Author Archives: MelanieR.Holmes

In 1994, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke sponsored a bill that made Baltimore City the first city in the country to require a living wage for all city workers and contractors. If she has her way again, retail workers in the city will also be paid the living wage. The 14th District councilor proposed on Monday […]

A five-year agreement was finalized with Baltimore Racing Development (BRD) today to allow an IndyCar® ‘Baltimore Grand Prix’ street-racing event around the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards in August of 2011.  The more than 100,000 people expected to attend the race will create an estimated $11 million in direct city tax revenue, form almost 2,000 […]

A month after the Obama administration released its blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), city and state officials gathered in Baltimore for a panel discussion on what that reform would mean for Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). Within the blueprint, the federal government expects college and career-ready standards to be implemented […]

Daniel Harris Sr. hopes the second defendant in his son’s assault case doesn’t get off as easy as the first one. After agreeing with the prosecutor that a surveillance video shows Susan Nelson hitting 13-year-old autistic child Daniel Harris Jr. on a Baltimore County school bus, District Court Judge G. Darrell Russell Jr. ruled “not […]

A lawsuit against the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) seeking parity between the state’s Black and White colleges is making progress, according to an attorney representing the plaintiffs. Prospective students, current students and alumni of three of the state’s four historically Black universities filed the suit to end alleged “state-sponsored discrimination,” claiming the MHEC has […]

“One Plus One” has equaled more than Baltimore City bargained for, according to solid waste workers. In an effort to save money, the “One Plus One” trash and recycling pickup program—trash and recycling removal once a week—was implemented under the expectation that the city would also become “cleaner and greener.” But disgruntled solid waste workers […]

The 45th person in Maryland to die from swine flu was a Baltimore City resident. Since the virus emerged in the state last May, nine local residents have died from it, including two children under age 18, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). For the past several weeks, the Centers […]

Three months after a judge tossed Baltimore City’s lawsuit against Wells Fargo, City Solicitor George Nilson announced the filing of a second complaint.     The city maintains its initial claim – that African-American borrowers pay more in fees and interest rates for refinances and home loans and alleges Wells Fargo’s lending practices prompted harmful foreclosures […]

Without additional revenue, Baltimore City could lose seven fire companies, sworn police officers and police helicopters, dozens of recreation centers and swimming pools and 606 filled positions to close the budget gap. But on Monday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake released a comprehensive budget that generates $50 million in new funds, as well as $70 million in […]