2025 Year in Review: Orioles experience growing pains, end year on optimistic high note
An airliner and an Army helicopter collide, killing 67 people, almost *** dozen from Maryland. At this point we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident. And we have recovered 27 people from the plane and 1 from the helicopter. We’re absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft. This is devastating. We are all hurting incredibly. Months later, the NTSB is still investigating the circumstances behind the crash. Nationwide bird flu outbreaks leave Maryland’s store shelves bare. No eggs, no poultry. *** broiler flock in Caroline County tested positive for bird flu on Friday, the first positive test in our state since 2023. How prices spiked by as much as 10%. It’ll be too expensive to buy eggs, to dye eggs and have Easter egg hunts. If we continue to see outbreaks in flocks, then prices could continue to rise. This is one of the first cases of its kind in the state of Maryland. Pikesville High School’s former athletic director at the center of *** racially charged AI recording arrested on federal charges and taking *** plea agreement on state charges. Darian apologized, telling the court he did not intend to harm the school. I made *** decision. I have to live with the consequences. Two teens killed in *** double shooting outside the mall in Colombia. This isn’t supposed to happen in Colombia. Colombia is like one of the safest places. How police say GPS monitoring identified *** suspect. We believe the shooting was targeted and that there was one shooter. Met with silence, parents of Howard County students share their concerns with WBAL TV 11 News investigates over the district’s shortcomings in special education. We found funds diverted amid dozens of vacancies. He’s trying really hard. I just wish they had done the right thing. Toxic legacy, how *** first of its kind study found forever chemicals in the blood of every research participant, nearly all of them at risk for health problems. I try to limit my exposure to chemicals. But the fact is that we all live in *** very toxic world, *** beautiful world, but *** toxic world. WBAL TV 11 News investigates, examines the damage caused by PAS chemicals in drinking water. I think we just didn’t know the extent of the of the of the contamination. Kilmar Abrego Garcia taken into custody, sent to *** notorious prison in El Salvador. The Trump administration called it an administrative error, then said Abrego Garcia is *** member of the MS-13 gang. Months later, the legal wrangling continues over his freedom or another potential deportation. Is the single largest incident I know our team has ever responded to. It was massive in size. One year later, lives lost, communities changed. The magnitude of seeing the bridge not there and to get out there and it’s, it’s gone and seeing it laying across this cargo ship and just in the water just it was really hard to just kind of comprehend what you were looking at. WBAL TV 11 News looks back at the Key Bridge disaster, what happened and how we move forward as Maryland reflects, recovers, and rebuilds. Sentence reduced. *** judge agrees to resentence Adnan Syed to time served. The Juvenile Restoration Act is *** huge step forward for recognizing that people may do very terrible things when they’re young, and that doesn’t mean we need to throw away the key for the rest of their lives, while Baltimore prosecutors withdraw *** motion to vacate judgment. Shooting at the police precinct. An officer seriously injured is nowhere safe. Neighbors upset over postponed plans for *** new precinct. I’m literally upset. I am not happy. We talk about safety *** lot in America. It starts right here. And what led to charges against *** city school teacher? He has caused so much more than just pain to people like the damage that he has done is is something that cannot be fixed in any way, shape or form. Pets thought to be cremated instead dumped along roads. Owners left baffled after receiving beach sand instead of remains. This has been *** nightmare for me. I can’t sleep at nighttime. When I close my eyes, I see my dog laying on the side of the road. To continually go out bringing the message of hope, *** message of faith, *** message of love that flows from the gospel of Christ. That was Pope Francis. Maryland mourns Pope Francis, remembering his life and legacy leading the Catholic Church. Kind of looking back on Francis with *** lot of love and um. Care and still sadness, but mostly just excitement around how he must be excited for us to have *** new pope. Then ushering in *** new era with the historic election of the first US Pope, Pope Leo the 14. I mean just incredible. An American pope was just elected. Guilty. *** Harper County jury takes less than an hour to convict the man in the 2023 killing and rape of Rachel Moran. His sentence, the maximum life without parole plus life and 40 years. I felt relieved. That he’s never going to see the light of day. Outside of *** fence. That another person is not going to feel this grief. Months of debate. We cannot recycle bad ideas. Over *** $3.3 billion deficit. This was *** tough budget with spending cuts, new service fees, and tax hikes for top earners. We are not going to solve this problem on the backs of our working people, and we are not going to solve this problem on the backs of our