Regional News From WBAL-TV

BWI Is 1 Of 2 Airports To Increase Passengers In 2009.  BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport was one of only two of the nation’s major airports to celebrate an increase in passengers last year.Officials at BWI said that nearly 21 million passengers flew out of the airport in 2009, an increase of 2.3 percent from 2008.The statistics showed that the airport performed better than Dulles, Reagan National and Philadelphia International Airport, which are larger airports.

Leggs, Suspected Killer Of Girl, Granted Change Of Venue.  A judge has granted an automatic change of venue to a man accused of kidnapping and killing an 11-year-old girl last year. Lawyers for Thomas J. Leggs Jr., 30, of Salisbury, made the request to move his trial in Wicomico County Circuit Court on Thursday. The request was automatically granted because prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. Leggs, a registered sex offender, is charged with first-degree murder and numerous other offenses in the death of Sarah Haley Foxwell.

Military Enlistment Increasing, Stats Show.  More than 50,000 Maryland high school seniors are set to graduate in the coming weeks, and more of them are choosing to serve their country in the Armed Forces.At Patapsco High School, several Army cadets said they have fond memories of their recent trip to Washington, D.C., where they visited a number of memorials and got to meet foreign war veterans.Junior ROTC programs have helped to peak student interest in the military, state school officials said. At least two cadets from Patapsco said they have already signed up.

Advocates Continue To Push For Slots At Arundel Mills, Laurel. Penn National Gaming is teaming up with the new owners of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park to get a slots license for the Laurel horse track, and a new lawsuit has been filed to stop efforts to prevent a slots parlor from opening at Arundel Mills Mall in Anne Arundel County.The key to horse racing’s survival is tied to slot machine revenue and the potential hundreds of millions of dollars that casinos may generate, according to many experts.MI Developments currently owns Laurel Park and Pimlico. MID is the parent company of the bankrupt Magna Entertainment.