Recent stories by Julie Scharper

6:02 PM EST, February 13, 2013

College Park grapples with shootings

Andrew Hassl had just arrived home from work early Tuesday morning and was hanging out with his roommates on a residential street near the University of Maryland's College Park campus when they heard shots outside.

8:00 PM EST, February 11, 2013

UMBC students use new media to document a dying industrial past

When Eddie Bartee started working at the Sparrows Point steel mill in 1955, about 35,000 men toiled at the eastern Baltimore County plant. Over the next four decades, he made a comfortable life for his wife and their six children as he moved through the ranks at the mill.

8:33 PM EST, February 11, 2013

Laurel healing institute receives university accreditation

Maryland will soon be home to a new university — one in which students can train in acupuncture, Chinese herbs and other forms of integrative medicine.

7:55 PM EST, February 6, 2013

Judge dismisses Pratt's lawsuit over city phone system

A Baltimore circuit judge on Wednesday dismissed Comptroller Joan M. Pratt's lawsuit that alleged the Rawlings-Blake administration was illegally installing a new municipal phone system.

9:55 PM EST, February 5, 2013

Morgan regents oust Evans as their chairman

In the latest twist in a battle over the leadership of Morgan State University, the Board of Regents voted Tuesday to oust board chairman Dallas R. Evans, who had led a push to not renew the contract of university President David J. Wilson.

7:24 PM EST, February 4, 2013

Parents to pull kids from school, businesses to close for parade

Dizzy with the thrill of a Super Bowl victory — and late-night revelry — Ravens fans spent Monday stocking up on purple gear and planning to close offices and pull children out of school for Tuesday's victory parade.

6:04 PM EST, January 25, 2013

Morgan faculty overwhelmingly vote to support Wilson

Morgan State University's faculty has overwhelmingly voted in support of President David J. Wilson, according to figures released by the university council Friday.

6:44 PM EST, January 29, 2013

Cal Ripken to address University of Maryland grads

University of Maryland, College Park students can expect a home run from their spring graduation speaker.

9:37 AM EST, January 17, 2013

Morgan Board of Regents meeting cancelled

A meeting of Morgan State University's Board of Regents planned for Thursday afternoon has been cancelled, university officials said.

7:58 PM EST, January 15, 2013

Hopkins gun panel calls for universal background checks

Anyone seeking to purchase a gun — even those buying weapons at a show or through a private dealer — should be required to pass a background check through a national database, according to recommendations drafted by a panel of violence reduction experts convened by the Johns Hopkins University.

7:21 PM EST, January 16, 2013

HBCU coalition head criticizes Morgan president

A Morgan State University alumnus who is leading a coalition suing the state over discrimination at historically black colleges and universities has criticized the university's embattled president for showing "minimal interest and involvement in the lawsuit."

9:17 PM EST, January 22, 2013

Artist Hasan Elahi meticulously documents life after FBI investigation

A rumpled pile of sheets. A Bloody Mary on an airline tray. Bags of mustard greens from a Korean grocery store. Gas station pumps, battered street signs, a steamed crab.

9:04 PM EST, January 14, 2013

O'Malley to push sweeping gun control, licensing plan

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday broad details of a plan that would give Maryland among the nation's strictest gun laws.

6:49 PM EST, January 14, 2013

Bloomberg lays out seven-point plan to reduce gun violence

Americans are 20 times more likely to be killed by guns than people living in other developed countries. Nine out of 10 children who die of gunshot wounds in wealthy nations lived in the United States. People under 40 are more likely to be killed by a bullet than by any single disease.

4:07 PM EST, January 12, 2013

Baltimore colleges push to improve neighborhoods

Change has swept through the University of Baltimore — and the surrounding neighborhood — over the past decade. Striking new academic buildings, an apartment building and the university's first dormitory have appeared among the brownstones of the Midtown neighborhood. New shops and restaurants brighten once-dingy blocks. Streets that were deserted after dark now buzz with students.

8:36 PM EST, January 7, 2013

Mayor's top lobbyist to leave City Hall

Kim Washington, a top aide to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Baltimore's chief lobbyist, will leave her post early in the coming General Assembly session, city officials announced Monday.

5:26 PM EST, January 12, 2013

McDaniel students research African-American cemetery

On a steep hillside up the street from an auto repair shop, a group of McDaniel College students are piecing together long-forgotten lives.

6:00 PM EST, January 8, 2013

O'Malley calls on colleges to use technology to boost graduation rates

Gov. Martin O'Malley, speaking at the first statewide forum on college completion, called on Maryland's higher education institutions Tuesday to devise new ways to use technology to bolster graduation rates.

12:24 PM EST, January 1, 2013

Same-sex couples celebrate first legal weddings

In the 17 years since Katie Cleary and Sharon Dongarra locked eyes in the kitchen of an Arby's restaurant, they have shared a first, tentative kiss, traded letters across continents, set up a home, exchanged vows before family and friends, signed a host of legal documents and nurtured a young daughter.

8:45 PM EST, January 11, 2013

Morgan president has "severely compromised" university, board chair alleges

The chair of Morgan State University's Board of Regents said the university has been "severely compromised" under the leadership of President David J. Wilson and is "significantly more vulnerable" to "legal liability and political embarrassment."

9:57 PM EST, December 28, 2012

Morgan board reverses decision, extends Wilson's contract

Morgan State University's Board of Regents voted to extend the contract of the university's president for an additional year during a lengthy meeting Friday — reversing a contentious decision to seek a new president at the close of the academic year.

4:39 PM EST, December 29, 2012

University of Maryland expands online learning

When some University of Maryland, College Park students return to class for the spring semester, they could be attending lectures, taking quizzes and completing group projects without leaving their dorm rooms.

6:30 PM EST, December 20, 2012

Open meetings complaint filed against Morgan

The closed-door meeting at which Morgan State University's Board of Regents decided not to renew President David J. Wilson's contract violated the state's open meetings act, a former Baltimore County government teacher alleged in a complaint filed this week.

8:49 PM EST, December 16, 2012

Immigrant family celebrates 100 years in Baltimore

Abram, his wife, Bessie, and his teenage brother Sam came first, traveling by train from their Russian village to a German port a thousand miles away in 1912. Then they boarded the ship that would bring them to their new home — Baltimore.

8:21 PM EST, December 14, 2012

Local schools try to reassure students in wake of Conn. shooting

Children clutching onto each other as they are hustled out of an elementary school. Parents weeping together in a school parking lot, police cars and ambulances flashing behind them. Police brandishing machine guns racing to a school.

9:16 PM EST, December 13, 2012

Morgan students, faculty rally for president

Students, faculty and alumni rallied for Morgan State University's embattled president Thursday, protesting the board of regents' abrupt decision to not renew David J. Wilson's contract weeks after he received a positive performance evaluation.

8:18 PM EST, December 6, 2012

Hopkins pledges $10 million for neighborhoods

The Johns Hopkins University pledged Thursday to spend $10 million over the next five years to strengthen and stabilize neighborhoods near its North Baltimore campus.

6:48 PM EST, December 3, 2012

Morgan shooting suspect had drugs, according to court documents

The Washington man accused of shooting a Morgan State University football player Friday was carrying 16 baggies of suspected marijuana when he was arrested, according to court documents.

8:23 PM EST, December 11, 2012

Williams forced out as BCCC president

The president of Baltimore City Community College was forced out this week, following a tumultuous two years and a recent dramatic drop in enrollment.

6:18 PM EST, December 1, 2012

Morgan State shooting raises concern among students, alumni

Students drawn to Morgan State University's strong academics and historical legacy are finding that crime is becoming an increasing distraction, and are joining a state lawmaker and alumnus in calling for better security to protect the institution's reputation.

10:04 PM EST, November 22, 2012

Big Ten brings Maryland new chances for study, research

Few would argue that the University of Maryland's decision earlier this week to join the Big Ten isn't about the money — $24 million a year in television revenue.

7:27 PM EST, November 29, 2012

Harford custodian wins $2 million Powerball prize

If Harford County custodian Almerta Williams had a better pair of glasses, she might not have won $2 million from the Powerball lottery this week.

12:12 PM EST, December 1, 2012

Police announce charges in Morgan State shooting

UPDATE: Baltimore police say they have charged a 20-year-old Washington man in the shooting Friday at Morgan State University.

6:26 PM EST, November 28, 2012

Morgan breaks ground for $72 million business school

Morgan State University officials broke ground Wednesday on a $72 million business school — the first step, they said, in a plan to expand the campus' western edge while improving a troubled shopping center.

4:53 PM EST, November 18, 2012

Francis Xavier 'Boots' Hannon Sr.

Francis Xavier "Boots" Hannon Sr., who fought in Normandy, France, during World War II and drove a streetcar for many years, died of pneumonia at St. Agnes Hospital on Wednesday. The Catonsville resident was 91.

7:47 PM EST, November 26, 2012

Teacher says Big Ten decision violated open meeting laws

A former Baltimore County teacher filed a complaint with a state board Monday, alleging that the University System of Maryland Board of Regents violated the state open meetings law when it voted in closed session on the University of Maryland's move to the Big Ten athletic conference.

6:33 PM EST, November 16, 2012

UMBC student, reported dead, lives

Reports of Odessa Jones' death were, in the end, an exaggeration.

November 18, 2012

Man stabbed in West Baltimore Saturday evening

Baltimore police are investigating a stabbing of a man in West Baltimore Saturday evening.

7:29 PM EST, November 15, 2012

Morgan students 'in shock' over allegations that professor defrauded foundation

Students chatting in Morgan State University's gleaming new engineering building grew wide-eyed when a classmate shared the news: A highly regarded professor had been indicted on charges that he defrauded the National Science Foundation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding.

