Category: Baltimore News

During the last city council meeting for 2013, Councilman Nick Mosby (D-District 7) introduced “Ban the Box,” a bill that would bar prospective employers from asking, in the initial job interview, if a job applicant has a record of criminal arrests or convictions. On Dec. 5, Mosby said omitting the criminal conviction-check for applications and […]

West Baltimore activist Gwen Shelton can be described in many ways, but this April photo best captures her determination to see justice on behalf of the community. On the occasion of her death, Dec. 2, family and friends began to post on her Facebook page – thanks for support, thanks for encouragement, thanks for just […]

* Baltimore Heroin Trafficker Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Jeffrey Cofield, 26, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 12 years Dec. 5 for conspiring to distribute heroin. He was also ordered to forfeit $58,531 seized Dec. 11, 2012 by police executing search warrants. After his release, he also faces four years of supervised probation, according […]

A husband and wife who own a West Baltimore grocery store face prison sentences of up to 20 years after pleading guilty in federal court recently to charges of food stamp fraud. On Dec. 3, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein announced that Asmara Cases, 50, and his wife Fanta Keita, 45, pleaded guilty to operating […]

Four years after his death and 72 years after he began playing baseball in the Negro Baseball League, Hubert “Bert” Simmons reached home plate at last, but not alone. For Audrey Simmons, Simmons’ widow, the search for a dignified, permanent home to commemorate the life and legacy of her husband and many other unrecognized, unsung […]

Morgan State University officials announced that the Alpha Iota Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity is on probation until 2015 following allegations of discrimination. The move comes after Morgan student Brian Stewart said the organization denied him admittance in early October because he is gay. Morgan State officials confirmed to the {AFRO} that the fraternity […]

A family of six remains homeless three weeks after flames raced through their West Baltimore row house, a blaze that fire officials said started in a neighboring city-owned vacant house. The fire began early Nov. 13 in the rear of 2812 Boarman Ave., the city-owned property. The flames quickly swept through the walls of the […]

While other key city agencies are seeing budget cuts and furloughs, Baltimore’s top elected officials are set to see a 2.5 percent pay hike in January. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s annual salary will rise from $159,380 to $163,365 and Council President Jack Young and City Comptroller Joan Pratt will see an annual salary increase to take […]

Prince George’s County Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-25) is running for Maryland Attorney General and if she wins she would be the first Black and first woman in the state’s history to hold that office. But, she had breakfast in West Baltimore Monday at New Shiloh Baptist Church with members of the Baptist Ministers Conference of […]

BALTIMORE – The NFL has been under scrutiny for its handling of concussions in recent years, but fans remain loyal: On Thursday the Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first Thanksgiving Day installment of one of the league’s best rivalries. Throughout their respective histories, both teams have been known for hard-hitting defense. In the […]

WBAL-TV Channel 11 has expanded its news team with the announcement Nov. 26 that it had hired a new co-anchor for its weekday morning newscast. Jason Newton, a Baltimore native, will join current anchor Mindy Basara on weekday mornings. Newton grew up in Baltimore and attended City College High School and the University of Maryland. […]

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has become an enduring punch line over the last month thanks to a pattern of erratic behavior, including the acknowledgment that he smoked crack cocaine about a year ago and a series of press conferences laden with outrageous outbursts. But amid Ford’s month-long personal train wreck, Baltimore has seen a spike […]