Baltimore may soon follow in the steps of Montgomery County and Washington D.C. and enact legislation that would impose a fee on disposable plastic and paper bags handed out by retailers.

City Councilman Brandon Scott introduced legislation Monday that would require retailers, including grocery and convenience stores, to charge customers 10 cents for paper and plastic bags. In a statement introducing the legislation, Scott noted the impact similar legislation in D.C. has had on cleaning up the Anacostia River.

In a tweet, Scott said he hopes the bill will change consumer behavior, adding that getting Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her administration "to agree to use it [revenue from the bill] for green initiatives is key" to legislation's success.

"We have to get out of this mindset that new and innovative stuff, that are great for people, and great for the environment don’t work here in Baltimore. In Baltimore we have this mindset of 'if it’s new we don’t want it,'" said Scott in a Patch.com story...

Welcome to our third installment of Orioles Stud of the Week.

Stud of the Week for June 3-June 10:

J.J. Hardy

The line:

Over the past six games, the Oriole shortstop has 12 hits, including a double, home run, and five RBI while batting a blistering .444. After a typically slow start at the plate this season, Hardy is now batting .270 on the year. And his power numbers, especially for a middle infielder, are positively Cal-like: 14 doubles, 13 home runs, and 39 RBI.

Studliest moment:

After dropping two games to division-rival Tampa Bay, Hardy golfed a low, first-inning fastball off the centerfield wall Sunday, driving in Manny Machado to start a big offensive day for the O's.

The clincher:

Late last week Hardy took a lead over Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers) in...

For 130 years, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team has competed independently of any league affiliation.

That will change in two years, Hopkins announced today, when the Blue Jays join the new Big Ten men's lacrosse league, set to include current Big Ten schools Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan, plus long-time rival Maryland and Rutgers—both of which will become full Big Ten members next year.

Hopkins went 9-5 in 2013 season and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1972. Maryland, Penn State and Ohio State all qualified for the NCAA tournament this past season. Overall, Hopkins has won 44 national champhionships in lacrosse. Maryland has won 11.

Rutgers and Penn State, in particular, have been playing lacrosse for some time, with the Scarlett Knights' program dating back to 1887 and the Nittany Lions' program dating back to 1913. Ohio State launched its program in 1953; Michigan started a men’s lacrosse program just two years ago.

The Hopkins women's lacrosse program will compete as an indepedent Division I squad and all other sports at the school will...

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, profiled earlier this year on the AOL web series, My Ink, recently commemorated the team's Super Bowl win with a new tattoo: an image of the Lombardi Trophy on his left bicep with the word "Champs" written across the design. Right where he'll tuck the pigskin when he runs into the end zone next year—perfect.

The photo is courtesy of Jimmy's Famous Seafood on Holabird Avenue, which hosts tons of Ravens-themed events, including weekly meet and greet dinners with players during the season.