Marcus Dieterle

You can read my award-winning articles here, but below are some of my personal favorite stories, photos, and audio/visual projects throughout the years.

Articles

“Baltimore County native to lead Artemis II mission, NASA’s first flight around Moon in over 50 years” — Cockeysville native and mission commander Reid Wiseman is leading NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is expected to travel farther from Earth than humans have ever gone before. The mission launched April 1, 2026.

“Postpartum and seasonal depression can converge at wintertime for some new parents. Baltimore providers are working to support their mental health.” — Baltimore mothers and mental health professionals shared some of the challenges that new parents may face with postpartum depression and seasonal depression around wintertime, as well as the resources that are available to those individuals.

“LGBTQ+ Marylanders are building lives together. Many fear the second Trump presidency could threaten it all.” — LGBTQ+ Marylanders readied legal documents in anticipation of potential restrictions under President Donald Trump.

“Family of José López, one of the fallen Key Bridge workers, await closure” — José López was one of the construction workers who were sent falling to their death when the Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024. While waiting for his body to be recovered from the wreckage, López’s family recalled the man he was. (His body has since been recovered.) The article is also available in Spanish.

“‘Fight for the living’: A Maryland mother’s mission to end fentanyl poisoning” — April Babcock’s son Austen died from fentanyl poisoning in 2019. Since then, she has built her national nonprofit Lost Voices of Fentanyl in an effort to raise awareness and action against fentanyl poisoning.

“Respiratory illness affects dogs in Maryland, several other states” — An outbreak of an unknown respiratory illness affected dogs in at least 14 states, including Maryland. Experts advised pet owners “not to panic,” but to be aware of symptoms and maintain preventive care appointments with their regular veterinarian.

“Proposed fund would give financial support to Baltimore parents of new children” — The Maryland Child Alliance hopes to establish the Baltimore Baby Bonus Fund to give a one-time cash payment to parents of new children.

“Baltimore nonprofit ShareBaby distributes its 10 millionth diaper” — Baltimore nonprofit ShareBaby distributed its 10 millionth diaper in February 2024, both marking a celebratory milestone and underlining the overwhelming need for diapers and other supplies for parents in the Baltimore area.

“Baltimore restaurants reduce food waste by selling discounted leftovers that are ‘Too Good To Go’” — Through the Too Good To Go app, Baltimore restaurants are selling their leftovers at a discount and customers are getting low-cost meals.

“Parents, teachers and advocates rally to delay school board’s vote on permanent school closures for two years” — Baltimore City teachers, families and advocates held a rally to urge school leaders to halt school closure decisions for two years. The rally came after school officials recommended the closure of four Baltimore City public schools, citing declining enrollment, structural problems and other issues.

“Baltimore’s Little Donna’s named on New York Times’ list of 50 best restaurants in the nation” — The New York Times named Baltimore’s Little Donna’s on its 2023 list of the 50 best restaurants in the United States. The Upper Fells Point restaurant is named after chef-owner Robbie Tutlewski’s 4 1/2 foot tall Yugoslavian grandmother “Little Donna,” whom he regularly cooked with growing up in Gary, Indiana.

“Great Eggspectations: Baltimore Deviled Egg Pageant celebrates 10 years” — In 2012, Martine Richards started the Baltimore Deviled Egg Pageant in her Remington home with one goal in mind: be allowed to eat as many deviled eggs as she desired. The pageant, which has since outgrown Richards’ living room, celebrated its 10th annual event in 2023 with a showcase of culinary cre-egg-tivity.

“Dumpster divers salvage food, furniture and more as pandemic fuels fondness for free stuff” — During the coronavirus pandemic, Marylanders took the plunge into dumpster diving. Some were driven by a desire to get out of their homes and try a no-cost hobby; others were fueled by necessity amid high rates of unemployment and food insecurity.

“Taking root: How community gardens are feeding and teaching Marylanders during the pandemic” — Community garden plots have been in high demand throughout the Baltimore region, ready to fill a pressing need in some of the city’s food deserts, where hunger is common. The gardens also serve as valuable open spaces and learning environments.

