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Rona Kobell

Rona

Rona Kobell is a regional reporter covering Baltimore County. Before joining The Banner, she worked as an environmental reporter in the region for nearly 20 years at The Baltimore Sun and the Chesapeake Bay Journal. Rona has twice been honored by Baltimore Magazine for her environmental reporting. She was a Johns Hopkins SNF Agora fellow studying democracy in 2023-24. She’s also taught journalism at the University of Maryland, Loyola University Maryland and Towson University.

The latest from Rona Kobell

‘Cephas Day’ celebrates Black family’s landowning legacy in Dorchester County
More than 100 Cephas family members had gathered for one of Dorchester County’s largest family reunions.
Gilbert Cephas, the longtime organizer and impresario of the event his grandfather Josiah started, addresses the crowd on Cephas Day.
The Flower Mart fights that almost doomed one of Baltimore’s favorite festivals
Back-to-back fights in the 1970s almost ended Baltimore's beloved Flower Mart. But civic leaders brought it back, and it has become one of the city's favorite festivals.
Visitors enjoy live music in Mount Vernon Place during Flower Mart 2025.
Halethorpe woman accused of animal hoarding faces additional charges
A Halethorpe woman charged with hundreds of counts of animal cruelty is now facing additional charges.
A pair of macaws are carried to a waiting van as Baltimore County animal services officers remove dozens of animals from a home in Halethorpe on Feb. 20.
Lone woman in the Baltimore County executive race wants to be residents’ ‘Mama Bear’
What she’s concluded through two campaigns and many community meetings is that county residents need fewer tax increases and fees, more police officers, and more ways for parents to weigh in on their children’s education.
Kimberley Stansbury, who says she is running for Baltimore County Executive, gives her testimony during a public hearing regarding a potential permit for the Days Cove Rubble Landfill to dump more leachate into the Gunpowder River at the Perry Hall Public Library in Perry Hall, Md., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.
The Y is closing pools in Dundalk and Randallstown, despite big county investments
The Y of Central Maryland announced Wednesday that it will close its swim centers in Dundalk and Randallstown, despite the popularity of both pools and a recent significant public investment in fixing them up.
Alysha Lea water fitness instructor leads a class of people  at the Y Swim in Randallstown, Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
Teens in Rodgers Forge alley shooting take pleas before trial
Two teens charged in the 2024 shooting of a beloved Rodgers Forge youth sports coach pleaded guilty Monday just hours before jury selection was to begin in their trial for attempted murder and attempted robbery.
An alley is seen behind the 400-block of Dunkirk Road in Rodgers Forge. Two teens are being charged as adults for attempted first-degree murder, assault and related gun charges in an attack on neighborhood resident Mark McKenzie.
Towson Town Center was a destination, but nearly 25% of its storefronts are now vacant
Towson Town Center has been hemorrhaging high-profile tenants: Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Banana Republic and now Apple. U.S. malls are in trouble, but Towson shoppers and retailers believe something more is at play.
Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 — Towson Town Center started as an open-air mall along Fairmount Ave. called Towson Plaza in 1952. Over the years it was enclosed and expanded into what in now the four-story Towson Town Center.
Bakery closures sting, but these Baltimore shops keep the sweets coming
A number of bakeries have closed in the Baltimore area, but you can still get tasty baked goods at these spots.
Towson University senior Keira Nelson has worked at Simon’s Bakery in Cockeysville for four years. Locals have many favorites, but the thin sugar cookies were ours.
Experience vs. a fresh start: Baltimore County Executive candidates make their case
The most recent candidate forum for Baltimore County Executive was a battle of experience vs. the desire for something new.
Baltimore County Executive candidates answer questions at a Goucher College forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
2 years after Key Bridge collapse, nearby communities feel isolated and forgotten
Two years after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the surrounding communities in Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, feel isolated and forgotten.
Longtime Turner Station resident Courtney Speed says truck traffic has shaken the foundation of her home.
For rent: Office space in historic Towson Jail. Cells cost extra.
For more than a century, people were trying to get out of the Old Towson jail. But now, a historic preservationist saved the building, restoring it for offices, while keeping some old jail touches.
Historic preservationist Marty Azola gives a tour of a jail cell that has been repurposed into a bathroom at the Historic Towson Jail.
Musically promiscuous: Pikesville jazz musician bends the clarinet to his will
Pikesville klezmer musician considers himself musically promiscuous, blending traditional Jewish klezmer music with jazz, big band and blues with an often humorous twist.
Pikesville musician and clarinet virtuoso Seth Kibel plays at Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah last month.
Baltimore County Council votes to repeal pension bump that became campaign liability
The Baltimore County Council voted unanimously to reverse the pension bump they gave themselves — and make sure they’re never again in a position to give themselves a retirement raise.
Third District Councilman Wade Kach speaks during a Baltimore County Council legislative session at the Old Courthouse on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 in Towson, MD.
Eat this, not that: Choose these Baltimore County spots instead of chains
While Baltimore County has many chain standbys — think Panera, Chipotle — you can often find better fare and save money by going local
A server prepares an order at El Taquito Leon #1 in the Parkville area of Baltimore County. This food truck, with several locations in Baltimore and Harford Counties, is a fine alternative to Chipotle.
How a woman charged with 328 counts of animal cruelty got her pets back
A Halethorpe hoarding case exposes flaws in Baltimore County’s animal welfare management.
Baltimore County Animal Services officers remove a black Labrador retriever from a home in Halethorpe where dozens of animals were seized in February.
Did you know the roots of ‘We Shall Overcome’ lie in Maryland’s Eastern Shore?
Charles Albert Tindley, who wrote the lyrics to more than 50 gospel hymns, including what became the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” was molded on the country roads of Worcester County in the waning days of slavery.
In June 2022, the Town of Berlin and the Beach to Bay Heritage Area commissioned a mural downtown honoring  Rev. Charles Albert Tindley, who was born in Berlin and wrote the words and music to the Civil Rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”
Running for Baltimore County office: A riverkeeper, 2 Gen Zers, the ‘Muslim Marine’ and more
The first Baltimore County Council expansion since 1956, plus no incumbent county executive, brings out a diverse field of candidates.
The sun sinks over the Old Courthouse before a Baltimore County Council legislative session on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 in Towson, MD.
Will Baltimore County Council reverse its controversial pension bump?
Amid growing controversy over a Baltimore County Council vote in November 2024 that would double pensions for five of its seven members, two of them proposed legislation to roll that decision back.
Baltimore County Councilman Wade Kach introduced a bill to tie pensions to future salary increases. He said he did not count on the pensions doubling.
Animal control officers seize 13 dogs, plus birds and reptiles, from woman’s Halethorpe home
One bird, a colorful parrot, chirped “hello” from the animal services van. Five vans crowded the busy, two-lane road in Halethorpe to load up all the animals.
FEBRUARY 20, 2026 - Baltimore County Department of Health animal services division officers carry large dogs from a home in Catonsville.
In 1855, 2 Black brothers bought land in Perry Hall. Their family still owns it.
James Harvey, who still lives on Cross Road, descends from the first Black people to own property in Perry Hall.
James Harvey walks the grounds outside Dowden Chapel in Overlea.
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