james b kraft

Just hours after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake chose Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis to take over the city's troubled Police Department, the two were at the Western District station to address officers at the 10 p.m. roll call. The message was clear: Rawlings-Blake intends to work side-by-side with her hand-picked replacement for ousted Commissioner Anthony W. Batts to tackle Baltimore's surging violence.

Just hours after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake chose Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis to take over the city's troubled Police Department, the two were at the Western District station to address officers at the 10 p.m. roll call. The message was clear: Rawlings-Blake intends to work side-by-side with her hand-picked replacement for ousted Commissioner Anthony W. Batts to tackle Baltimore's surging violence.

As the City Council approved Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's $2.5 million operating budget Monday, members called for greater oversight of city schools' spending.

City Councilman James B. Kraft said Sunday he plans to run for a judgeship on Baltimore's Circuit Court in 2016.

The City Council's budget committee signed off Friday on the Baltimore public school system's spending plan for next year after grilling CEO Gregory Thornton about 59 layoffs nobody wanted. Thornton said he had done all he could to keep the council informed and to minimize the number of layoffs. "This is not a slash-and-burn budget," he said.

As Baltimore reels from its most violent month in 40 years, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake remains upbeat about the city's efforts to fight crime, pointing to the success of an anti-violence program and the retraining of police officers by the U.S. Justice Department.

The City Council on Monday released a sharply critical assessment of Baltimore's once-lucrative speed camera system, faulting the program's enormous size and lack of oversight. "Don't build a program if you can't operate it. That message was sent loudly and clearly throughout our investigation," said City Councilman James B. Kraft.

A few months ago, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake looked to many pundits like she was practically unbeatable. The city's crime and unemployment rates were down. She had substantial money in her campaign account. She even flirted with a run for U.S. Senate. Then the rioting broke out.

President Barack Obama endorsed idea of change to $20 bill

The Maryland Public Defender's office is questioning whether Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had the authority to impose last month's citywide curfew amid unrest following the death of Freddie Gray.

Urban farmers would qualify for property tax breaks of 90 percent, under a bill the City Council sent Monday to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's desk.

After hearing complaints from residents about potholes and other quality-of-life issues, City Council members demanded answers Monday from the Cabinet official whose agency uses data to monitor city services.

A Baltimore Sun review shows that members of the Baltimore City Council often fail to show up for their committee votes.

The City Council quashed a bill Monday that was aimed at making it easier for the body to override a mayoral veto.

Matt Hornbeck, the principal at Hampstead Hill Academy, has tried everything to end the persistent double-parking outside his Canton school — a problem he says leads to traffic jams and jeopardizes student safety.

A City Council bill that would have required Baltimore eateries to post grades based on health inspections was defeated Monday night, failing by one vote after three council members switched their positions amid intense lobbying by restaurant owners.

Three stories of a new office tower now poke above the ground on the waterfront peninsula between Fells Point and Harbor East. A 280-foot yellow crane, several excavators, dump trucks and loaders, and the sound of incessant beeping filled the site Monday, as some 275 workers shifted waste, finished driving piles, and poured concrete in advance of a Wednesday ceremony to formally mark the tower's rise.

Visitors to popular Hampden restaurants, bars and shops this spring would find new parking limits on some local streets under a plan approved Monday by a divided Baltimore City Council.

Longtime City Councilman James B. Kraft announced that he will not seek re-election to his Southeast Baltimore seat, but intends to appear on the 2016 primary ballot for a yet-to-be-announced position.

Reining in the mayor's power

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Tuesday she is reducing or eliminating dozens of fees that small businesses have complained about for years — including charges to have outdoor security cameras, lights, awnings and bike racks.

Members of the Baltimore City Council are taking aim at the mayor's power. The moves come amid growing acrimony at City Hall after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake vetoed two bills that passed the council overwhelmingly.

One of Baltimore's most prominent development firms wants to build a new, world-class arena on piers in the Inner Harbor, reviving a long-talked-about project that would replace the aging Royal Farms Arena on the city's west side.

For years, Baltimore slogan's have been mocked, but Monday the City Council adopted a new one with a nod to history that may prove tamper-proof — "Baltimore: Birthplace of The Star-Spangled Banner."

The Baltimore City Council is once again trying to ban most stores from giving plastic bags to customers — only a month after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake shot down their last attempt at a ban.

Amid changing attitudes toward violence against women, Maryland can do more to help sex trafficking victims restart their lives

Should workers at Baltimore hotels be trained to recognize signs of forced prostitution, as City Councilman James B. Kraft is proposing?

Baltimore hotels would be required to train their staff to recognize signs of forced prostitution under proposed legislation that also would prohibit rooms from being rented for less than half a day.

Managers from Baltimore's former speed camera vendor Xerox State & Local Solutions defended their actions Wednesday before a City Council committee investigating what went wrong with the city's system, which has been shut down for more than a year after issuing erroneous tickets.

Baltimore transportation officials hope to have new camera system in 2015

Rawlings-Blake says she'll sign the legislation

If you're registered as a Democrat to make a difference, it's time to switch.

The City Council's willingness to vote overwhelmingly for a bill but not uphold it in the face of a mayoral veto shows politics trumps conviction

Both bills face pledged mayoral veto

In the aftermath of Republican Larry Hogan's victory in the governor's race on an anti-tax message, fiscally conservative politicians from both parties are pressing to cut taxes and fees.

Adult recreation sports, lights coming to field near Canton arena

This is neither the time nor place to ban plastic shopping bags in Baltimore, a city with bigger problems than litter

Baltimore's City Council moved to ban plastic bags handed out by grocery stores and big-box retailers Monday, unexpectedly trashing a proposal to charge a 5-cent fee for the bags to discourage their use.

The Baltimore City Council is poised to ban electronic cigarette "vaping" from nearly everywhere that traditional cigarette smoking is prohibited.

Possible amendments include banning the use of vapor products only in licensed day-care facilities, schools and school buses, and in elevators.

Rejecting arguments by the Rawlings-Blake administration, key City Council members made clear Tuesday they plan to push ahead with legislation to equip police officers with body cameras to film their interactions with the public.

The Baltimore City Council on Monday unanimously approved Federal Hill Neighborhood Association President Eric T. Costello to fill a vacant seat, but several members expressed concern over a process they said lacked true community involvement.