Sahana Jayaraman
data reporter
Sahana Jayaraman is a data reporter for The Baltimore Banner. She uses code to interrogate large datasets and identify trends and patterns, then pairs her findings with anecdotes to write compelling stories. She focuses on equipping readers with essential news and context about the world around them and exposing systemic ills and exploitation. Before she arrived at The Banner, Sahana worked at The Arizona Republic and The Washington Post. She has a proven track record of impact and recognition: Her coverage of assisted living facilities in Arizona spurred a state law that increased protections for residents with dementia and won a 2024 IRE Award. At the Post, she was part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
The latest from Sahana
You had questions about Baltimore’s vacant storefronts. We have answers.
Dozens of readers asked us about vacancy in Baltimore and offered ideas on how the city could do more to support struggling commercial districts. Here are a few reader comments we wanted to highlight, along with our responses to the questions they raised.
Empty storefronts are holding back Waverly’s business district. Is one man to blame?
More than a dozen vacant storefronts in Waverly have become a flashpoint between community leaders and a major Baltimore landlord.
Baltimore bus crashes near 700 in 2 years, Banner analysis finds
There have been more than 2,400 crashes involving at least one transit bus across Maryland since the beginning of last year, a Banner analysis found.
How The Banner tracked thousands of immigrants held by ICE
The Banner set out to measure how much the surge in activity by ICE under President Donald Trump has changed immigration detention in Maryland.
ICE sent her 2,000 miles from her Maryland home. She’s far from alone.
A Banner analysis of ICE records found that people first detained in Maryland are typically transferred more than 1,200 miles.
Private lender sues New York investors for ‘extensive’ fraud in Baltimore
Private lender AmeriTrust sued New York-based investors for $14M fraud, alleging inflated Baltimore home values and racketeering.
Maryland scrambles for answers after surge in immigrant arrests
A recent surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests across the region has left Maryland officials and local community members scrambling for answers.
Baltimore’s longest-vacant rowhouse has sat empty for 43 years. It didn’t have to.
More than 3,000 Baltimore buildings have been vacant for two decades or longer.
The loans behind Baltimore’s foreclosure crisis are surging in cities across the nation
An easy-to-get, loosely regulated loan used to buy rental properties has exploded in popularity across the U.S. since the pandemic, with Baltimore and other postindustrial cities at the forefront, a Banner analysis of national mortgage data found.
Fake deeds, real money: New York investors accused of another Baltimore scam
A February lawsuit alleges New York investors got $1.7 million using fabricated property records.
Maryland is in for a sweaty, sneezy week as near-record heat meets high pollen
Highs could reach 90 degrees by Wednesday.
Analysis: ICE arrests have slowed down — but not in Maryland
ICE administrative arrests in Maryland more than tripled during the first year of Trump’s second term as compared to former President Joe Biden’s last year in office, a Banner analysis of newly released data shows.
Immigration across Maryland plunged 57% last year, census data shows
Immigration plunged in every Maryland county last year amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on international arrivals.
From $3.7M to $9.9M: Federal probe focuses on 42 Baltimore homes sold again and again
Federal prosecutors have charged an attorney in connection to a 2021 real estate investment scheme that centers on 42 rowhomes in East Baltimore owned by a group of New York investors.
The bad news behind Baltimore’s remarkable decline in drug overdose deaths
Baltimore’s overdose crisis does not appear to be ebbing, but evolving, according to interviews with experts. A mix of other chemicals — often less immediately lethal but dangerous in other ways — has grown increasingly common.
Baltimore’s share of Hispanic residents nearly doubled, driven by growth on the outskirts
The number of Hispanic residents grew in almost every Baltimore City community over the last decade, even as the city lost thousands of Black and white residents.
Analysis: Baltimore homicides declined furthest, fastest in the country as killings could reach a 48-year low
Baltimore is on track to end 2025 with its lowest homicide total in 48 years, with fewer than 150 killings expected, marking a significant decline since 2022.
Holiday travelers flood Maryland roads around Thanksgiving. So will drunk drivers.
As Thanksgiving approaches, here is a look at recent patterns of drunk driving in Maryland and what's being done to mitigate the issue.
Baltimore will investigate New York investor group for housing discrimination
City Solicitor Ebony Thompson said the city would use every legal resource at its disposal.
Could a few ‘bad actors’ upend Baltimore’s housing hopes?
Two LLCs connected to the buyers have declared bankruptcy and many of the homes in the portfolio are entering foreclosure.