workers and our union. We cannot introduce the largest tax increase. In the history of the state at the same time talk about fixing the economy. Good news all around *** lost wedding ring found. That’s my mom’s ring. I’m so happy *** small community could come together and get it back to her safely. But this story isn’t just about *** ring. 2023 was *** really bad year for us because our daughter had *** very serious breast cancer, but now her daughter Heather is cancer free, and Cathy has her ring back. *** massive fire at *** mattress warehouse escalates to 7 alarms. It’s *** large basement area. It’s the size of the building, and we’re told it’s stacked full of mattresses. So what we’re dealing with now is, is *** deep seated subsurface fire, fire burning. Overnight, billowing smoke for hours. We’re going to be engaged here for quite *** few hours. We’ll likely be here most of the night. The fire disrupted Northeast Regional train service. *** lot of people are going to be really, really mad when they figure out these trains are canceled because she said they’re not coming back until this afternoon. State of emergency. 150 students and 50 adults evacuated by rescue boats amid flooding. Western Maryland seeing extensive damage. We know we have multiple bridges out. We have multiple roads that are out. Multiple residents are stuck without *** way in or out. *** tornado. Down in Baltimore before dissipating in Dundalk, tearing off parts of *** gym’s roof in Canton. The sky was just like green and it was really windy and there was lightning everywhere, prompting evacuations at Pimlico on race day and knocking out power to some 74,000 BGE customers. They’re everywhere. Bowley’s quarters abuzz over midges, and I always have to hold my breath sometimes so they don’t get in my mouth. It’s just *** complete and utter nuisance. They’re out of control. They, they coat just about every surface. How Baltimore County sought state help to mitigate the midge infestation. 5000 gallons of oil spilled in Harbor East, but the smell is pretty pungent. It looks pretty gross. Definitely the water should not have *** rainbow sheen on it. That is not normal. WBAL TV 11 News follows what happened, where it came from, and in an exclusive report, only WBAL TV 11 News was there as officials rescued oil-covered animals. All of *** sudden I looked and this little guy was in traffic and he was like covered in oil. An embattled leader out amid backlash at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. The criticism of me has made it difficult for the department to get the kind of things done that we want to do to help kids and reduce crime. What led to this point and his successor’s approach to reform? I’m not Vinie Schiraldi. What I bring that may be different is *** renewed focus on our operations so that we are in *** position to restore trust and confidence with our community. *** whole fireball just erupted like *** volcano into the sky and it would send debris all the way to my house. *** house explodes in Rosedale, shaking neighbors out of their beds in what they described as scary and terrifying. Road rage in Maryland. There’s more of it and it’s dangerous. We’re trying to crack down on it because it’s ridiculous how mad people can get over very simple small situations like that. It just makes things super, super unsafe. WBAL TV 11 News investigates, examines how officials have taken notice and what they’re doing to crack down. Multiple mass overdoses, leaving dozens sick. 27 hospitalized in July. This is *** level 1 mass casualty incident. 5 more just days later, and we’re just lucky that we didn’t lose anybody. Then 11 more in October. I came out and I saw that they were putting people on *** stretcher again. And I was like, oh no, not again. And all in Penn North, *** terrible day for the Penn North community. Residents suffered overdoses. Countless others were traumatized by what they saw and experienced. The city now steering millions in community grants to combat the opioid epidemic. You have *** lot of people in the city. That need help and mental illness is very rare. *** teenager swept into *** storm drain, drowns in flash flooding. He was, he was *** good kid. Who could have made *** lot of good in the world and he’s gone way too soon. How *** Mount Airy family is turning heartache into *** mission to save lives. My young once full of life nephew. It’s part of an unnecessary statistic. *** name on *** list. *** list that should not exist. Book banned backlash after an LGBTQ plus themed book pulled from school shelves in Hartford County. It’s not appropriate. It’s, it’s full of vulgar language and, and sexual, um, inappropriate, uh, themes that should not be in *** school library. This book is *** very powerful book that speaks to bullying. And it is very important that books like this are in the system and available to students who might be experiencing something like that because it gives them hope. Then decision reversed. The state orders the board to revisit its evaluation procedures. The county since appealed the state’s. Decision to circuit court and the debate continues. If *** parent thinks that their child should have it, then they can go get it. Like I said, it’s available at the public library or they can buy it for their child. If there are parents that don’t want their children to read those types of books or