Cracker Barrel Coming to Linthicum

Crews are expected to break ground on the future site of the restaurant by the end of March.

Local fans of Cracker Barrel will have their wishes granted soon, as the country-style restaurant chain is set to open its first location in Anne Arundel County by the end of the year. Cracker Barrel Country Store Inc. signed a lease for a location at BWI Technology Park III, adjacent to the airport and Baltimore-Washington Parkway, according to a statement from St. John Properties. Crews are expected to break ground in late March on what will be a nearly 9,000-square-foot freestanding building. "Securing the first Cracker Barrel restaurant and store in Anne Arundel County is a significant win," said Bill Holzman, assistant vice president for retail leasing for St. John Properties. The restaurant will join several other chain restaurants …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

BWI Planning for Snow, Flight Cancellations

The airport is preparing staff and snow-removal crews for heavy winter precipitation.

Forecasts for the winter storm heading toward the mid-Atlantic are anything but consistent, and crews at the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport are preparing for the worst, according to airport officials. Although no broad cancelations have been announced, airport spokesperson Jonathan Dean said he does expect airlines to cancel some flights. "It will depend on conditions here and at other markets throughout the East and Midwest," Dean told Patch. He said travelers should check with their airline websites for delays and cancellations tomorrow. As for those travelers who will be at BWI during the worst of the storm, Dean said he doesn't expect many stranded travelers. More than 200 staff and contractors are prepared to clear …

• Photos (1)

BWI Increases Annual Traffic for Third Straight Year

The airport announced that more 22 million people flew through BWI in 2012.

For the third straight year, Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has increased its best year-long traffic totals, according to a press release from the airport. Passenger traffic at BWI increased 1.3 percent from 2011 to 22.6 million commercial passengers. International passenger traffic increased 20.7 percent from 2011, and cargo shipments increased 3.7 percent from the year prior. The year also saw the airport's best month on record in July when more than 2.2 million people flew through BWI. "The sustained growth and success at BWI Marshall highlights its position as an important business and tourism gateway, as well as a job generator," said Governor Martin O'Malley. Nearly 94,000 jobs are supported by BWI, as …

• Photos (1)

BWI Shuttle Collision Delays Light Rail

The crash left two people injured, according to emergency officials.

CORRECTION: This story was updated to reflect that the shuttle did not flip or overturn in any way. A BWI shuttle bus collided with a pole early Sunday, causing a section of the light rail to lose power and leaving two people injured, according to Anne Arundel County emergency officials. The incident took place near BWI Airport at Route 170 and Terminal Road in Linthicum. The Maryland Transit Authority website is not reporting any further delays, but several reports said delays of the light rail went into Monday morning. Emergency crews transported the driver of the shuttle and a passenger to the Baltimore Washington Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, according to fire department spokesman Keith Swindle. The shuttle did not…

• Photos (1)

Suspicious Package Leads BWI to Close Gate Area

Authorities are investigating a suspicious package that was reported at 3 p.m. on Friday.

UPDATE: Investigators determined that the item was "non-hazardous" and reopened the area near the gate by 5 p.m. on Friday, according to airport spokesperson Jonathan Dean. --- Authorities at the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport are investigating a suspicious package that showed up at approximately 3 p.m. in a non-public part of the airport, according to a spokesperson for BWI. "The investigation is in the lower-level airline space of Concourse D, not in a public area," said Jonathan Dean, spokesperson for the airport. "However, as a precaution, travelers were cleared from the airline gate area in Concourse D, near that specific location." Dean said he does not know whether authorities have seized the package or…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Presidential Declaration Devotes Federal Resources to MD

Sen. Ben Cardin announced a presidential declaration that gives Maryland federal aid and Gov. Martin O’Malley urged Maryland citizens to stay off the roads Monday at a press conference at MEMA.

President Barack Obama signed a pre-landfall state of emergency declaration for Maryland. The declaration provides federal resources from FEMA and Health and Human Services to state aid, Sen. Ben Cardin announced at a press conference at Maryland Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Reisterstown Sunday night. “Federal partners are here at your request,” he said. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are working alongside state agencies at MEMA’s emergency operations center, which is fully staffed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. Federal employees from Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, Indiana and Kansas have come to Maryland’s aid, Cardin said. Military …

•  20 Comments
• Photos (1)

UPDATE: Section of B-W Parkway Closing Again This Weekend

Construction crews will be replacing two overpass bridges in Linthicum.

UPDATE (2 p.m. Thursday)—Construction of the overpass bridges on Baltimore-Washington Parkway at West Nursery Road will continue as scheduled on Friday night and Saturday night, according to the State Highways Administration. Read more about the traffic delays expected below the update from Oct. 20. UPDATE (12:30 p.m. Oct. 20)—A delay in construction of an overpass on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, MD-295, has caused the State Highways Administration (SHA) to close a section of northbound MD-295 at West Nursery Road and redirect traffic to I-95, MD-1, MD-29 and I-97, according to a SHA press release. As crews attempted to transport the new bridge deck for the overpass, the deck shifted on the transport vehicle. Safety inspectors will …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Dave Pumphrey

1:24 am on Monday, October 22, 2012

The problem was moving the old span out, not moving the new span. This is the first project of it's kind in MD, has been done in Utah & Florida. It will be interesting to see what went wrong.   more ›

Plane Diverted to BWI

Hazmat crews responded after flight attendant reportedly fell ill.

Group Hopes to Increase Sex Trafficking Awareness

A group called AA Aware! aims to put more eyes on the problem in Anne Arundel County.

Haven't heard about sex trafficking? That's about to change. A group in Anne Arundel County called AA Aware! held its inaugural meeting on Monday in Severn. Through a $10,000 grant from Anne Arundel Women's Giving Together, AA Aware! will educate the county about sex trafficking through forums, videos and other materials over the next year. In May, a 19-year-old California woman was arrested in Linthicum and charged with human trafficking when police said flew a woman into Maryland to work as a prostitute. About 50 people gathered at Heritage Community Church in Severn to learn more about the issue, including law enforcement from the Anne Arundel County Police Department. It’s difficult to point to numbers that indicate the scope of the …

• Photos (3)

BWI's Southwest Airlines Featured in 'On the Fly'

The show filmed at Southwest counters and terminals in airports across the country—including at BWI Thurgood Marshall Aiport—premiered last Thursday on TLC.

Television viewers get a glimpse into the days of Southwest Airlines employees and passengers at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) with the premiere of On the Fly last Thursday on TLC. The reality show, which airs every Thursday at 9 p.m., will feature portions filmed at BWI's Southwest, as well as other airports across the country. "On the Fly gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the large-scale operations and personal customer stories at Southwest Airlines," according to the show's website. "Each episode introduces viewers to Southwest Airlines employees who must think on their feet as they cope with weather delays, irate passengers and more surprising situations. On the Fly offers a look at the dramatic and uplifting moments that…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)