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A Baltimore trio has been indicted for kidnapping and murdering a marijuana dealer in Queens in July and then fleeing the scene. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced on the 23rd that the three suspects in the case, Jerome Waters, Calvin Israel, and William Barnett, were indicted on charges of kidnapping, robbery, and murder.

The suspects, who were living in Baltimore at the time of the July incident, drove to New York on the 24th after making a fake appointment with a marijuana dealer in Queens for a marijuana transaction. Immediately after confronting the dealer, the suspects threatened him with a gun, tied him up, and stole about 30 pounds of marijuana from the dealer’s location.

The suspects then parked a U-Haul van on 208th Street near 32nd Drive, not far from Crocheron Park, shot and killed the dealer in the vehicle, and then fled to Maryland. According to prosecutors, among the three suspects indicted, Waters and Israel were arrested in Maryland on the 25th, while Barnett is currently on the run.

The suspects face up to life in prison if convicted.

The Maryland State Board of Education has made it mandatory for public school students to report their criminal and criminal records.

The state board of education held an emergency meeting on the 22nd and unanimously passed a rule requiring all information about students who have been involved in, or have been convicted of, a violent crime to be shared with the school system when they transfer or enrol. This includes murder, arson, armed carjacking, and sexual assault, and is intended to prevent situations that threaten the safety of teachers and students in schools.

State Superintendent Carrie Wright sent a letter to 24 school districts, ordering them to immediately implement the new rule. “Previously, when a student transferred to a different school after committing a violent crime, it was optional to report their criminal record to the new school,” Wright said. “Under the new mandatory student crime reporting rule, the school system must clearly and transparently share information about transfer students who may pose a threat to the school and students.”

The new reporting requirement for students’ criminal and criminal backgrounds comes after a 17-year-old student who transferred from Anne Arundel County to Howard High School in Howard County was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder on May 15. Three lawmakers, including state Sen. Clarence Lamb, called for the requirement.

According to Howard County police, the Howard High student, who is suspected of a shooting murder in Columbia around 2:14 a.m. on May 12, was arrested at the school at around 12:45 p.m. at the time of his arrest. The suspect was found to be carrying a loaded gun in his backpack and was wearing an electronic ankle monitor for juvenile probation.

The Howard County Board of Education said it would not have approved the transfer if it had known of the student’s criminal record, including the attempted murder charge. “This lack of communication can actually cause significant harm and harm,” the Howard County Board of Education said.

The Howard County Board of Education has formed a safety and security advisory committee and asked the Maryland Department of Youth Services to review the cases of 48 students who have been detained or disciplined.

The number of drug overdose deaths in New York City is on the decline. According to a report released by the New York City Department of Health on the 17th, the number of drug overdose deaths in 2023 will be 3,046, a decrease of 0.78% (24 people) from the previous year’s 3,070. It is the first decline last year after increasing for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022. However, the racial gap has deepened.

While the number of whites decreased by 12.8% (101 people) from 792 the previous year to 691, the number of blacks increased by 1.4% (15 people) from 1,057 the previous year to 1,072, and the number of Latinos increased by 2.3% (24 people) from 1,053 the previous year to 1,077.

The analysis is that while the number of whites and Asians decreased, the number of blacks and Latinos is still increasing. In terms of racial ratio, blacks and Latinos each accounted for 35% of the total, or 70%, while whites accounted for 23%, Asians 1%, and other races 5%, with blacks and Latinos overwhelmingly outnumbering them.

By borough, the Bronx recorded the most deaths at 30%, followed by Brooklyn at 26%, Manhattan at 24%, Queens at 16%, and Staten Island at 5%. In particular, the mortality rate increased in some low-income areas of Manhattan’s East Harlem and the Bronx, while the mortality rate decreased by 9% in wealthier areas. By gender, 69.4% were male and 26.6% were female.

The most common narcotic drugs that led to death were opioids and fentanyl, followed by cocaine, alcohol, and heroin.

Nearly six out of ten New Jersey residents support deporting illegal immigrants. In addition, more than half of residents said that the legal immigration process should be more difficult, showing that perceptions of immigration are changing negatively. According to the results of a poll of New Jersey voters released by Stockton University on the 17th, 57% of all respondents said they support national efforts to deport illegal immigrants.

By party, 89% of Republican respondents, 56% of independents, and 33% of Democratic respondents supported deporting illegal immigrants. Perceptions of expanding legal immigration also showed a negative change. In the 2022 survey, the number of respondents who were for and against the question of whether legal immigration should be expanded was tied at 34% each, but in this poll, 51% responded that the legal immigration process should be more difficult, while only 20% said that the immigration process should be made easier.

