Maryland
The Saga of the Nerdy Maryland Bureaucrat Who Died in a Confrontation With the FBI
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On Monday, a former Maryland state official named Roy McGrath died after a confrontation with FBI officers who had been making an attempt to apprehend him close to Knoxville, Tennessee. (It’s not clear whether or not McGrath was fatally shot by officers or his personal gun.)
He’d been a fugitive from justice since March 13, when he missed a courtroom look in Baltimore at which he was set to face costs of fraud and theft that centered on a $233,000 severance fee he organized for himself to obtain as he was leaving the Maryland Environmental Service to work as former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s chief of employees.
It’s an odd story! Let’s focus on.
Who was Roy McGrath?
McGrath, for many of his grownup life, labored on the Nationwide Affiliation of Chain Drug Shops, a D.C.-area trade group, ultimately turning into the group’s vp of enterprise improvement and conventions. He labored on Hogan’s unsuccessful run for Congress in 1992, then turned a part of Hogan’s transition staff when Hogan (a Republican who is comparatively socially liberal and has been essential of Donald Trump) was elected to the Maryland governorship in 2014. After that, he served as Hogan’s deputy chief of employees after which because the director of MES, an impartial state company whose precise features contain issues like sewers and don’t should be mentioned on this article.
None of this screams “future topic of lethal fugitive gunfire” to me.
No. Former colleagues who spoke about McGrath to the Washington Publish described him as “detail-oriented,” “type of awkward,” and, uh, “a enterprise individual.”
So what occurred?
In 2020 Hogan requested McGrath to develop into his chief of employees. In the middle of leaving MES, McGrath requested its board to approve a $233,647 severance payout. Within the phrases of the Baltimore Banner, “Board members later testified underneath oath that they’d reservations about making the payout, however agreed when McGrath led them to imagine that Hogan had given his blessing.” In August 2020, the Baltimore Solar reported on the fee’s existence, and 4 days later, McGrath resigned.
Hogan denied that he had permitted the payout and advised the press that after some information-gathering, he had concluded that it was inappropriate. Being frolicked to dry like this by somebody he’d recognized for a very long time appears to have actually ticked McGrath off. We’ll hear extra about that in a minute.
Uh-oh.
State legislators and regulation enforcement authorities each started investigating McGrath’s departure from MES, and he was charged in October 2021 with having lied to acquire the severance fee, arranging about $40,000 in different inappropriate advantages for himself, and asking to change the minutes of an MES board assembly to cover info. Later, he was additionally charged with fabricating a memo—which he gave to the Washington Publish—purporting to indicate that Hogan had permitted of his compensation by actually placing a blue test mark in a field subsequent to the phrase permitted.
An allegedly fabricated memo test mark? This is a “details-oriented” administrator’s scandal.
Certainly, nevertheless it escalated past the realm of typical white-collar crime this March, when McGrath merely failed to seem in Baltimore for his trial in federal district courtroom. He had been dwelling beforehand (with the approval of the courtroom) in Naples, Florida, however when sheriff’s deputies there checked his home, he was gone.
And he was ultimately present in Tennessee.
Sure, however not earlier than somebody going by the identify “Ryan C. Cooper” self-published two e-books in regards to the state of affairs—Betrayed: The True Story of Roy McGrath and Betrayed: The True Story of Maryland Environmental Service (The True Story of Roy McGrath Ebook 2)—which are obtainable on Amazon. Based on the Baltimore Banner, the primary ebook asserts that McGrath “was politically undermined, attacked, and finally persecuted and prosecuted in a collusion orchestrated by Hogan,” who can be known as “Lyin’ Larry.” The Banner moreover says the ebook “can be filled with petty private complaints and gripes about varied officers within the Hogan administration.” (Not one of the retailers that lined the ebook say it consists of verifiable proof that McGrath was harmless of the crimes for which he was charged. There’s additionally no proof that Hogan, who is usually mentioned as a possible third-party presidential candidate, ever lied about his information of McGrath’s payout.)
Are the books by McGrath?
McGrath had advised the Publish beforehand that he was writing a ebook about his experiences, however the Betrayed titles describe him within the third individual. For what it’s value, a Banner reporter who spoke briefly to a person figuring out himself as “Ryan C. Cooper” wrote that “Cooper” didn’t sound like McGrath on the cellphone. “Cooper” advised the Banner that he was a former Maryland resident dwelling in Florida who had merely taken an curiosity in McGrath’s case and helped him describe his viewpoint.
Did McGrath ever clarify why he turned a fugitive?
Not that we all know of. Neither is it clear whether or not McGrath meant to have interaction with the FBI brokers who tried to arrest him outdoors the purchasing heart the place he was tracked down. Based on the Washington Publish, a “regulation enforcement doc” describing the incident asserts that McGrath is believed to have shot himself through the encounter and that brokers additionally fired on him, nevertheless it’s unclear what weapon precipitated the deadly wound.
So … why did he flip to a lifetime of crime?
Based on a Democratic lawmaker who spoke to the Banner, McGrath’s issues started when he tried to start operating MES like “he was a Fortune 500 CEO, as an alternative of the chief director of part of state authorities.” The bills he’d later be criticized for included funds for journey to areas together with Italy; Tucson, Arizona; and Disney World. Maybe after an extended profession of serving to Larry Hogan and the CEOs of chain drugstores take pleasure in their wildly glamorous (?) existence, Roy McGrath determined that he rattling nicely deserved his flip to stay like a high canine—and that nobody, together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was going to cease him.
