By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com The Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center, located in East Baltimore, is set for a $20 million redevelopment. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved a loan guarantee of $12.4 million for the project and the center received $8 million in state bonds. The center’s renovation […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Retail Village at Sycamore & Oak in Congress Heights to open in June
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com After eight months of construction, the Retail Village at Sycamore and Oak in Congress Heights will be ready to host its grand opening in June. Situated on the historic St. Elizabeth campus in Ward 8, the retail village seeks to benefit the surrounding community through healthy living, business […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
State officials, NAACP say placing proposed FBI headquarters in P.G. County could significantly impact lives of Black residents
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Efforts to bring a large-scale opportunity for equity and economic advancement to Prince George’s County have begun again under the new administration of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. “Gov. Moore has made this his number one federal issue,” Matthew Verghese, the governor’s senior advisor and director of federal relations, […]
Posted inCommentary
The obesity crisis is not a hopeless fight for Black America
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Ph.D Whether we accept it or not, obesity continues to be a complex, chronic disease that kills thousands of Black Americans every year. Indeed, nearly half of Black Americans live with obesity, so we cannot afford to ignore this national emergency any longer. The public discourse around weight loss that has […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Councilwoman Brooke Pinto addresses District’s outdated air conditioning codes as weather is impacted by climate change
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Councilwoman Brooke Pinto, Ward 2, called for the D.C. Construction Codes Coordinating Board (CCCB) to reconsider the time frame on which building owners must turn on communal air conditioning for residents in the District. Pinto argues that the current time frame does not address the temperature irregularities of […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. council members fight food insecurity in schools as pandemic measures for K-12 students expire
By Hadiya Presswood, Special to the AFRO D.C. Council members introduced a bill to provide “free universal school breakfast, lunch and after-school snacks to students in public, charter and participating private schools in the District of Columbia” earlier this year. The Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2023, or B25-0035, proposes that public charter […]
Posted inNational News
Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards accuser $5M
By Larry Neumeister, Jennifer Peltz, and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. The verdict was announced in a […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Author Bonnie Newman Davis highlights Black women journalists with new book, ‘Truth Tellers’
By Zoe Earle, Special to the AFRO Author and journalist Bonnie Newman Davis spoke with students and supporters at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communications on May 4 to discuss her newly released book, “Truth Tellers.” “Publish or perish,” is an expression Newman Davis used to describe the driving idea for the […]
Posted inMaryland Government
Several Maryland Democrats expected to vie to replace Cardin
By Ian Decker, Capital News Service With long-serving Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin recently announcing his retirement, Democrats are likely to see a primary fight next year to replace him. So far, one Democrat – Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando – has announced his candidacy to replace Cardin, which most political observers consider a safe Democratic […]
Posted inMaryland Government
AFRO Spotlight on Black excellence: meet the women in leadership serving as chiefs of staff
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com More Black women have been working their way into prestigious positions in recent years and the chief of staff (COS) role is no exception. Chiefs of staff directly aid the most influential leaders in America, locally and nationally. Pokuaa Owusu-Acheaw stepped into her role as the COS for […]
Posted inBaltimore News
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen recommends STEM City Baltimore for $2 million federal investment
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has submitted requests for Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) to the Appropriations Committee for community funding projects for Maryland, according to an announcement from Van Hollen. Among the nominees is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) City Baltimore, which could receive an investment of […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Morgan State University President David Wilson agrees to seven-year extension
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com Morgan State University’s (MSU) Board of Regents unanimously voted May 2 to extend the tenure of MSU President David K. Wilson, Ed.D., until 2030, according to a university statement. His new seven-year contract, if served out fully, will make Wilson the fourth longest tenured president in the institution’s […]
