Articles written by Lea Skene


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 11 of 11

  • FBI agents have boarded vessel managed by company whose other cargo ship collapsed Baltimore bridge

    JONATHAN MATTISE and LEA SKENE|Sep 20, 2024

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Federal agents on Saturday boarded a vessel managed by the same company as a cargo ship that caused the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse, the FBI confirmed. In statements, spokespeople for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland confirmed that authorities boarded the Maersk Saltoro. The ship is managed by Synergy Marine Group. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division and Coast Guard Investigative Services are present aboard the Maersk Saltoro c...

  • Tornado hits Michigan, killing toddler, while Ohio and Maryland storms injure at least 13

    LEA SKENE and MELINA WALLING|Jun 7, 2024

    BALTIMORE (AP) — A tornado that ripped through suburban Detroit earlier this week downed trees that smashed through the roof of Abby Sata's family home, sending water gushing below. Though they now have a giant crane taking trees off the house, they were lucky no one was hurt. The tornado that damaged Sata's home in Livonia, Michigan, tore through several neighborhoods and felled a tree that killed a toddler on Wednesday. It developed so quickly that there was no advance notice from the National Weather Service or others that would have normall...

  • Biden OKs $60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of 'very long road ahead'

    LEA SKENE and BRIAN WITTE|Mar 29, 2024

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a "very long road ahead" to recover from the loss of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward the site to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete as a first step toward reopening a key shipping route blocked by the wreckage of the span. Moore promised that "the best minds in the world" were working on plans to clear t...

  • Cranes arriving to start removing wreckage from deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

    LEA SKENE and BRIAN WITTE|Mar 29, 2024

    BALTIMORE (AP) — A crane appeared at the site of a collapsed highway bridge in Baltimore as crews prepared Friday to begin clearing wreckage that has stymied the search for four missing workers and blocked ships from entering or leaving the city's vital port. A crane that can lift 1,000 tons — described as the largest on the Eastern Seaboard — had been expected to arrive late Thursday, and a second that can lift 400 tons should arrive Saturday, officials said earlier. They will be used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concr...

  • Investigation of Baltimore bridge collapse picks up speed as divers recover 2 bodies from water

    LEA SKENE and BRIAN WITTE|Mar 27, 2024

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Investigators began collecting evidence from the cargo ship that plowed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused its collapse, while in the waters below divers searched through twisted metal for six construction workers who plunged into the harbor. The bodies of two were recovered Wednesday, and the others were presumed dead. The bodies of the two men, ages 35 and 26, were located by divers inside a red pickup submerged in about 25 feet of water near the bridge's middle span, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., s...

  • Baltimore police showed indifference leading up to July mass shooting, report says

    LEA SKENE|Sep 6, 2023

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore police ignored multiple warning signs and failed to take proactive measures in the hours leading up to a mass shooting at a neighborhood block party last month — failures that could indicate officer bias, according to a report examining the city's response. Two people died and 28 others were injured when gunshots tore through a large crowd in the courtyard of south Baltimore's Brooklyn Homes public housing complex as the annual "Brooklyn Day" summertime celebration continued after nightfall. Most victims were teenager...

  • Thermo Fisher Scientific settles with family of Henrietta Lacks, whose HeLa cells uphold medicine

    LEA SKENE and SARAH BRUMFIELD|Aug 2, 2023

    BALTIMORE (AP) — More than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Henrietta Lacks' cervical cells without her knowledge, a lawyer for her descendants said they have reached a settlement with a biotechnology company that they accused of reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system. Tissue taken from the Black woman's tumor before she died of cervical cancer became the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes. HeLa cells went on to become a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless s...

  • After mass shooting, Baltimore leaders slam police for inadequate response

    LEA SKENE|Jul 16, 2023

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Nearly three hours before a mass shooting turned a south Baltimore neighborhood block party into a scene of terror and bloodshed, the city's police department received a call about hundreds of partygoers armed with guns and knives — but on-duty officers decided no police services were required. The decision contributed to a "catastrophic breakdown" in police communication and response during the hours leading up to the July 2 shooting, top city officials said at a city council hearing Thursday evening. Baltimore's troubled hist...

  • After mass shooting, Baltimore leaders slam police for inadequate response

    LEA SKENE|Jul 14, 2023

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Nearly three hours before a mass shooting turned a south Baltimore neighborhood block party into a scene of terror and bloodshed, the city's police department received a call about hundreds of partygoers armed with guns and knives — but on-duty officers decided no police services were required. The decision contributed to a "catastrophic breakdown" in police communication and response during the hours leading up to the July 2 shooting, top city officials said at a city council hearing Thursday evening. Baltimore's troubled hist...

  • Catholic church in Maryland slammed after sex abuse report

    LEA SKENE|Apr 7, 2023

    BALTIMORE (AP) — While the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has long touted its transparency in publishing the names of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse, a report released this week by the Maryland attorney general's office raises questions about the integrity of the church's list. Following the report's long-awaited release Wednesday, victims and advocates called on the Baltimore archbishop to address discrepancies — their latest demand for transparency in a decadeslong fight to expose the church's coverup tactics. They also cel...

  • Former top aide to Maryland governor dead after manhunt

    SARAH BRUMFIELD and LEA SKENE|Apr 5, 2023

    BALTIMORE (AP) — A one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan died Monday after being shot when FBI agents confronted him in a manhunt launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said. Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath's death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGrath's wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents. William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she w...

Rendered 11/01/2024 20:49