Sometimes crime news in this town does fall into the category -- if it bleeds, it leads.

But not today.

Oh, there are plenty of crime stories in the newspaper, but most of the drama occurred inside court houses and police stations. The crime, for the most part, was the white collar kind. The bloody stuff became the stuff of conversation. But the variety of the news gives us a good chance to update some old issues:

The big crime news was a hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court involving the City Hall corruption case. It was the first time prosecutors met with Mayor Sheila Dixon's high-profile attorneys in open court, and we learned that even more properties may be involved in the allegations of shady deals. Plan to see lots of pictures of Dixon's hot shot attorney Arnold Weiner standing before the microphones outside the courthouse on North Calvert Street.

Meanwhile, inside the courthouse, U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings and State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy (at left, in a photo taken by Baltimore Sun photographer Kim Hairston) spoke of a witness intimidation bill that could pump more money into keeping witnesses who testify in court safe. It's an issue Jessamy has been pushing for a long time given that so many cases disappear or get plea-bargained away because witnesses are too scared to come forward. The timing was perfect given that across town in U.S. District Court, the trial continues for an inmate charged with ordering a hit on a witness who was about to testify in the man's murder trial.

In Annapolis, we see that the House of Delegates is sending a bill limiting how the death penalty is used to the governor's desk. It's not the bill the governor wanted -- he wanted to repeal the death penalty -- but Martin O'Malley has indicated he will sign it. Also in Annapolis, lawmakers got rid of an amendment that would have made it easier for victims of domestic violence to get guns. That was tacked on to a bill that would require cops to seize weapons of spouses accused of beating their wives or girlfriends.

We jump back to Baltimore police headquarters for a hearing on whether to padlock Club 410 in Northeast Baltimore. It's the latest attempt by police to close down nightclubs the department says cause trouble; a law student representing the owners handled the case pretty well, calling into question some police accounts of violence. The city has already padlocked one establishment in Reservoir Hill and delayed hearings on two others, including a motel on Pulaski Highway, to give owners a chance to turn things around.

At City Hall, Dixon handed out awards to kids as part of Youth Violence Prevention Week and I headed down to Jessup to the women's prison to watch inmates lecture at-risk kids about violence. Even the crime watch briefs go against the grain -- two involve gambling and embezzlement and only one deals with an armed robbery.

Of course, there's still plenty of old-fashion crime to go around. Check out the Baltimore Sun's Breaking News site for your fix of shootings and accidents.