have access to those types of things, that’s perfectly fine. But under no circumstances should another parent in *** school district impose their beliefs, their ideologies onto everyone else in the school district. It’s just, it’s absolutely reprehensible. *** split-second decision that saved *** man’s life. I’m putting the helicopter down in the field. This guy looks like he’s not breathing, not moving. He’s in cardiac arrest. Have *** medic get here ASAP. I knew right away just looking at him on the video that he was in bad shape and he needed compressions pretty quick. BPD’s Foxtrot helicopter crew makes an atypical landing to save *** man who nearly drowned at *** city pool after hours. Dre pretty much said, Let’s, uh, I’ll do CPR if you can get me on the ground and, uh, looked down. I found the field. This is the first time I’ve done it. President Donald Trump, Baltimore and Oakland, we don’t even mention that anymore. They’re they’re so far gone. Governor Wes Moore, the problem is we are seeing *** lack of seriousness from the President of the United States to *** very serious situation, and that’s why I invited him to come to Baltimore to come be educated, to come learn so he doesn’t have to spout non. Sense from the Oval Office and things that are just blatantly not true. *** contentious back and forth exchange over crime in Baltimore. Baltimore. West Moore was telling me he wants, I want to walk with the president. Well, I said, I want to walk with you too someday, but first you’ve got to clean up your crime because I’m not, I’m not walking in Baltimore right now. Baltimore is *** hell hole, and this guy, I don’t even think he knows it. I don’t want this to be about me and the president. It’s not. It’s about the president’s promise to the people of this country. WBAL TV 11 News examines why the consequences couldn’t be greater over *** war of words. *** horse rescue in Reisterstown. John the horse fell some 8 to 10 ft into *** pit. There he is coming up out of the hole. It was shocking. Firefighters shore up the hole. *** vet sedated the horse, and *** crane lifted John to safety. From what we know, the horse seems to be OK, you know, still under vet care, but it did not seem like there was any immediate injuries to the horse. While the property owner says it all could have been prevented. If it weren’t for insurance delays, had they taken care of it? When I filed the claim, this never would have happened, never would have happened. Grant gone. It was kind of like *** numb feeling at first. Like I didn’t know how to react to it because I’m like watching my mom cry and freak out and uh it was really hard to deal with. The money vanished. It kind of threw us for *** loop because we weren’t expecting that and that made it *** full ride for him, free to go to Frostburg, which was his first choice school. WBAL TV 11 News investigates, examines what happened to the money and how the state made things right for hundreds of students. I hate saying I’m 70, but I’ve been coming here at least since I’ve been 67 years old. 75 years. *** beloved Glen Bernie restaurant celebrates *** big anniversary. Uh, we keep it the same. You don’t change the mustard. You don’t change the bread. They’re like, oh, just the way I remembered it 25 years ago. How Ann’s Dairy Cream continues to draw lines out the door. Part of my childhood is gone. Like it’s literally been there since before I was born, and I knew I needed to come down. I get it. I get it. You just wish you could save it, you know, somehow. Massive fire on Baltimore’s superblock shutting down the light rail. Vacant buildings burned. One collapsed. These are old buildings. They’re vacant, you know, we don’t want to put our firefighter personnel in harm’s way. Very sad that these buildings caught on fire. I was glad that there weren’t more buildings that caught on fire. Now city leaders consider how to address vacants. We have 1/3 of our fires in Baltimore City are at vacant properties. 1/3, that’s *** significant amount. So this has to be addressed. They really need to tear these abandoned buildings down, these buildings that nobody is utilizing, things of that nature. They really need to tear this down and start all over again. A-10’s gone. It’s nothing like hearing the approach of an A-10. The A-10 earned its reputation under fire. That sound overhead meant that you were covered. That sound overhead meant that you were protected. The Maryland National Guard says goodbye to the Warthog aircraft as part of *** deactivation ceremony as the military seeks to expand cyberspace and intelligence operations. This next chapter. is ours to write. The mission continues. And when the story of this state. Continues to be written. It will be your fingerprints that will be all over the page. New leads in two cold cases with modern DNA analysis. Baltimore County’s police identify *** suspect in *** 1981 homicide. In 2023, Ms. Ann reached out to our cold case squad for an update on the case. After that phone call, detectives then reviewed the file and identified evidence that was suitable for DNA testing. I was very happy then to be able to, you know, pursue this. And It was just amazed. And you know, it took *** while for all the testing to be done, but hey, this, this was good stuff. Plus Howard County police identify *** murder victim. The genetic genealogy was critical because for all these years we had no way to link this Jane Doe to anyone, and detectives found the victim’s children who knew nothing of their mother or each other. It’s just exciting to know that I have *** sister. I hope to meet her and we get together and. You know, see each other and know we have each other. 