Author Archives: Shernay Williams

More tailored, expedited services for drug-addicted residents could help reduce Baltimore City’s crime rate, according to a Northeast Baltimore pastor. The Rev. Milton Williams, of New Life Evangelical Baptist Church, says that’s why he’s launching a walk-in component to his drug addiction treatment center on July 5. It will allow patients to receive doses of […]

Former Del. Ruth M. Kirk, a longtime community activist who represented West Baltimore’s 44th district in the Maryland General Assembly for nearly 30 years, died of heart failure June 17. She was 81. Dubbed a “street-wise, tooth-and-nail politician” in her early years, Kirk advocated for “those who others had left behind,” according to U.S. Rep. […]

The state and the coalition representing students and alumni from Maryland’s four HBCU’s in a controversial legal case are discussing a settlement. But, adding to the complexity of the case, the state has hired Kenneth L. Thompson, a prominent Black attorney with private law firm Venable, LLP and two of his colleagues to assist with […]

Theresa Rigby, a three-year veteran Baltimore City Police officer, was in critical but stable condition June 22, after being thrown off an elevated embankment on I-83 while tending to a car accident. Rigby plummeted 25 to 30 feet to a concrete parking lot after a Saab slammed into the back of her cruiser, June 21. […]

Less than a week after Maryland State Sen. Catherine Pugh officially announced her candidacy for mayor of Baltimore, a surprising tweet was sent from her twitter account while she was attending a fundraising event. “Mmm mmm good looking men here (@ Martin’s West w/ 4 others),” it read. A spokesman for the West Baltimore Democrat […]

Recent studies show that while the number of minorities that graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology has risen by at least 20 percent since 1989, the percentage of Black and Latino students that enter psychology doctoral programs remains stagnant. Graduates with only a bachelor’s or master’s degree are more likely to serve in […]

“For over 20 years, my lips and eyes have been burning,” said Frieda ‘Miss Penny’ Morton. She tilted her glasses down to her nose and pointed to her eyes. “And my eyes are always red.” Morton contends that she doesn’t drink or smoke, it’s an MTA bus yard facility with almost 200 diesel-fueled buses in […]

The federal court judge overseeing the HBCU lawsuit case has decided it will proceed to trial. In an 11-page memorandum filed June 6, United States District Judge Catherine C. Blake said a six-week bench trial addressing all allegations against the state, except capital funding, will commence as early as July 5. “We’re glad that the […]

It’s a crisis that President Barack Obama declared cannot be accepted or ignored—high school dropout rates. Roughly 1.2 million students renounce school every year, the White House reported, and about half of the dropouts are Black or Latino. Obama vowed to pour $900 million worth of grants into states and school districts that undergo sweeping […]

The third installment of Amplify Baltimore, a series of optimistic community conversations, was held last weekend and featured talks about city neighborhoods, homeownership and food access. The June 4 event was shorter than previous sessions, with just two panel discussions instead of three. City housing officials, home ownership advocates and realtors discussed the status of […]