Inner Harbor

Death at Inner Harbor probed as suspicious

Baltimore police said they are investigating the death of a Montgomery County man pulled from the Inner Harbor early Wednesday as suspicious, and detectives are continuing to interview potential witnesses in the case.

Body of man, 22, pulled from the Inner Harbor

Baltimore police are trying to determine how a 22-year-old Montgomery County man who was visiting the Inner Harbor with friends fell into the water early yesterday and died in a possible drowning, authorities said.

Proposals sought for city land project

Baltimore officials are seeking proposals for a mixed-use project on 1.6 acres in the city's southeastern neighborhoods of Jonestown and Washington Hill that would include a mix of housing, offices, shops and parking.

Father seeks to plead guilty to killing children

A Montgomery County man charged with drowning his children in the bathtub of an Inner Harbor hotel told a judge yesterday that he has been trying to plead guilty to the crimes for five months but that his public defenders have blocked him from doing so.

Update: Inner Harbor drinking fountains

The water is flowing again at drinking fountains along the Inner Harbor promenade, a Watchdog reader has reported.

Another Opening Day

The new Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel has been described as the city's first true "convention hotel," in part because it's the first one connected by enclosed sky bridges to Baltimore's 29-year-old convention center. But that's not the only feature that sets it apart from other downtown hotels.

It's a growing business

The corn's been selling out before closing time. The heirloom tomatoes disappear, too. This summer, farmers' markets have emerged as consumer-driven havens for decidedly local foods sold in a setting of tell-all candor.

Big screen, big demand

Staid scientist by day, big-time entertainer by night.

Dan Rodricks: Quit thinking small, people of Baltimore

As for the nattering negativists who will surely say this is a dumb idea, that it will never work, that Baltimore will never get this and never get that - well, blah, blah, blah. We've heard it all before. Mr. Grumpy-Gills really should treat himself to the big picture sometime. I know. It's hard. You've grown accustomed to thinking weenie and being cynical. After all, that's part of our national culture, and the condition has long been acute here in Baltimore, where the only thing we've had to "celebrate" lately (Wednesday at Camden Yards) was the Orioles' win in the World Series - 25 years ago.

Artscape a fun escape for many

As they meandered among paintings, sculpture and crafts, patrons of Artscape could also take in a street performance.

Trading land for learning

Plans by Baltimore City Community College to open its 2.2-acre Inner Harbor campus to development would provide a shot in the arm to moribund Lombard Street while bringing the college millions of dollars to expand its offerings, city and BCCC officials said yesterday.

Upscale Cross Keys for sale

Facing financial pressure, the owner of the Village of Cross Keys shops is seeking a buyer for the upscale North Baltimore retail center at a challenging time.

Sassanova

805 Aliceanna St., Harbor East

On Fourth, traditions not to be missed

Though it rained in fits and starts from daylight to dark, spectators packed Baltimore's Inner Harbor last night for a rousing fireworks show.

Whatever happened to... Ruth Shaw

For nearly four decades, Ruth Shaw eschewed the stuffy formality of traditional women's clothing and sold the trendiest lines at her boutique in Cross Keys.

Watchdog

Around Rash Field, nor any drop to drink

The problem Two water fountains at the Inner Harbor are broken.

Traveler returns

Seth Peichert, 24, paddled his 17.5-foot kayak into the Inner Harbor yesterday on the last leg of a nearly 1,500-mile trip that began near Miami on April 1. The Towson resident had spent 90 days on the water and most nights camping on sandy beaches. He had lost 20 pounds from his lanky 6-foot-5 frame, grown a thick beard and despite gallons of sun block, he sported a leathery tan.

Dixon funds linked to firms

Companies linked to a developer questioned in the state investigation of Mayor Sheila Dixon have made nearly $500,000 in political contributions in the past decade, state campaign finance records show.

Design competition due for university law center

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Freedom Tower at Ground Zero. The World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington.

