Regional News From WBAL-TV

Air Passengers Endure New Restrictions. Airline passengers are feeling the immediate fallout from that bombing attempt in the form of extra security at the terminal. Travelers here at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport said that they’re experiencing much longer waits after the Northwest Flight 253 attack.”There were so many problems. It was making me crazy,” traveler Nicholas Williams said.

2 Claim $250K Mega Millions Prize. Two Maryland Lottery players have become the 34th and 35th state residents to win the $250,000 “second-tier” Mega Millions prize in 2009. Keith Smith Jr. of Severn said he bought a ticket for the Dec. 22 drawing and stayed up that night to watch the results.”At first I thought I’d matched four numbers for a $150 win,” he told lottery officials. He then looked closer at the ticket and realized there were, in fact, five matches. That’s when the yelling started.

Police Seek Culprit In Crofton Bank Robbery. Police in Anne Arundel County are investigating a bank robbery. It occurred at about 2:45 p.m. Monday at Wachovia in the 1600 block of Crofton Center. Employees told police that a man entered the bank, approached a teller and demanded money. The robber was given an unspecified amount of money and fled on foot, police said. Several officers, a K-9 unit and a police aviation unit responded to search the area but could not locate the suspect.

Baltimore’s 2009 Homicide Total Tops 2008. The “Charm City” has achieved a dubious mark — Baltimore has topped last year’s homicide total. Police said three slayings over the weekend pushed the homicide count to 235 in 2009. Last year, the city recorded 234 homicides — the lowest total since 1988.Even with last year’s drop, Baltimore remains one of the nation’s most violent big cities, with a rate of nearly 37 slayings per 100,000 residents.