Maryland's Top 5: Our Most Popular Facebook Stories This Week

From military training exercises in Aberdeen to traffic deaths in the Annapolis area, check out the stories Maryland Patch readers were sharing, reading and commenting on for the week of May 15.

Lighthouse Installed At Havre de Grace Playground

The Tydings Park playground has received its latest installment of new equipment, including a replica of the Concord Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse and climber meet safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new items meet the city's goal of providing an all-access playground.

Annapolis-Area Traffic Deaths: 2nd Driver Dies In Wrong-Way Crash That Killed Mother

Investigators say they are exploring whether a woman who drove the wrong way on US 50 near Annapolis crashed head-on into an SUV, killing both drivers, may have been confused by a frontage road, distracted or impaired. Maryland State Police identified Laura Ashley Murphy, 22, of Salisbury, as the driver who caused a crash on May 17.

Bel Air Man Appeals Conviction From Killing Dad At Age 16

A Bel Air man who killed his father as a juvenile in 2012 is appealing his conviction. Robert Richardson, III, is serving an 18-year prison sentence after he confessed to killing his father—Robert Richardson Jr., 58—at his home in the 800 block of Moores Mill Road on Jan. 9, 2012. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to manslaughter and using a firearm in a felony crime, but now his new attorney is appealing the conviction.

APG Alerts Neighbors About Training Exercise

There may be abnormal sights and sounds coming from Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) this week. Due to military training exercises at APG, officials said that residents of surrounding communities may see flashes or other lights coming from the military installation. They may also hear weapons firing. The training events took place Monday, May 15 through Friday, May 19.

Mystery Cicada Swarms Emerge Across Maryland In 2017

A deafening and somewhat nasty phenomenon that longtime Marylanders will recognize has popped up this spring. Cicadas, sometimes known as "17-year locusts," have emerged in big numbers in Columbia, Bowie, Annapolis, Rockville and College Park as well as across Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia in the past week, says one expert. The bugs, which in large numbers can do serious damage to young trees, shrubs and various crops, are always around, but huge broods of them occasionally hatch all at once, usually in 13-year and 17-year cycles.

Photo credit: City of Havre de Grace