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Cayla Harris

Cayla

Cayla Harris is the obituary writer for The Baltimore Banner. Before coming to Baltimore, she spent four years in Austin, Texas covering state politics for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. She also previously covered New York politics for the Albany Times Union. Cayla is a New Jersey native and a graduate of the George Washington University, where she studied journalism and Spanish.

The latest from Cayla Harris

Myra Harris, one of Towson University’s first Black graduates, was passionate about education
Myra Harris, the namesake of a Towson residence hall who had an illustrious career in Baltimore schools, died Feb. 1 after a brief illness. She was 87.
Myra Harris.
Freddie Saxon, Baltimore County trailblazer, made her community a better place
Frederica “Freddie” Saxon, a dedicated community volunteer who also worked in construction management, died March 7 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 91.
Frederica Kolker Saxon.
Robert Plummer, revered Woodlawn High School baseball coach, helped boys become men
Plummer, the longtime coach of Woodlawn High School's baseball team, died March 4 of heart failure. He was 73.
Robert Plummer.
Dr. Lillian Blackmon Crenshaw helped improve care for babies born prematurely
Dr. Lillian Blackmon Crenshaw, who spent 25 years caring for babies at the University of Maryland, died Feb. 25 of Lewy body dementia. She was 87.
Dr. Lillian Blackmon Crenshaw.
Fleur Le Faivre was a free spirit who wanted better for Baltimore’s unhoused community
Fleur Le Faivre, a lifelong Baltimorean who spread joy wherever she went, died in early January. She was 51.
Fleur Le Faivre.
Kevin Braswell, whose basketball career started at Lake Clifton, was a star at home and abroad
Kevin Braswell, a standout basketball player who got his start at Lake Clifton High School and coached internationally, died Monday. He was 46.
Kevin Braswell
Phebe McPherson, first woman ordained an Episcopal priest in Maryland, always led with love
The Rev. Dr. Phebe McPherson, the first woman ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in Maryland, died Feb. 6 of complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 74.
Phebe McPherson.
Ice skaters, company executives, hunters. These are the Marylanders we know died in the DC plane crash.
The number of Marylanders confirmed dead in an aviation crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that shook the nation this week continues to rise.
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JANUARY 31: An airplane takes off from Reagan National Airport as Roberto Marquez from Dallas, Texas, puts up crosses as part of a memorial for the victims of the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter earlier this week in the Potomac River, January 31, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Flights have resumed in and out of Reagan National Airport after an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to the airport. According to reports, there were no survivors among the 67 people onboard both aircraft.
Dietrich Williams, beloved Mervo basketball coach, took pride in mentoring youth
Dietrich Williams, who had worked at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School since 2010, died Jan. 17 of a heart attack. He was 54.
Dietrich Williams.
Nancy Hall was an expert financial planner who helped Maryland nonprofits thrive
Nancy Hall, who co-founded the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, died Dec. 21 of ovarian cancer. She was 77.
Nancy Hall.
Brian Ellis, Naval Academy grad who died in DC plane crash, ‘would do anything to help people’
Brian Ellis, a 1993 Naval Academy graduate and former football player, was among the victims of Wednesday night’s plane crash in D.C.
Brian Ellis was a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he played quarterback for the midshipmen.
Tommy Clagett, Maryland youth soccer coach killed in plane crash, was a proud girl dad
James “Tommy” Clagett of Charles County was one of seven Southern Maryland hunters killed in a plane crash near Reagan Airport on Wednesday night.
James “Tommy” Clagett with his wife, Jill, and daughters Alaina and Zoey. Clagett was among six Southern Maryland friends who traveled to Kansas for a duck-hunting trip. He was killed on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Jesse Pitcher, Maryland man killed in plane crash near Reagan Airport, was ‘in his prime’
Jesse Pitcher, of Lusby, was among the 67 people killed in a plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night.
Jesse Pitcher, 30, was a “determined” man who had just started one of the best chapters of his life, family said. He was killed when an American Airlines flight carrying 64 people collided with a Black Hawk helicopter with three crew members near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
Richard Bright, longtime Coppin State professor, always wanted to do what was right
Richard Bright, a longtime Coppin State University professor, died Jan. 14 in his sleep. He was 89.
Richard Bright in 2012.
Meghan Brady Merkert was a loving mother who did everything with a smile
Meghan Merkert, a Timonium mother of two who was expecting her third daughter, died suddenly Dec. 19. She was 36.
Meghan Brady Merkert.
Stanley Weiman, actor at Everyman Theatre, always had a love for the arts
Stanley Weiman, a fixture of the Baltimore theater community who accumulated a dedicated following through his years on stage, died Jan. 8 of heart failure. He was 90.
Stanley Weiman.
Liam Reigel wanted to be remembered as a ‘positive guy with a good sense of humor’
Liam Reigel, a freshman at Glenelg High School who loved football and hockey, died Dec. 22 of brain cancer. He was 14.
Liam Reigel.
George ‘Doc’ Manning, Baltimore jazz impresario, shared his love of music in person and on the radio
George “Doc” Manning, a radio and live show host who was well known in Baltimore’s jazz scene, died on Dec. 24 of heart failure. He was 74.
George ‘Doc’ Manning
What to know about Maryland snow totals, school closings and more
As a winter storm sweeps across Maryland, here’s what you need to know about plowing, schools and more.
A pedestrian crosses Lombard Street early Monday as a winter storm blankets the region.
List: Baltimore-area schools closed Tuesday from winter storm
Public and private school closures for Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Workers shovel snow off the sidewalks near the dorms at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on Monday.
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