by County Executive John R. Leopold’s administration and approved by the County Council, cost $2 million and ripped out the original work done in 1990.

Since it opened, the rink has been closed for eight of the past 17 seasons. Two years after it opened, the rink closed for three years because the faulty installation leaked coolants into the ground.

A temporary system of mats was installed in 1996, but the rink was shut again in 2003 because the mats leaked chemicals into a nearby pond, killing fish. Thus, the rink designed as the centerpiece of the 340-acre nature preserve south of Annapolis had become a concrete crater of an eyesore.

Officials promise that the work done this time around is sound.

No. 10: Market House

Managing the Market House more resembled a WWE SmackDown wrestling match, with tenants tagging out of their leases and into the legal steel-cage lawsuit between the city and the Market House’s management company.

The iconic Market House lost more than half of its businesses this year and now sits nearly empty. Only three businesses remain on the site.

In the meantime, the city continues to spar with the Silver Spring-based real estate company, Site Realty, in court.

Site Realty, which manages the Market House through its subsidiary, Market House Ventures LLC, sued the city last December for $2 million, alleging that the city breached its 10-year, $100,000-per-year lease with Site Realty when the city failed to fix the cooling and heating system inside the downtown building.

Site Realty upped the lawsuit to $6 million two months later in February. The company also went after $87,000 in back rent owed by six tenants of the Market House, despite a court order allowing Site Realty to withhold its rent from the city.

That prompted four businesses to pull out of the Market House in May. Three more businesses followed in September. The following week, those former tenants decided to sue Site Realty and the city for more than $2 million.

For a time, the case was sent to federal court after vendors claimed that the city violated their constitutional rights by denying due process. But the vendors amended their complaint and the three-way lawsuit was sent back to Circuit Court last month.

Motions continue to be heard in county Circuit Court, but no trial date has been set.