42 days, 22 hours, and 24 minutes, the longest federal government shutdown in US history, finally comes to *** close, but not without its pain points. The federal government shutdown. The shutdown was avoidable. This shutdown was unnecessary. This shutdown will directly hurt Maryland. As some 260,000 federal workers in Maryland went without paychecks, 680,000 Marylanders went without food benefits. This is heartless. This is cruel. And this is unforgivable, and air travelers across the country were left holding the bag as the FAA reduced flights, including at BWI Marshall. It ought to be resolved far more quickly and less dramatically than canceling flights. Ceasefire. It’s total and complete like overjoy, like circuit breaker popping, overjoyed. Israel and Hamas agree to pause *** two-year war and release the remaining hostages. Many in Baltimore cautiously optimistic. I’m *** little worried about an oversell, calling this *** peace plan. It’s going to be in phases and so historically, as you say, we have to consider, well, did we get to those subsequent phases. He’s like he’s running for his life now. He ain’t gonna stop. He’s trying to hit him with *** car. Viral video showing *** police officer in *** patrol car chasing *** man on foot. As soon as he walked through that, he hopped back in the car, he started chasing. BPD calls it disturbing and alarming while the state’s attorney announces an indictment. This fool had lost his mind. To be honest, sometimes you see something to you that’s just so egregious that you cannot understand how an individual would have placed himself. In that position at that moment in time, the FOP asking the public to keep an open mind. And Officer Parks has *** right to *** fair trial and if he just takes *** jury trial, the members of the jury will sit down and they’ll give their interpretation or view of the video, but just as *** regular citizen, the first thing that I saw, um. You see *** video of of an officer chasing *** person. *** reality TV star arrested in Carroll County. She and her husband accused of lying about *** burglary. Some 80 items of jewelry, clothes, and shoes reported stolen. What the sheriff says raised red flags. Patrol deputies and detectives found no signs of forced entry or physical evidence of the burglary. So they started walking towards me with guns talking about um get on the ground. I was like, what? *** weapons detector powered by artificial intelligence leads police to handcuff *** high school student, only it wasn’t *** gun. They said um that AI detector or something detected that I had *** gun. I was just holding *** Doritos bag like this. It was two hands in and one hand out and one finger out, and it was like it looked, they said it looked like *** gun. Now BCPS. Is evaluating feedback. No child in our school system should be accosted by the police for eating *** bag of Doritos, saying the software worked as designed. The program is based on human verification and in this case, the program uh did what it was supposed to do, which was to signal an alert and for humans to take *** look to find out if there was cause, um, or, uh, concern. Something’s gotta be done. Changes have to be made and people have to be accountable. Costly coverage. I was shocked because I mean at that point, you know, what is the point of having insurance if something was denied? *** special series from WBAL TV 11 News investigates uncovering health insurance issues facing Marylanders and what to do about them. It’s been challenging, especially when you’re trying to set up with specialists. I was frustrated because I mean I know that. Things like this happen, but what can you do when something is denied? I was very upset. I didn’t, I didn’t know what else to do. Several massive fires across Baltimore over just days from *** warehouse in Remington to the Castle in Hamden to *** manufacturing plant in Canton. The smoke was covering everything, just making it very hard for you to see up on Keith Avenue anywhere down near the port. All the smoke was blowing towards the port. Firefighters worked hard to save lives and protect properties. Firefighters from BCFD 100%. Save the houses back here on 23rd Street. 100% put themselves between this warehouse and these residents’ homes. Three years later, *** man faces arson and murder charges in the Stricker Street fire that killed 3 Baltimore firefighters. To hear the heartache of everything was hard in *** case like this where people lost their lives, somebody needs to be held accountable for it. WBAL TV 11 News investigates, examines what ultimately led to charges. The miracle returns. And they’re so beautiful, especially the lights with the blue. It’s beautiful. The lights are on at Hampden’s Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street. It’s *** Baltimore family tradition that spans generations. As health care subsidies are set to expire, Marylanders could see costs increase. Without those subsidies, our insurance would more than double. Per month and That’s not really sustainable. Some say they may go without insurance despite