Baltimore City

America is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis - Baltimore, too. Ten million families are paying more than 50 percent of their monthly income on rent, a severe cost burden that leaves little for food and other necessities. Over 32,000 applicants (and counting) are on the Housing Authority of Baltimore City's waiting lists. Public housing authorities can only do so much. With limited, dwindling public resources, private dollars are needed now more than ever to help create affordable housing.

A trio of soaking rains in the past week has pushed rainfall totals above 6 inches across Central Maryland, nearly twice the normal monthly totals. At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, 6.21 inches have fallen so far, with just over half of the month to go. The record for the month is just shy of 10 inches, set in 1972. Rainfall estimates based on radar and models show bands of 6-8 inches of rainfall across much of the Baltimore metropolitan area, from northern Anne Arundel County into eastern Howard, across Baltimore City and southern Baltimore County and up along the Chesapeake Bay in Harford County.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from police reports in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Baltimore City Western District Shooting: Police were seeking a man who shot another man, 33, in the left knee in the 1300 block of N. Fulton Ave. about 6 p.m. Sunday. The victim was treated at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Eastern District Theft: Police were seeking Romaul Griffith of the 5000 block of Lodestone Way, who has been charged in a warrant with theft of a police officer's handcuffs Jan. 1. Griffith, 22, was being detained in the 1900 block of Aisquith St. for an unspecified incident when police heard gunshots.

I read with astonishment The Sun's recent editorial concerning the arrest rates of whites versus blacks for marijuana possession in Baltimore City ("Md.'s new Jim Crow," June 9). Apparently, the ACLU feels that there is some sort of conspiracy at work here. The editorial states that between 2001 and 2010 (the last year data was available ), the arrest rate for whites was down 20 percent from its peak in 2005 and the arrest rate for blacks has increased by 20 percent for the same period.

The good news, such as it is, from the American Civil Liberties Union's report on racial bias in marijuana enforcement is that blacks in Maryland are only about 2.9 times more likely to be arrested for possession of the drug than whites. That's actually somewhat better than the national average. The bad news: Maryland was No. 3 among the states in per-capita arrests for marijuana possession in 2010, the last year for which data are available. Baltimore City had the fifth-highest number of arrests of African-Americans on marijuana possession charges among large counties (or in our case, county equivalents)

Deborah Seymour lives in Federal Hill. But working at Laureate Education Inc. and shopping and dining in Harbor East means much of her life happens on the other side of the harbor. "Between the restaurants and the retail, it is a place where you can spend a lot of time," she said. "It has become a neighborhood that you just don't leave after work. It has become a destination. " The growth along the brick-paved sidewalks has been accelerating, turning Harbor East into the city's hottest shopping destination.

Some north Baltimore wine and liquor stores may have found a way around a proposed Baltimore City zoning change that could eventually ban them from the residential neighborhoods in which they are located. Several stores in the Hampden and Charles Village areas are seeking rezoning from residential to commercial, with the support of community leaders and their City Council representatives. Among the businesses seeking rezoning to C1 commercial status are JT's Market & Deli in Medfield, the Charles Village Schnapp Shop, the Wine Underground in Hoes Heights, and Roland Park Wines & Liquor in the Rolden neighborhood.

It may be hard to picture, but it's possible for us to have clean waterways in the Baltimore region. Imagine a Herring Run safe for kids and dogs to play in, a healthy Gwynns Falls, or an Inner Harbor that is no longer hazardous but is actually suitable for swimming and fishing. Clean waterways generate enormous benefits. It's not just more aesthetically appealing to live near streams and harbors that aren't polluted. It's healthier and safer, and we know that vibrant natural resources (think Patterson Park)

A memorial service for Emma Robertson Richardson, the first woman to become a partner in a major Baltimore law firm, was to be held at 11 a.m. today at Broadmead, the Cockeysville retirement community at 13801 York Road.Mrs. Richardson, 82, who also had been a private pilot, died of pneumonia Dec. 23 at Broadmead.The former Emma S. "Bobbie" Robertson was born in Baltimore, graduating in 1930 from Friends School and 1934 from Goucher College -- where she majored in physics.She began working after graduation on a Treasury Department study of the income tax, and recalled in a 1950 interview how that sparked her interest in tax law: "I decided if so many people can be so dumb about their income taxes, there must be money in straightening them out."

Jerome Oberlton, the former chief information officer for the Baltimore City school system whose office renovation and credit card expenditures came under fire in the months before he left his post to work in the Dallas school district, is expected to face a federal indictment, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Morning News reported this week that Oberlton resigned as chief of staff for the Dallas Independent School District, telling the district's Superintendent Mike Miles that he expected to face a federal indictment for activity he conducted when he worked for the Atlanta Public Schools.

