Antonio “Tony” Planas is an express reporter for The Banner’s Montgomery County team. His focus is on law enforcement and immigration issues. He previously worked on the breaking news desk at NBC News, where he juggled writing about the nation’s biggest stories of the day. Tony’s career has focused on shining a spotlight on underserved communities, including leading a team of reporters in Boston who unearthed the city’s more than 300 unsolved homicides spanning a decade and the sizeable disparity in police arrest rates for Black victims compared to white victims. Tony is a Michigan State alumnus who enjoys watching his beloved Spartans compete on the gridiron and basketball court.
A powerful snowstorm in Montgomery County brought more than 7 inches to some areas. Local officials closed schools and government offices as crews cleared roads.
A Silver Spring man was fatally shot in Langley Park early Wednesday morning. Police are offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest and indictment.
Montgomery County Police built a first-degree murder case against Kevin Perez-Fierro, for the alleged Jan. 2 killing of 18-year-old Taeyon Malachi Prather in Gaithersburg, through video images and phone and social media records, court records said.
Ervin Alfaro-Lopez, 34, of Germantown, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday for sexually abusing his underage students. He is required to register as a sex offender for life.
The father-in-law of Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes was found dead in Virginia on Saturday, days after he was reported missing, authorities said.
The students include some who were deported and some who left the country because their parents were deported, according to Maryland's largest immigrant advocacy group.