Maryland

Critics say Maryland’s new law banning rapidly change product costs based on consumer data is full of carveoutsMaryland has become the first state in the US to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores.Maryland’s law bans grocers and third-party delivery services from using a person’s personal data to set higher prices. Wes Moore, the governor, signed the measure into law on Tuesday. “At a time when technology can predict what we need, when we need it, when we’ll pay for it and also – when we’ll pay more for it, and at a time when we’re watching how big companies are then using these analytics against us to make record profits, Maryland is not just pushing back. Maryland is pushing forward because we are going to protect our people,” Moore said at the bill signing ceremony. Continue reading...

Parent company of non-profit news website Baltimore Banner announces it acquired paper for undisclosed sumThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has roots that date back to 1786, was set to close next month, in a major blow to the city and a sign of the distressed state of local news. Not any more.On Tuesday, the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, the parent company of the Baltimore Banner non-profit news website in Maryland, announced it had acquired the Post-Gazette for an undisclosed sum. Continue reading...

Rodney Ward returned debris instead of pets’ ashes and stored animals’ bodies in hearse or threw them out on roadSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA Baltimore county man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding pet owners through his fake crematorium business, returning rocks and sand to grieving victims instead of ashes.On Tuesday, 56-year-old Rodney Ward was also ordered to pay $12,510 in restitution to victims. He had pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and five counts of malicious destruction of property over $1,000, according to the Baltimore county state’s attorney’s office. Continue reading...