Baltimore Street

Oversized illustrations of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin have begun to spring up on abandoned buildings throughout Baltimore, the work of a street artist protesting the death of the 17-year-old at the hands of a neighborhood watch volunteer. An image of the young man's hooded face went up overnight on Wednesday at the intersection of Caroline and Baltimore streets. Only the youth's chin is visible, but a bag of Skittles — the type of candy Trayvon was carrying when he was shot — is superimposed in the lower right corner of the poster.

Aberdeen Maryland State Police and Sheriff's Office reports: Jeffrey Rose, 22, of the first block of Roosevelt Avenue, was charged Friday with possessing marijuana and possessing drugs with intent to distribute. Dwayne Andre McGill, 21, of the 500 block of Windsong Drive, was charged Saturday with unsafe lane changing, driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol and possessing marijuana. Jamal Sherrod Early, 22, of the first block of Polk Street, was charged Saturday with possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Not so long ago, a dilapidated house stood on the corner of Jenifer Avenue and 30th Street in Baltimore's Montebello community, a magnet for drug users and dealers. But now the house has been torn down, and a mural is planned that will fill the space "with color and joy," said Natalya Brusilovsky, the healthy neighborhoods coordinator for the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello Community Corp., a nonprofit community association. The mural is the brainchild of Gabrielle Elkaim, a 29-year-old Mount Vernon resident who works for the federal government and is taking a seminar through a program called Landmark Education that requires her to "create a project that inspires," she said.

A large group of teenagers were involved in a fight near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore on Monday afternoon, with several of the teens taken into custody, police said. One police officer was injured responding to the brawl when she fell after chasing one of the teenagers, scraping her legs and knees on the ground, Baltimore Police spokesman Detective Vernon Davis said. Witnesses said dozens of teens were involved in the fight, which started about 3:15 p.m. on the plaza in front of the Gallery on Pratt Street.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is absolutely correct in its criticism of Baltimore's use and monitoring of federal grants, which city Housing Commissioner Robert W. Hearn is trying to dismiss as a "rehash" of earlier audits.The latest HUD audit reveals a situation that boggles the mind. The $237,000 relocation of a West Baltimore bottling company has escalated into a $5.5 million boondoggle that may not even benefit the city because the company wants to move its plant HTC and 40 jobs to Harford County!

Maryland has some of the toughest gun laws in the country — and Baltimore's are even stricter — yet the city continues to struggle with rampant gun violence as thousands of criminals gain access to firearms. And for supporters and opponents of tighter gun laws alike, that dichotomy illustrates both the promise and the challenge of the state and national debates. Gun control advocates say persistent urban violence in a city with firm authority over legal gun transactions shows that the government needs to crack down harder on the illegal transmission of weapons.

A man in his early 20s died yesterday evening after being shot on a street in the Irvington neighborhood, said a Baltimore police spokesman. Shortly before 6 p.m., Southwestern District police responding to a report of shots fired in the 4200 block of Frederick Ave. between Athol and Augusta avenues found the victim bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body, said Officer Troy Harris, the spokesman. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he died a short time later.

VISITING THE Christmas light show on West 34th Street in Hampden was not my No. 1 priority this past Sunday night. I was out with a group; we'd had our fill of holiday cheer, and the destination was on the way home. I guess my reluctance was that I'd been there so many times before. What could all those kilowatts show me, a seen-it-all-before city dweller? I was wrong. So wrong. It was a mild evening with a silvery full moon sitting over the Wyman Park treetops. Somewhere in the distance was a fire.

June 5, 2011 The body of 13-year-old Tywonde' Jones lay under a white sheet behind a decrepit vacant home in Northwest Baltimore. He had been stabbed and slashed 228 times. One-hundred and eighty-eight were puncture wounds, some as deep as six inches, piercing his skull, lungs, ribs, liver and kidney. He suffered injuries to his arms and hands as he tried to fend off the blows. Word quickly spread, and the boy's mother, Monica, frenzied and grief-stricken, rushed down to Cordelia Avenue in central Park Heights.

The fatal shooting of a man on a West Baltimore street yesterday was the city's 310th homicide this year, matching last year's total, police said.Detective Ronald Berger said Franklin Barbour, 54, of the 2400 block of Keyworth Ave. in Northwest Baltimore, was shot about 1: 46 p.m. outside a bar in the 2200 block of W. North Ave. near North Smallwood Street.Berger said Barbour, an employee of a local dairy, died at 4: 20 p.m. at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.Witnesses told police that Barbour became involved in an altercation with at least one other man and was shot.

