The damage was monumental. In only a few hours, the First Mt. Olive Baptist Church was no more, displacing hundreds of members. Now, five years after their former church on Saratoga Avenue burned to the ground, First Mt. Olive members are commemorating not only their past trial by fire, but also their rebirth, with the […]
Category: Baltimore News
Posted inBaltimore News
Supporters of Slain Teen Say Criminal Charges Facing Off-Duty Cop Too Moderate
Demonstrators gathered at the Baltimore County Court Building complex on July 2 to protest charges filed in the strangulation death of Christopher Brown, 17, who was killed June 13 in an altercation with an off-duty police officer. Prosecutors announced June 27 that they had charged James David Laboard, 32, a nine-year veteran of the Baltimore […]
Posted inBaltimore Community, Baltimore News
African American Festival Expected to Draw 500,000
The performers are polishing their acts. The vendors are readying their inventory. Organizers are making sure the word gets out—the 36th annual African American Festival is coming and is expected to attract more than 500,000 participants to celebrate Black music, arts and culture, authorities said. The event, slated for July 7-8 at M&T Bank Stadium, […]
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Phylicia Barnes’ Father: Murder Suspect Johnson Once “Part of the Family”
He attended church regularly. He even contemplated a career in law enforcement. For ten years, while dating her older sister, he was considered a member of Phylicia Barnes’ family. Then, on June 20, several of Phylicia’s relatives who had thought of Michael M. Johnson as family sat across the courtroom from his mother and father […]
Posted inBaltimore Community, Baltimore News
City Pools Officially Open for the Summer
As blazing temperatures continue to rock Baltimore, swimming pools across the city are now officially open to help Charm City residents stay cool. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Councilman Nick Mosby and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) officials formally kicked off the summer pool season June 23 at the annual “Big Splash.” The event, which was […]
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`No Representation Without Population’ Act Upheld by SCOTUS
Maryland’s “No Representation Without Population” Act was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling June 25. The state law requires voting districts to count the incarcerated in their home district, not where they are imprisoned, for redistricting purposes. In its ruling, the Court said: “…While the majority of the state’s prisoners come from […]
Posted inBaltimore News
City Council Votes No to Youth Initiatives
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s FY13 budget passed June 21 on a 9-6 vote without the proposed 30 amendments to fund youth jobs, after school activities and recreation, inciting a passionate discussion by proponents of the amendments who say they hope to revisit the budget on Monday. “I would like for us to go offline, not in […]
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Baltimore County Officer Indicted in Teen’s Death
A grand jury on June 27 indicted a Baltimore County police officer in the choking death of a 17 year-old. The indictment came two weeks after a rock-throwing incident involving the teen and the off-duty officer near Randallstown, authorities said. James Laboard faces manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Christopher Brown. Laboard, […]
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Drawing Nooses, Burning Cross, Racist Expletives Not a Hate Crime, Baltimore County Police Say
Three male students suspended from Eastern Technical High School in Essex for placing racial epithets and a derogatory drawing on a whiteboard in a 10th grade Spanish class during the last week of school will not be investigated for committing a hate crime, Baltimore County police said this week. The drawing depicted three nooses, a […]
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Las Vegas-Style Casino Faces Many Hurdles
In a setback for County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, a panel failed to reach a concensus on June 20th on gambling expansion in Prince George’s, Annapolis and Anne Arundel, officials said. The decision effectively halts any recommendation for a casino in Prince George’s this year. Concensus would have resulted in the convening of a […]
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Comptroller Claims Mayor Acted Improperly in Contract Award
Tension continued to build at Baltimore City Hall this week as city Comptroller Joan Pratt and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake continued to lock horns over an upgrade to the telephone system used in City offices. Pratt said Rawlings-Blake’s information technology staff purchased 80 telephones, six video-phones, two servers and supporting equipment for technology renovations without going […]
Posted inBaltimore Community, Baltimore News
AFRAM 2012– More Than Just Music
In 2012, Baltimore’s African-American Festival will push the envelope with new features and activities designed to make festival goers healthier. The 36th version of the festival, scheduled for July 7 and 8 at M&T Bank Stadium, is going green, too. Along with music and other entertainment acts, this year there will also be seminars on […]