11:40 PM EST, November 17, 2012

Homeless, advocates rally in front of City Hall

In his 72 years, Ernest Hawkes has slept in a wide variety of places – military barracks in Vietnam, apartments in Baltimore and New York, homeless shelters.

9:13 PM EST, November 12, 2012

Go Daddy founder gives advice to University of Baltimore students

Don't get into business to make money. The temptation to quit will be strongest just before you succeed. And take big risks — even if that means angering a ruler-wielding, 6-foot-tall nun.

9:55 PM EDT, November 2, 2012

As nor'easter brews, Marylanders still struggle to dig out from Sandy

A nor'easter appears poised to rumble over Maryland next week, as residents on the state's eastern and western edges are still shoveling out snow and sand from this week's massive storm.

7:56 PM EST, November 9, 2012

With Dream Act approved, students look to the future

Kevin Hernandez was 11 when he left his grandmother's home in El Salvador, traveling by bus and on foot — alone — to Maryland to meet his mother, whom he had not seen since he was 6.

10:04 PM EDT, October 31, 2012

More Maryland students pass High School Assessments

Maryland students earned diplomas last year at the highest rate in recent history, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Education, which also unveiled a new system of tracking graduates and dropouts.

9:30 PM EST, November 7, 2012

Wedding bells to ring for Maryland's same-sex couples

Amid the cheers of President Barack Obama's victory rally in Chicago, Keesha Patterson reached into her bag for a tiny box, dropped to one knee, turned to her girlfriend of 11 years and told her, in front of everyone, how much she loved her and wanted to marry her.

11:25 PM EDT, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy brings Marylanders an unexpected off-day

With one day before Hurricane Sandy was expected to knock out power for much of the area, Marylanders like Rob Reichel spent Monday braving the wet and windy weather to ensure their families had what they needed to get through the storm.

12:05 PM EDT, October 30, 2012

Power returning to parts of the region, but 186,000 BGE customers still out

Power outages hit a plateau early Tuesday morning and began creeping downward, with about 186,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers without electricity at noon, according to the company.

5:33 PM EST, November 14, 2012

Interim president named for Coppin State

A former leader of a national group of public universities has been named the interim president of Coppin State University, the state university system announced Wednesday.

6:14 AM EDT, October 30, 2012

Sandy lingers Tuesday as rain and wind continue

About two inches of rain are expected to fall on the soaked Baltimore region Tuesday morning, and sustained winds could topple more trees as Sandy plods north, forecasters said.

9:48 AM EDT, November 2, 2012

Police: Man shot while apparently breaking into car in West Baltimore

A man who appeared to have been breaking into a car was shot by a security guard in Seton Hill Thursday evening, Baltimore police said.

11:03 PM EDT, October 28, 2012

11 p.m. forecast: Sandy continues course toward land

Hurricane Sandy churned about 290 miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast Sunday night, with the National Hurricane Center reporting that the monster storm was expected to come ashore with near-hurricane-force winds and potentially "life-threatening" storm surge flooding.

6:20 PM EDT, October 30, 2012

Anne Arundel man killed by falling tree

A tree felled by the effects of the storm crashed through a Pasadena home in Anne Arundel County Monday night, killing a 74-year-old man, authorities said.

10:32 PM EDT, October 28, 2012

The perfect storm? Forces align to strengthen Sandy

Sandy is no ordinary hurricane.

12:20 PM EDT, October 10, 2012

At College Park, college students register to vote with a click

Until a few weeks ago, University of Maryland junior Tali Alter was registered to vote in her home state of Illinois.

10:03 PM EDT, September 20, 2012

Judge strikes down city pension change

A key provision of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's overhaul of the fire and police pension system was struck down Thursday by a federal judge in a ruling that could force the city to pay tens of millions of dollars more to retirees each year.

9:23 PM EDT, October 8, 2012

Schools audit alarms state, city lawmakers

State and city lawmakers sharply criticized the Baltimore school system Monday after a searing audit called attention to a lack of oversight on school spending.

10:26 PM EDT, September 24, 2012

Council approves benefit for Under Armour campus

The Baltimore City Council approved a deal Monday in which the city will sell up to $35 million in bonds to fund infrastructure projects around Under Armour's Tide Point corporate headquarters.

7:10 PM EDT, September 14, 2012

Cartoon packaging may hold synthetic high, real danger

Cortly "C.D." Witherspoon, a Baltimore minister and activist, has been scoping out convenience stores that sell products such as "Scooby Snax." The glossy package features a picture of a dazed-looking cartoon character, Scooby Doo. A sticker advises that the contents have a blueberry flavor, though the package contains dried herbs, not candy.

9:35 AM EDT, October 6, 2012

Rising number of Latinos spurs English language debate in Carroll County

Amid the quaint brick storefronts of Westminster's Main Street, Lily's Mexican Market sells Virgin of Guadalupe statues, sacks of dried beans and paddle-shaped cactus leaves. A mile away, the aisles of Las Palmeras grocery store are stocked with Salvadoran cheeses and pastries. A nearby Catholic church draws more than 200 people to a Spanish Mass each Sunday.

8:46 PM EDT, September 18, 2012

Rawlings-Blake touts safety of major Inner Harbor events

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Tuesday touted a summer of safe high-profile events in the downtown area — part of a strategy, aides said, to rebut those who have characterized the Inner Harbor as unsafe.

8:50 PM EDT, August 27, 2012

Some city leaders question pick of outsider as commissioner

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's pick of a Californian to head Baltimore's Police Department prompted questions Monday from City Council members and other city leaders who had been hoping the new commissioner would come from the department's ranks.

5:49 PM EDT, September 25, 2012

UM launches joint public health program

Maryland's two largest public research universities launched a joint public health program Tuesday, the first of a series of planned collaborations designed to break down barriers between the two campuses.

9:42 PM EDT, September 4, 2012

Grand Prix's economic impact might never be known

Baltimore residents might never know how much money the city's second Grand Prix race generated or how it affected local hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

8:33 PM EDT, August 27, 2012

New police commissioner expected to be former Oakland chief

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has selected former Oakland, Calif., Police Chief Anthony Batts as Baltimore's next police commissioner, bringing in a leader who has been hailed as an innovator but who struggled to push his agenda at his last job.

7:22 PM EDT, August 23, 2012

Former Grand Prix group pays tax bill

The organizers of last year's Baltimore Grand Prix made their final payment on their overdue city tax bill this week, the state comptroller's office said Thursday.

10:42 PM EDT, August 23, 2012

City preservationists summoned to closed-door meeting

Members of Baltimore's historic preservation commission have been summoned to a closed-door meeting Monday at which, some preservationists say, the board members will be asked to oust the commission's director.

7:43 PM EDT, August 14, 2012

Ethics board to review mayor's use of tickets at 1st Mariner

Baltimore's ethics board launched an inquiry Tuesday into the use of free tickets to 1st Mariner Arena by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's office, citing concerns about the distribution of tickets to the mayor's family and staff.

8:23 PM EDT, August 13, 2012

City council approves bill requiring more audits

The Baltimore City Council gave final approval Monday to a scaled-down version of a bill to require regular audits of major city agencies, some of which have not had a detailed financial review for more than a decade.

11:16 PM EDT, July 28, 2012

Coast Guard rescues nine boaters near O.C.

Rescuers plucked nine people from the sea near Ocean City Saturday morning after their boat sank, according to the Coast Guard.

2:47 PM EDT, August 9, 2012

Baltimore program connects farms and corner stores

At Linden Market in Reservoir Hill, shelves are heaped high with miniature pies, cupcakes, and candy. Three dozen flavors of salty snacks burst from cardboard boxes.

12:07 PM EDT, August 20, 2012

Councilwoman's mileage expenses raise questions

At issue: City Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector routinely bills the city for driving to her Northwest Baltimore district — trips she says often begin at the Inner Harbor condominium where she lives with her boyfriend.

11:14 PM EDT, July 28, 2012

Teen killed in Anne Arundel motorcycle crash

A teenager died after crashing his motorcycle in southern Anne Arundel County Saturday evening, police said.

8:58 PM EDT, August 8, 2012

Baltimore program connects farms and corner stores

At Linden Market in Reservoir Hill, shelves are heaped high with miniature pies, cupcakes, and candy. Three dozen flavors of salty snacks burst from cardboard boxes.

7:39 PM EDT, August 22, 2012

City to use $4 million grant to help build new Greyhound station

Baltimore plans to use a $4 million federal grant to build a permanent Greyhound bus terminal off Russell Street near the two sports stadiums, city transportation officials said Wednesday.

10:39 PM EDT, August 6, 2012

Rawlings-Blake's family, aides get tickets to 1st Mariner shows

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's top aides and relatives have routinely received free tickets to performances at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena in recent years, including sold-out concerts by such artists as Rihanna, Sade andJay-Z, public records show.

10:52 PM EDT, July 28, 2012

Mysterious downtown Baltimore death reported early Saturday

Three men were found dead in Baltimore late Friday and early Saturday, as a spate of violence left two other men wounded.

7:52 PM EDT, August 3, 2012

His heart stopped, but life continues for Telesma musician

Ian Hesford, his face and body painted in bold swirls, stretched his arms out toward his bandmates. The six members of Telesma joined hands and lifted their voices, finding the key for the performance. Then they took their places. Hesford headed toward the stack of barrel-shaped drums and long, wooden didgeridoos and soon a tangle of sounds — ethereal, tribal, melodic — rose from the stage.