This change in New Jersey residents’ perception of immigration is analyzed as being due to growing dissatisfaction with the southern border crisis. Meanwhile, 73% of all respondents were in favor of legalizing abortion. In addition, 58% of respondents opposed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed abortion rights.

Perceptions of the economy varied depending on political party affiliation. About 80% of Democratic supporters thought the economy was optimistic, while only 25% of Republican supporters said they were optimistic.

This survey was conducted from the 10th to the 14th with 616 registered New Jersey voters. The margin of error is ±3.9%.

Three historic universities in Virginia that have been open for over 100 years are facing financial difficulties due to a significant decrease in the number of students enrolled and are on the verge of closure. Local media outlet WRIC reported on the 8th, citing a report from the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), that three universities, Virginia State University in Chesterfield County, Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, and Radford University in Radford, are at risk of closure due to financial problems, although not immediately.

According to the outlet, Virginia State University, which opened in 1882, has maintained low tuition fees to provide educational services to the traditionally underprivileged, but this has led to a continued decline in school revenue in recent years. Radford University, which opened in 1910, and Mary Washington University, which opened in 1908, are being cited as the cause of their crisis due to a significant decrease in the number of students enrolled.

While many people are focused on the presidential election on November 5, voters in the City of Fairfax, Virginia, will also be voting for mayor, city council members, and school board members. In the past, Fairfax City’s public office elections were held without party affiliation, but starting in 2022, they will be able to state their party affiliation and support just like other general elections.

While this has the positive effect of increasing voter turnout, it has also had many negative side effects. Fairfax, a small city with a population of 22,000 and registered voters of 18,000, has ended up being swayed by two-party politics, putting party lines ahead of local issues, and the conflict among residents has reached a peak ahead of this presidential election.

Unscrupulous campaigning has been uncovered, including damaging and even removing and switching the campaign signs of opposing candidates. Ahead of this election, candidates running for mayor and city council attended a candidate forum on the 25th of last month, directly meeting residents and communicating with them to appeal for support.

Incumbent mayor Catherine Read emphasized, “When elections were held in May in the past, the voter turnout was only 20%, but with the change to November in 2022, the voter turnout was 59%.” She added, “There is some controversy over this, but we need to recognize the change.” She also said, “Voters already know the political leanings of the candidates,” and “We need to be honest about what the candidates support and what voters want to know, not about partisanship.” She added, “I support Democratic values.” Challenger Susan Kuiler said, “I will run as an independent,” and “I will listen to the voices of residents who are concerned about partisan fighting, and work with the city council and staff to make a bipartisan effort for the development and safety of Fairfax.”

These remarks reflect concerns that since Fairfax local elections also require candidates to disclose their party affiliations, the city council, like the state and federal legislatures, will lose its bipartisan efforts and become a wasteful partisan fight. The argument is that candidates who are elected with the support of the Democratic Party will inevitably be conscious of their party’s platform while conducting their legislative activities and will ultimately prioritize the party’s position over the residents.

In fact, it has been reported that the city council has engaged in wasteful battles over abortion rights and sexual identity issues before local issues. In this situation, candidate Queller emphasized, “I hope that the election will be held freely without being influenced by the two major parties,” and “If I become mayor, I will work to restore the trust of the residents, and once I am elected, I will no longer be self-righteous and not listen to the residents.”

There are 11 candidates running for the six-member City Council, and the Fairfax Democratic Party has officially endorsed three candidates: Billy Bates, Stacy Hardy-Chandler, and Taylor Alice Geaghan. The Republican Party, on the other hand, has not endorsed a candidate this time, just like in the last election. Incumbents Jeff Greenfield, Kate Doyle Feimgold, and Billy Bates, all of whom are seeking reelection, are expected to win, while Anthony Amos, who served as an aide to Fairfax County’s only Republican supervisor, Pat Herity, is also expected to win.

Meanwhile, three-term Korean American Councilor So-Jung Lim has not run this time. “Comparing when I first entered the city council to now, I am just exhausted and disappointed,” said Rep. Lim. “In the past, despite different political tendencies, it was possible to reach an agreement through discussion, but it is difficult to expect that anymore.”

The safest city in California is Irvine, Orange County. It is followed by Chula Vista, San Diego, and Glendale, Los Angeles County. The top five safest cities in the country, according to personal finance company WalletHub, are South Burlington, Vermont; Casper, Wyoming; Warwick, Rhode Island; Burlington, Vermont; and Boise, Idaho.

Irvine was ranked 11th among the safest cities in the country and was selected as the safest city in California. In California, Irvine, Chula Vista, Fremont, Glendale, Santa Rosa, Santa Clarita, and Garden Grove were selected as the safest cities in that order.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, claimed on the 7th that immigrants commit violent crimes because of bad genes while criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s border policy. In an interview with the conservative radio show The Hugh Hewitt Show that day, former President Trump criticized the rapid influx of immigrants for driving up housing prices in the United States.

