Local government

Baltimore fire officials this week released the results of their investigation into an explosion at a contractor facility at the plant, stating a spark in the dryer ignited dust and caused an explosion that then ignited thermal oil.

West Baltimore's ill-fated stretch of roadway that has come to be known as the Highway to Nowhere was the product of bad decision making and disregard for the mostly Black neighborhoods it harmed, says E. Evans Paull, a retired city planner and the author of a book about the project's history and impact.

The season has always brought a sense of nervousness for city leaders, and this year Baltimore is grappling with an alarming surge in teen gun violence — the most dangerous year for teenagers since at least 2015.

Part of Mayor Scott’s broader investment in alternative approaches to violent crime, the reentry program was originally billed to serve 3,000 people. The city now aims to enroll just over 1,000.

Baltimore residents who lost their homes due to property tax sales are owed surplus funds from tax sale auctions, and the city government needs to pay those funds, Aja’ Mallory, a staff attorney at the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, says.

Promoters of public transit say it’s possible that the state transit service has burned a bridge with those who rely on frequent light rail service.

“This senseless act of violence was racially-motivated. And we want the world to know,” said Julian Segovia, whose brother was slain in the mass shooting that killed three men and injured three others south of downtown Annapolis.

“The Body Politic” is not exactly an unvarnished, behind-the-curtain look at Mayor Brandon Scott’s life and work, but it brings clearer focus to the issues that have defined his tenure so far.

Marylanders approve of the job Moore is doing, but not his push to eventually ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, according to a new poll.

Since 2020, when city voters overwhelmingly passed a charter amendment designed to weaken the strong mayor system by granting the council expanded financial powers, some council members and aides have waited with bated breath for this year.

Three years after a sculpture called “Shoal” was removed, the Annapolis Art in Public Places Commission is moving to fill Westgate Circle again. This time, the plan is to make it permanent.

Baltimore Banner staff have committed significant time and debate this week to trying to figure out what the image means.

The flag won a redesign contest announced in January as part of Frederick County’s 275th anniversary celebration.

The Baltimore City Council has proposed $12 million of reallocations in the 2024 budget proposal, moving money to the fire department and surveillance strategies.

Federal deadlines could mean rerouting money from agencies or projects that have already been promised funds, Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs Director Shamiah Kerney told council members over two budget hearings in recent weeks.

Racial segregation in Baltimore continues to define the city, an analysis of nearly every data set The Baltimore Banner data team analyzed in our first year has found. Why does the “Black Butterfly” keep appearing in Baltimore data?

In a unique partnership, Maryland lets residents stay in historic homes for free as long as they pay for the renovations.

Plans for Harborplace redevelopment need more transparency, a city resident favoring a high-rise residential and retail approach says; Gov. Wes Moore understands the power of history, leaders of organizations devoted to history and preservation say.

Baltimore’s Department of Human Resources said the elevated salary is commensurate with other cities, arguing that the existing compensation made it “extremely difficult” to recruit and retain attorneys.

The owners accused Baltimore County officials of violating their rights after racial justice protesters demonstrated against a restaurant operator's racist posts on social media.