7:10 PM EDT, July 28, 2012

In Waverly, messages of inspiration

For months, the wooden sign on a grassy lot in Waverly has sported a new brightly painted message every week. "Believe in Life & Your Purpose in It," one said. "Give Hugs." "Breathe."

9:36 PM EDT, July 10, 2012

At cross purposes? Two city offices worked on phone plans

As the Baltimore comptroller's office was seeking bids for a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the city government's telephone system last year, the mayor's technology office was buying about $500,000 worth of equipment that could be used for the same kind of system upgrade, documents show.

5:47 PM EDT, July 26, 2012

Inspector general's report: Contractor overbilled city $26,492

A Baltimore-based contracting company overbilled the city's Department of Public Works $26,492 last year, according to a report released by the city's inspector general Thursday.

9:02 PM EDT, August 1, 2012

Four city rec centers to close this month

At the Crispus Attucks rec center Wednesday, young children were sprawled on mats watching "The Cat in the Hat" while dreamily waving their small feet in the air. Nearby, older children bounced around a basketball court or rehearsed their parts in a presentation for parents.

9:50 PM EDT, June 27, 2012

City spending board approves IT consulting deals

Baltimore's Board of Estimates approved spending $4.5 million Wednesday to extend contracts with two information technology firms that provide workers to the city.

6:36 PM EDT, June 26, 2012

City expected to award $80,000 to elderly man injured in fall

Baltimore's Board of Estimates is expected to award an $80,000 settlement Wednesday to an elderly man who was injured after tripping on a damaged city sidewalk.

9:29 PM EDT, June 25, 2012

Pratt, Rawlings-Blake continue phone dispute

Baltimore Comptroller Joan M. Pratt and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake continued to spar Monday over the purchase of phone-related equipment by the mayor's technology office, purchases Pratt says violate city procurement regulations.

9:22 PM EDT, June 21, 2012

Council discards cuts, approves mayor's budget plan

The Baltimore City Council reversed course Thursday, rejecting millions of dollars in budget cuts it had endorsed earlier in the week, and passing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's original $2.3 billion spending plan.

10:33 PM EDT, June 14, 2012

Inspector general probing mayor's purchase of high-tech video phones

Baltimore's inspector general said Thursday he has launched a preliminary investigation into high-tech video phones the mayor's office bought for some City Hall offices — a purchase that prompted allegations of contracting irregularities and outcry about such spending in a time of tight budgets.

9:21 PM EDT, July 11, 2012

Baltimore spending board votes down phone system contract

Baltimore's Board of Estimates rejected Wednesday a $7.4 million contract with IBM for a new phone system that has been at the center of a City Hall turf war — a dispute that city officials said they would have to resolve before they could move forward with a deal.

7:56 PM EDT, June 21, 2012

Administration relies on consultants from Digicon

More than two dozen people working as consultants in the Mayor's Office of Information Technology are employees of Rockville-based Digicon Corp. — the company from which the office bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of phone-related equipment under a no-bid deal, city documents show.

7:15 PM EDT, June 7, 2012

Mayor: Young's budget changes are 'irresponsible'

MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakedismissed Thursday a package of budget changes proposed by Council PresidentBernard C. "Jack" Young, saying most of his proposals are "unadvisable, unworkable and irresponsible."

9:55 PM EDT, June 22, 2012

Baltimore City solicitor: Phone equipment purchases were legal

Baltimore's city solicitor defended Friday the purchase of high-tech phones and other equipment by MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration — an expense that has been questioned by another top City Hall official.

9:20 PM EDT, June 9, 2012

Hampden couple ties the knot at Honfest

Among the teased and towering hair, the fluttering boas and the crowd sticky with snowballs Saturday at Hampden's Honfest wound a joyful party who were celebrating more than the neighborhood's quirky character.

10:17 PM EDT, June 18, 2012

Rawlings-Blake challenged by council, comptroller

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake came under fire on two fronts Monday as the City Council sliced $6 million from her proposed budget and the city comptroller renewed allegations that the mayor's staff improperly purchased more than $650,000 in phone equipment.

7:14 PM EDT, May 16, 2012

Baltimore Grand Prix tickets to go on sale by the end of the month

Tickets for the second Baltimore Grand Prix should be on sale by the end of the month, the latest group to organize the race announced Wednesday.

9:26 PM EDT, May 18, 2012

City contracts difficult to gather for story on Grand Prix funder

When it was announced that yet another group would be taking on management of the Baltimore Grand Prix, one of the company's funders stepped into the spotlight.

9:46 PM EDT, June 11, 2012

City Council gives preliminary OK to bottle tax hike

An increase to Baltimore's bottle tax — the linchpin of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's plan to raise funds to renovate the city's decrepit school buildings — received preliminary approval from the City Council Monday, likely assuring the measure will become law.

8:20 PM EDT, June 9, 2012

Bottle tax hike could move forward Monday

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed increase to the city's tax on bottle beverages is expected to move forward Monday after being corked up for months by a City Council committee.

7:33 PM EDT, June 7, 2012

Mayor: Young's budget changes are 'irresponsible'

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake dismissed Thursday a package of budget changes proposed by Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, saying most of his proposals are "unadvisable, unworkable and irresponsible."

7:50 PM EDT, May 29, 2012

Bill to place advertisements on city fire trucks moves forward

A Baltimore City Council committee approved a measure Tuesday that would allow advertisements to be placed on fire trucks to help support the department — and potentially prevent the closure of some fire companies.

8:16 PM EDT, June 4, 2012

Young says his plan would keep open rec centers, fire companies

Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young unveiled a plan Monday that he says would allow all of the city's fire companies and recreation centers to remain open, despite a budget shortfall.

8:59 PM EDT, May 10, 2012

Andretti to lead new Baltimore Grand Prix team

Racing champion Michael Andretti is working on a last-minute effort to organize the Baltimore Grand Prix, teaming with two local businessmen to put together the Labor Day street racing festival, the mayor's office announced Thursday.

9:44 PM EDT, May 3, 2012

Mayor's adviser on crime resigning in June

Top City Hall official Sheryl Goldstein, who served as a liaison between the mayor's office and the Baltimore Police Department, plans to resign next month — a decision she made public hours after Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III announced retirement plans Thursday.

7:19 PM EDT, May 28, 2012

Grand Prix team puts tickets on sale, hires GM

Tickets for the Grand Prix of Baltimore went on sale Monday, a little more than three months before the Labor Day weekend racing festival.

12:29 PM EDT, May 9, 2012

City spending board approves $340,000 in settlements

Baltimore's spending board approved Wednesday three settlements totaling $340,000 in claims made against the city, including a civil suit stemming from a 2007 accident in which a fire truck collided with a car, leaving three people dead.

11:20 PM EDT, May 17, 2012

New Grand Prix chief has been a big city contractor, campaign donor

Despite financing more than $140 million city contracts in the past 12 years, donating tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and being a member of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's inner circle, J.P. Grant III has largely avoided the limelight.

8:51 PM EDT, April 30, 2012

IndyCar Series seeking new group for Baltimore Grand Prix

Just four months before high-speed cars are scheduled to race through downtown streets, the IndyCar Series is seeking a new team to take over the Baltimore Grand Prix.

6:59 AM EDT, May 10, 2012

Mencken's world and mine

Locked in a metal filing cabinet in The Sun's library is a sheaf of manila folders packed with typed pages, copies of paste-up sheets and loops of pink, punched tapes — artifacts of H. L. Mencken's coverage of what he dubbed "the Scopes monkey trial."

7:10 PM EDT, May 9, 2012

City's Park Heights rec center handed to nonprofit group

City officials awarded control of a Park Heights recreation center to a nonprofit group Wednesday as part of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's plan to overhaul the recreation system by handing some centers to third parties.

4:56 PM EDT, April 21, 2012

County residents suffer from city's water billing problems, too – times three

Thousands of Baltimore County residents have probably paid hundreds of dollars too much for their use of the city's public sewage system — and most are not even aware of it, county officials acknowledge.

8:37 PM EDT, March 29, 2012

Clergy, children protest cuts to city after-school programs

Religious leaders joined hundreds of children and parents in a march around Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Thursday afternoon to protest Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed budget cuts to after-school programs.

8:30 PM EDT, May 2, 2012

Attorneys hired to work through city water bill backlog

Baltimore is hiring two attorneys to work through a backlog of 2,000 cases in which customers of the city's water system are contesting their bills.

7:52 PM EDT, May 23, 2012

City again seeks to raise water, sewer rates

For the fourth consecutive year, Baltimore officials are proposing a 9 percent increase to water and sewer rates — and the charges will continue to grow indefinitely to cover the costs of major projects, they say.

10:04 PM EDT, May 11, 2012

A need for speed for new racing team

Before glossy race cars careen around downtown streets over Labor Day weekend, another high-speed race must be run.

8:00 PM EDT, March 27, 2012

Seven city pools could close this summer

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is proposing to close more than half of Baltimore's small neighborhood pools this summer to trim costs — a plan some City Council members say they will fight.

10:27 PM EDT, May 3, 2012

Baltimore Police Commissioner Bealefeld resigns

Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III announced his resignation Thursday, ending a 31-year career on the force that included overseeing a steep decline in the murder rate — but left him exhausted by the pressures of the job.

9:12 PM EDT, March 25, 2012

Pedestrian dies of injuries suffered in December accident

A 39-year-old woman died Saturday of injuries she suffered three months ago when struck by a car in Catonsville, Baltimore County police said Sunday.

