Author Archives: Shernay Williams

Last weekend, a small but fervent crowd came out for the second quarter of Amplify Baltimore, a series of community conversations that relay important issues to city residents. The day of panel discussions included testimonies from leaders in public education, workforce and economic development and financial literacy. Roughly 150 persons trickled in and out throughout […]

A district court judge has declined a Baltimore woman’s peace order attempt against former City Council President Lawrence Bell III for lack of evidence. Shan Mabry, 49, claims she dated the ex-politician for 20 years, but requested peace orders against him last September and late last month because he harassed her and destroyed her property. […]

ANNAPOLIS – Despite torrential rains and frigid conditions, hundreds rallied outside the Lawyer’s Mall in Annapolis last week protesting proposed state cuts to education. Impassioned Baltimore educators, students, legislators and advocates – assembled by the Baltimore Education Coalition – showed up in yellow school buses and cars to swarm the capitol. Balancing umbrellas and large […]

Part II – Click here for Part I. As they embark on an endeavor to help thwart similar calamities, the family of Deanna Green – a 14-year-old who was electrocuted after touching a fence in Druid Hill Park in 2006 – is still searching for answers in their daughter’s demise. The father, Anthony “Bubba” Green […]

City Councilman Carl Stokes proposed a charter amendment and ordinance at City Hall this week that he asserts would lower the city’s property tax rate by 50 percent over five years. It garnered little support from fellow Council members. The plan would reduce property taxes by 15 cents a year until it reaches $1.10 per […]

The large softball field is desolate. Only two soccer nets and a lone picnic table stand in the grassy, tree-lined lower “bowl” field in Druid Hill Park. There are no signs the city has repaired the decaying underground electrical wires, as promised, that led to the fatal electrocution of 14-year-old Deanna Green five years ago. […]

Last week, 30 Baltimore City Police officers were implicated in a corruption scheme for accepting kickbacks from owners of an unauthorized towing company. The alleged crimes – which were uncovered after lengthy internal and FBI investigations – continue a string of public relations mishaps for the Baltimore City Police Department, possibly fueling public distrust in […]

Few showed up for a public hearing at City Hall Feb. 16 that would have given residents a platform to raise concerns about Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s redistricting proposal. Her plan redraws City Council lines as mandated by the Census, and it initially drew criticism from Black political observers who said it centralizes power among the […]

A non-profit preservation group is urging city residents to join in its crusade to block downtown redevelopment plans that would demolish several historic edifices, most notably, an old drug store that was the site of a civil rights sit-in. Baltimore Heritage Inc., a historic preservation advocacy organization, has asked the city to reevaluate a $150 […]

At a media conference Feb. 14, city leaders announced the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation will sponsor programs for teenage dropouts and ex-offenders seeking employment, current high school students desiring college preparatory training and school-age children looking for an after school safe haven. Lauding the program as a “faith event,” U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said […]

Louise Gee Murphy, a Baltimore City educator and former state senator, died of natural causes the morning of Feb. 15, her daughter Sharon Dow confirmed with the AFRO. She was 88. Murphy, a passionate advocate for education, served nearly half a century as an elementary school teacher, principal, supervisor and specialist for Baltimore City Public […]

Donning a dark red suit accented with black polka dots, Verbar McKnight headed to the basement of Gillis Memorial Christian Community Church in West Baltimore following the morning service Feb. 13. The 54 year old was on a mission – to take advantage of blood pressure screenings and track her risk for heart disease. “This […]