Regional News From WBAL-TV

Teen Pleads Not Criminally Responsible In Woman’s Slaying.  A 15-year-old is pleading not criminally responsible in the rape and fatal stabbing of a pregnant woman in her Elkton home.Cecil County Deputy State’s Attorney Kerwin Miller said the lawyer for Robert Ervin Jr. filed the plea Monday for his client.Ervin had been scheduled to go on trial Monday.

19-Year Old Shot Outside High School.  Police are trying to figure out what led to a shooting outside of a local school.Officers said the shooting happened outside of Frederick Douglass High School at about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday.A 19-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the attack, medics said.Investigators took a person of interest into custody.

Low-Cost Policies On Lawmaker’s Plates.  Lawmakers are already getting down to business just a day before this year’s legislative session begins.This year, there may be some bad news for Maryland college students. Gov. Martin O’Malley said he expects a moderate increase in college tuition this fall, but didn’t say by how much.O’Malley had been able to hold the line on tuition increases four years straight. He will unveil his budget next week and reveal how he plans to fill a $2 billion projected deficit.

Study: Fewer Dropouts Leads To Better Economy.  A new study that cut the nation’s high school dropout rate in half shows bettering those rates could lead to a better economy. The Alliance for Excellent in Education studied the nation’s 49 largest metropolitan areas, including Baltimore.The study showed if students are kept in class, they’d earn and spend billions more as high school graduates. Researchers said cutting the dropout rate is also essential for the U.S. to be more competitive in the global economy.