BUSINESS
Jamie Smith Hopkins | March 2, 2012
More homeowners are slipping below the waterline. About 125,000 homes in the Baltimore region were worth less than what their owners owed on the mortgages at the end of last year, up from nearly 120,000 last summer, according to estimates from real estate data firm CoreLogic. All told, close to 20 percent of borrowers are upside down on their mortgages, the company said. The underwater phenomenon grew nationally as well , engulfing an additional 400,000 homes and inching up to nearly 23 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage.
BUSINESS
By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Baltimore Sun | April 26, 2012
A new report being released today calls on the Baltimore region to rethink economic development, pointing to a worrying trend: a mounting share of low-wage jobs shutting more and more residents out of the middle class. The number of jobs in largely low-paying industries such as retail and food service grew more than 60 percent in the region between 1980 and 2007, while jobs increased 36 percent in middle-wage fields and just under 10 percent in high-wage fields, according to the Brookings Institution study.
NEWS
The Baltimore Sun | February 25, 2012
The National Weather Service has a wind advisory in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday for the Baltimore area. A wind advisory means that wind gusts over 45 mph are expected, and can make driving difficult, especially for "high-profile" vehicles. The weather service is forecasting winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph. Forecasters say the strongest winds will be Saturday morning and afternoon. They advise motorists to use extra caution. Otherwise, the weather service is calling for Saturday to be mostly sunny, with a high near 49. There is a slight chance of showers before 2 p.m., then a chance of scattered showers and snow showers between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Little or no snow accumulation is expected.
NEWS
Erica L. Green | April 19, 2012
The notion that poor students are less likely to have access to high-quality educational options isn't new, but a report released today by the Brookings Institution sheds light on a factor that hasn't yet been highlighted as a driver of the achievement gap. The report examined test scores and housing costs in 100 of the largest metropolitan regions in the nation, including the Baltimore-Towson area, and found that stringent zoning...
NEWS
By John-John Williams IV, The Baltimore Sun | December 25, 2010
Brace yourself, Baltimore. The storm that was coming — then wasn't — is back to full strength, heading our way with a major coating of snow predicted for Sunday and blizzard-like conditions in the Northeast. Meteorologists anticipate between six and 10 inches of snow falling across the region before the system passes, and the storm could curtail shopping for the day after Christmas if families hunker in their homes and delay gift returns and new purchases until skies clear.
BUSINESS
By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun | October 1, 2011
Hiring will likely continue at a slow pace through the end of the year, the job placement firm Manpower reported in its latest quarterly survey. Of the 18,000 employers who participated in the study, only 7 percent plan to expand their workforces. But in the Baltimore region, Manpower says, the outlook is brighter. Andrew Francis, branch manager of Manpower's new Baltimore office, talked recently with The Baltimore Sun about hiring expectations locally and what sets the region apart from much of the nation.