Hoggle, who was found incompetent to stand trial for nearly a decade, is scheduled for trial in October.

Her lawyers, Meghan Ellis Brennan and Tatiana Suren David, want prosecutors to provide details such as the exact location of the deaths, any weapons that may have been used, and the cause and manner of death for Jacob and Sarah Hoggle, who were 2 and 3 years old when they disappeared in September 2014.

The defense is also asking prosecutors to explain what evidence supports the claim that the killings were premeditated.

Catherine Hoggle was reindicted in August 2025. In 2022, a judge dismissed the previous murder charges because Hoggle had been repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial.

Prosecutors said Hoggle was the last person seen with her children before they vanished.

In response to the lawyers’ request last week, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said the indictments already meet legal standards and, under Maryland law, they are not required to specify the manner or means of death for murder or manslaughter charges.

It’s not clear when the judge will decide if prosecutors must provide more information.

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“I was getting lost when I would go to the grocery store two blocks from my house. I lost my ability to drive. I lost track of my finances. I had my car repossessed,” Gurwitch told �鶹����.

Gurwitch is an author and cancer advocate who is challenging what she describes as the common “cancer warrior” mindset in her new book, “The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker.”

She said the well-meaning encouragement to “seize the day” was exhausting.

“When you get diagnosed, people will tell you you’re brave or you’re a warrior, and I don’t always feel brave and like a warrior,” Gurwitch said. “This lexicon of ‘cancer warrior’ … was not only limiting to me, but also made me feel some days like a fraud. Like I wasn’t living up to this idea.”

Rather than living each day like it’s your last, she argues that “a better, kinder approach is to live each day like it’s the first day of your life, with curiosity for what is next.”

Gurwitch, who has never smoked and whose comedic observations and writings are ruefully observational and self-aware, said she never could have foreseen a lung cancer diagnosis.

“I was asymptomatic for lung cancer,” Gurwitch said. “I went in for a COVID test. I walked out with Stage 4 lung cancer.”

She said the trauma of receiving an advanced diagnosis hit her hard, comparing her forgetfulness and inability to concentrate to the effects of a brain injury.

It took her time, she said to feel like herself again.

“I slowly was able to, over months … rebuild my confidence and my trust in my own body.” Gurwitch said.

Despite her initial inner turmoil, Gurwitch said she often looked and felt healthy through her cancer journey. Her treatment is one-pill-a-day targeted therapy.

“Of course, this speaks to the cognitive dissonance that we have in our society of how we look versus how our health actually is,” she said.

With advancements in lung cancer treatments, Gurwitch said more people with late-stage disease are living longer. That progress, she said, also means ongoing treatment and a shift in mindset.

“There’s a greater percentage of us living longer now. There’s a lot of unknowns in the future,” she said.

Gurwitch said she isn’t complaining, or at least not much. “I now pay a lot more attention to everyday quality of living.”

Gurwitch will discuss her book and her experience Thursday night at Politics and Prose on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest D.C. The event is free and open to the public.

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Director of the D.C. Department of Transportation Sharon Kershbaum said the structure of the tunnel and its steel beams are secure.

“There was, however, significant heat, and that meant that all of the tiles on the ceiling and the walls actually fell to the ground,” Kershbaum said “So overnight, we cleared all of the debris, and there are still a number of tiles and elements of concrete that are loose, and we are focused on removing any of the hanging and loose concrete and tile to make sure that when we open it up, we don’t have to worry about things falling on the vehicles.”

Two lanes of the tunnel were supposed to reopen at 5 p.m., DDOT initially said. They were reopened just before 6 p.m.

“When it comes to traffic, seldom does anything happen on schedule and when it comes to a bus fire in a tunnel, there are a multitude of unforeseen problems that can delay the recovery,” �鶹���� Traffic reporter Dave Dildine said.

The right lane will remain closed for lighting repairs until further notice. DDOT advised drivers to remain alert.

“There was a large segment where all of the lights were damaged, so for about 150 feet around where the fire occurred, we are currently putting conduit in so we can get the lighting restored,” she said. “The concrete or the asphalt underneath the fire also was damaged. We’ve patched that and we’re putting down temporary striping.”

While the tunnel partially reopened Friday evening, more work will need to be done to get the tunnel completely back to normal.

