james b kraft

The City Council gave final approval Monday to a bill that would allow companies such as Ticketmaster to continue to charge unlimited fees when selling tickets to events in Baltimore.

Dispute centers on bill that would allow Council President Young to vote on more matters

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she will neither sign nor veto legislation to loosen conflict-of-interest restrictions that have sometimes prevented city council members from voting on bills. The legislation — sought by Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young — is expected to become law without her signature.

A City Council committee approved a bill Thursday that would allow companies such as Ticketmaster to continue to charge unlimited fees in selling tickets to events in Baltimore.

Canton has become the latest ground zero for a familiar battle. A long-established neighborhood catches fire with new residents and businesses. Inadequate parking is not just an unintended consequence of the neighborhood's new success, but a marker of it.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called Monday for "bold reforms" to fix a looming financial shortfall, including requiring city workers to contribute to their pensions, charging residents for trash collection, asking firefighters to work longer hours and cutting the city work force by 10 percent over time.

The Target opening this fall in Canton at one of the city's largest new retail developments will be joined by a Harris Teeter grocery store and a lineup of tenants including Old Navy, Michaels, Loft, ULTA Beauty and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.

City Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector introduced a bill Monday that would crack down on what she deems "aggressive" panhandling.

While politicians spar in Washington over how to keep the nation from going over a "fiscal cliff," environmental activists warn that the wind-energy industry faces its own cliff if Congress doesn't act soon to extend a federal tax break for turbine construction that expires at the end of the year.

The Baltimore City Council on Monday overwhelmingly confirmed Anthony W. Batts, the former police chief in Long Beach and Oakland, Calif., as Baltimore's newest police commissioner.

A series of public meetings for Baltimore residents to voice their concerns about preliminary city plans to add more parking and an access road to Patterson Park have been canceled, according to city officials.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has called for the formation of a working group of local residents and city officials to study the Patterson Park Master Plan and make recommendations on future improvements.

A day after hundreds of Baltimore residents voiced strong opposition to a preliminary plan to add more parking spaces and an access road to Patterson Park, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Tuesday that she was creating a "working group" to study the park's future.

Hundreds of Baltimore residents voiced strong opposition to a preliminary plan to add more parking spaces and an access road to Patterson Park during a community meeting there Monday night — at times shouting down city officials trying to explain it.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday said Councilman James Kraft has unnecessarily riled up the community around Patterson Park over a preliminary proposal to build nearly 100 parking spaces in the park to accommodate a new senior center.

Mosby, Stokes vote against deal

Parking woes at the American Can Co. complex as it overflows with workers and visitors competing with residents for street parking

Harbor East developers intend to include housing.

City and state legislators called Monday for stepped-up scrutiny of property tax credit programs in Baltimore, after a Baltimore Sun investigation found that chronic errors have cost the city millions of dollars in lost revenue.

The Baltimore City Council on Monday defeated legislation aimed at requiring city agencies to be audited at least once every two years.

Despite Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young's efforts, the City Council has refused to change so much as a penny of the mayor's budget.

The Baltimore City Council reversed course Thursday, rejecting budget cuts they had endorsed earlier in the week, and voting to support the $2.3 billion spending plan crafted by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The Baltimore City Council made a statement Monday against Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed budget — voting to fund fire companies, recreation centers, Youth Works summer jobs and afterschool programs by making $6.4 million in cuts to other city agencies.