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By Tracy Manzer, Senior Editor Investigators have confirmed there is a possibility that Philip Seymour Hoffman, the much-acclaimed actor who was found dead in a Greenwich Village apartment Sunday from an apparent drug overdose, may have succumbed to a particularly deadly brand of heroin laced with the staggeringly powerful opioid called fentanyl. Drug experts say fentanyl is far more potent than morphine and much more powerful than heroin, and authorities throughout the Northeast have reportedly said they have seen a rash of fatal overdoses in recent months attributed to the new brand of drug. According to an article that ran recently in the Baltimore Sun, “The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday that 37 Marylanders had died since September of overdoses after taking the drug mixture. The deaths accounted for 12 percent of 318 overdose deaths in the past four months. The deaths have raised concerns because…

What happens when the mundane becomes the unimaginable? Tiffany Bagherian knows all too well. A recent graduate of the University of Maryland,College Park, Bagherian described for reporters the many times she and fellow students crossed Baltimore Avenue near Knox Road in pursuit of good food and unfettered fun. Never had she pondered the possibility of her friends (nor herself) being struck down by what authorities are alleging was a careless and callous driver at that very location. But on January 17th, that's exactly what happened to her 22-year-old friend, Cory Hubbard. Dazed and doleful, Bagherian told the Washington Post that she is struggling to reconcile Cory’s loss in such a senseless way. The unknown identity of the driver only exacerbates the pain for his family and friends, including those who accompanied Cory that fateful night. No one is more devastated by Cory's death than his parents, Ralph and Holly Hubbard,…

Collaborative efforts by law enforcement, residents, and students of Towson are aimed at stemming the tide of criminal activity within the growing city’s perimeter. From street robberies to home invasions to violent assaults, Towson’s criminal statistics are ominously creeping upward. Comparing crime stat averages over the last five years, robberies increased by 6.22%, aggravated assaults by 13.1%, violent crime by 9.3%, with an overall rise in total crime by 4.1% from January to September of last year. The recent stabbing of a Towson University student and an armed robbery at Towson Center are piquing the interest of many of its 55,000 residents, causing some to unite in action. Rather than retreating in fear and frustration, residents have launched public safety initiatives throughout the community, including the University. Volunteers dutifully patrol streets and report suspicious activity to the local precinct, while encouraging business participation to help keep the streets safe. But…