needing care for chronic health issues. That will mean much higher premiums for 20 million Americans and 4 million Americans, including about 190,000 Marylanders, will not be able to afford any health insurance. People will die without these subsidies, and people. Who aren’t dying, they’re going to suffer, but Republican Congressman Andy Harris says the enhanced subsidies are *** band-aid solution. He sent WBAL TV 11 News *** statement saying, quote, The enhanced pandemic era ACA subsidies were never meant to become *** permanent deficit financed entitlement that conceals rather than fixes the drivers of high premiums. New e-gates open at BWI Marshall. I think having this new e-gate from Clear, you know, will be advantageous to *** lot of people. The private security screening uses facial biometrics to verify your ID in just seconds. It’s good to have because then you can get to your destination *** lot quicker. You don’t have to stand in line, but the new tech comes at *** cost. WBAL TV 11 News shows how it works. It’s definitely like *** cool concept 100%. I think it could go really far. It’s just I feel like the risk and the reward is, is like, uh, you know, Self-driving ride share cars soon to hit the streets of Baltimore, but not without some consternation. I wouldn’t trust them. Can’t even trust the people behind the wheels half the time. So why *** car without *** person behind the wheel? How Waymo is getting familiar with our city’s streets ahead of *** planned launch. And what’s December without Baltimore holiday traditions? The lights now glow. And *** fireworks show. Thousands braved the cold at the Washington Monument lighting to usher in the holidays Baltimore style. OK.
2025 Year in Review: Orioles experience growing pains, end year on optimistic high note
Updated: 1:22 PM EST Dec 19, 2025
The Baltimore Orioles experienced some growing pains in 2025, a year in which they saw numerous beloved players leave in free agency and through trades, and the introduction of a new skipper — all while battling high expectations, which they were ultimately unable to meet.Year in review video above: Maryland’s biggest news stories of 2025Anthony Santander was the first domino to fall when he left in free agency to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays in January. Santander’s departure came after he spent his first eight seasons in the big leagues with the Orioles.Also in January, a very familiar face returned — but not in uniform. Adam Jones returned to the team as a special adviser to President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias. Jones would later join Joe Orsulak and Tom Davis who were inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in August.January ended on a high note when star shortstop Gunnar Henderson was selected as one of three athletes to appear on the cover of “MLB: The Show 25.”In March, WBAL-TV 11 News anchor Deborah Weiner tried her hand in the Orioles’ Berks Live Hot Dog Race. She met up with Ketchup, Mustard and Relish to get some insights on their training regimen in a video you have to see!Then, it was time to get ready for the season. Orioles principal owner David Rubinstein sat down with WBAL-TV 11 Sports’ Pete Gilbert to discuss his hopes and goals for the 2025 season and beyond.After a 15-28 start to the season, the Orioles parted ways with manager Brandon Hyde. His May departure marked the end of his tenure with the team that began in 2019.The Orioles were sellers at the trade deadline in July, dealing longtime O’s center fielder Cedric Mullins to the Mets, Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano to the Padres, Ramón UrÃas was traded to the Houston Astros — and that doesn’t even cover all of the moves the Orioles made. Baltimore received several prospects in return.In August, it was announced that the Frederick Keys were returning as the Orioles’ High A affiliate for the first time since 2020.Also in August, did you see Trevor Rogers’ pitching? He was lights out throughout six starts in the month. He recorded a 1.29 ERA in 42 innings, leading to a 4-1 record. It caught the attention of Major League Baseball, which selected Rogers as the American League Pitcher of the Month.The O’s season ended earlier than fans wanted, but it allowed the team to start on some stadium renovations ahead of the 2026 season. Some seats were removed by early October as part of a remodel for an exclusive premium club as well as a new videoboard.Two Orioles superfans got married in October after Brad Singleton proposed to Syd Singleton with a ring on top of a ballpark hot dog. Camden Yards staple Clancy Haskett, a vendor at the stadium, made a grand entrance at the wedding, which also saw The Oriole Bird make an appearance.The Orioles took a step toward the 2026 season in late October when the team announced Craig Albernaz as the new manager. Then, the next month, they dealt a young right-hander in Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward, who only seems to get better with age.The year ended on a high note when Orioles fans got a glimpse into the ownership group’s willingness to spend big money. The moves began with closer Ryan Helsley joining Baltimore’s bullpen on a two year-deal. Then, the Orioles got the big fish — or bear, for that matter in the signing of Pete Alonso, who is nicknamed the Polar Bear, to a five-year, $155 million contract.