Severe storms with a history of damaging winds and a confirmed tornado sighting moved through Maryland on Thursday afternoon, potentially the second outbreak of tornadoes in four days for the state. The Storm Prediction Center meanwhile confirmed that morning storms that blew through the region could be classified as a "low-end derecho". Local emergency officials confirmed a tornado on the ground near Olney in Montgomery County about 4 p.m., and minutes later near Columbia, according to the weather service.

Atwood "Woody" Collins III, an executive vice president with M&T Bank, recently gave us his perspective on the future ("Taking a look at Baltimore's future," June 6). His view boils down to three elements: First, Baltimore's advantage of a deep-water port and its location in the center of the Eastern Seaboard. Second, the need to continue to attract entrepreneurial businesses. And third, the natural advantage of our waterfront, and its transition from industrial to residential tourism uses.

Some north Baltimore wine and liquor stores may have found a way around a proposed Baltimore City zoning change that could eventually ban them from the residential neighborhoods in which they are located. Several stores in the Hampden and Charles Village areas are seeking rezoning from residential to commercial, with the support of community leaders and their City Council representatives. Among the businesses seeking rezoning to C1 commercial status are JT's Market & Deli in Medfield, the Charles Village Schnapp Shop, the Wine Underground in Hoes Heights, and Roland Park Wines & Liquor in the Rolden neighborhood.

It may be hard to picture, but it's possible for us to have clean waterways in the Baltimore region. Imagine a Herring Run safe for kids and dogs to play in, a healthy Gwynns Falls, or an Inner Harbor that is no longer hazardous but is actually suitable for swimming and fishing. Clean waterways generate enormous benefits. It's not just more aesthetically appealing to live near streams and harbors that aren't polluted. It's healthier and safer, and we know that vibrant natural resources (think Patterson Park)

It should be crystal clear that the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland should ratchet up the discussion over replacing the 1stt Mariner Arena, a venue that has clearly outlived its usefulness. An observation made by Mark Turgeon, head basketball coach at the University of Maryland College Park, pointed out the problem: In discussing his willingness to foster stronger ties with the Baltimore region, Mr. Turgeon said his major obstacle was 1st Mariner. "We tried, and I don't see our playing up here in the foreseeable future," he said.

The good news, such as it is, from the American Civil Liberties Union's report on racial bias in marijuana enforcement is that blacks in Maryland are only about 2.9 times more likely to be arrested for possession of the drug than whites. That's actually somewhat better than the national average. The bad news: Maryland was No. 3 among the states in per-capita arrests for marijuana possession in 2010, the last year for which data are available. Baltimore City had the fifth-highest number of arrests of African-Americans on marijuana possession charges among large counties (or in our case, county equivalents)

Maryland passes the strictest gun control laws in the country on its law abiding citizens ("The Maryland model for gun control," May 16), yet it does nothing about those who get caught with illegal guns. Why? If you really want to cut the crime in Baltimore City, slam those who are caught with illegal guns with automatic jail sentences. Don't force restrictive gun laws on law abiding citizens without first slamming criminals caught with illegal guns. John Jackson, Baltimore

Joseph Michael O'Ferrall Sr., former chief administrator for the Prince George's County District Court and later a security officer for the National Security Agency, died of a heart attack Friday at his Catonsville home. He was 66. Mr. O'Ferrall was born in Baltimore and raised in the Ten Hills area. He was a 1956 graduate of St. Joseph's High School in Bardstown, Ky., and earned his bachelor's degree in 1960 and a law degree in 1963 -- both from the University of Baltimore. He began his career in the courts in 1961 as a clerk of the old Municipal Court of Baltimore City.

When the Ravens visited the White House on Wednesday, four Baltimore City athletes went along for the ride. The Ravens invited city high school football players Steven Thomas (Poly) and David Owens (City), as well as girls basketball players A'Lexus Harrison (Digital Harbor) and Zyaire Lockley (Western), to join them in Washington, D.C., because President Barack Obama announced during the trip that the Ravens will be donating new uniforms for Baltimore City girls varsity basketball and varsity football teams.

We wholeheartedly agree with The Sun's recent editorial urging the Baltimore City school board to seek a superintendent whose strategy will take into account the "issues of poverty, violence and family instability" that affect student performance ("Whatever it takes," June 2). If children arrive at school hungry, needing eyeglasses, fearful of walking home or worried about family problems they cannot focus fully on learning. Indeed, if they miss school because of these or similar issues, their prospects of a bright future are dim. We know that these are the realities for far too many of Baltimore's students.