“Restoring all of the tile face, the lighting, cameras, that can be done over time, so it’s not considered an urgent repair, but it will be somewhat of a lift,” Kershbaum said.

The sounds of construction crews could be heard Friday morning inside the tunnel, just a few hundred feet from where the hybrid diesel bus that caught fire came to rest, under the C St. SW overpass.

The bus caught fire in the tunnel at approximately 7 p.m. The driver was not injured and no one else was riding the bus when the fire started, according to Metro.

Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said Thursday evening that all 32 of the fleet’s hybrid diesel buses would be removed from service and inspected.

Stay with �鶹���� Traffic for the latest on roadway conditions. 

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Court records show a Montgomery County, Maryland grand jury indicted James on April 16.

A circuit court judge was originally scheduled to set a trial date for James on Friday morning. But the hearing was postponed to May 8, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office told �鶹����.

Prosecutors have said James was a medication technician at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living Facility, and that he planned for up to a month to kill Fuller, who was living with his partner at Cogir.

At this point, prosecutors have not revealed a potential motive in the killing.

Earlier, a District Court judge ruled that James, 22, is competent to stand trial. He has been held without bond.

Investigators have cited several pieces of evidence, including surveillance video they said showed a masked person using a secured side door near the time of the shooting. A witness also told detectives the person’s unusual gait in the footage matches James’.

Investigators additionally pointed to discarded paper towels and multiple wigs collected during the investigation.

Court documents point to another incident after the shooting in which investigators said a black napkin and a nearby paper towel were used to try to prop open a side door at the senior living facility. James is accused of being the person who put them there, which he denied when questioned.

Prosecutors also said ballistic testing links the gun to Fuller’s killing and a second case James faces in Baltimore, where he is accused of shooting at a Maryland State Trooper during a traffic stop, days after Fuller’s death.

James was indicted in Baltimore on April 8, charged with attempted 1st and 2nd degree murder felony counts, and six gun-related misdemeanors.

James’ attorney Michael Stark has said the defense plans to enter not guilty pleas in both the Montgomery County and Baltimore cases. 

In March, Fuller’s partner, Linda Buttrick, filed a lawsuit alleging that Cogir failed to intervene when employees reported Maurquise James’ concerning behaviors and the facility failed to protect Buttrick after the killing.

�鶹����’s Mike Murillo and Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report. 

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Police are asking residents to review doorbell or home security camera footage from evening, overnight or early morning hours, looking for any suspicious people or vehicles and to share the video with investigators.

“Any footage provided will be used solely for investigative purposes by the LPD,” according to a news release from the department.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau estimates about in the U.S., representing losses of more than $50 million annually.

Air bags retail for between $400 and $1,000, but typically resell on the black market for under $250.

• 15000 block of Haynes Road
• 200 block of 11th Street
• 1100 block of Snowden Place
• 6100 block of Prince George Street
• 700 block of Park Avenue
• 900 block of Nichols Drive
• 500 block of 9th Street
• 700 and 300 blocks of Laurel Avenue
• 900 and 1000 blocks of Phillip Powers Drive
• 14200 block of West Side Boulevard

Police are asking anyone with surveillance video potentially related to this case to upload it to the .

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Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisors approved a plan Wednesday to turn the former Westpark Golf Course in Leesburg, Virginia, into a passive park, despite neighbors’ concerns about the inclusion of an 18-hold disc golf course.

The designs for the 134-former golf course, which closed in 2019, with the land being purchased by the county, will include three miles of trails and two pavilions, a restroom, as well as parking areas.

After the board’s finance committee was briefed on the project last month, nearby residents raised concerns about noise from the disc golf course.

During the public comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting, resident Karen Pantas repeatedly demonstrated the sound generated by a plastic disc hitting the basket chains that serve as a hole on a disc golf course.

“I bought a chain basket to see if my worries about noise were overblown,” said Pantas, striking the chains with the disc. “This is worse than I imagined.”

Pantas and other neighbors said Loudoun County has other disc golf courses in other parts of the county, but the proposed course would be located in a quiet, residential area.

“It is surrounded by people’s homes, their lives, their peace,” said Pantas. “I don’t want to have to live with this,” she said, as the chain basket jangled from being struck with the disc.