Wedding date: April 6, 2013 Her story: Jamie Crumpler, 33, grew up in Bel Air. She is an executive assistant for Constellation in Baltimore. Her father, James, works for BGE and her mother, Teresa, is a stay-at-home mom. His story: Chris Kalck, 36, grew up in Fallston. He is a program analyst with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in Woodlawn. His parents, Lawrence and Geraldine, are recently retired. Their story: Jamie and Chris met while they were students at Fallston High School.

David Johnson of Fells Point said he and his wife were awakened early on Sunday morning at about 2 a.m. to the sound of revelers' voices in front of their residence. He said his wife asked the group if they could quiet down. When the couple awoke this morning, they found two large planters at the front stoop smashed, the soil spilling onto the sidewalk. "I guess their response was to smash our planters," said Johnson, who said he reported the incident to Baltimore City police.

He's across the Atlantic from his native Ireland, but Ken Keady was wearing the green Sunday as he bobbed his 3-year-old daughter on his shoulders to see Baltimore's St. Patrick Parade. "It's a great occasion, a lot of color, a lot of flags and lot of music. I come every year," said Keady, now of Towson, with daughter Carolyn waving the Irish flag above his head. Keady pronounced Baltimore's parade as "one of the best I've ever seen" - and he's seen them in Dublin, he said. The Keady family was among thousands of people lining the route for the kilted bagpipe bands and eye-popping string bands, dance troupes, students, classic cars, floats and more.

If you go The Ravens victory parade will kick off at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall. From City Hall, the parade will proceed south on Commerce Street, continue to Pratt and Howard streets, and end at M&T Bank Stadium. About 12:30 p.m., fans can attend a free celebration featuring the team and entertainment at M&T Bank Stadium. The event will be held rain or shine. Concessions, merchandise and restrooms will be available. Parking for the stadium celebration is free in lots F, G, H, and J and will open at 9 a.m. No tailgating will be permitted.

Maryland has some of the toughest gun laws in the country — and Baltimore's are even stricter — yet the city continues to struggle with rampant gun violence as thousands of criminals gain access to firearms. And for supporters and opponents of tighter gun laws alike, that dichotomy illustrates both the promise and the challenge of the state and national debates. Gun control advocates say persistent urban violence in a city with firm authority over legal gun transactions shows that the government needs to crack down harder on the illegal transmission of weapons.

A 32-year-old man is in critical condition after being attacked in the middle of the day on a downtown Baltimore street, according to his family and police.  John Mason has been hospitalized since Friday in an induced coma with three skull fractures as a result of the attack, which police believe occurred at about 2 p.m. on Friday at Lombard and Howard streets, near the Bromo Seltzer tower. Mason's aunt, Christina Jasi, said he had shoe prints bruised into his head. Police said that witnesses said Mason was attacked by a group of four to five males.

The city will reopen this afternoon the two blocks of Baltimore Street behind police headquarters that have been closed for security since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Police Commissioner Kevin P. Clark and city transportation Director Alfred Foxx will announce the reopening at an 11:30 a.m. news conference and cut a ceremonial ribbon. The road has been closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic since the day after the attacks. "We felt it was the right decision to close after Sept.

Baltimore police have warned people for years not to leave anything in their cars parked on city streets, lest it be taken by thieves. That advice never reached FBI Agent Mark Damico in Florida -- but he might have known better.Visiting Charm City with his family from sunny Miami Beach, he parked his van at Eastern Avenue and Albemarle Street in Little Italy about 11 a.m. yesterday and spent the day sightseeing. He returned four hours later to find the side door ajar and his possessions gone.

WEATHER: Partly sunny and breezy , with a high near 56. Tonight is expected to be partly cloudy, low around 40. TRAFFIC: Check our traffic updates for this morning's issues. TOP NEWS Garrett Co. still reeling from Sandy-related snowstorm : Sandy ran into a brute of a cold front bearing polar air in Western Maryland. Together, they threw down more than two feet of snow - burying roads, downing hundreds of trees and knocking out power to tens of thousands of people across Garrett County.

Not so long ago, a dilapidated house stood on the corner of Jenifer Avenue and 30th Street in Baltimore's Montebello community, a magnet for drug users and dealers. But now the house has been torn down, and a mural is planned that will fill the space "with color and joy," said Natalya Brusilovsky, the healthy neighborhoods coordinator for the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello Community Corp., a nonprofit community association. The mural is the brainchild of Gabrielle Elkaim, a 29-year-old Mount Vernon resident who works for the federal government and is taking a seminar through a program called Landmark Education that requires her to "create a project that inspires," she said.