Wesley Lapointe

Scenes from Eid al-Fitr yesterday at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, where thousands celebrated the end of Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month, in prayer and festivities. For the @baltimorebanner Photo edit by @yodithd Reporting by @cadoyle_18 Video by @bmorekrishna

What does it mean, when a small town gets a massive ICE detention facility? I recently went to Williamsport - town of around 2,000 people where ICE plans to build a facility to house at least 1,500 immigrant detainees, to find out. I travelled alongside talented photographer @wlapointephoto and one of the people we spoke to was a man named Donnie, who like most people we met, was very much against this. Link to our reporting in my stories.

For @tradeoffspod I spent a day earlier this winter in Western Maryland documenting how a nationwide experiment to give rural health care a $50 billion makeover- as part of the “Big Beautiful Bill”- could impact healthcare providers and residents of Allegany County. Maryland health official Elizabeth Kromm (photo 8) is responsible for convincing the Trump administration to give the state a big chunk of this new rural money, balancing competing demands from county leaders, hospitals, doctors and Maryland residents to try to make the most of this rare opportunity to improve rural health.  Kromm hopes that investing in farmers like Levi Lantz (photo 5) will improve the health of rural Marylanders like Bonita Baer and her family (photos 1-2), who live about 45 minutes east of Lantz’s farm in a town of roughly 1,000 people. With the help of federal food assistance programs, Baer makes a tight food budget stretch to feed her four boys — ages three to 14 — and her husband, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. “We’re in scary times,” Baer said. “Prices don’t go down and checks don’t go up.”  Reporting by Melanie Evans and Dan Gorenstein

Iceboating in Claiborne, MD, for @npr Last Monday, on the final day of a weeks-long deep freeze on the Chesepeake, I had the opportunity to spend a morning with reporter @franklangfitt , a handful of ice boaters, and a small crowd of spectators on the ice at the Claiborne Landing. It’s a popular winter sport in much of the northern states, but rarely have conditions been this good, for this long, in Maryland. Thank you @nwerbeck for the call and @emilybogle for the great edit

Snow day coverage today around Baltimore for @baltimorebanner Around 8 inches have fallen since the early hours of the morning, and it’s now turned to sleet. Looks like we’ll probably be frozen in through tomorrow 🥶

I photographed Emma Brennan and Lauren Wright for an @npr story about declining birth rates a few weeks ago. “Emma Brennan and Lauren Wright told NPR that as they plan for their first child, these questions of affordability - and not the kind of culture war issues talked about by conservatives - are their biggest concern. Both work full time and say the prohibitive cost of health insurance and quality day care make them nervous. “Universal pre-K would be awesome,” Brennan said. Both women said they view motherhood as a hopeful part of their future. “I never really envisioned having a baby with someone until I met Lauren,” Brennan said. “Then I thought, this is the person I want to do it with.”’ Story by @brianmannadk and @sarahmccammon_journalist Thank you @scruggsworks for the opportunity and great edit

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through downtown Baltimore last night to protest the Minneapolis killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent, identified as Jonathan Ross, the day before. Just two weeks earlier, on Christmas Eve, ICE agents in Glen Burnie, MD, shot and injured a Portuguese man in his vehicle, claiming that he was using the van as a weapon against agents, similar to how the Minneapolis shooting is being portrayed by federal officials. Yesterday, Anne Arundel County police disputed details of the agency’s claim for the first time, mainly that the only other passenger of the van- who ICE claimed had suffered whiplash when the van crashed into a tree following the shooting- was already in ICE custody when he was injured. For @baltimorebanner

2025 in assignments. I’m eternally grateful to all the editors, friends and family who made this work possible throughout the year, and to the community members who have allowed me into your world, if only for a moment. Thank you. Photos made for @baltimorebanner @washingtonpost @nytimes @wsj @baltmag

For a @baltimorebanner investigation by @dylan_segelbaum : Maryland lets anyone file for criminal charges — and innocent people pay the price “In Maryland, people can be arrested, thrown in jail and forced to defend themselves against criminal charges without input from police or prosecutors. That’s because anyone — a jilted lover, a neighbor, a co-worker — can ask a district court commissioner to bring charges. These judicial officers are not required to have a law degree. But they hold immense power and can make decisions that profoundly affect people’s lives. District court commissioners can only consider one side of the story. They aren’t allowed to investigate or ask people for proof to back up their allegations. Though the system was designed to expand access to justice, it has falsely swept up community members, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and even the three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I. The Banner interviewed more than 100 people and reviewed court records, courtroom audio recordings and body camera video and found the system can be easily abused and upend lives in a matter of hours.” It was an honor to meet, photograph and film a few Marylanders who’ve faced these charges for this 6-month Banner investigation, alongside photos by @moriahratner . Big thanks to @azambelich for all the support and powerful photo edit on this project. And thanks to @fadetothegrain for the assist on portraits 3 & 4, of Marion Fields

For @nytimes : “Denied Federal Disaster Aid, a Town in Trump Country Feels Forgotten” FEMA rejected requests for federal assistance, twice, after devastating floods in western Maryland, part of a larger pattern of making communities pay for their own disaster recovery. I spent a day just before Thanksgiving in Westernport, Cumberland and Lonaconing, Maryland, documenting the lasting damage from May’s flash floods and meeting locals who have struggled to rebuild after sustaining damage to their businesses, homes, vehicles and appliances, without any disaster repair and recovery support from FEMA. Photo editing by @jennifermosbrucker Reporting by Campbell Robertson

A three-alarm fire at a historic Hampden building that houses several small businesses was contained shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, the Baltimore City Fire Department said. No injuries were reported and no residents were displaced. Known as “The Castle” it was built in 1899 and is the former site of the city’s Northern District Police Station. Councilwoman @odetteramosbaltimore said it best after Friday’s four-alarm fire- “there is no doubt we have the best Fire Department in the country.” For @baltimorebanner

Baltimore City Firefighters contained a four-alarm fire at a warehouse this afternoon near W 23rd st and Hampden Ave, in Remington. So glad nobody was hurt. For @baltimorebanner