Category: Baltimore News

The city declared two ‘Code Blue’ weather alerts as the first winter snow fell last week. But before meteorologists even predicted the frigid temperatures, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was already preparing for a third blizzard. She held a joint news conference with various city agencies late last month to announce “Baltimore is ready for winter.” Her […]

BALTIMORE — Towanda and Nancy Brinson stood, confused, in front of the entrance to the largest corner store in Washington Village, the modest, family-owned Shop N’ Go Food Mart. There was a sign on the door that said the store was closed, even though it was still Saturday afternoon and the store in this Southwest […]

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Dec. 16 was named ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for the 112th Congress by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “I am honored by the trust shown in me by my Democratic colleagues,” Cummings said in a statement. “Oversight and Government Reform will be a […]

Effective Jan. 1, 2011, a new state law will change how drivers with traffic tickets handle the violations. Today drivers who receive tickets for minor offenses, such as speeding or running a red light, are issued a fine and an automatic trial date to dispute the ticket. Under the new law effective Jan. 1, drivers […]

As she prepares for her first three-day bus tour of the state, Del.-elect Mary Washington is openly ecstatic. “I’m really looking forward to this,” she said, after rubbing her hands together for warmth in the back seat of a large commuter bus. On the near-freezing Monday morning, Washington greets the two other new delegates for […]

Six people died in a two-alarm house fire in East Baltimore early Dec. 14. The incident continues a string of large fires in Baltimore City over the last eight days. According to fire officials, the blaze began just before 5 a.m. in the 2300 block of Homewood Avenue. Three children and three adults, all family […]

The Baltimore City school board held two public forums last week, garnering input about proposals that would lead to another year of drastic school-by-school ratifications. Based on recommendations from a recent city schools report, the plan would close one high school and incorporate career preparatory or international student programs at four other city schools. School […]

First came furloughs. Then came salary reductions, now, some Maryland State employees will have the option of accepting a buyout from the state government under a Dec. 7 executive order signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley aimed at balancing the state’s budget. Under what the state is calling the State Employees Voluntary Separation Program eligible employees […]

Bank of America will pay $67 million for its involvement in a nationwide scheme to rig bids and engage in other anticompetitive conduct that defrauded state agencies, county governments, and non-profits in their purchase of municipal bond derivatives, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler announced Dec. 10. The settlement is one component of a larger $137 […]

Key members of Baltimore’s Black and Jewish communities met Dec. 8 to iron out some of the tensions left over from a Nov. 19 encounter in Park Heights that left a 15 year-old African American badly beaten and a member of a Jewish community patrol group under arrest for assault. After the meeting, the Rev. […]