Facebook users having a hard time identifying with the terms “male” or “female” now have more than categories 50 different ways to express their gender. This week, the social media giant unveiled a wide range of selections from “androgynous” and “bigender” to “intersex,” “transsexual male,” and “trans female.” “When you come to Facebook to connect […]
Author Archives: Alexis Taylor
AFRO Staff Writer
Posted inBaltimore News
Small Business: Say Yes to the Dress–Baltimore Style
No doubt thousands upon thousands of Americans will be tuning in to the February return of TLC’s hit show, Say Yes to the Dress. The show, which began following brides as they choose gowns out of New York City’s Klienfeld Bridal, now also has a popular Atlanta addition. But when it comes to Charm City, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Churches Mark 10th Annual Red Dress Sunday for Heart Health Awareness
Facing a sea of red dresses, Georgetta Thomas told her story, a tale of how she filled her days to the brim with the tasks of everyday life. Thomas spent her days constantly on the go with little attention focused on her own well-being—she was simply too busy to bother with healthy living. By the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Mayor Rawlings-Blake Speaks On Crime, Education, Entrepreneurship in State of City Address
City and state officials gathered at City Hall, Feb. 10, for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s annual State of the City address. Though the mayor touched on a range of topics from city schools to economic growth, technology improvements, and property tax credits, at the top of the list were two subjects: homicides and violent crime. “We […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Calvin G. Butler Jr. to Become BGE CEO
Baltimore Gas and Electric announced Feb. 12 that Calvin G. Butler will take lead of the Central Maryland-based company as chief executive officer this year. With current CEO and President Kenneth W. DeFontes Jr.’s retirement becoming official on Feb. 28 after 42 years, Butler will move up from his current position as BGE’s senior vice […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Md. Announces New Restrictions on Contraband Cell Phone Use in Prisons
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley visited the Baltimore City Detention Center Feb. 7 to unveil new measures aimed at curbing illicit cell phone use by inmates at the prison The new “Managed Access” technology will block illegal and unauthorized calls within the facility’s walls in an attempt to prevent inmates from orchestrating illegal activity. “For the […]
Posted inHealth
U.S. Abortion Rate Falls to Lowest Level in Decades
The number of abortion procedures performed nationwide in recent years has fallen to levels not seen since 1973, according to a new report released by the Guttmacher Institute of New York City. According to data collected in the study, out of every 100 pregnancies in 2011, only 21 were terminated—down from 2008, when 23 pregnancies […]
Posted inHealth
CVS Caremark to End Tobacco Sales
Smokers expecting to visit local CVS Caremark locations for tobacco products will soon find themselves disappointed. The company informed consumers Feb. 5 that they will discontinue the sale of those items. The change is expected to be in full effect nationwide by Oct. 1. CVS Caremark estimated that it will lose $2 billion as a […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore City 2014 Homicides Reach 26
Baltimore police reported four deaths in the final week of January, bringing to 26 the 2014 homicide tally, the bloodiest start to a year since 2007 when 28 killings occurred in January. The most lethal day was Jan. 30 when police, dispatched at 9:40 a.m. to the 1500 block of Cole Street, found a man […]
Posted inHealth
CDC Says 1 in 4 U.S. Families Faced Medical Debt Crisis in 2012
One out of every four American families in 2012 dealt with a medical bill debt burden, according to a data report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January. And while that statistic, compiled by the National Health Interview Survey, is alarming, even more compelling is the fact that one out […]
Posted inHealth
Study: Guns = 20 Kid & Young Adult Hospitalizations a Day
Firearms accounted for 20 hospitalizations a day in 2009 for children and young adults according to a study published this week in Pediatrics, the medical journal for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of the 7,391 cases documented, the numbers were highest for American males between the ages of 15 and 19, but at least three […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Women Forging Ahead in STEM Fields
Glennae Williams is still months away from her May 17 graduation, but is already on the path to making her Southwest Baltimore community of Mt. Winans proud. Not only is she set to graduate with a baccalaureate degree from Morgan State University, but she is doing so as an industrial engineering major—adding her name to […]