8:32 PM EDT, April 16, 2012

Baltimore Grand Prix group in turmoil

IndyCar executives met with Baltimore officials Monday to discuss the future of the company planning the city's Grand Prix — and whether the leader of the group should depart.

7:55 PM EDT, April 23, 2012

City proposes tax break for Superblock apartment complex

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration is asking Baltimore's City Council to award a hefty tax break to a long-stalled west-side development project.

8:43 PM EDT, April 2, 2012

Next Baltimore election delayed for 1 year

The General Assembly on Monday night put the final touch on a measure that delays Baltimore's next local election by a year — aligning the city's voting cycle with the presidential schedule and allowing a one-time, five-year term for MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakeand other city officials.

4:20 PM EDT, May 2, 2012

Four city rec centers to close

Four Baltimore recreation centers will shut down for good at the end of the summer as part of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's strategy to target limited funds to improve some centers while closing others, officials said Tuesday.

7:55 PM EDT, April 25, 2012

City to pay $400,000 for Canton promenade

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration agreed to pay $400,000 Wednesday toward building a brick walkway in Canton, a project intended to close a gap in the promenade along Baltimore's harbor.

11:36 PM EDT, March 25, 2012

Man swings at officer, escapes in Milford Mill

Baltimore County police are searching for a man who they say punched a police officer, wriggled out from the officer's grasp and escaped in Milford Mill Sunday evening.

8:21 PM EDT, April 4, 2012

New Grand Prix group is off to slow start

With the second Baltimore Grand Prix less than five months away, organizers of the race have yet to sign key agreements, land sponsorship deals, launch a marketing campaign or start selling tickets.

9:01 PM EDT, March 25, 2012

Roller skating play celebrates West Side history

For the first time in decades, flouncy, flowered dresses, hat boxes and shopping bags filled a storefront window at Howard and Lexington streets, once the center of Baltimore's retail district.

10:37 PM EDT, March 25, 2012

Two men injured in unrelated shootings Sunday

Baltimore police are investigating a pair of unrelated shootings that left two men injured Sunday.

9:40 PM EDT, March 21, 2012

Angry residents testify about water bill woes

Rhonda Wimbish says she has been battling Baltimore officials over a $300 water bill — more than six times her normal rate — for more than a year.

11:24 PM EDT, April 19, 2012

Former mayor Dixon roasted for charity

Former Mayor Sheila Dixon listened intently, scribbling notes on a legal pad, just as she had in countless meetings. But the topics of conversation Thursday evening were not those that were discussed in City Hall — at least not to her face.

5:40 PM EDT, March 21, 2012

City seeks competitive bids for towing

Baltimore officials are seeking to award contracts for the city's lucrative towing business, closing a loophole that allowed a small circle of companies to dominate the $4 million-a-year industry while bypassing the city's competitive bidding system.

2:17 PM EDT, March 17, 2012

A steady stream of water billing headaches

Kathy Dobropolski pleaded with Baltimore public works officials for seven years to stop billing her for a neighbor's water use.

8:18 PM EDT, April 17, 2012

Education advocates, retailers prepare for bottle tax showdown

Teachers, students, retailers and beverage industry lobbyists are preparing for a showdown Wednesday as the battle over raising Baltimore's bottle tax to fund school repairs moves to a skeptical City Council committee.

11:40 PM EDT, March 25, 2012

Woman killed in Eldersburg crash

A woman was killed after two cars collided Sunday morning in Eldersburg, Maryland State Police said.

8:25 PM EDT, March 20, 2012

Three city fire companies could close permanently

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would permanently close three fire companies and could shut several recreation centers in an effort to close a $48 million gap in the city's $3 billion operating budget, according to city officials who have been briefed on the spending proposal.

9:50 PM EDT, March 19, 2012

Mayor's property tax cut introduced

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposal to reduce the city's property tax rate for homeowners by 20 cents by the year 2020 was introduced Monday to the City Council.

2:04 AM EDT, March 23, 2012

City makes $1.4 million mistake in water billing

Over the past three years, the managers of Mount Washington's Ivymount Apartments have struggled to get an accurate city water bill. But nothing prepared them for the shock of a $1.4 million bill.

8:50 PM EST, March 7, 2012

Mayor 'disgusted' over police allegations in girl's death

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday called allegations that a city police officer may have been involved in the aftermath of a fatal shooting of a 13-year-old girl "disgusting."

8:12 PM EDT, March 19, 2012

Mayor, council president spar on water bills

Baltimore's top elected officials are battling over whether the city should seize homes because of unpaid water bills after a recent audit found widespread billing errors.

8:11 PM EST, February 28, 2012

Mayor, Alonso join to seek new school construction approach

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and city schools chief Andrés Alonso, who have pushed separate plans to renovate Baltimore's crumbling schools, presented a united front Tuesday in Annapolis as they asked state legislators to radically alter the manner in which school construction funds are provided to the city.

6:23 PM EDT, March 13, 2012

Baltimore recreation and parks director resigns

Baltimore's recreation and parks director is leaving for a job in Florida less than two years after he took the helm of the fiscally strapped city department, the mayor's office announced Tuesday.

7:26 PM EST, March 5, 2012

City Council asks to halt liens over unpaid water bills

The Baltimore City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday calling on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration to order a halt to the practice of placing liens against homes with unpaid water bills.

6:45 PM EST, March 2, 2012

Deputy mayor to leave City Hall post

Baltimore Deputy Mayor Christopher Thomaskutty is leaving city government after nine years to become an executive at Mercy Medical Center, city officials said Friday.

9:13 PM EST, February 22, 2012

City issuing $4.2 million in refunds for faulty water bills

Baltimore's Public Works Department is issuing more than $4.2 million in water bill refunds to 38,000 households in the city and Baltimore County after an audit showed the agency overcharged tens of thousands of customers.

9:48 PM EST, February 21, 2012

Feds to check immigration status of people arrested in city

A controversial program that lets U.S. immigration officials check the citizenship status of people who have been arrested is being expanded to include Baltimore despite objections from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and immigrant advocates.

9:07 PM EST, February 27, 2012

Mayor launches campaign to raise bottle tax for schools

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake launched her campaign to repair Baltimore's long-neglected schools Monday, introducing a bill to more than double the city's bottle tax as part of a plan to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to fix dilapidated buildings.

7:56 PM EST, February 24, 2012

New racing group speeds search for Grand Prix sponsor

The men behind Downforce Racing have convinced city officials they have the skills to run the Baltimore Grand Prix, have secured the blessing of IndyCar executives and have sweated through months of contract negotiations.

6:02 PM EST, February 11, 2012

Tickets to sold-out concerts, luxury boxes not uncommon for city officials

Luxury boxes at major sporting events. Sold-out concerts. Galas. Vegas shows.

5:15 PM EST, February 18, 2012

Activists protest condition of former Read's drug store

Activists rallied outside a ramshackle West Baltimore storefront Saturday afternoon, demanding city officials take steps to quickly stabilize the building, which was the site of a historic civil rights protest.

8:14 PM EST, February 21, 2012

Raucous parties at Bolton Hill lodge draw complaints

Bolton Hill community leaders pleaded with Baltimore zoning officials Tuesday to prevent a fraternal lodge from holding late-night parties, saying that the raucous gatherings are destroying the character of the neighborhood.

11:54 PM EST, February 22, 2012

Board of Estimates approves Grand Prix deal in 3-2 vote

A contract to run a second year of the Baltimore Grand Prix under new management passed a divided Board of Estimates on Wednesday by a 3-2 vote.

8:16 PM EST, February 10, 2012

City officials pick new team for Baltimore Grand Prix

City officials are completing a five-year deal with a new group to manage the Baltimore Grand Prix and plan to announce the terms of the deal Wednesday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's office said Friday.

9:52 PM EST, February 15, 2012

New Grand Prix chief is racing fan and driver

Construction magnate and self-described "gearhead" Dale Dillon has built offices for high-speed racing teams, laid tracks for IndyCar contests in two cities and, despite having only one leg, raced open-wheeled cars competitively around the country.

11:05 PM EST, February 13, 2012

Mayor questions Alonso's school-construction plan

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake expressed concerns about her schools chief's proposal to borrow $1.2 billion to fix Baltimore's crumbling school buildings, touting her own more modest plan as realistic in her State of the City address Monday.

7:56 PM EST, February 15, 2012

Mayor says another Grand Prix is in city's 'best interest'

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday that drafting a new contract to continue the Baltimore Grand Prix was the city's smartest move, even as others questioned why the deal didn't do more to recover losses to vendors and taxpayers from the 2011 race.

February 15, 2012

Baltimore to unveil new Grand Prix contract

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration has struck a five-year deal with a new team to manage the Baltimore Grand Prix race, including new safeguards designed to insulate the city from losses — a provision crafted after last year's financial debacle left millions of dollars in unpaid taxes and vendor bills.

February 10, 2012

Common Cause: Mayor's skybox should be 'people's skybox'

A government watchdog group said Thursday that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has politicized invitations to her office's Ravens skybox, and urged her to include more working-class residents.

1:02 PM EST, February 14, 2012

Council president's home target of attempted break-in

Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young's East Baltimore home was the target of an attempted break-in late Monday, a spokesman said.

9:25 PM EST, February 9, 2012

Former mayoral candidate's wife target of city suit

The city of Baltimore has filed suit against the wife of former mayoral candidate Otis Rolley, demanding $26,100 for months of leave that were erroneously granted her because of a computer glitch.

9:03 PM EST, February 8, 2012

Mayor invites family, donors, business allies to skybox

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's guests in the city's private skybox at Ravens games this past season included a small circle of city employees, prominent business leaders, donors to her campaign, and several family members, documents show.

