Calvert Street

Long-stalled efforts to renovate and expand Baltimore's outdated courthouses began again this month after city officials asked the Maryland Stadium Authority to do a formal study of the project. The city and courts have set aside $700,000 for the feasibility study, which must be approved by two General Assembly committees before it can begin, said George Nilson, the city's solicitor. It would be the second study in five years. The first elaborated on previous reports and identified eight sites where a third courthouse to handle criminal cases could be built.

AMID THE BAD news and uncertainty, it's easy to overlook signs of a fundamental change in downtown development: For the first time in decades, a flurry of construction activity is taking place north of Baltimore Street, along the Calvert Street corridor. Most encouraging is the mix of intended uses. Mercy Hospital's $110 million expansion plan includes a new seven-story outpatient center and an 800-car garage to be built on currently vacant lots. But while those additions will take five years to complete, several other projects are already under way in the vicinity: The Munsey Building, near the Court House complex at Fayette Street, is being converted into 150 apartments.

ST. PAUL, Charles and Calvert streets are heavily traveled barometers of Baltimore's progress. But while some blocks may be enticing, others look positively desolate. The 2100 and 2200 blocks of Calvert Street are cases in point. Until recently, abandoned rowhouses were not even boarded up, although the city owns many of those eyesores. This lax code enforcement makes no sense. Blight deters critical new investment in the corridor, which includes a newly designated arts and entertainment district.

O. James Lighthizer, a former Anne Arundel County executive and state transportation secretary, was arrested on drunken-driving charges early yesterday after Annapolis police saw him staggering on a sidewalk, then driving erratically on Rowe Boulevard, police said.Lighthizer, 51, of the 1500 block of Eton Way in Crofton recorded a 0.31 percent blood-alcohol content on a Breathalyzer test, three times the level considered legally drunk in Maryland, according to a police report.He was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to drive to the right of the center line and negligent driving.

Construction of a pedestrian skywalk at the Baltimore Sun snarled rush hour traffic near the newspaper's Calvert Street offices today, but officials say the detour should be gone by Wednesday morning.Only one block of Centre Street, between Calvert Street and Guilford Avenue, has been blocked by the construction. But the detour, announced late last week, backed up northbound traffic on Calvert Street, and eastbound traffic on Centre Street.Centre Street traffic is being detoured north on Calvert, east on Monument Street, south on Guilford, then east again on Centre.

On December 9, 2004, REVEREND JOHN J. RAWLINS, S.S.J.; beloved son of the late Genevieve (nee Brown) and John Rawlins; dear brother of Margaret Rawlins and Charles Rawlins. also survived by many nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christ the High Priest will be held at St. Joseph Manor, 911 W. Lake Avenue on Sunday, at 7 P.M., where a Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday at 11 A.M. Interment New Cathedral Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions to The Josephite Society, 1130 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore , 21202.

Art Festival -- The Inner West Street Association will present the next First Sunday arts festival from noon to 5 p.m. June 4 on West Street between Church Circle and Calvert Street. It will feature crafts, vendors, artists, music, street performers and food. Frank and Joe will perform from noon to 3 p.m., and the Unified Jazz Ensemble will perform from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. www.goweststreet.com or 410-990-4540.

On April 21, 2006, CHARLES ALAN KNORR; devoted son of the late Mary Knorr; dear brother of the late Marie Codd, Ruth Bowers, Hilda Hammen and John Knorr. Also survived by one niece, four nephews and many friends. Friends may call at the family owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, Inc., 6500 York Road (at Overbrook), on Monday 6 to 8 P.M. A Funeral Mass will be offered Tuesday, April 25, at 10 A.M. in St. Ignatius Church, 740 N. Calvert Street at Madison Street. Interment New Cathedral Cemetery.

THE PROBLEM -- Delivery trucks and construction vehicles routinely block the left lane of Calvert Street north of Pratt Street near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. This narrows a central route into downtown and causes traffic problems, sometimes backing cars onto Interstate 395 during the morning rush hour. THE BACKSTORY -- There are several no-parking and no-stopping signs along Calvert Street between Pratt and Baltimore streets, warning that illegally parked vehicles will be towed. The traffic problem is made worse by construction that takes up a lane of Calvert Street in that area.