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Got a news tip? Contact Dan Belson at dbelson@baltsun.com, 443-790-4827, on X as @DanBelson_ or on Signal as @danbels.62. Contact Dillon Mullan at dmullan@baltsun.com, 302-842-3818 or @DillonMullan on X.

At about 9:53 a.m., county police officers responded to the 1400 block of Arcola Avenue in Silver Spring for a report of an assault and learned a rabbi had been attacked with a wooden stake as he was walking on a sidewalk, according to charging documents.

The rabbi suffered bone bruises but no broken bones, charging documents say.

Following the attack, a 47-year-old suspect left the area, police said. He was arrested a short distance from the scene after being identified through video footage. He was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, according to the charging documents.

Once cleared, he was brought to Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where has been charged with an assault felony and related crimes.

Police did not initially find a reason for the attack and are now investigating it as a hate crime, according to a news release from the Montgomery County Police Department. The rabbi did not know the suspect before the attack, according to charging documents.

The suspect does not have an attorney listed on online court records. He was ordered held without bond Tuesday.

Have a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com and 443-623-1817.

The 21-year-old Hanover man landed on the FBI’s radar in December 2019 after his social media account expressed “extremist Islamist ideology,” according to charging documents.

Shortly after, he started having conversations with an undercover officer. Between March and April 2023, he told the undercover that he wanted to travel to Africa to join and fight for the terrorist organization, according to charging documents.

The suspect allegedly had a “plan B” to carry out an attack in the United States against people who support Israel. On three occasions in May and June, he purchased ammunition and range time at a shooting range in Severn to train, the charging documents say.

In July, he tried to purchase a Kalashnikov K-9 9mm rifle, but the purchase was denied because of his probation status, according to charging documents. He also allegedly told the undercover officer in August and October that he was in contact with an ISIS fighter regarding the plans to travel to Somalia to join ISIS.

According to the charging documents, he explained that he would fly first to Turkey and then travel to Ethiopia and cross the border into Somalia. The suspect allegedly sent screenshots of an Ethiopian E-Visa he got from the ISIS fighter.

On Oct. 4, the suspect told the undercover officer that he’d received airline tickets from the ISIS fighter and sent screenshots of his travel itinerary, which showed him leaving Baltimore Marshall Airport on Oct. 14 and flying to Istanbul with a layover in London, according to charging documents.

Nearly a week later, he sent a picture of himself wearing a black mask and holding a large machete, along with the caption “Abdullah the islamophobe slayer,” charging documents say.

A day later, the undercover officer asked the suspect if he was “sure” he wanted to join ISIS. The response was, “I am sure I did a lot of research and had to accept something’s [sic] that they are the only group that has the most true and sincere intentions,” according to charging documents.

The suspect was arrested on Oct. 14 by FBI agents after he checked in for his flight and proceeded through security.

According to a news release from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, the suspect told the arresting agents: “You will never stop me. Jihad will never stop. … I’ll be like 40 when I get out, then I’ll just do it. I don’t care. You will never stop me. Jihad will never stop. I’ll come, and I’ll kill your soldiers.” he allegedly began kicking one of the arresting agents.

The suspect has a history of mental illness, and he’d had documented threats of violence against his peers since at least September 2019, charging documents say.

He did not have an attorney listed on online records Thursday morning. He had an initial appearance before a magistrate judge Wednesday.

Have a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com and 443-623-1817.

Around 9:45 a.m. on Sept. 20, officers responded to Taylor Avenue near Collinsdale Road for a motor vehicle crash involving a bicyclist, Baltimore County Police said in a news release Thursday. The department’s crash team determined that the bicyclist was riding east on the sidewalk of Taylor Avenue and collided with the front of a Ford Taurus as it exited a nearby driveway, according to a news release.

The bicyclist, Edward Files, was taken to a hospital for treatment and later died from his injuries. The driver of the Ford stayed on the scene.

Detectives with the Baltimore County Police Crash Team are still investigating the crash.

Have a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com and 443-623-1817.

Matt Straffin, who was walking with his son, heard a person yelling for help and discovered the man trapped in the well, Straffin, the man’s neighbor, said. The man had been walking behind his home near the 2100 block of Old Frederick Road when he fell into the hole.

