A Local Arrest Leads to National Death Penalty Case by James Rada, Jr. An arrest in Thurmont in 1949 was the first domino to tip in Merlin James Leiby’s life that led to him being executed for murder in Florida a few years later in a case that drew national coverage. Leiby was like a…

Who Let the Dogs Out? by James Rada, Jr. Mint juleps bring to mind southern plantations with well-dressed men and women sitting on wide porches, sipping a drink to bring a bit of relief to the heat and humidity. You don’t think of dog sledding. That’s for the wilderness of Alaska and Canada… and Frederick…

The British Invade catoctin mountain by James Rada, Jr. In the spring of 1941, the U.S. had yet to enter World War II, but other countries had been fighting for two years. Germany showed early dominance in the war, and it hadn’t been going well for the British Royal Navy. It had lost more than…