“This is an activity that is inherently noisy, shatters the quiet that wakes children from their naps, that frightens anxious dogs,” Pantas said. “It will be the ghost of Scrooge on every windy day.”

Leesburg District Supervisor Kristen Umstattd said new changes to the plans will help mitigate the noise, including ensuring that no basket is within 100 feet of a home, and that additional plant buffers will be built to muffle the sound.

Board Chair Phyllis Randall empathized with the neighbors, saying that in considering projects, “Sometimes my final decision is ‘would I want this at my house?’ And the answer is no.”

Despite enthusiasm for the park from board members and developers, “They don’t live there,” said Randall. “I don’t think we had one person living there that said yes.”

Still, Randall added a friendly amendment to the proposal, saying she would support Umstattd’s improvements: “Let’s see if we can get quieter baskets.”

Randall and other supervisors voted 8-0 to approve the project, including the disc golf course.

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The group’s report said children are exposed to air pollution levels that put their developing lungs and long-term health at risk.

While air quality has improved in some ways since last year, the report found that dangerous levels of ozone smog and fine particle pollution are still making kids sick and can lead to chronic conditions. The American Lung Association said children are especially vulnerable because they breathe more air for their body size and spend more time outdoors.

“The air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, contributing to chronic health conditions, and making people who work outdoors sick,” Aleks Casper, the association’s advocacy director, said in a news release.

The annual report looked at three key measures from 2022 to 2024: ozone, daily spikes in fine particle pollution and year-round averages of fine particle pollution.

The D.C. region remains among the 50 worst areas in the country for ozone smog, which is produced when pollutants from tailpipes, factories and other sources mix with sunlight.

The area got an F grade and ranked 49th worst for ozone, based on an average of 5.8 “unhealthy” days each year in Baltimore County, Maryland. That’s better than last year’s 36th-worst ranking and 7.5 unhealthy days, according to the report.

Fine particle pollution, which comes from things such as wildfires, diesel engines and wood-burning stoves, also dropped slightly. The region got a D grade and ranked 60th worst in the nation for daily spikes, with Frederick County, Virginia, and the District averaging 3.2 unhealthy days per year. Last year, the region had 3.7 such days and an F.

For year-round particle pollution, the worst county in the region — Berkeley County, West Virginia — earned a passing grade and met federal standards. The metro area’s national ranking for this category stayed the same as last year at 66th worst.

Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks and contribute to heart attacks, strokes, preterm births and even cognitive issues later in older adults, the American Lung Association said. Fine particles can also cause lung cancer.

Things parents can do to keep children breathing healthy air

Information from the report and other tools can help parents make decisions to reduce the amount of pollution children breathe.

“We make decisions about, do we open windows that day, or do we keep them closed,” Casper said. “I know there are a lot of families who make decisions about what their children can and can’t do on those days,” when air quality is unhealthy.

Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local partners, the website  enables users to enter their city or ZIP code, and access the official U.S. Air Quality Index to communicate whether air is healthy or unhealthy in a given location.

“Then you can make those decisions about if you open windows or play outside today,” Casper said.

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Katelin Akens’ mother dropped her off at the Spotsylvania County home of her former stepfather James Branton on Dec. 5, 2015. Branton had agreed to give Akens, then 19, a ride to catch her flight leaving from Reagan National Airport to her home in Arizona.

Akens’ plane ticket was never used, the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said. Her suitcase turned up two days later on the side of River Road with most of the contents missing.

Branton, 46, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered held after a Tuesday bond hearing. He was charged on April 10 with multiple sex offense charges, which allegedly occurred while Akens, her younger sister and her mother lived with Branton from 2006 through 2011.

In describing why the charges were filed now, Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey told the judge that recently-learned evidence demonstrated “the potential motive of Mr. Branton to kill Miss Akens.”

This was the first time prosecutors have verbalized in court and in court filings that they believe that Akens is dead.

”Katelin was afraid of Branton when she was alive,” Mehaffey told Circuit Court Judge Ricardo Rigual.

Sheriff’s investigators and prosecutors have not revealed any evidence to suggest that Akens is dead. Several times last week, crime scene technicians searched Branton’s home on a secluded, wooded property on Oak Crest Drive in Partlow, using front loaders and other heavy equipment.