Straffin noted that the well looked to be “nicely constructed” as it had cinderblocks for walls and the neighborhood used to be farmland, making it susceptible to sinkholes.

“It looked like the ground just gave way and fell,” Straffin said. “I think it might be a leftover byproduct of an old farm.”

Firefighters responded around 2:45 p.m. to rescue the man, who suffered serious injuries, according to a post by the Baltimore County Fire Department on X.

Have a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com and 443-623-1817.

The collection, which includes City Knights and Poly Engineers sweatshirts, T-shirts and custom-color sneakers, can be purchased at DTLR and Under Armour’s Baltimore Harbor East Brand House, as well as online, for the Oct. 26 game.

Students are set to receive gifted products as part of Project Rampart, a partnership between Under Armour and Baltimore City Public Schools to “elevate the Baltimore student athlete experience and improve academic outcomes through the power of sport,” according to the release.

“Under Armour isn’t just based in Baltimore; we are of Baltimore,” said Blake Maciel, director of Project Rampart for Under Armour, in the release. “Our team was thrilled to partner with DTLR to celebrate this iconic rivalry, which is a major cultural event for our community.”

The showdown between the two teams dates back to 1889. City leads the series with a 66-62 advantage, with six games finishing in ties. Last year, the Knights took their 11th straight win in the 134th edition of the 135-year series, with the 2020 game canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tickets for the noon game this year at Morgan State University went on sale Monday. They’re $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

In preparation for the game, Under Armour hosted an event Oct. 4 at its headquarters to unveil the new designs to the two high schools, the release says.

“This big game underscores the incredible power of sport to bring people together, and we look forward to continuing to engage with our local student-athletes across this great city to inspire them and offer them holistic support in new and dynamic ways,” Maciel said.

Additionally, Under Armour and DTLR will be donating to both athletic programs. Through the initiative, all participating city public and public charter high schools in interscholastic athletics will get upgraded facilities, new on-field performance apparel for students and coaches, development programs from student-athletes, and specialized training for coaches.

Have a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com and 443-623-1817.

Christopher Mullins, owner of Chesapeake Bay Coffee Co. in North East, said he saw the devastation of Helene on social media and knows people in the impacted area.

“God had just put it on my heart to try to use my platform of the coffee shop to try to raise awareness and to get some donations together,” Mullins wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun.

His coffee shop was able to load an RV, plus a single truck, to capacity with supplies, and head to Mars Hill, North Carolina. 

Mullins said they saw warehouses washed down the river and cars mangled with trees. Mullins said he and his friend, Wayne Dougherty, shoveled mud out of people’s homes.

“We saw things that were horrible, and the lack of help from the government was very discouraging,” Mullins said.

Back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, devastated much of Florida and North Carolina. The number of deaths surpassed 200, according to the Associated Press. The storms flooded streets, cars and buildings, and winds ripped roofs off businesses, houses and churches.

Mullins said local pastors were delegating resources, staying in communication through phone calls and walkie-talkies, and setting up drop-off and pickup zones for supplies.

Chesapeake Bay Coffee Co. has partnered with MacGregor’s Restaurant in Havre de Grace and the North East High School at 300 Irish Town Road in North East to solicit donations of supplies such as heaters, blankets, sleeping bags, propane and kerosene, Mullins said.

Donations will be accepted at the high school until Friday, but MacGregor’s is considering accepting donations into next week.

Pickett Brewing Company in Baltimore also joined Helene relief efforts by collecting items for those impacted, according to Kate Conway, a co-owner. So far, the brewery has one shipment out in North Carolina.

One of the beertenders, Eric Kraai, has two children living in North Carolina, and his daughter drove the shipment to her community in Boone. The South Baltimore Brewery District is still collecting supplies, and Kraii’s son will drive another round out when he returns to his home in Asheville.

“The South Baltimore Brewery District felt compelled to initiate these efforts because of our personal connections to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and also because Asheville is brewery-centric,” Conway wrote in an email. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected and to those who have lost family, friends and livelihoods. We hope to play a small role in the recovery efforts in the larger towns and smaller hollers who have lost the most.”

Additionally, Route One Apparel, a Maryland-based retailer, accepted physical donations of items including baby formula, nonperishable food, bottled water and more for Helene disaster through Wednesday, said founder Ali Von Paris.

As of Tuesday, Route One Apparel had nearly filled a truckwith oversized moving boxes full of goods, Von Paris said.