8:36 PM EST, February 2, 2012

Mayor takes stand in pension trial

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake took the stand in federal court Thursday, telling a judge that her administration's 2010 overhaul of the fire and police pension plan was necessary for the public good.

8:41 PM EST, February 2, 2012

Grand Prix talks focus on Indianapolis contractor

Baltimore officials have zeroed in on Indianapolis-based building contractor Dale Dillon to take over operations of the city's Grand Prix race; he is the only bidder with whom they are negotiating, according to sources close to the discussions.

9:10 PM EST, January 23, 2012

When should Baltimoreans vote? Once again, officials battle over proposals for change

City and state leaders and voting rights advocates agree on this: After last year's abysmal voter turnout, Baltimore's odd election cycle should be changed to lure more people to the polls and save millions of dollars.

8:46 PM EST, January 25, 2012

Five groups vie to run city rec centers

Five groups submitted bids to manage Baltimore recreation centers Wednesday, including two groups that would charge significant monthly fees for after-school programs that have traditionally been free.

8:16 PM EST, January 18, 2012

City carves out space for 75 more at shelter

Baltimore officials have carved out space for 75 additional people to sleep in the city's homeless shelter this winter, officials said Wednesday.

8:24 PM EST, January 11, 2012

Council president urges mayor to end Grand Prix

City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young is urging Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to abandon the troubled Baltimore Grand Prix and focus on "core issues that impact the quality of life for all Baltimoreans."

6:35 PM EST, January 17, 2012

Baltimore officials kept close eye on Occupy

Brian C. Rogers, chairman of the Baltimore-based money management giant T. Rowe Price, works in the corporate office high-rise towering over an Inner Harbor park. And for weeks, the company overlooked a group of protesters beating drums, pitching tents and demanding justice for the 99 percent of Americans who aren't among the country's highest earners.

10:20 PM EST, January 9, 2012

City officials closemouthed on Grand Prix search

Baltimore officials are conducting a swift and informal search for a new team to manage the city's Grand Prix race — and are declining to explain how or by what criteria they are making decisions.

7:01 PM EST, December 21, 2011

Baltimore awards four rec centers to private groups

Baltimore officials awarded the rights to run four city recreation centers to three nonprofit groups Wednesday despite fiery opposition from City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young. The vote by the city's spending board marked the first step in an administration plan to focus public spending on other centers.

7:01 PM EST, January 9, 2012

Baltimore officials want to move to federal election cycle

Baltimore officials plan to ask the General Assembly to pass legislation to align the city's municipal elections with the federal cycle, the city's chief lobbyist said Monday.

12:27 AM EST, January 25, 2012

Alonso wants to borrow $1.2 billion to repair city schools

Baltimore City's schools chief told state legislators Tuesday that he hopes to borrow $1.2 billion— six times more than the school system's current bonding authority — to pay for a massive and rapid overhaul of the city's crumbling public school buildings.

11:36 PM EST, January 18, 2012

City Council president says he'll pay back Ray Lewis for tickets to private skybox

City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young promised Wednesday to pay Ray Lewis for tickets to the Ravens linebacker's private skybox at Sunday's sold-out playoff game, saying he wanted to follow an ethics law the City Council approved just four months ago to ban such gifts.

6:42 PM EST, December 19, 2011

Four city rec centers could go to third-party groups

City officials are preparing to award contracts to three private groups to run recreation centers this week, following a string of delays, and have vowed to keep all of the city's centers open through June.

8:58 PM EST, December 28, 2011

Grand Prix takeover stalled as deadline looms

As a deadline set by city officials draws near, leaders of the beleaguered company that organized the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix have yet to finalize plans for restructuring the business or paying debts to the city.

8:02 PM EST, December 30, 2011

City officials seek new group to run Grand Prix

City officials have terminated the contract of the troubled company that organized the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix and are seeking a new group to run the racing festival in the coming year, the mayor's office announced Friday.

10:33 PM EST, January 23, 2012

Elderly man pulled to safety before train hits car

An elderly man who mistakenly drove onto the light rail tracks in Lutherville was pulled to safety Monday evening by passersby shortly before a train slammed into his car, police and witnesses said.

10:14 PM EST, January 23, 2012

Homeless protest shelter ban

Five men say they have been banned from the city's homeless shelter after a fight broke out Saturday evening, prompting concerns from legal advocates about the shelter's protocol for barring the homeless from the $8 million facility.

7:19 PM EST, December 29, 2011

Rawlings-Blake readies for battle over proposal to raise bottle tax

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration is gearing up for a tough fight over her plan to raise Baltimore's bottle tax to pay for repairs to dilapidated city schools.

8:39 PM EST, January 30, 2012

City finance nominee had turbulent record in Richmond

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's nominee for city finance director spent a tumultuous three years as top financial official in Richmond, Va., during which he oversaw the forced ejection of the school board from City Hall and was sued by the Richmond City Council, according to news reports.

7:55 PM EST, December 4, 2011

As temperatures fall, fewer city beds for the homeless

The clean, bright hallways of Baltimore's new homeless shelter lead to laundry rooms, private showers and a cluster of computers. The building outshines in nearly every regard the temporary facility it replaced, advocates say. But the $8 million shelter does not measure up to its predecessor in one respect: It has 100 fewer emergency beds.

11:31 PM EST, January 29, 2012

City to name new director of finance

A former District of Columbia and Richmond, Va., finance official will be named Baltimore's new director of finance on Monday, city officials said.

10:10 PM EST, December 12, 2011

Private operator would charge fee to use 2 city rec centers

Private operators would take over six city recreation centers — in some cases, charging annual fees to those who use them or offering programs for ex-offenders and the mentally ill as well as children — under a deal that had been slated to go before Baltimore's spending board Wednesday.

8:37 PM EST, December 14, 2011

Grand Prix official: High-interest loan led to unpaid tax

Two months before the start of the Baltimore Grand Prix, the race's organizers, desperate for cash, entered into a $1.1 million loan they believed was necessary to save the event.

7:06 PM EST, November 30, 2011

Occupy Baltimore permit request to stay in park denied again

Baltimore officials have denied a second request by Occupy Baltimore protesters to obtain permits to use in McKeldin Square, the Inner Harbor park where the group has been entrenched since early October.

9:22 PM EST, January 5, 2012

Groups vie to run Baltimore Grand Prix in 2012

Several groups are angling to seize control of Baltimore's Grand Prix as city officials seek a new management team in the wake of the financial collapse of the company that organized the inaugural race.

2:19 PM EST, December 6, 2011

Mayor's goal: Bring 10,000 new families to city in a decade

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake hopes to attract 10,000 families to Baltimore in the next decade — which would reverse more than a half-century of population decline — and would like to serve at least one more term beyond the one she begins Tuesday.

6:45 PM EST, November 30, 2011

Baltimore begins upgrading water meters

Workers have begun replacing water meters in 12,000 households in Baltimore City and county, public works officials announced this week.

9:02 PM EST, November 28, 2011

Second search delayed for rec center operators

Baltimore officials have missed a self-appointed deadline to issue a new request for groups to take over the city's recreation centers, the latest twist in the city's struggle to hand over the centers to private groups.

7:08 PM EST, December 21, 2011

Superblock plans get a four-month extension

Baltimore's Board of Estimates on Wednesday approved a four-month extension of a land sale agreement between the city and developers of the Superblock, a West Side redevelopment project long tangled in legal challenges.

10:08 PM EST, December 5, 2011

Mayor: Idea that Grand Prix needed more from city is 'nonsense'

With the company that put on Baltimore's inaugural Grand Prix struggling to pay its debts, a disagreement is revving up over whether the city did enough to ensure the race's financial viability.

7:57 PM EST, December 6, 2011

Mayor urges city residents to 'pitch in' to improve Baltimore

In her inaugural address Tuesday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake exhorted Baltimoreans to "pitch in and do their part" to improve the city and draw new residents despite economic challenges.

7:43 PM EST, November 29, 2011

Groups threaten lawsuit over gender discrimination at city shelter

Homeless advocates and a civil rights group renewed threats Tuesday to sue the city over discrimination at its newly completed $8 million shelter, which offers far fewer beds for women than men.

6:44 PM EST, November 20, 2011

Three injured in Rosedale knife fight

Three men were injured in a stabbing Sunday morning at the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill in Rosedale, Baltimore County police said.

6:54 PM EST, November 17, 2011

Pledges bring New Year's Eve fireworks more than halfway to goal

Eleventh-hour pledges for the annual New Year's Eve fireworks display have taken fundraising more than halfway to the $75,000 minimum needed to stage the Inner Harbor spectacle next month, organizers said Thursday.

10:28 PM EST, November 12, 2011

Road to second Grand Prix full of twists

It was a party unlike any Baltimore had ever hosted during the usually sleepy Labor Day weekend, with candy-colored cars speeding noisily around the Inner Harbor to the delight of crowds drawn to the city's inaugural Grand Prix.

6:29 PM EST, November 27, 2011

Some neighbors worry about Beans and Bread expansion

Andre Scott sat at a wooden table fingering tattered documents — certificates from drug-treatment and job-training programs, a booklet from his girlfriend's funeral. With two dozen other very poor people, he was waiting to see a counselor at Beans and Bread in Upper Fells Point. Others seeking help stood outside in a cold rain.

6:45 PM EST, November 9, 2011

Grand Prix organizers seeking candidates for CEO position

Leaders of the financially-strapped company that produced the Baltimore Grand Prix have been interviewing candidates to take the helm of the group, officials said Wednesday.