Mehaffey told the judge Tuesday how Akens’ sister described the spankings she received from Branton. Mehaffey said at the time, “She didn’t recognize the behavior as abusive — she saw it as normal — from when she was 6 to 11.”

But Mehaffey said, Katelin, who was older, “cried out for help” from a neighbor, who reported the incident to Child Protective Services.

No charges were filed against Branton at the time. “Recently, he confirmed he was investigated by CPS, and that he pulled down the pants and spanked” the girls, Mehaffey said.

Before Akens disappeared, she confided to her partner that she “was molested” by Branton.

In arguing that Branton be held without bond, Mehaffey introduced evidence of notes scrawled on napkins and sticky notes that were found near Branton’s computer and in the car he used for making deliveries late at night.

“One said, ‘big boobs, and small kids,’ another said ‘2 small kids, small boobs,’” and a third said “blonde, 2 small kids,’” Mehaffey said. “He was describing the people he was delivering packages to in the middle of the night.”

Armed with a search warrant, investigators found a lock-picking set, a passport and a gun in Branton’s home.

’Not charged with any crime’ related to disappearance

Branton’s defense attorney, John Spencer, told the judge that his client has no felony record and hasn’t interacted with any witnesses in the case for the past 10 years.

“CPS interviewed all the people involved and cleared my client,” while Akens, her mother and sister continued to live with Branton.

Spencer said that Branton admitted spanking the girls’ bare bottoms, but that there was “no lascivious intent.”

”Now the prosecution is trying to bootstrap my client,” Spencer said, adding that it was a stretch to allege that Branton killed Akens. “He was the last person to see her. He’s not charged with any crime. He’s been cooperative. There’s no evidence that he used the firearm in this case.”

While Spencer described the scribbled notes prosecutors introduced as “disturbing and weird,” he suggested that his client be given an ankle bracelet or be placed under house arrest.

“He’ll give up his passport — he deserves a bond,” Spencer said.

But Rigual, the judge, said Branton “poses an unreasonable danger to society — request for bail denied.” Trial is set to begin July 24.

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Spring is good for your brain, according to Benjamin Katz, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Tech.

Physical activity that gets your heart pumping, including jogging, cycling and swimming, is probably the best activity for brain health at any age, Katz said.

“When springtime comes, you have warmer weather, and we just enjoy that by itself,” Katz said. “But you have more opportunities to get cardiovascular exercise outside, and that can lead to numerous benefits in your brain, and also things like attention are actually impacted by that.”

Katz said there are both direct and indirect ways that spending time in nature can help cognitive functioning.

“There’s research that suggests just spending time around trees and green spaces actually doesn’t just improve mood, but also can improve things like attention and help with cognition,” he said.

Seeing neighbors in their gardens, while you’re working on yours, also provides brain-boosting benefits.

“Gardening, which a lot of people start doing in spring, is both cognitively engaging, and oftentimes is a pretty good workout,” Katz said. “It’s the fresh air, the sunlight — all of these things that seem to have an affect on mood but also seem to improve things like attention.”

Quieter activities, including birdwatching, can challenge your mind and encourage social interaction, Katz said.

He said there’s evidence that just looking at trees out the window, or in a photo or picture, can be helpful.

“Although, obviously, you don’t have the opportunities for exercise and social interaction the same way,” he said.

Spending a couple hours a week — a bit less than 20 minutes per day — can benefit your physical and cognitive health.

“If you can spend some active time outside with friends, or doing cognitively-engaging activities or getting some exercise, that’s even better,” he said.

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The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is set to vote Tuesday on a major redesign of the intersection, which is an entry point to the South Riding development and adjacent to two shopping centers.

The plan under consideration, , would replace the four-way intersection with a “Single Point Urban Interchange,” or SPUI. In this setup, drivers on Route 50 would travel over a new bridge, while people turning onto or off Route 50 would exit and travel underneath.

The new design is meant to separate high-speed traffic from drivers making turns, according to the agenda staff report.

County inspections have determined “the at-grade intersection of these roadways is operating at a failing level of service during all peak periods,” according to the report.

Plans to deal with the intersection have changed over the years. In 2016, the board endorsed a full cloverleaf design to replace the intersection.

However, changes in nearby development, along with updates to the nearby Dulles International Airport’s master plan, make the cloverleaf design less practical, county staff wrote. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority supports the new Single Point Urban Interchange approach, according to the board.