BALTIMORE —
The Baltimore Orioles experienced some growing pains in 2025, a year in which they saw numerous beloved players leave in free agency and through trades, and the introduction of a new skipper — all while battling high expectations, which they were ultimately unable to meet.
Year in review video above: Maryland’s biggest news stories of 2025
Anthony Santander was the first domino to fall when he left in free agency to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays in January. Santander’s departure came after he spent his first eight seasons in the big leagues with the Orioles.
Also in January, a very familiar face returned — but not in uniform. Adam Jones returned to the team as a special adviser to President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias. Jones would later join Joe Orsulak and Tom Davis who were inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in August.
January ended on a high note when star shortstop Gunnar Henderson was selected as one of three athletes to appear on the cover of “MLB: The Show 25.”
In March, WBAL-TV 11 News anchor Deborah Weiner tried her hand in the Orioles’ Berks Live Hot Dog Race. She met up with Ketchup, Mustard and Relish to get some insights on their training regimen in a video you have to see!
Then, it was time to get ready for the season. Orioles principal owner David Rubinstein sat down with WBAL-TV 11 Sports’ Pete Gilbert to discuss his hopes and goals for the 2025 season and beyond.
After a 15-28 start to the season, the Orioles parted ways with manager Brandon Hyde. His May departure marked the end of his tenure with the team that began in 2019.
The Orioles were sellers at the trade deadline in July, dealing longtime O’s center fielder Cedric Mullins to the Mets, Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano to the Padres, Ramón UrÃas was traded to the Houston Astros — and that doesn’t even cover all of the moves the Orioles made. Baltimore received several prospects in return.
In August, it was announced that the Frederick Keys were returning as the Orioles’ High A affiliate for the first time since 2020.
Also in August, did you see Trevor Rogers’ pitching? He was lights out throughout six starts in the month. He recorded a 1.29 ERA in 42 innings, leading to a 4-1 record. It caught the attention of Major League Baseball, which selected Rogers as the American League Pitcher of the Month.
The O’s season ended earlier than fans wanted, but it allowed the team to start on some stadium renovations ahead of the 2026 season. Some seats were removed by early October as part of a remodel for an exclusive premium club as well as a new videoboard.
Two Orioles superfans got married in October after Brad Singleton proposed to Syd Singleton with a ring on top of a ballpark hot dog. Camden Yards staple Clancy Haskett, a vendor at the stadium, made a grand entrance at the wedding, which also saw The Oriole Bird make an appearance.
The Orioles took a step toward the 2026 season in late October when the team announced Craig Albernaz as the new manager. Then, the next month, they dealt a young right-hander in Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward, who only seems to get better with age.
The year ended on a high note when Orioles fans got a glimpse into the ownership group’s willingness to spend big money. The moves began with closer Ryan Helsley joining Baltimore’s bullpen on a two year-deal. Then, the Orioles got the big fish — or bear, for that matter in the signing of Pete Alonso, who is nicknamed the Polar Bear, to a five-year, $155 million contract.