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Maryland
Partial victory in effort to preserve historic Black cemetery in Maryland
![Partial victory in effort to preserve historic Black cemetery in Maryland Partial victory in effort to preserve historic Black cemetery in Maryland](https://media.nbcwashington.com/2024/09/34199981402-1080pnbcstations.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675)
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Maryland
Maryland issues a new suicide prevention action plan for schools, families – WTOP News
![Maryland issues a new suicide prevention action plan for schools, families – WTOP News Maryland issues a new suicide prevention action plan for schools, families – WTOP News](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SAD_GIRL.GettyImages-1033774340-e1705449585875.jpg)
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in Maryland. That’s according to a new suicide prevention action plan produced through the state’s Department of Health.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in Maryland. That’s according to a new suicide prevention action plan produced through the state’s Department of Health.
Scott Poland, the director of the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention at Nova Southeastern University College of Psychology, talked to WTOP about the action plan he authored with his wife, Donna, who is a career educator.
The “Maryland Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in K-12 Schools” serves as a reference guide to school administrators and the community, and was developed in cooperation with the state health department’s Office of Suicide Prevention.
Poland said one thing that surprises people is that children as young as 8 years old may consider taking their own lives.
“I hear from school personnel all around the country (asking if they) have to take it seriously (if a fourth or fifth grader is talking about suicide). And the answer is absolutely yes,” Poland said.
Among the data points in the action plan is a survey of students in the “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey of 2021/2022.” According to that survey, 21% of high school students “seriously considered suicide” in the past year, and 27% of middle schoolers considered suicide at some point in their lives.
Poland said it’s important to talk about suicide with young people, and that the idea that talking about it might encourage a young person to consider suicide is a “myth.”
“When we actually bring it up, it gives someone a chance to unburden themselves, to realize that they’re not alone, that there are alternatives and that there is help available,” Poland said.
But he said young people are most susceptible to imitating suicidal behavior: “It is important that we not glorify the suicide victim.”
Instead, Poland said, the emphasis after a suicide should be on healing those affected and helping them find appropriate ways to deal with their emotions and mental health.
The plan released this week includes providing intervention action plans for a young person who may be considering suicide.
“Part of that, of course, is removing lethal means and developing a written safety plan with them,” he said.
Poland said that can include helping people understand “the importance of calling 988, doing things that can calm themselves down,” and reaching out to the nearest trusted adult.
People can reach the national resource for crisis response services and suicide prevention by dialing 988.
Poland said social media is “wreaking havoc” on children’s emotional well-being, often making them feel “not smart enough, not rich enough, not good enough.” Poland said he’s currently working with the state of South Dakota on developing tools to help “young people be a little more mindful and make better decisions about their screen time.”
Poland said parents can help — when it comes to the hours and hours that many people spend online — by modeling healthy amounts of screen time themselves. And he said adults need to think about how they introduce technology to their kids.
“We’re in too (much of) a hurry to give kids smartphones and 24-hour internet access,” Poland said.
“I really have to compliment Maryland,” Poland said, on coming up with the new plan.
Poland said Maryland does not have an especially high rate of suicide, but “I think we all recognize that losing one young person to suicide is one too many.”
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Maryland
Getting to know Michigan State football’s Week 2 opponent: Maryland
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Game two is coming up for Michigan State football as the Spartans hit the road for an early season Big Ten matchup against Maryland. The Terps have had MSU’s number in recent years, but the Spartans’ new-look team is ready to change that narrative this weekend.
Jonathan Smith and his staff have a lot to work on this week after a lackluster 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic, but we’ve become more than used to slow starts for MSU in their first game so it’s not time to panic just yet.
While the team wraps up their preparations for Maryland, let’s take a quick look at the Terps and see what we can learn about them before the big game on Saturday.
Maryland is off and running in their 2024 campaign and had an absolutely dominant week one performance. The Terps took on UConn at home and came away with an impressive 50-7 win. Sure UConn is an awful football program, but we saw how poorly Michigan State just did against a similar opponent.
Not only was the final score lopsided, but ever major statistical category was as well. Maryland doubled UConn in first downs and rushing yards, threw for nearly 400 passing yards and even won the turnover battle 3-0. The Terps also only had five penalties for 45 yards which is significantly better than MSU’s 12 for 140 yards against FAU.
Sure all of this took place against UConn, but it appears that Maryland is in a very good spot heading into this big week two matchup.
One thing that I thought would be a positive for Michigan State in this game is that Maryland is breaking in a new quarterback as well. The Terps’ quarterback, Billy Edwards Jr., went off against UConn and completed 20-of-27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also is a capable runner and added 39 yards on the ground, so Michigan State will have its hands full on Saturday slowing him down.
The Terps don’t have one standout running back in the backfield, so that does benefit MSU. They do however have two solid backs in Roman Hemby and Nolan Ray who both ran for over 60 yards and one score each.
The one player however that Michigan State needs to pay the most attention to is wide receiver Tai Felton. He had one of the best Week 1 performances in the country as he recorded seven receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Thankfully MSU’s defense and secondary looked much improved against FAU, so hopefully that carries over into this weekend’s matchup.
The opportunity in front of MSU on Saturday is massive. The Spartans are big underdogs in this matchup which they probably deserve, but a win would do wonders not just for the overall perception of the team but for their confidence moving forward.
I’ve got a strange feeling that we’re going to be very happy around 7 p.m. ET Saturday night.
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