Shifting image along harbor

A fortress of tony condominiums and townhouses now stands on the grounds of the old Bethlehem Steel shipyard at the base of Federal Hill. The city's Fire Department Repair Facility down the road is slated to be sold for more waterfront residential development. And cargo vessels long ago gave way to the pleasure boats that now dock at the Baltimore Museum of Industry's adjoining sailing school.

Dixon gifts probed

Prosecutors are investigating whether Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon received thousands of dollars in gifts - including fur coats - from a prominent developer whose projects benefited from tax breaks and zoning changes she supported as City Council president, a document obtained by The Sun shows.

Work in Progress

Chronicling city's jazz history

Jazz vocalist Tamm E Hunt is an encyclopedia of jazz knowledge: She rattles off names of Baltimore jazz musicians, past and present, as if she were reading from the phone book.

Glimpsed

Terrell Maddox

If you want to stand out in a crowd, your go-to guy is Terrell Maddox. The 17-year-old Baltimorean has dressed for school every day to stand out in the crowd, and it wasn't going to change for his graduation from Heritage High School. Maddox might have been required to wear a white shirt and pants, but he was adding his own touches even for rehearsal, when we spotted him grabbing a bite to eat at Harborplace.

Oprah's glam man

Oprah Winfrey has flaws just like the rest of us, says her longtime makeup artist Reggie Wells. She's got a puffy upper eyelid and no bridge on her nose, not to mention poor foundation-blending abilities.

Cabbies take stand amid high gas prices

Hailing a cab in Baltimore could get more difficult this summer.

Glimpsed

Katherine Eckhart

Harbor East's new RA Sushi is trendsetting in more ways than just its spin on food. Friday evenings, it becomes quite a hotspot for Baltimore trendsetters, such as Katherine Eckhart. When this 26-year-old child therapist goes to work, it may mean she has to play with some of her clients. But when it comes to her own time, the term play clothes takes on a whole new meaning.

Watchdog

Damage mars 'little oasis' in Harbor East

THE PROBLEM // Two explanatory panels at the National Katyn Memorial have been damaged for months.

Service honors young victims

On a stage before nearly a thousand mourners, the violinists played notes of elegant sorrow.

3 children killed at city hotel

A Montgomery County father engaged in a custody battle brought his three children to an Inner Harbor hotel and apparently killed them yesterday, Baltimore police said.

Restaurant Review

In Harbor East, fresh sushi comes with loud, loud music

There are two kinds of people who shouldn't even consider eating at the new RA Sushi in Harbor East: Those who take their sushi seriously, and those who don't like really loud, throbbing rock 'n' roll music while they eat.

Strife with police is old

Jason Chapman saw something familiar when he watched the YouTube video of a police officer manhandling a skateboarder in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Skateboarder calls reaction over the top

Eric Bush, the 14-year-old skateboarder who has gained national fame after his encounter with a Baltimore police officer at the Inner Harbor surfaced on YouTube, said in his home yesterday that he knew at the time that what he was doing was "100 percent wrong."

Inner Harbor incident hits Internet

A Baltimore police officer was suspended yesterday after a YouTube video surfaced on the Internet showing him berating and manhandling a teenage skateboarder at the Inner Harbor.

The Middle Ages

Susan Reimer: Couple likes Baltimore enough to move here

Debra Thomas and her husband, Terry Shepard, found Baltimore in the answers they gave to one of those preferences quizzes you might get from an online dating service.

The smoker's retreat

While the last cigarette won't go out in a Baltimore bar for two more months, some city bar owners have been hard at work, looking for ways to follow the statewide ban without forcing smokers - some of their most loyal customers - out onto the street.

Building affordability

When Columbia founder James W. Rouse decided to spend his retirement building a nonprofit, his goal was outrageously ambitious: eliminate poverty through affordable housing and community development - in a single generation.

Slain boy's mother avoids prison

Shanda R. Harris, the mother of an 11-year-old boy who police say was killed by a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court yesterday to knowingly allowing the man to baby-sit her son.

Sounds of music in city

Rain was a mixed blessing last night at the opening of the city's Paetec Jazz Festival, as it sent crowds scattering from one outdoor venue but added moody atmospherics to performances at the Pier Six Pavilion.