2:39 PM EST, November 6, 2011

In city, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians push for the polls

Members of the Republican, Green and Libertarian parties are often divided by strong ideological differences in national politics. But in Baltimore, their candidates emphatically agree on at least one thing: They're fed up with the Democratic dominance of city politics.

7:52 PM EST, November 26, 2011

34th Street dons its holiday glow

Before Santa appeared in a pickup truck, before thousands of lights blinked on, before the first of tens of thousands of guests would stream to the tiny block in Hampden, there was work to do on 34th Street. A lot of it.

6:24 PM EDT, October 25, 2011

City discriminates against homeless women, advocates claim

Advocates for the homeless called on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Tuesday to open more shelter beds for women, arguing that the city discriminates against women by making significantly more beds available to men.

10:45 PM EST, November 20, 2011

Man, 21, arrested in College Park armed robbery

A 21-year-old man has been charged with robbing a student at knifepoint last week on the University of Maryland College Park campus, but a second suspect remains at large, campus police said Sunday.

6:18 PM EST, November 23, 2011

Occupy Baltimore protesters seek to remain until April

Occupy Baltimore protesters have asked city officials for permission to remain in an Inner Harbor park until April, according to an application submitted to the city.

6:16 PM EST, November 14, 2011

Rawlings-Blake calls on council to adopt bottle tax hike

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake visited a dilapidated East Baltimore elementary school Monday to call on the City Council to adopt her plan to raise the city's bottle tax to help pay for a major school renovation program.

8:15 PM EDT, October 24, 2011

BUILD plans rec center rally

A coalition of church groups intends to demonstrate outside Baltimore's recreation and parks headquarters Wednesday to protest a plan that could lead to the closure of rec centers.

11:53 PM EST, November 21, 2011

Blind man says paramedics prevented guide dog from traveling with him

A 62-year-old blind man has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice claiming Baltimore paramedics refused to allow his service dog to accompany him in an ambulance after he was struck by a car.

9:23 PM EDT, October 18, 2011

Rawlings-Blake grilling agency heads

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is summoning Cabinet members for intense, one-on-one meetings with an eye toward a possible shake-up of city leadership, sources close to her say.

11:17 PM EST, November 8, 2011

Rawlings-Blake looks to legacy of full term

As Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake embarks on a full four-year term after Tuesday's election victory, she faces the challenge of forging a legacy in a city grappling with decades of decline and years of financial shortfalls.

5:22 PM EDT, October 26, 2011

City to pay $245,000 in police whistle-blower case

Baltimore officials agreed Wednesday to pay $245,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by a police whistle-blower who claimed he was forced to resign after raising concerns about the department's helicopter program.

8:13 PM EST, November 10, 2011

Mayor plans to raise bottle tax to pay for school construction

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will seek to raise the city's bottle tax from 2 cents to 5 cents as part of a plan to boost funding for school construction and repairs, her administration said Thursday.

10:02 PM EDT, October 25, 2011

Black firefighters group alleges discrimination

A local group that advocates for black firefighters wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate what it describes as "systemic discrimination in hiring, discipline and recruitment" in the Baltimore Fire Department.

7:28 PM EDT, November 4, 2011

Newcomer Mosby sets sights on City Hall

Nick Mosby bounded along a row of ninth-grade boys at Baltimore's Civitas School with the energy of a football player about to dart onto the field. Citing his own upbringing by a single mother, he urged the young men to aim higher than the temptations of the city's streets.

7:52 PM EDT, October 13, 2011

City agencies brace for more cuts

Baltimore officials are bracing for the potential of another round of deep budget cuts, as they draw up early spending plans to address a "significant" shortfall next year.

7:10 PM EDT, October 13, 2011

City says bidders hope to run more rec centers

Baltimore officials said Thursday that they have received proposals to run more recreation centers than previously announced, but said the future of many centers remains in doubt because of budget constraints.

7:22 PM EDT, September 14, 2011

Rawlings-Blake: 'We have a unique opportunity'

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake spoke briefly Wednesday in her first public appearance after securing the Democratic nomination for mayor, but was tight-lipped on plans for her first full term in the office.

12:49 AM EDT, September 14, 2011

Rawlings-Blake gets Democratic nod

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake glided to victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday, securing the nomination for a full four-year term in the office to which she ascended last year.

9:02 AM EST, November 8, 2011

Low turnout predicted for Baltimore election

Baltimore elections officials predicted very low turnout at the polls Tuesday, as city residents vote in the general election for mayor and other races.

9:44 PM EST, November 15, 2011

City fire chief promotes African-Americans to two top jobs

Baltimore Fire Chief James S. Clack, who has been grappling with allegations of racism in his department, announced Tuesday that he is promoting two African-American officers to be his top deputies.

October 31, 2011

Conaway battles to keep her seat

Belinda Conaway, a two-term city councilwoman, chair of the powerful budget committee and daughter of a prominent West Baltimore political family, does not fit most definitions of a political outsider.

10:40 PM EDT, August 9, 2011

Mayoral candidates sound off on issues before spirited crowd

Six candidates for Baltimore mayor sounded off on education, drug addiction, vacant homes and job creation at a Tuesday night forum sponsored by a coalition of nearly three dozen advocacy groups.

2:36 PM EST, November 22, 2011

George Clooney, Stacy Keibler attend Ravens game

Actor George Clooney, recovering from elbow surgery, suffered a setback Sunday afternoon — watching his beloved Bengals fall to the Ravens.

6:15 PM EDT, October 11, 2011

City ethics board to issue subpoenas in parking authority case

Baltimore's Ethics Board plans to subpoena witnesses in a conflict-of-interest investigation centered on a parking authority employee, marking the first time the board has used that power, city officials said.

10:42 PM EDT, September 9, 2011

Crowded fields, strong incumbents in City Council races

The incumbent ditched a mayoral bid at the last minute, deciding instead to try to hang on to his seat representing parts of Charles Village, Oliver, Remington and Station North.

4:24 PM EST, November 6, 2011

Voters to decide on Baltimore schools fund, council age

Voters who cast ballots in Tuesday's general election will have a chance to weigh in on two issues concerning the city's younger residents.

9:55 PM EDT, October 12, 2011

City gets few bids to run rec centers

Baltimore received bids Wednesday to run just seven of the 31 recreation centers that officials wanted to hand over to third parties by the end of the year — raising the prospect that some will be forced to close.

8:43 PM EDT, November 1, 2011

City faces $52 million shortfall in coming year

Baltimore officials have identified a $52 million budget shortfall next year, and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration is eyeing pension costs and other benefits after years of significant cutbacks to city programs and worker salaries to close previous budget gaps.

9:10 PM EST, November 7, 2011

City threatens to end deal with racing group

City officials threatened Monday to end their contract with the company that staged the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix race, saying it owed the city more than $1.5 million — a development that casts doubt on the future of the three-day racing festival.

4:51 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Rawlings-Blake runs on record

Driver Will Power took home the trophy from the Baltimore Grand Prix, but the biggest winner of the three-day racing festival might have been Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

10:24 PM EDT, September 4, 2011

A jubilant finish line for the Grand Prix

Tens of thousands of spectators trooped through crowded paddocks and grandstands, clutching ear plugs and checkered flags. Auto-racing teams praised the exciting twists and straightaways through roads normally choked with harried commuters.

4:39 PM EDT, September 11, 2011

Mayoral candidates push to get supporters to polls

Mayoral candidate Otis Rolley bounded down the steps of a West Baltimore home and flashed what looked like two victory signs.

11:28 PM EST, November 16, 2011

City approves $75,000 for man injured in trash truck fall

Baltimore's Board of Estimates on Wednesday approved Wednesday a $75,000 settlement to a man who was injured after falling off a city trash truck while taking part in court-ordered community service program.

9:29 PM EDT, September 3, 2011

Fans turn out for second day of Grand Prix race

As glossy race cars thundered through downtown streets Saturday, Charlotte and Mary Treece Simmons were well-prepared.

2:41 PM EDT, September 4, 2011

Scenes from the Baltimore Grand Prix

Among the tens of thousands of fans who came this weekend for the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix were a large number of racing rookies. They were attracted for a variety of reasons — fast cars, a party atmosphere and the idea of supporting their hometown.

11:17 AM EDT, September 1, 2011

Early voting starts Thursday for Baltimore mayoral primary

Baltimore voters can begin casting ballots in the city's mayoral primary election Thursday, as the early-voting period begins.

10:01 PM EDT, September 7, 2011

Cosby stumps for Rolley in Baltimore

Comedian Bill Cosby joked with seniors, marched through Mondawmin Mall and dropped by Northeast Baltimore homes Wednesday to stump for mayoral candidate Otis Rolley.

9:21 PM EDT, August 31, 2011

Candidate Rolley battles City Hall over wife's pay for leave

Baltimore officials are demanding $26,000 from the wife of mayoral challenger Otis Rolley, claiming that she improperly took paid leave that she was not owed — but the candidate and his wife say she was forced from her city job as part of what they allege is political "bullying."

9:07 PM EDT, September 12, 2011

For mayoral candidates, a whirl of handshakes

They rapped on doors, waved bright signs, groused about the media, ate chicken wings, and shook hands — lots and lots of hands.

11:44 AM EDT, August 31, 2011

Challengers assail Rawlings-Blake in final debate

Mayoral challengers assailed incumbent Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in a vitriolic candidate forum Tuesday night, accusing her of burying Baltimoreans in burdensome taxes and funneling too much money to developers.

