Regional News From WBAL-TV

Anti-Slots Petition Gathers 40,000 Signatures.  A coalition against slots at Arundel Mills Mall said it has collected 40,000 names on a petition that would force a public vote on whether to allow slots at that location. Monday marked the deadline to submit signatures. The new chapter in Maryland’s slots drama features a lawsuit, strange bedfellows and lots of hand wringing.The Anne Arundel County Board of Elections must certify 18,790 of those signatures collected by Stop Slots before the question can be put on the November ballot. The board has already certified 13,000.

Parents Vent To Officials About School Closings. arents and teachers heard directly from officials Monday night about the announced closures of several Catholic schools.The Archdiocese of Baltimore held two meetings where parents could ask questions about the timing of the announcement and to ask why certain schools were picked to close.Officials said last week that 13 schools, including Cardinal Gibbons High School, would close at the end of the academic year.

8 Men Charged With Rockfish Poaching. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said eight Rock Hall men are facing rockfish poaching charges. DNR officials said the eight are the first to face a new, tiered penalty system for first-time and repeat offenders.State officials said 43-year-old William Howard Beck and 43-year-old John Franklin Rigg were charged with violating oyster harvesting regulations in December that led to the suspension of Beck’s oyster license.

Evidence From Dixon Trial For Sale On e-Bay.  If you didn’t get enough of the Mayor Sheila Dixon trial, you can now have some of the evidence — for a price.Prosecutors weren’t joking when they said they were going to auction off some of the evidence taken from Dixon in the course of their investigation. Some of that evidence is currently being auctioned on eBay, including an Xbox video game console, complete with its description as evidence from the Dixon trial.