Maryland
The hottest spot for Maryland politicians this week? A Greek restaurant opening.
![The hottest spot for Maryland politicians this week? A Greek restaurant opening. The hottest spot for Maryland politicians this week? A Greek restaurant opening.](https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/resizer/fUQTc9YGxkkPXcGotRcjsAybQ4I=/657x0/filters:quality(70):format(url)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/BTHGVBRUQ5F3HN322JCOXXEPBM.jpg)
Before nightfall on Thursday, a new Greek restaurant space on Eastern Avenue buzzed with the sound of a martini shaker mixing drinks as delicately positioned appetizers — phyllo-wrapped feta cheese dipped in honey, fried calamari with squid’s ink and lemon, and roasted lamb’s leg among them — made rounds on silver trays through the crowd.
The grand opening of Estiatorio Plaka, Greektown’s newest authentic restaurant and bakery, included several of the city and state’s top officials as a way to honor the history of Greek Americans in Baltimore and signify support to their community.
Several high-profile officials, such as Sen. Ben Cardin, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Congressman John Sarbanes and Mayor Brandon Scott arrived at the opening, some of whom, like Sarbanes, have Greek family heritage. Estiatorio Plaka “shows our traditions,” Sarbanes said, adding that owner John Zoulis has been both a friend and a community member of Greektown for more than 30 years.
“This was a wonderful investment from him,” Sarbanes said. “This is a beautiful location, a large restaurant and banquet space, that the community can take advantage of.”
Cardin was also impressed with the strength of Greek American culture in this cultural section of the city and said he looks to the area with nostalgia: He has represented the community in Congress since 1987. His presence at the eatery, he said, was to “underscore the importance of this event.”
“Greek culture has always been a strong community here and its economics attract visitors because of the restaurants and the food,” Cardin said. “This will draw people in, and to other places in Greektown, because not only is John a great guy, but his food is fantastic.”
Zoulis said the dishes are a blend of old, classic recipes twisted with other Mediterranean flavors, such as cinnamon, tomato and ginger. Display cases in the restaurant showcased red snappers, mussels and crayfish on a bed of crushed ice.
Estiatorio Plaka’s space is likely familiar to those with an affinity for Greek food in Charm City: The restaurant opened in the former Acropolis Restaurant, which closed in 2019 after 33 years in service, according to The Baltimore Sun.
The new restaurant’s interior sparkled with champagne-colored walls and arched doorways. A candlelit blessing called “agiasmo,” or blessing of water, was performed Thursday as part of the Greek tradition when a new place opens.
![](https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/resizer/9qFLs844szv3kbQU184NKe9Kafg=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/J55BLVWACRDI3C76THDVKTUHDI.jpg)
“I helped to build the restaurant three, four months back,” said Emmauel Halkias, a good friend of Zoulis who immigrated from Greece to Greektown in 1981 and never left.
Though the demographics of the neighborhood have changed over the years, Greek culture has continued to thrive through food, festivals, parades and architecture, like the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which has stood at its current location between Maryland Avenue and Preston Street since 1937.
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Nikolaos Karellas, 25, a lifetime Greektown resident who helps maintain Karellas Cafe, his family’s restaurant nearby, said the opening and the attention it received from people with power “brings hope to the community.”
It also revealed the close-knit, Greek American community that has united to bring each bite of cinnamon-dusted rice pudding, chewy walnut and chocolate crescent-shaped kariokes and other classic Greek flavors to life in the city.
sunny.nagpaul@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Maryland
16-year-old arrested after 15-year-old fatally shot in Maryland high school bathroom
![16-year-old arrested after 15-year-old fatally shot in Maryland high school bathroom 16-year-old arrested after 15-year-old fatally shot in Maryland high school bathroom](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/09/07/19/SEI220433454.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp)
A 16-year-old student at a high school in Maryland has been detained after he allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old student in one of the school’s bathrooms.
The name of the suspect has yet to be released. The victim, Warren Curtis Grant, died following the shooting at Joppatowne High School. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler made the announcement at a press briefing.
The suspect fled the scene but was detained close by just minutes later.
“He has yet to be charged but will be charged, and at the time those charges are preferred as an adult, we will release the name of the suspect,” Gahler told the press, according to The Guardian.
The sheriff added that his office has handled more than 10 cases in the last two years “where the suspect was either the victim, witness or the suspect in an incident handled by the Harford county sheriff’s office.”
![A member of the Harford County Sheriff's department tries to clear the way for an emergency vehicle as it heads toward Joppatowne High School after a shooting at the school, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Joppatowne, Md](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/09/07/19/SEI220433454.jpg)
While the sheriff’s office told the public to avoid the area after the shooting, it said that it was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.”
An “active shooter” situation refers to when a suspect is firing against everyone they see rather than targeting a particular person.
An area church was used as a reunification center for students and their parents. The school is located about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore.
Gahler noted that more than 100 law enforcement officials responded to the scene.
The fight at Joppatowne High School took place just two days after the shooting at a high school outside Atlanta, Georgia where a 14-year-old shot and killed four people.
