Are we still the “Greatest City in America” if the benches don’t say so? It’s the Week in Review for Jan. 9-16:
Let’s first recap the week’s developments in the two cases everyone in Baltimore is watching.
Bishop Heather Cook is now out of jail after a friend posted bail, but it won’t be her last time in court for her alleged role in the hit-and-run crash that killed Thomas Palermo on his bicycle. The case is set to go before a grand jury, and, if a hearing on Monday is any indication, prosecutors are set to use stark language to describe Cook’s role in the crash, during which she is alleged to have been drunk and texting. She’s also facing the results of a separate investigation by the Episcopal Church. Officials are looking into how she became a bishop despite a past DUI charge.
There was also a new development in the case made famous by Serial. A Maryland appeals court agreed to re-consider Adnan Syed’s case. That doesn’t mean Syed is getting a new trial. Will the judges agree that the trial judge followed “law and legal precedent?” Next time on…oh wait! The podcast is over, so you have to pay attention to other media now.
In other news, the city has a new slogan that was supposedly mock-proof. Ha! That’s a good thing, because officials might decide to paint over the benches that say “Greatest City in America.” There’s also been a rough transition in the State’s Attorney’s Office, where Marilyn Mosby fired many prosecutors. Trials were paused and political laundry was aired, but now she has her own team in place. No one can blame Bernstein if she screws things up.
Speaking of politics, Obama was also in town. He claimed he was only going to the Hilton for a secret meeting with Democrats, but made a surprise stop at Charmington’s to talk about giving us all more time off. All in all, a great trip.
For weekend reading, check out Marion Winik’s look back at her old neighborhood.
And, finally, looking ahead to next week, don’t forget about the new food-filled speaker series at Artifact Coffee.