The proposal also calls for a new 10-foot-wide path for pedestrians and bikes on the west side of Loudoun County Parkway between Riding Center Drive and Arcola Mills Drive.

County documents said construction would require some land acquisition, but the new layout should reduce the amount needed compared to earlier designs.

The project budget is about $299 million, which covers planning, design, land and construction costs, according to board documents.

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, released Thursday, shows 31% of the region in severe drought, with the rest experiencing moderate drought. River flow at Little Falls is close to the lowest on record for this time of year.

Michael Nardolilli, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, said the river is “at its lowest point that it’s ever been for this particular date,” based on more than 130 years of data.

For people in the D.C. area, water supplies remain adequate, but there is a growing possibility that back-up reservoirs will be tapped this summer or fall. , released earlier this week, found an above-normal chance of those releases for 2026.

The region’s three major water companies — D.C. Water, WSSC Water and Fairfax Water — share access to three reservoirs.

The closest is Little Seneca Reservoir in Black Hill Regional Park in Montgomery County, Maryland. Water released from there would take about one day to reach downstream intakes for the three water companies and be processed as drinking water.

Miles upstream, Jennings Randolph Lake, along the border of Maryland and West Virginia, and Savage River Reservoir in northwest Maryland can both be used.

“It’s been over 10 years since we asked the Army Corps of Engineers to release water from the reservoirs on the Potomac River,” Nardolilli said.

The last releases took place during droughts from 1999 to 2002 and in 2010.

“The likelihood of releases from the backup reservoirs is increasing,” he said.

According to an April 1 update, the region received 37.6 inches of rain over the past year — about 2.2 inches below normal. According to , streamflow and groundwater levels are also below average.

While some rain is expected in the coming weeks, “As hot temperatures increase, so does evaporation and use of the river by plant life and trees,” which can put more strain on the region’s water supply, according to Nardolilli.

Another new factor is the growing presence of large data centers in the region, which now add “an additional drain on resources,” Nardolilli said.

Right now, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments lists drought condition in D.C. region as normal. But Nardolilli said when the regional Drought Coordination Technical Committee meets in June, he expects the group may recommend a drought watch, which would come with increased calls for residents to conserve water.

Some surrounding areas, including parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia within the Potomac River basin, are already experiencing significant drought, according to ICPRB.

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As D.C. officials consider what comes next, the District Department of Transportation on Wednesday released that are further along in deployment.

The findings go beyond safety, looking closely at how driverless technology is reshaping local workforces, public services and equity.

The research conducted by Kimley-Horn and Associates found that in cities where AVs are already operating, traditional driving jobs have not disappeared. But as the technology advances, cities might need to invest in workforce retraining.

The report concludes that delivery trucks operating in dense, unpredictable urban environments — with double‑parked cars, cyclists, pedestrians and complex curb regulations — will likely require human drivers or on‑board operators for the foreseeable future.

Beyond drivers, the report outlines a number of indirect workforce impacts that could ripple through cities as AV use expands.

Because autonomous vehicles are programmed to follow traffic and parking laws, widespread adoption could mean fewer violations and less demand for traffic enforcement and parking tickets. Over time, that could affect both revenue streams and enforcement staffing levels.

Fewer crashes also could reduce the need for insurance adjusters, auto body repair technicians, emergency responders, hospital trauma services and personal injury attorneys. While those impacts would likely unfold gradually, DDOT’s report notes they should be part of long‑term workforce planning.

The report also highlights potential benefits, particularly for residents who do not drive.

Autonomous delivery services, it said, could help address food deserts by expanding access to groceries and essentials in neighborhoods underserved by traditional retail. Enhanced autonomous transit could improve job access for people who struggle to reach work due to unreliable or infrequent public transportation.

If paired with policies that prioritize equitable deployment and worker retraining, DDOT said AVs could support more skilled career pathways, strengthen public transit and improve mobility for non‑drivers.

AV testing already underway in D.C.

Under current District law, autonomous vehicle testing is allowed, but all vehicles must have an operator seated behind the wheel who can immediately take over if necessary.

Since 2018, testing activity has included both sustained and short‑term operations. Argo AI and Ford conducted tests from 2018 through 2022. Optimus Ride provided food delivery and limited passenger service in the Navy Yard area in 2020 and 2021.

