Abell Foundation

Here we go again: Haven't these Move to Opportunity programs destroyed enough neighborhoods ("Closing Baltimore's achievement gap with housing policy," May 30)? It's a crime what the politicians did to Dundalk, Essex and the Patterson Park area, to name just a few. If you are so for this movement of people, move them into your neighborhoods, and those of the judges, lawyers and politicians who approve of this. Stop pushing them on working people. Martin, Fallston

Two years after C. William Struever's real estate empire collapsed and the once-ubiquitous developer dropped off Baltimore's radar, the urban visionary has reappeared as a managing director of a new company, working on the same kinds of projects that helped make his name. Struever is one of the founders of Cross Street Partners, a real estate venture made up of 28 employees who all once worked for Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse, the company that changed Baltimore's landscape and that of other East Coast cities before coming apart in the throes of the recession, leaving a trail of lawsuits and unfinished developments.

We read with interest the article on the Abell Foundation report, "Why Can't Johnny Read," which The Sun wrote about on Monday ("Testing of kids' eyesight faulted," Sept. 27) The Baltimore City Medical Society (BCMS) Foundation, established by Baltimore physicians in 1972, learned of the possible correlation between students' undetected eyesight problems and low academic performance while conducting educational programs in elementary and middle schools. Three years ago, the BCMS Foundation was pleased to secure funding to assist elementary and middle school students with the purchase of eyeglasses.

Thousands of Baltimore students may have eyesight problems that go undetected and uncorrected because of inadequate funding in the city's school-based health system — a problem that leaves many of them at a disadvantage in the classroom, according to a report released Monday. Sponsored by the Abell Foundation, the report titled "Why Can't Johnny Read?" found that many students are falling through the cracks of the city's school-based vision-screening program, a problem exacerbated by the school system's truancy challenges and its urban population.

A bad diet may lead to bad health for many inner-city kids. And it may also lead to bad behavior. That's the conclusion of some public health experts who are advocating for vitamins and other nutritional supplements to curb youth violence and to increase learning. The controversial idea is getting a fresh hearing in Baltimore, where advocates for the disadvantaged are considering testing it on city kids. If it's proven that a tablet a day can tick up test scores and dial down violence, it could be a cheaper and easier means of improving a lot of young lives than costly and labor-intensive treatments, according to the Abell Foundation, which wants to determine whether a Baltimore study would be worthwhile.

Just days before he was expected to cease operating the Senator Theatre , Tom Kiefaber, the former owner and current operator of the movie house, has ratcheted up his criticism of the city's plans for the North Baltimore landmark. In a statement released late Friday, he said, "I reject the validity of the entire sordid process." The city plans to have James "Buzz" Cusack, operator of the Charles Theatre , and his daughter, Kathleen, manage the Senator. When contacted by The Baltimore Sun, Kiefaber declined to discuss whether he accepts the city's authority over the property, including its demand that he leave by this coming Wednesday.

In less than two years, the University of Baltimore has met its goal of raising $15 million in private funds to build a new law school, and the man who made the first donation was the one who put the campaign over the top. Baltimore attorney and Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos, who pledged $5 million in 2008 to help build the law center, has pledged another $5 million toward the project. That combined gift of $10 million from Angelos, a law school alumnus, represents a record in giving to the public campus and paves the way for construction to start on the $107 million project.

Offshore wind energy can furnish Marylanders with as much as two-thirds of the electricity they currently use, and if aggressively developed, could turn the state into a net exporter of power, a new report by the Abell Foundation says. About 2,900 wind turbines could be placed using current technology in relatively shallow Atlantic waters 28 miles to 43 miles off the Maryland coast, according to the report, which was written by researchers at the University of Delaware's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration.