Author Archives: Shernay Williams

Panelists from a local interfaith organization grilled Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and three of her leading Democratic challengers Aug. 25 about their commitment to youth opportunities and employment and their investment in uptown. Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD), which represents a reported 150 city congregations, hosted the mayoral forum inside the nation’s first Black Catholic […]

Baltimore City Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki” Spector has been systematically re-elected to represent her Northwest Baltimore district for 30 years. “I wasn’t even born ,” said Curtis E. Jones, one of three Black candidates vying for Spector’s seat during this year’s election. Jones, a 26-year-old entertainment company head, says Spector has “slid her way” into office […]

Morgan Turner-Cohen, a senior at Baltimore Freedom Academy High School, says conditions at school are almost unbearable. “I have to sit in classrooms with mittens and gloves and a hat,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to do that to focus on my work, shivering, writing my numbers on my notepad.”? The Baltimore County-bred teenager moved […]

Baltimore City’s Black state lawmakers are fighting to ensure the city and the state’s Black populations don’t lose political clout when legislative and congressional lines are redrawn during this year’s redistricting process. Baltimore City was the only jurisdiction in the state to lose population over the last 10 years, which means it must pick up […]

At 8-years-old, Emmanuel Jackson was placed with the Department of Social Services, after years of abuse by his mother. By 18, he said he was “thrown to the wolves” and ended up homeless. “This was before the program ‘Ready by 21,’” he said. Homeless programs, including the Baltimore Homeless Youth Initiative and Healthcare for the […]

After helping to subdue the late-night crowd in front of Select Lounge in January, Officer William H. Torbit Jr. was gunned down by fellow officers in a flurry of bullets, 12 of which penetrated his body. After months of delayed, hush-hush investigations and speculation, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Greg Bernstein officially shed some light on […]

After over 20 years serving Baltimore City’s second district, City Councilman Nicholas D’Adamo has decided not to run for reelection. Now, seven newcomers to elected office – all Black – are competing for his seat in the only city race without an incumbent. Candidates for the Northeast district include a former aide to Mayor Stephanie […]

It was an action packed protest. Gates slammed in protestors’ faces, the arrival of five police officers, allegations that children demonstrators were urinating in public and not a single response from the target – WBAL-TV. Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development or BUILD organization’s July 28 protest against the media’s coverage of the mayor’s race was […]

There were five mayoral hopefuls and a lone Republican, but no sign of the current mayor at the Aug. 2 debate forum at Empowerment Temple AME Church. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and radio host Marc Steiner questioned the candidates about their positions on education, crime and growing the city’s tax base. But throughout […]

A recently-released state audit found that Morgan State University awarded a handful of students incorrect sums of scholarship money during the 2009-2010 academic year. Four students were awarded less than promised in award letters and two received too much, according to a review of eight athletic and honors scholarships conducted by the state’s Office of […]

Over the last few weeks, Baltimore’s mayoral candidates are firming up their stances on one of the election’s most hot-button issues – the city’s property tax rate. The city’s rate is more than double that of other counties at $2.268 per $100 of assessed value, compared to $1.10 in Baltimore County and $0.91 in Anne […]

Several Baltimore County residents are up in arms about a new councilmanic redistricting plan that would shift Woodlawn’s Social Security Complex and thousands of residents out of the only Black lawmaker’s district. Represented by Councilman Kenneth Oliver, the 4th District is economically rich and home to several federal planned developments, coined the Woodlawn Enterprise Zone. […]