Light rail trains would attract nearly double the number of daily trips to the revamped Red Line compared with buses, according to a technical analysis by a Federal Transit Administration data tool. At Thursday’s first of four open houses that have been scheduled to discuss proposed routes connecting East and West Baltimore, Maryland Department of Transportation officials emphasized that the mode of transportation has yet to be determined.

Having attended the funeral of Rodney Pitts and reflecting on this, another tragic loss related to a Baltimore vacant rowhouse fire, from my perspective as a lifelong Baltimore resident and person who works professionally in the nonprofit sector on housing development and renovation of vacant homes, I can only say that we have to do better so that this doesn’t happen again (”Firefighter death in Baltimore renews questions about safety, vacant homes,” Oct. 24).

Frederick County Public Schools held a recruitment event Thursday evening to entice students, career changers and district support employees to jump into teaching. The event, called “Become an Educator Night,” was hosted at Frederick High School. It featured tables with FCPS human resources and professional development employees, plus representatives from local colleges and universities that offer education degrees.

 

The Baltimore Orioles had a glorious 2023 season. But are the Orioles really ours? Despite hundreds of millions of public dollars already spent on the team (not including lots of fan dollars) and $600 million offered by the state of Maryland to get a new lease, Orioles President John Angelos has not yet signed a new lease. According to news media reports, he’s demanding the elimination of rent payments and the right to commercially develop parking lots around the stadium with a 99-year ground rent.

Temperatures may be dropping, but The Village of Cross Keys has ice cream on their minds. Caves Valley Partners announced on Wednesday that Always Ice Cream Company will open a store in the Village Shops, promising to bring its crafted blend of premium, homemade ice cream to Cross Keys. “The store’s sleek, contemporary design will create a cutting-edge allure in the new jewel box building being constructed near the main entrance to the Village Shops,” read the press release announcing the arrival of the latest cool tenant.

 

The developer re-imagining Harborplace unveiled plans Monday that would add high-rise housing to the Inner Harbor landmark and cut off much of the harbor from street view. The project was described as a generational shift from indoor malls to more mixed-use space, but residents past and present are skeptical. Here’s a sampling of reader reactions, the majority of which appear to find little to appreciate in the proposed plans.

“I can’t breathe.” It’s brutally ironic that these three desperate words were among the last utterances of at least three Black men — that we know of — who died after encounters with police: Eric Garner in 2014, George Floyd in 2020 and Freddie Gray here in Baltimore in 2015. Only Garner is featured in Atlanta-based composer Joel Thompson’s 2015 moving work, “Seven Last Words Of The Unarmed,” but the fact that Gray, Floyd and so many others have died similarly since then is not lost on Baltimore Choral Arts Society music director Anthony Blake Clark.

Imagine you are an adult over the age of 21 looking to buy a bottled alcoholic beverage in Baltimore County. For many of us, this scenario is not exactly unknown. You will need transportation of some kind to the liquor store, as well as proper attire (no shoes, no shirt, no service and all that), cash or card to cover your expenses and an accepted photo ID to prove your age.

Almost a year off the streets and some tenets say it has completely changed their lives. “If it wasn’t for this place here that I call home, I don’t know where I’d be now,” said Harris. “I still would be in my trauma trying to figure out how I’m going to make it through. This place here is wonderful.” The Sojourner Place at Oliver project was primarily funded through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program with Bank of America as the investor.

 

 

Constellation Energy Inc. has finalized its purchase of a stake in one of the nation’s largest nuclear plants for $1.75 billion after months of uncertainty. Baltimore-based Constellation (Nasdaq: CEG) completed its purchase of a 44% ownership stake in the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station after receiving approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Oct. 30, which was the final regulatory hurdle before the deal could close.