“We’re allowing people to come in through open borders. 13,000 of them were murderers,” he said without providing any evidence. “Many of them have murdered more than one person, but now they’re living happily in the United States,” he said. “Murderers have those genes. Now we (around us) have a lot of bad genes.” He continued, “There are 425,000 people who should not be in the United States,” and criticized them, saying, “They are criminals.”

Former President Trump previously pledged to pursue an ultra-hardline anti-immigration policy, including promising to deport the largest number of illegal immigrants on his first day in office, targeting anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. Former President Trump claims that his rival Vice President Kamala Harris, who served as the “border czar” of the Biden administration, failed to control the border, leading to a large influx of illegal immigrants, and that these immigrants are causing violent crimes, driving up housing prices, and taking jobs from black and Hispanic Americans. However, there are no statistics showing that crime rates are higher in areas of the United States where many immigrants reside, and there are even research results showing that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than non-immigrants.

In a debate on the 10th of last month, former President Trump made the unfounded claim that Haitian immigrants who are legally residing in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats. He also stated that he would revoke the residency status of Haitian immigrants if he were to take office.

Former President Trump was heavily criticized late last year when he compared immigrants to “vermin” and said, “Immigrants are polluting the blood of America” while mentioning a hard-liner stance on illegal immigration. At the time, there were criticisms in the United States that this statement was like the claims of the Nazi regime, which pursued a policy of exterminating Jews. Former President Trump’s repeated, ultra-hardline anti-immigrant remarks appear to have been made in consideration of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States.

In a survey conducted by CBS last month, more than 50% of respondents said they supported former President Trump’s pledge to deport large-scale illegal immigrants.

As Virginia’s Fairfax County moves to reduce its heavy reliance on property taxes and diversify its tax sources, including food taxes, there is continued opposition from local food service industries, including Korean restaurants, and some residents.

According to local media outlets such as ABC7 News, Fairfax County is considering imposing a 6% food tax even though it has already collected a whopping $240 million more in taxes this year than originally planned. According to ABC7 News, the county government is considering imposing a food tax to diversify its tax sources, saying that if it wanted to, it could send $200 checks to every resident, including children.

Supervisor Walter Alcorn said, “66% of the county’s tax revenue comes from property taxes, which is too high,” and that “we need to diversify our tax sources,” and it has been reported that the other supervisors, except for Pet Harrity, are in favor of imposing a food tax. Local restaurant businesses, including Korean restaurants, are raising their voices in opposition to the food tax, concerned that the number of consumers who feel the burden of rising dining out costs will decrease due to the county’s move to impose a food tax.

An official from the Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Association said, “Right now, not only the cost of dining out, but also the cost of operating a restaurant is higher than ever,” and “Now is not a good time to be pushing for a food tax.” The owner of the pizza restaurant “Paisanos,” which employs more than 1,000 people, also said, “I hope they reconsider imposing the food tax and find other sources of revenue.” A resident who identified himself as a restaurant manager in the Reston area expressed his regret, saying, “It seems like there is no place where taxes are not rising these days, making it harder to live in the county,” and “It’s ridiculous that they are pushing for it again this time when the food tax was already rejected in two previous referendums.”

Meanwhile, Alexandria, Falls Church, and Prince William counties already have food taxes in place, and last year, Alexandria earned $31.6 million in tax revenue, Falls Church $5.6 million, and Prince William County $44.9 million.

With the 2024 general election taking place on November 5, the Maryland Board of Elections has announced three voting options and deadlines. Maryland voters can exercise their right to vote early, by mail, or in person on Election Day. Of course, voter registration is required.

Voter registration must be completed by Tuesday, October 15, whether by mail or online. Early voting will be held from Thursday, March 24 to Thursday, March 31, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at a total of 97 early voting locations across the state. The same hours will be held on Saturdays and Sundays. Early voting locations are set up in 14 Montgomery locations, 5 Howard County locations, 10 Anne Arundel County locations, 11 Baltimore County locations, 8 Baltimore City locations, 3 Carroll County locations, 4 Harford County locations, and 4 Frederick County locations.

Any registered voter can vote by mail, but you must apply in advance to vote by mail. The registration deadline is Tuesday, October 29. To vote by mail, voters must return their marked ballots by mail by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, or drop them off at drop boxes located throughout the state. They can also visit an early voting location or a polling place on Election Day to deliver their ballots.

On Election Day, November 5, in-person voting is available at each polling place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are a total of 286 polling places set up across the state.