Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston focused on the need to maintain academic excellence for a growing student population as he presented his fiscal year 2012 recommended operating budget to the Baltimore County Board of Education on Jan. 12. In delivering his 11th budget to the board, Hairston said the Baltimore County Public […]
Category: Baltimore News
Baltimore County Teacher Named State’s Only Milken Award Winner
A fourth-grade teacher from Woodholme Elementary School in Owings Mills was recently named Maryland’s only recipient of this year’s prestigious $25,000 Milken Educator Award. McKinley Broome, a teacher for six years in Baltimore County, learned of the award during a school-wide assembly and academic pep rally hosted by Baltimore County Superintendent Joe A. Hairston and […]
Maryland Schools Ranked Nation’s Best
Maryland’s public schools were recently ranked the number one public school system in the country by a national education newspaper, the third straight year the state has received the honor. Education Week, the country’s leading education publication, gave Maryland public schools a “B-plus” rating on its “Quality Counts” assessment, which judges school systems across the […]
Maryland Gov. O’Malley Announces Plans to Implement Health Care Reform
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley introduced the state’s final report for implementing federal health care reform at Baltimore’s Coppin State University Jan. 10, part of a series of public meetings on state issues. The report outlines 16 recommendations including the creation of an Office of Health Reform and legislation establishing the structure of Maryland’s health insurance […]
Baltimore NAACP Chapter Swears In New President
Tessa Hill-Aston, the fifth female president of the Baltimore City branch of the NAACP, was sworn in Jan. 13 at the New Fellowship Christian Community Church in Park Heights, Baltimore. Hill-Aston, 60, also serves as the city housing administrator and is the chapter’s first female leader since the legendary Enolia P. McMillian reigned more than […]
Officer Killed by ‘Friendly Fire’ During Nightclub Shooting
An early morning melee at a downtown Baltimore nightclub has left two people dead including another Baltimore police officer, but this time the officer’s death was at the hands of one of their own. A phalanx of police vehicles raced to the Select Lounge nightclub on North Paca Street in the wee hours of January […]
Baltimore Honors MLK with Annual Festivities
Residents of Baltimore and surrounding areas are invited to take part in the 11th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, which celebrates the life of one of America’s most influential civil rights, political, and social icons. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade presented by Forman Mills, held on Jan. 17 at noon, is […]
Dr. West’s Prognosis for the Country’s Prospects
Dr. Cornel West is a prominent and provocative public intellectual dedicated to democracy. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees in philosophy at Princeton. Since then, he has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard and the University of Paris. He has written 19 books […]
Coppin Plans to Re-stabilize North Avenue Corridor
On a vacant parcel less than a mile from its campus, Coppin State University commenced the first phase of a revitalization project over 10 years in the making. The venture calls for streetscraping, infill development and an investment in human capital to revive the Coppin-Heights neighborhood. The school even created a non-profit—the Coppin-Heights Community Development […]
Cosby Enters Baltimore Political Scene
Legendary comedian, educator and activist Bill Cosby left his stamp on Baltimore politics when he visited the city for a performance Jan 11. The 73-year-old icon has been vocal over the years about the importance of education and a firm family structure, beliefs he reiterated during his recent visit to the city. “What happens in […]
Despite Public Outcry, Council Elects Welch to 9th District
Despite controversy surrounding his nomination and City Hall’s vacancy filling process, the Baltimore City Council selected William “Pete” Welch to replace his mother as councilperson for the ninth district. The council voted 10-3 in his favor at a public meeting Jan. 11. Immediately following the vote, Welch took the oath of office, flanked by Council veteran […]
Irene Reid Dies at 78
Irene Bennett Reid, a retired city Department of Social Services employee and mother of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, succumbed to lung cancer and died at Sinai Hospital on Jan. 11. She was 78. Reared in the south, Reid worked much of her life as a city social worker, aiming to improve the lives of […]

