Reforms proposed, then put on the shelf
More than three years ago, Maryland was handed a blueprint to improve the care of nearly 3,000 children in privately run group homes. The plan recommended new performance standards, tougher...
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For troubled teens, ‘a second home’
BOONSBORO - She points proudly to a new report card marked with A's and B's and talks about a future career in law enforcement. Then she acknowledges that she'd be...
Regulation of staff at homes is lacking
Group homes for children can employ almost anyone -- even convicted criminals. Children of Life employed two key figures in one of the nation's largest drug paraphernalia rings. The women...
The word gets out early: ‘Licensing is coming’
During his 15 months managing four group homes run by Evershine Residential Services Inc., Dennis Waters saw inspectors from the Department of Human Resources visit once. "We knew they were...
Nonprofits reap generous perks
Second of four parts At home, Joseph K. Skariah has driven a $41,280 Acura SUV. On vacation, he has taken cruises in the Caribbean. He has often feasted on shrimp...
State’s lax oversight puts fragile children at risk
There were warning signs in the months before 11-year-old Arthur Lee Wiley became deathly ill. The severely disabled boy was kept in bed so long he moaned in pain. He...
Steffen worked in dark behind political scenes
Joseph F. Steffen Jr. left Reisterstown's Franklin High School and quickly found a home in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, working mostly behind the scenes as a self-described "Prince of...
Rehiring law’s demise likely to end careers
Eight years shepherding Grange Elementary in Dundalk wasn't long enough for Harry Belsinger, and yet one of the Baltimore County school system's most accomplished principals will probably have to leave...
Schools struggle to dry off, clean out fridges
Confronting flooded buildings and spoiled food, dozens of Baltimore-area schools still reeling from Tropical Storm Isabel struggled yesterday to pump basements, assess damage and throw away soured milk. Many schools...
Schools devise activities amid sniper lockdown
With her school locked down by the sniper shootings, one Prince George's County principal organized a diversion for her increasingly restless pupils: Popsicles and hopscotch. The 712 children at Barnaby...