Former Baltimore State Attorney Stuart O. Simms '72 is expected to be named Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Douglas M. Duncan's running mate, according to sources familiar with the selection process.
Simms was one of the first black students to graduate from the Gilman School in Baltimore. After attending Dartmouth as an undergraduate, he went to Harvard Law School and served in the cabinets of two Democratic governors.
A well-regarded attorney with a commitment to public service, Simms has served as secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and the Department of Juvenile Services. He has close ties to former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who was an early Duncan supporter and for whom Simms, 55, worked as deputy state's attorney for Baltimore City. Simms is currently a partner with the firm Brown, Goldstein and Levy in Baltimore.
The Dartmouth Black Business Association held its first annual silent auction for the volunteer organization Hands On USA's relief effort in the Gulf Coast on Thursday evening in Collis Common Ground. The event featured raffles and refreshments, and students made bids and donations through cash and Dash both at the auction and via BlitzMail. The event was co-sponsored by the Afro-American Society.
The DBBA aims to provide programming, network opportunities and other resources to its members. The group's mission is to act as a platform within the undergraduate black community to prepare its members to be successful in their future business careers and cultivate interest in business.
Following the discovery of charred human bones and Kenneth Countie's blood on a knife at an Epping, N.H., farm, police are reviewing missing persons records and examining evidence to see if there are any other victims. The farm's owner, Sheila LaBarre, was charged with killing Countie, formerly of Wilmington, Mass., and burning his remains. Capt. Russell Conte, head of the state police Major Crime Unit, said authorities are checking to see if burn piles found on the farm contained remains from people other than Countie. The murder investigation is one of the state's largest ever, lasting 17 days so far.
"The only one, to my knowledge, that would come close would be the two murders of the Dartmouth College professors [in 2001]," Assistant Attorney General Peter Odom said on Wednesday.
LaBarre's lawyer, Jeffrey Denner, declined to comment on the possible existence of other victims. He said LaBarre will plead not guilty in Superior Court and that her mental state is "very relative to any defense that we make."
