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Maryland to require interlock devices in all DUI offenders' cars

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2 years ago

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Maryland to require interlock devices in all DUI offenders' cars


Maryland will have a new tool to keep drunken drivers off the roads starting Tuesday.

“It’s been a long, long journey, and it shouldn’t have been.”

 The long journey for Rich Leotta started when his son Noah died in 2015. The Montgomery County Police officer was hit and killed while on patrol by a drunk driver.

“I think about Noah all the time,” Leotta said. “I know he’s with me.”

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 Noah’s Law passed in 2016, requiring ignition interlock devices — like breathalyzers — to be installed in the cars of those convicted of drunk driving in Maryland.

But there was a loophole that allowed thousands of drunk drivers to avoid the program every year. If they were given what’s called probation before judgment, as many are for a first DUI offense, then they weren’t required to participate.

The exemption applied to about 50% of cases statewide.

This past session, Maryland lawmakers closed the loophole, requiring all DUI offenders to participate.

Under the new law, experts predict another 5,700 will be required to get into the ignition interlock program.

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 supporters say the program is not about punishment — it’s about changing behavior.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who have the ignition interlock device are less likely to drive drunk again in the future.

“But we still have a lot of work to do to make sure every state requires interlock devices beginning with the first offense,” said Stacey Stewart with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. 

Kathleen Riley with Smart Start demonstrated how the device works. If it detects alcohol, you can’t start your car.

“In the state of Maryland, we also have cameras, so it identifies who is trying to take the test,” she said. 

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 For Leotta, the journey isn’t over. He’s working to get legislation passed by Congress to require interlock laws across the country.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, ignition interlocks prevented more than 76,000 drinking and driving attempts in Maryland last year.

All DUI offenders are required to take part in the Ignition Interlock System Program starting Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Convicted drivers will have to install the system and use it for at least 180 days.

Under a new change to the law, all drivers convicted of alcohol-related offense will have to get interlock devices installed in their vehicles.

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Washington

Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history

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8 hours ago

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June 24, 2026

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Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history


The iron gate to Woodlawn Cemetery is almost always locked shut, but Toni White-Richardson was more than happy to let News4 inside.

As president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, she was excited to talk about what makes this resting place so special.

“It is major D.C. history, first. Then it’s also major Black history, second,” White-Richardson said.

More than 30,000 people, mostly African Americans, are buried among the 22 acres of Woodlawn Cemetery, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 1895. And like so many cemeteries that date back to the 1800s, particularly African American cemeteries, this one has fallen into disrepair, is overgrown and has headstones tumbled over, like those of Wilhelmina and her husband James, and Eliza Spencer, a mother who died in 1887.

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“Let me do a very upfront disclaimer,” White-Richardson said. “We have no idea where these stones go. And when we looked at the grid, it became even clear as mud, it became less clear as to where these stones should really go. Unfortunately, when we look back, we can tell there was a plan, but we could see we never got totally completed. Even back then, there are no markers saying this is Section H or this is Section G or this is 102 and this is, none of that.”

One of the most notable Washingtonians laid to rest here is John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black congressman.

“Langston University came one year because they had a grand reunion in D.C., and we arranged for them to come to see […] John Mercer Langston, the university that was named after this man,” White-Richardson said.

And Blance Bruce, the first Black U.S. senator to serve a full term and register of the treasury, is also buried in the cemetery.

“He’s the signature on our dollar bill, you know, back in the late 1800s,” White-Richardson said. “So, oh, it’s history. It’s capital letters. No getting around it.”

Woodlawn is also the resting place of several of the original founders of two of the country’s most prominent Black sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta. Both organizations volunteer to help with clean ups.

The Perpetual Care Association recently received a grant from the D.C. Office of Planning to help with upkeep of the grounds and preserving the history here.

“These are important individuals who’ve made contributions to the District a century ago, but today still their history and their stories reverberate and really influence the trajectory of our city,” said Anita Cozart, director of the D.C. Office of Planning.

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The cemetery tucked away off Benning Road is only open to the public five days a year, but groups can request tours anytime. The next chance to visit Woodlawn when it will be open to the public is Labor Day.

They’re always looking for volunteers and donors to help with the upkeep of this sacred ground.



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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool

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18 hours ago

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June 24, 2026

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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool


US President Donald Trump wanted to mark the US’s 250th birthday with a renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

The makeover, including a new coat of “American Flag blue,” cost taxpayers $16 million (€14.1 million).

But the water is covered in green algae. The blue paint is already peeling. Trump has blamed vandals, while his critics question the project’s transparency and cost.

DW’s Brent Goff and Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon unpack the whole fiasco.

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

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1 day ago

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June 23, 2026

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up to date on all your favorite teams.

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