“‘It’s like opening a restaurant all over again.’ Baltimore eateries push on despite reduced business amid coronavirus pandemic” — With Baltimore restaurants and bars having to shift to carryout- and delivery-only models to limit the spread of the coronavirus, sales have sunk and owners have had to lay off employees, cut back hours for remaining staff, and get creative with ways to encourage customers to continue supporting their businesses.

“Ingenuity is bliss: How a Northeast Baltimore community built BLISS Meadows into a sacred place for enjoying nature” — In a 10-acre space in northeast Baltimore, community members are building BLISS Meadows to provide a place where neighbors can enjoy and learn about nature.

“‘Sailing is for everyone’: Baltimore-area sailors strive to make sport more equitable and accessible” — Historically, the sailing demographic has largely comprised non-disabled, wealthy, white men. But sailing centers in the Baltimore area are working to make the sport more diverse, inclusive, accessible and equitable.

Cecil Whig

“CCPS scores well in new report card system” — The Maryland State Department of Education released a new five-star-rating-based system in December 2018 to assess school quality. The new Maryland Report Card not only considers students’ academic achievement, but also takes other factors into account such as academic progress, readiness for postsecondary success and English language proficiency.

“Community rallies around family amidst tragedy” — After three children and their uncle were killed in a vehicle collision in Cecil County in May 2019, which also resulted in injuries to the surviving child and his grandmother who were in the car, community members rallied to raise money for the family’s funeral costs and medical expenses.

“County youth aim to mobilize peers before midterm election” — For many young Cecil Countians, the 2018 election was the first time they were able to vote. While relative newcomers to the ballot box, they’re leading the charge in creating a more politically active citizenry.

“Elk Creeks’ Apple Butter Festival preserves family tradition” — Community members came together to share in the tradition of making apple butter, as well as to enjoy the history of Fair Hill.

“Milburn Stone Theatre’s ‘Santaland Diaries’ serves holiday tales with side of elvish snark” — Nearly 30 years after author David Sedaris first read his essay about the wintry woes of being a mall elf on National Public Radio, Cecil College’s Milburn Stone Theatre performed the play that essay inspired. From job orientation as an elf trainee to an impression of Billy Holiday crooning “Away in a Manger,” this production was a fun one to cover.

“Sisters create art from materials that are left behind” — One sister photographs objects and places that have been abandoned. The other makes art to deal with the loss of her daughter. Together, they created an art show about what stays with us and what gets left behind.

“‘Principal for a Day’ provides peek into CCPS schools” — Not only did I get to be “principal for a day” at the Cecil County School of Technology, but I also got to talk to students, teachers and administrators about what teaching and learning look like at a technical school.

The Towerlight

“Mental health accessibility at Towson University” — As Towson University grows as an institution, the campus’s counseling center and student groups work to keep up with the student demand for mental health resources.

“Community resists proposed Royal Farms” — Towson area residents clashed with county officials and developers over a gas station/retail development nearby. Some opponents said the development would increase traffic and pollution in the neighborhood.

“Defending DACA” — In the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, some Towson University administrators and student leaders defend the program and undocumented immigrants.

“Towson University reacts to violence in Charlottesville” — Following the violence in August in Charlottesville, Virginia, Towson University community members affirmed their commitment to combating hate and bias on campus.

“Academics and amour: how two alumni couples found love through Towson” — For our Valentine’s Day issue, I talked to two alumni couples (including Lynn and Victor Brick of Brick Bodies) who first crossed paths while attending Towson University. They shared how people can keep their love going strong with their sweethearts, and how to enjoy life to the fullest.

“Towson mourns loss of student who demonstrated ‘honor above all’” — After a Towson University student passed away at home, community members remembered him at a candlelight vigil.

“The Big Event 2017: Students brave the rain to serve community” — A wet one, but a fun one. In my first cover story (co-written with my fellow assistant news editor at the time), I traveled around Towson to document how student groups were paying it forward to the community during a day of heavy rain as part of The Big Event, an annual day of service.

Photos