7:55 PM EDT, November 1, 2011

Conaway alleges fraud over absentee ballots in city election

Baltimore City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway, who is running a write-in campaign to keep her seat in the Nov. 8 election, accused the city elections board Tuesday of committing "major fraud" by mailing out incorrect absentee ballots to 7th District voters.

12:09 PM EDT, September 3, 2011

Baltimore Grand Prix fans flood city for practice runs

Some pressed against chain-link fences, straining for a better view of the hurtling cars. Others mingled in white tents, struggling to be heard over thundering engines. And an elderly woman perched on the edge of her car, craning for a better view of the unfamiliar spectacle.

6:06 PM EDT, August 7, 2011

Candidates would spend more on schools

Taikira White chose City College for its nationally renowned choir, but her quests to find a fully functional bathroom in the school could make her a track star by the time she graduates.

6:32 PM EDT, October 25, 2011

Future uncertain for Govans rec center

Teenage boys dart around a basketball court at North Baltimore's DeWees Recreation Center, calling to each other in the chilly fall air. Inside, younger kids in mud-stained football jerseys hover around a pool table and play video games. The floors are scuffed and the blinds hang askew, but for Govans residents, the small brick building is the center of community life.

8:09 PM EDT, September 1, 2011

Turnout low in first day of early voting

Baltimore voters trickled into polling places for the first day of early voting in the citywide primary elections, prompting the director of the city elections board to describe turnout as "really bad."

8:51 PM EDT, October 13, 2011

City agencies brace for more cuts

Baltimore officials are bracing for the potential of another round of deep budget cuts as they draw up early spending plans with an eye toward addressing a "significant" shortfall next year.

7:35 PM EDT, July 26, 2011

Fire academy head transferred in wake of cheating scandal

The head of Baltimore's fire academy has been reassigned, Fire Chief James S. Clack said Tuesday, a week after officials began an investigation into cheating at the academy.

10:06 PM EDT, August 18, 2011

Mayoral candidates seek to reverse long slide in city jobs

Charleta Jones isn't looking for just one job. She's looking for two: something full time and something on the side, to help repair the financial damage she suffered after losing her job last year as a paratransit driver.

8:42 PM EDT, July 20, 2011

Baltimore employee stole $55,000 by forging time sheets, reports says

A Baltimore public works employee bilked the city of $55,000 in wages by altering electronic time sheets over four years, according to a report released Wednesday by the city inspector general.

6:12 PM EDT, July 31, 2011

Mayoral candidates say little about crime during campaign

Ella Bailey and her two grandsons hurried down a strip mall sidewalk on a recent sultry summer morning, sipping bottles of pineapple soda.

6:26 PM EDT, September 1, 2011

Conaway says he didn't send emails

Frank M. Conaway says he had nothing to do with emails that first called and then canceled a news conference Thursday at which he was supposedly to make an "important announcement."

9:40 PM EDT, August 4, 2011

Rawlings-Blake joins challengers for first time

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake shared a stage with the other candidates for mayor for the first time Thursday night as she made her initial appearance at a campaign forum.

1:16 AM EDT, August 31, 2011

Rawlings-Blake, husband collected homestead tax breaks on two properties

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her husband collected homestead tax credits on two separate properties before she became mayor of Baltimore, in violation of a state rule that prohibits married couples from claiming the break on more than one residence, according to property records, tax bills and state regulations.

10:27 PM EDT, August 2, 2011

City mayoral candidates debate campaign issues

Six candidates for Baltimore's highest office squared off on fixing the city's schools, boosting the economy and fighting crime at a forum hosted by one of the city's largest churches Tuesday evening.

10:48 PM EDT, July 19, 2011

Rawlings-Blake to propose 9% property tax cut for homeowners

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will unveil plans Wednesday to direct nearly all of the revenue from Baltimore's long-delayed slots casino to reducing property taxes for city residents who own their homes, a spokesman said.

4:37 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Rolley courting voters, one at a time

Otis Rolley is scrambling up porches in a quiet West Baltimore neighborhood, undaunted by a steady drizzle. He leaps over baby gates, dodges yapping poodles and asks voters to support him in the primary election.

5:26 PM EDT, August 27, 2011

Rawlings-Blake sweeping competition

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has opened an imposing lead over her challengers with just weeks to go before the Democratic primary, garnering a larger share of likely voters than all of her rivals combined, according to a Baltimore Sun poll.

5:58 PM EDT, July 23, 2011

Deep cut or small slices?

Penn Wilbert and his wife, Amanda Ferchak, have lived in Southeast Baltimore for six years — riding bikes to the grocery store, playing kickball at Patterson Park and meeting friends for drinks at bars inCanton.

6:04 PM EDT, July 12, 2011

In the background of Baltimore mayor's race: Sheila Dixon

When City Councilman Carl Stokes was considering whether to pull out of the mayor's race, he sought the guidance of family members, supporters — and Sheila Dixon.

11:17 PM EDT, August 29, 2011

Mayoral candidates face off in only televised debate

Just days before early voting begins in Baltimore's mayoral primary, candidates squared off on police scandals, the high crime rate and school cheating issues in a fast-paced televised debate Monday night.

9:26 PM EDT, August 27, 2011

Rawlings-Blake sweeping competition

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has opened an imposing lead over her challengers with just weeks to go before the Democratic primary, garnering a larger share of likely voters than all of her rivals combined, according to a Baltimore Sun poll.

8:14 AM EDT, August 26, 2011

In debate, mayoral candidates vow to double youth jobs

Candidates vying to be Baltimore's next mayor promised Thursday evening to double funding for after school programs, create 1,000 summer jobs for youth and renovate or rebuild all of the city's schools.

9:55 PM EDT, August 13, 2011

The long road to the Baltimore Grand Prix

Steven Wehner had overcome dyslexia, a stint in jail on drug charges and the loss of his repair shop on Martha's Vineyard.

7:55 PM EDT, August 11, 2011

Pugh proposes police audit, more options for youth

Mayoral candidate state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh said Thursday she would audit police statistics, implement a program to seize guns from young people and create a watch list of children most likely to become involved in violence.

3:50 PM EDT, July 12, 2011

In the background of Baltimore mayor's race: Sheila Dixon

When City Councilman Carl Stokes made an 11th-hour decision to pull out of the mayor's race, he sought the guidance of family members, supporters — and Sheila Dixon.

12:02 AM EDT, June 22, 2011

City reaches settlement with slots site developer

City officials have agreed to pay a local development team $1.2 million to settle a 2007 deal on land slated for the Baltimore slots casino, clearing one of the last legal hurdles before the site can be developed.

6:28 PM EDT, August 6, 2011

Candidates — minus Rawlings-Blake — debate issues in Northwest

Five candidates hoping to be Baltimore's next mayor tackled questions on housing, trash pickup and a dirt bike park at a Saturday morning forum at Baltimore City Community College — and criticized Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for missing the event.

8:43 PM EST, February 23, 2011

Towing scandals in city are nothing new

The newspaper headline read: "Tow-truck operators … make pay-offs to officers who arrange business from crash victims."

10:38 PM EDT, July 5, 2011

Mayoral challengers sound off on crime

Challengers to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake seized Tuesday on the Fourth of July violence — including the fatal stabbing of an Alabama man and the shooting of a 4-year-old boy around the fireworks display at the Inner Harbor — saying the incidents highlighted persistent problems that foster a culture of violent crime.

9:34 PM EDT, August 24, 2011

Grand Prix founder seeks injunction against race organizers

The founder of the Baltimore Grand Prix asked a judge Wednesday to prevent organizers of the race from using ticket sales as collateral on future loans because, he alleges, they have failed to make tens of thousands of dollars of payments to him.

7:47 PM EDT, July 6, 2011

Rawlings-Blake agrees to four debates with mayoral challengers

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake consented Wednesday to participate in four August debates with those challenging her for her job.

8:24 PM EDT, July 14, 2011

Grand Prix tickets mailed

Organizers of the Baltimore Grand Prix say they mailed tickets out to fans Thursday — about six weeks later than they had pledged.

9:16 PM EDT, June 30, 2011

Former Senator owner vows run for council president

The former owner of the Senator Theatre declared his candidacy Thursday for president of the Baltimore City Council, saying he wants to lead the body he called "a sorry crew."

9:18 AM EDT, June 12, 2011

Rolley urges vouchers, mayoral control of Baltimore schools

Mayoral candidate and former city planning director Otis Rolley III has vowed to offer private school vouchers to students zoned to attend failing middle schools and says he would lobby to restore mayoral control to the city school system.

7:21 PM EDT, July 5, 2011

Shooting, stabbing follow Inner Harbor fireworks display

A fatal stabbing and the baffling shooting of a 4-year-old boy stunned visitors to Baltimore's downtown Fourth of July festivities and drew condemnation from the city's mayor and police commissioner as they worked to remind people of the thousands who enjoyed the celebration without incident.

9:36 PM EDT, July 18, 2011

City fire chief suspends EMS training after cheating revealed

Baltimore fire officials suspended emergency medical training and locked down an instructional facility Monday after revelations that some student firefighters had cheated on a state licensing exam, officials said.

9:51 PM EDT, June 22, 2011

BDC: Terms of S. Baltimore sportsplex deal were no secret

The head of the quasi-public city agency that negotiated a 2007 deal over a parcel of land near the city's planned slots parlor defended the handling of the agreement Wednesday, as the city approved a $1.2 million settlement to free the land for gambling development.

