Author Archives: Shernay Williams

At a Georgia church, May 7, friends and family remembered Phylicia Barnes as an angelic, driven, role model with a priceless smile. They gathered at Springfield Baptist Church in Conyers, Ga. for a private funeral for the teen, who went missing from her half-sister’s Northwest Baltimore apartment four months ago. Last month, Barnes’ body was […]

The Board of Estimates approved Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s $2.7 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 last week. The plan now heads to the City Council for review. Council members haven’t seen a detailed spreadsheet of the proposal, but a general budget overview is scheduled for May 11 in City Council chambers, according to an […]

It’s been one year since Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, D-14, first introduced a bill that would have required major retailers to pay employees a living wage. The galvanizing ordinance—filed May 3, 2010—thrilled many city residents, who saw the possibility to earn more money in a tough economy, and horrified business leaders, who said companies could […]

A jury trial for two Jewish citizen patrolmen accused of assaulting a Black teenager last November has been postponed for two months. Former Shomrim patroller Eliyahu Werdesheim and his brother Avi were scheduled to stand trial May 2 in the racially charged case that led several Black leaders to accuse Baltimore State’s Attorney Greg Bernstein […]

State medical examiners have officially ruled the death of North Carolina teen Phylicia Barnes a homicide, police announced May 4. Examiners have also determined the cause of death, but are withholding the information. “To release a cause of death at this time could jeopardize the investigation by revealing information known only to the person or […]

Donique Warden, a junior at Coppin State University, remembers a time when the school library stayed open until 2 a.m. “Now it closes at 11 and I don’t even get off work until 11 p.m.,” she said. “When I asked librarians about it, they said it’s because they don’t have the money to keep it […]

Rhonda Young held up an imitation ring with an apple-sized diamond. “Think big. You see this ring,” she asked the 12 ninth grade girls packed in a classroom on the third floor of Reginald F. Lewis High School. “This is just the beginning. You have the opportunity to be anything you want to be.” She […]

The mystifying, four-month search for missing North Carolina teen Phylicia Barnes came to a heart-rending end when her naked body was found floating in the Susquehanna River April 20. Boaters had reported a dead body in the river, which crews pulled out about 10 a.m. Baltimore’s chief medical examiner later identified the female as Barnes. […]

In the wake of an investigation that uncovered a lack of diversity in the Baltimore City Fire Department, the unit’s chief announced it will revive its partnership with the NAACP – and this time make it “continuous.” “What my goal is, is to make sure this job is available to as many Baltimoreans as possible,” […]

State and local authorities have confirmed that one of two bodies found floating in a northeastern Maryland River on April 21 is that of missing North Carolina teen Phylicia Barnes. “All of us prayed for a different outcome, but finding her body is really going to be instrumental in giving us an opportunity to bring […]

Two influential Black churches – one young and the other seasoned – will unveil additional worship branches on Easter Sunday, continuing a trend for Black churches to expand. The 225-year-old Bethel A.M.E Church will premiere a companion location in Owings Mills Sunday at 11:30 a.m., and the fresh-faced, 11-year-old Empowerment Temple will debut a second […]

One of the two men accused of murdering an AFRO security guard last spring was sentenced to life in prison with all but 35 years suspended by a circuit court judge April 11. Troy Taylor, 20, pled guilty to first-degree murder, the use of a handgun in the commission of a crime, conspiracy to commit […]