Maryland businesses such as Box Hill Pizzeria & Crab Cakes in Abingdon are also lending aid. The pizzeria donated 10% of all proceeds from in-restaurant sales and shipped orders Monday and Tuesday to support Florida hurricane relief efforts, according to an Instagram post. The business also collected items Monday and Tuesday for those affected.

Have a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com and 443-623-1817.

These wellness centers provide vaccinations, physicals and more. Thirteen wellness centers serve 16 schools, and each costs $100,000 annually to cover staff, medicine and equipment, according to Superintendent Myriam Rogers’ financial report presented at the Tuesday school board meeting.

During this fiscal year, the wellness centers have handled about 5,250 vaccines, 3,625 student visits and 400 physicals, according to the report.

Over the next two years, the school system plans to expand with three wellness centers this year and an additional one in Baltimore Highlands in the next fiscal year, said Christopher Hartlove, BCPS’ chief financial officer, at the meeting.

Along with these wellness centers, BCPS will allow all students in grades 11 and 12 to earn early college credits and career and technical education credentials through programs such as dual enrollment, Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-tech), Advanced Placement exams, technical skills assessments and Early College Access Programs.

These programs will cost the school system over $2 million to implement, according to Rogers’ financial report.

Last school year, BCPS had 6,233 dual enrollment courses for 2,548 students; 2,426 students took an assessment for an industry-recognized credential; and 15,411 took AP exams, according to the report.

The school system also plans to use the Concentration of Poverty grant from the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan, which covers about $37.2 million for centrally funded personnel and school-based personnel.

Centrally funded personnel include Caregivers, Assistance, Resource, and Engagement (CARE) liaisons and transition facilitators. School-based personnel include health assistants and community school facilitators.

The Blueprint requires that at least 75% of per-student formula funding follows students to their schools. Generally, schools with the highest need will get greater minimum funding.

“Seventy-five percent of the funding has to go to all schools, but some schools have more students in particular pockets that are getting more money,” Hartlove said.

The concern, Rogers said, is that there are finite resources for the schools, which makes it difficult to find this balance. This balancing act can cause instability in communities, she said.

“We can’t predict the financial outlook 10 years from now,” Rogers said at the board meeting. “If this were to be the model that is followed, the implications would be that you are moving resources, and that’s a problem in two different ways,” referring to instability in schools and communities.

Got a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com, 443-623-1817 or @TonyRobAegis on X.

The facility is being used as a staging site for Florida Power & Light and as a sandbag distribution center for Sarasota County, the Orioles said in an email statement. Ed Smith Stadium previously has been used as a sandbag distribution site during major storms such as Tropical Storm Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

“We are thinking about our neighbors and first responders during this challenging time for our community,” the Orioles said.

The team will eventually share plans for supporting the Sarasota community as they are determined.

As the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, Milton is potentially a once-in-a-century storm, set to directly hit Tampa and St. Petersburg and possibly turning debris from the previous storm into projectiles, according to the Associated Press. After dropping back to a Category 4 early Wednesday, the storm is predicted to make landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday.

Orioles closer Félix Bautista and other injured players spent most of the season rehabilitating at the Sarasota complex, which has received minimal damage from past storms.

Pitchers and catchers will report to the spring training complex in mid-February with the rest of the team arriving the following week. The Orioles’ Grapefruit League opener is scheduled for Feb. 22 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium.

At about 2:30 a.m., the Baltimore City Fire Department responded to a residence fire at the 2200 block of North Cedley Street in the Westport neighborhood and found multiple homes on fire, the fire department said in an emailed statement.

The fire was swiftly contained and extinguished, according to the statement.

One person was rescued, treated and sent to a local hospital with minor injuries, the department said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

The fire occurred near a development project for the land between Kloman Street and the Patapsco River on the same day that community members, developers and elected officials met for an event to celebrate revitalization. ONE Westport is planned to be a mixed-use community with a public shoreline park and access to a light rail station. The $400 million project calls for for-sale townhouses and condominiums, senior housing, affordable housing and a mix of commercial uses.

Baltimore Sun reporter Lorraine Mirabella contributed to this article. Got a news tip? Contact Tony Roberts at troberts@baltsun.com, 443-623-1817 or @TonyRobAegis on X.