8:48 PM EDT, June 16, 2011

Mayors to flock to Baltimore for four-day conference

Expect an influx of starchily dressed and municipally minded visitors this weekend, as more than 1,100 elected officials and staff members from around the country descend on Baltimore for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

11:44 PM EDT, April 18, 2011

At Harbor, Yards, thanks and tributes to Schaefer

On a soft spring evening at Harborplace and Camden Yards, William Donald Schaefer was remembered in a way that surely would have delighted him: as the man who made it all possible.

10:30 PM EDT, June 14, 2011

Report: Parking authority manager 'exerted influence' on contracts with boyfriend

The Baltimore parking official in charge of managing contracts at city-owned garages "exerted influence" on garage operators to hire a firm owned by her then-boyfriend, according to the city's inspector general.

11:02 PM EST, February 23, 2011

More than 30 Baltimore police officers charged, suspended in towing scheme

Seventeen Baltimore police officers were charged Wednesday — and more than a dozen others suspended — in an extortion scheme in which officers are accused of receiving thousands of dollars in kickbacks for steering accident victims to a towing company that was not authorized to do business with the city.

8:01 PM EDT, June 29, 2011

City finds $470,000 to maintain 311 hours

Baltimore's nonemergency call center will remain open under its current hours — a reversal of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's planned cuts to the 311 program's budget — under a plan approved by the city spending board Wednesday.

11:42 PM EDT, June 14, 2011

Council members back city budget; committee delays vote

City Council members voted Monday to approve the $1.3 billion budget proposed by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, but a key committee postponed a decisive vote until Wednesday.

February 18, 2010

Twin storms damage zoo, delay opening

This month's historic snowstorms caused at least $1.5 million damage at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, delaying its opening by up to a month and further threatening an institution that has struggled to emerge from financial difficulties.

February 9, 2010

Young unanimously elected Baltimore City Council president

Bernard C. "Jack" Young, a veteran East Baltimore councilman, was elected president of the City Council by a unanimous vote Monday evening.

February 5, 2010

Rawlings-Blake sworn in as mayor

Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake was sworn in Thursday afternoon as the city's 49th mayor, pledging to "build a better, safer, stronger Baltimore."

11:22 PM EDT, April 19, 2011

In West Baltimore, residents recall Schaefer the neighbor

On a steeply sloped block in West Baltimore, William Donald Schaefer is remembered not only as one of the city and state's great leaders, but as a neighbor who meticulously trimmed his rose bushes, received offerings of mud pies from small children and helped neighbors find jobs.

7:48 PM EDT, June 22, 2011

City approves $30,000 contract for taxis for poll workers

Baltimore's election judges will be ferried to the polls by Yellow Cabs this fall, under an up-to-$30,000 deal approved by the city's Board of Estimates Thursday.

9:31 PM EDT, July 7, 2011

Pair indicted on charge of swindling city housing authority

A federal grand jury has indicted a pair of Washington men, charging them with taking $1.4 million from Baltimore's public housing authority and electronically transferring the funds to a nonexistent business, according to authorities.

January 10, 2010

A few words of advice

As the daughter of a renowned state legislator and a member of the Baltimore City Council for nearly her entire adult life, Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake has seen the city transform in the hands of numerous leaders. On Feb. 4, when she is sworn in as the city's 49th mayor, she gets her own chance to shepherd the city into a new era.

9:13 PM EDT, April 25, 2011

Schaefer returns to City Hall

Bells tolled from Zion Lutheran Church and a crowd of more than 100 residents, damp with the unseasonable heat, grew silent.

9:35 PM EDT, June 29, 2011

Superblock developers granted second six-month extension

City officials have granted a second six-month extension to the developers behind West Baltimore's $150 million Superblock project.

11:15 PM EST, February 23, 2011

Towing leader says she was arrested after complaining about accused company

Paula Protani was posting signs in a parking lot on a hot day in August 2009 when she spotted a police officer arranging for a crashed car to be hauled away by a Majestic tow truck.

5:21 PM EST, January 30, 2011

Mayor to unveil new City Council map

For months now, members of the Baltimore City Council have been telling Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake what they'd like to see when she draws new boundaries for their districts.

February 17, 2010

The road to recovery hits some big snags

As the day dawns for those contemplating a commute into Baltimore, there's good news: It should be better than Tuesday's slow crawl. The bad news? Maybe not by much.

February 25, 2010

In public return, Dixon dwells on achievements

Three weeks after resigning as mayor in a cloud of scandal, Sheila Dixon was back in the spotlight Wednesday night.

9:07 PM EDT, June 13, 2011

Council backs extension of affordable housing law until 2020

The Baltimore City Council voted Monday to extend for eight years a law requiring developers to build affordable housing in projects that receive large public subsidies — but not to make the law permanent, as advocates had hoped.

February 4, 2010

Dixon takes time to contemplate

The guest of honor moved through the restaurant in a black suit and pumps, surrounded by colleagues, well-wishers and staff members angling for a moment with the boss.

12:02 AM EST, February 26, 2011

Towing corruption investigation expands

A federal corruption probe that has already led to more than 30 Baltimore police officers suspended or charged with receiving kickbacks in an alleged towing scheme has expanded to include at least one former officer from a state law enforcement agency.

January 26, 2010

A behind-the-scenes push for Cole

Since the announcement that City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake would become mayor after Sheila Dixon's resignation, a majority of council members have declared their support for a colleague, veteran Councilman Bernard C. "Jack" Young, to fill the president's office.

7:48 PM EDT, April 26, 2011

Marylanders at City Hall recall Schaefer

The body of William Donald Schaefer lay in state Tuesday in the marble rotunda of City Hall, and a line curled around the historic building as people waited to pay their respects. Standing in the bright April sun, the mourners — old and young, rich and poor, black and white — clutched photos of Schaefer and described how he shaped their lives and their city. Here are some of their stories:

1:39 PM EST, January 25, 2011

Weathering the storms with Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

The first snowflakes whirled down less than 48 hours after Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was sworn in as Baltimore's mayor. Before a week had passed, two blizzards had walloped the city, dropping nearly 4 feet of snow.

8:36 PM EDT, July 13, 2011

Highest court upholds dismissal of bribery charges vs. Holton

City Councilwoman Helen Holton's three-year battle against allegations of bribery and perjury came to a close Wednesday as Maryland's highest court upheld a Baltimore judge's decision to dismiss the most serious charges against her.

8:38 PM EDT, August 19, 2010

City slots developer likely tabled

Even if he is able to overcome the legal obstacles to his proposed Baltimore casino, Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer is unlikely to be granted a license to operate slot machines in the city, according to court documents filed this week.

9:45 PM EST, February 9, 2011

Uphill battle to rid the city of vacant properties

Housing officials have sold more of the city's vacant homes in the first seven months of the budget year than in all of the previous year — but the sales still represent fewer than 3 percent of the 4,000 empty houses owned by the city.

January 13, 2010

Dixon's pension deal draws protest

About 30 people shook signs and chanted in front of City Hall Tuesday afternoon to protest the $83,000 annual pension Mayor Sheila Dixon will receive after resigning from office as part of a plea deal.

February 24, 2010

Snowstorms rough on city's equipment

The twin winter storms this month not only clogged roads and shut down businesses, they caused unprecedented breakdowns of the equipment used to clear the snow.

January 22, 2010

Rawlings-Blake urged to support Young to succeed her

The contest for Baltimore City Council president took a new turn Thursday when the city's state Senate delegation sent a letter to the current council president and mayor-to-be Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, asking her to support Councilman Bernard C. "Jack" Young.

February 4, 2010

SUN PROFILE

An education in politics

On the first day of kindergarten at Grace and St. Peter's School, a quiet girl was sitting alone, a new student in a room of boisterous children. • Stephanie Rawlings marched up, introduced herself and took charge: "You're going to play with us and be our friend." • That she was bossy and self-assured from an early age - her mother thinks her first complete sentence was "I did it myself" - might come as no surprise to those who have seen only the public side of Baltimore's next mayor.

February 2, 2010

Council members dish up praise for Dixon at her final lunch

The City Council members juggled plates of macaroni and cheese and fried fish with notes on bills to be presented at their meeting that evening. But the focus of Monday's council luncheon was not the proposed hearing on leaf blowers or more beds for an old age home. One by one, the legislators stood up to thank their hostess, Mayor Sheila Dixon.

10:59 PM EDT, June 15, 2011

Mayoral candidates debate education, property tax cuts

Baltimore mayoral candidates vowed to cut property taxes, expand job programs for teenagers and invest more money in neighborhoods at a forum sponsored by two civil rights groups Wednesday night.

January 21, 2010

Rawlings-Blake proposes changes on city ethics board

Baltimore City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake is proposing broad changes in the way the city handles ethics, an issue that came to the forefront during the corruption investigation that ultimately led to Mayor Sheila Dixon's resignation.

February 16, 2010

Melter is enlisted in city's snowdrift battle

Baltimore has brought in a new weapon in the battle against the towering mounds of gray snow lining city streets - a Canadian snow melter.

January 12, 2010

Rawlings-Blake calls anger over Dixon pension 'understandable'

Baltimore's mayor-to-be Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake vowed Monday to re-examine the city's pension plan for elected leaders in the wake of outrage over Mayor Sheila Dixon's $83,000-a-year benefit and to strengthen ethics laws governing city officials.

February 8, 2010

Young brings pragmatism, passion to council presidency, supporters say

Councilman Bernard C. "Jack" Young stopped by an elementary school in his East Baltimore district Friday morning to meet with a group of concerned constituents - the school's fifth-grade leadership team.

January 27, 2010

City ethics panel approves new rules on gifts

The city's ethics board approved new regulations Tuesday for the solicitation of gifts by city employees - an issue raised during Mayor Sheila Dixon's legal troubles.