More recently, Cruise, Nuro, Waymo and Zoox have all collected data or conducted sustained testing. Waymo returned in 2025 for expanded citywide testing and signed an intent to move toward commercial service when regulations allow.

Public transit has also entered the equation. Starting in 2025, companies Beep and Adastec have partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation to test an autonomous bus in the District.

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While President Donald Trump’s proposal for a new arch in the nation’s capital received a key approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday, a gathering outside the hearing on the project protested the plan.

During the presentation, approximately 150 people, many in costume, protested outside the National Building Museum, where the hearing took place.

“This arch will dwarf everything around it — it will be more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial,” said one protester, during a news conference, set up across F Street. “It will block the view from Arlington cemetery, across the bridge, to the Lincoln Memorial.”

The proposed 250-foot tall arch would be built at the end of the Memorial Bridge, right across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The arch would feature a statue of a Lady Liberty-like figure, flanked by two eagles and four lions at its base.

The seven-member Commission of Fine Arts, all Trump appointees, approved the concept design of the arch Thursday.

Another protester called the arch a vanity project.

“If this ridiculous ‘Arc de Trump’ ever gets built, whose name do you think will be on it?” he asked. “He’s going to slap his name on it the moment he gets the chance to, because that’s what he does with everything.”

Citing the Kennedy Center, he said, “Donald Trump’s desperate need to remake Washington, D.C., and this country in his image is hurting everyone.”

Despite the vote of approval by the Commission of Fine Arts, the protesters encouraged each other to continue challenging the project, which is still subject to a review of an updated design of the arch before a final vote.

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The Vax Act, signed Tuesday by Gov. Wes Moore, authorizes Maryland’s health secretary to set recommendations for immunizations, screenings and preventive services. It also requires insurance companies to cover vaccines endorsed by the state.

The legislation comes after the CDC’s January decision to reduce the number of routine childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, and shift others to high-risk or case-by-case recommendations.

The governor’s office said the state will prioritize guidance from groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, rather than from federal agencies.

“Maryland’s vaccine policy will be led by science — not internet conspiracy theories,” Gov. Moore said in a . “We will protect our people, no matter how they voted in the last election.”

Critics warn the law could generate confusion for parents seeking to make health care decisions for their children, and that advocacy groups should not be elevated to the level of federal agencies.

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A federal judge was scheduled to hear arguments on Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s motion to block renovation and construction of the building in Williamsport while the state’s is litigated.

ICE is spending , and according to the lawsuit, moved forward with the project without required federal environmental reviews.

In the motion for a preliminary injunction, the attorney general’s office said that unless the judge pauses construction, “Defendants will undoubtedly resume their breakneck efforts to renovate, construct, and operate their planned detention facility without due regard for its impact on public health and the environment.”

When the suit was filed in February, ICE planned a detention center that could hold up to 1,500 detainees. The motion said the center would overwhelm the sewage and water systems in the town of 2,000 residents.

The warehouse currently receives drinking water from the City of Hagerstown via a two-inch domestic service line and has an approved allocation of 800 gallons per day.

“A detention facility providing 24/7 occupancy for up to 1,500 people is likely to need around 187,500 gallons per day of drinking water,” the motion said.

The warehouse is also served by an 8-inch sewer main.

“Once the facility becomes operational, sewage backups are likely both at the facility and throughout the area,” Brown said in the filing.

The state said operation of ICE’s planned detention facility “will also create a high likelihood of infectious disease outbreaks, harming the health of individuals at the facility and the surrounding community and undermining the overall state of public health in Maryland.”

In its response to the request for a preliminary injunction, the Trump administration said it had done an environmental analysis, and that the facility would initially accommodate up to 542 detainees.

“No off-site sewer upgrades or new sewer connections are anticipated for the facility,” according to the administration’s filing, which said any environmental impact from operating the center would be minimal.

The Trump administration also argued “the public interest and balance of the equities weigh in favor of the facility because of the compelling and critical national security interest in enforcement of immigration law.”

The administration said Maryland has failed “its burden to demonstrate that the facility will result in irreparable harm to its interests,” which is a requirement for a judge to grant a preliminary injunction before trial.

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