Maryland
How to watch Michigan State vs. Maryland (9/7/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream
Michigan State got the job done in its season opener, but it wasn’t pretty as it hung on at home against Florida Atlantic. Now, it has to head on the road to open Big Ten play in what promises to be a tougher test.
· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on FuboTV (free trial)
· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on Sling
· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on DirecTV Stream
· Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promos
Michigan State is 1-0, but the road gets tougher now. The Spartans go on the road and start Big Ten play early in Week 2 with a trip to Maryland. The Terrapins have a new look this year without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa but looked strong in their season-opener against Howard last week.
· Who: Michigan State at Maryland
· When: 3:30 p.m.
· Where: SECU Stadium, College Park, Maryland
· Twitter: Follow Matt Wenzel
· Live updates: Beginning at 2:30 p.m. at mlive.com/spartans
· Latest line: Maryland -9.5
TV Network: Big Ten Network
Streaming options:
· FuboTV is offering $30 off the first month for all U.S. plans. Sign up to get your favorite TV shows, live sports events, and much more
· Sling currently has an offer of $20 for the first month of subscription and has streaming coverage of live sports, news and entertainment.
· DirecTV Stream offers live sports, news and on demand TV.
Five must-reads before kickoff:
* Michigan State lost two members of its secondary, Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed, to long-term injuries in its season opener. The team is turning to some new faces to fill in the holes from those injuries.
* Alex VanSumeren was once Michigan State’s top-rated recruit, but he’s been seldom seen on the field due to injuries. Now, though, he’s healthy and making his mark on the Spartans’ defensive line.
* Aidan Chiles’ 10-completion, two-interception performance in Michigan State’s season-opener was his “floor,” according to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, who has a plan to improve the quarterback’s performance going forward.
* Jonathan Smith had a name for Week 1 in college football: overreaction Saturday. He’s cautioning fans not to put too much stock into an opening performance that likely underwhelmed many.
* The run game and discipline are two of Matt Wenzel’s five things to watch in this week’s matchup.
Michigan State
* Passing: Aidan Chiles 10-14, 114 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
* Rushing: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams 9 rush, 101 yards, 1 TD
* Receiving: Michael Masunas 2 rec., 29 yards, 0 TD
* Tackles: Angelo Grose 12
* Sacks: Khris Bogle 1.5
* Interceptions: Grose, Nikai Martinez 1
Maryland
* Passing: Billy Edwards Jr. 20-27, 311 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
* Rushing: Roman Hemby 14 rush, 66 yards, 1 TD
* Receiving: Tai Felton 7 rec., 178 yards, 2 TD
* Tackles: Glendon Miller 6
* Sacks: None
* Interceptions: Ruben Hyppolite II, Miller 1
Friday, Sept. 6
Western Illinois at Indiana
Duke at Northwestern
Saturday, Sept. 7
Texas at Michigan, noon (FOX)
Rhode Island at Minnesota, noon (Peacock)
Bowling Green at Penn State, noon (BTN)
Akron at Rutgers, noon (BTN)
Iowa State at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Michigan State at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
Eastern Michigan at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
South Dakota at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)
Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m. (FS1)
Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Western Michigan at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
Boise State at Oregon, 10 p.m. (Peacock)
Maryland
Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland
![Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/09/06191517/tunnel.jpg)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Michigan State has an excellent chance to make a strong statement this weekend that the rebuilding job under new head coach Jonathan Smith is ahead of schedule, if the Spartans can take down 8-point favorite Maryland on Saturday.
A Michigan State victory would be a strong statement within the football industry, but maybe not as strong from a fan perspective. I’m not sure Maryland’s football brand is as respected in the state of Michigan and regionally as it should be, for a program that has gone 8-5 in the past two seasons and defeated Auburn and North Carolina State in bowl games the past two years.
Maryland is good. The Terrapins are coming off a 50-7 victory over a weak UConn team last week. Maryland’s offense looked very good against a weak, soft, conservative UConn defense.
Michigan State’s defense was ahead of schedule last week against a mediocre Florida Atlantic offense. Michigan State’s offense was behind schedule, experiencing inconsistent accuracy and decision-making at the quarterback position, which was somewhat understandable considering it was sophomore Aidan Chiles’ first start as a college player. MSU’s running game also lacked consistency, especially in short yardage and in the red zone.
The big news from Maryland last week in my opinion was the excellent play of new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt-junior had waited behind the outgoing, record-breaking Taulia Tagovailoa for three years. Tagovailoa left Maryland as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader. He went undrafted and is now playing in the CFL.
Edwards looked good last week. He’s strong in the pocket, is a physical ball carrier on designed runs or scrambles. He was accurate over the middle on intermediate routes, and seemed to do a good job processing coverages, although UConn’s coverages were simple, slow and soft.
I saw this Michigan State vs Maryland game as a swing game on the schedule prior to the season. But considering how well Edwards and his receivers looked last week, and Michigan State’s sputtering start on offense, this game goes from being a swing game to uphill slog for the Spartans.
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