City Hall

Two activists who entered Baltimore City Hall on Monday afternoon and demanded to speak with the mayor about a wide range of issues affecting city residents were later arrested for trespassing and escorted out of the building in handcuffs. They never met with the mayor. The Rev. Cortly "C.D. " Witherspoon, of the Baltimore chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Sharon Black, of the Baltimore People's Assembly, had wanted to deliver a letter to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake that demanded an "emergency meeting" to discuss police brutality, the closing of recreation centers and fire companies, and the creation of more city jobs programs, according to the letter.

Hundreds of Baltimore Orioles fans rallied in front of City Hall on Wednesday, hoping their joyful noise would reach the team preparing to take on the Yankees in New York City in the third game of the American League Division Series. "We're sending a message up [Interstate] 95 to let our players know we are behind them all the way," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who co-hosted the midmorning gathering with the Oriole Bird mascot. "We have your back. " The crowd, awash in a sea of orange shirts and black caps, paid tribute to Orioles past and present.

Maryland State Police arrested Monday the Baltimore man they say struck and killed a pedestrian last week in front of City Hall and charged him with vehicular homicide, manslaughter and a slew of drug offenses. Police say Johnny Johnson, 43, had drugs in his system and was carrying cocaine and heroin last Tuesday when he struck veteran city employee Matthew Hersl on a downtown corner. Johnson initially was treated at a hospital and released as authorities investigated the crash, a move that drew criticism from some in the city.

Baltimore officials are demanding $26,000 from the wife of mayoral challenger Otis Rolley, claiming that she improperly took paid leave that she was not owed — but the candidate and his wife say she was forced from her city job as part of what they allege is political "bullying. " The conflict surfaced on the eve of early voting for the Democratic primary — a month after a city payroll official asked Charline Rolley to repay the money she had received for mistakenly allotted leave time.

A man holding a hammer was arrested Friday outside City Hall after he made a series of threats against police officers, a Baltimore Police Department spokesman said. Shortly after noon, officers arrested the 28-year-old man, who is from Flint Hill, Va., after he attempted to enter City Hall with the hammer and began using profanity in the lobby, police said. Officers there told him to leave and called Central District officers, who arrived at the scene and questioned the man outside, police said.

A grand jury on Thursday indicted the driver state police said was high on drugs when his car sped into downtown, striking and killing a pedestrian before it overturned outside City Hall. Johnny Johnson, 43, faces nine counts, including vehicular homicide and homicide by vehicle while under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, in the April 9 death of city finance employee Matthew Hersl. The indictment mirrors many of the charges the Maryland State Police filed on the warrant they used to arrest Johnson on April 15. Test results showed drugs were in Johnson's system at the time of the crash, while investigators found cocaine and heroin in his car, police said.

A judge on Wednesday lifted a ban prohibiting political activist Kim A. Trueheart from entering City Hall — and she promptly returned to the building, where she attended the mayor's news conference. At a District Court hearing Wednesday morning, Trueheart, 55, of Baltimore rejected a deal that would have put her misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct charges on an inactive docket. Trueheart said she did nothing wrong and wanted the opportunity to be cleared of wrongdoing.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's theft case, which remains before a jury this week, has shed light on little-known charitable efforts she ran from City Hall with few controls over solicitations and vague guidelines for who should benefit. As City Council president, Dixon requested or distributed donations for needy families, frequently in the form of gift cards, courtroom testimony and grand jury records show. Others who have held that office say they did not handle or seek donations in the same way. Dixon, a Democrat, is accused by State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh of stealing some of the gift cards intended for charity and using them for personal items.

In a major shake-up at City Hall, new chiefs were announced Friday for three key Baltimore agencies. Public Works Director David E. Scott said he was asked to resign because of a "difference of opinion" with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration and that his abrupt departure has created instability in the department. Col. Alfred H. Foxx Jr., 57, who has headed the Transportation Department for a decade, will take the helm of Public Works. Khalil A. Zaied, head of the Department of General Services, will fill Foxx's former post.

Having read City Councilman Jack Young's article about the problems with water bills, I would like to relate my own experience ("Water bill follies: City deserves better," March 19). In November 2011, I paid $76.27 for 110 days of water usage. This quarter, I received a bill for $76.27 for 92 days of water usage. The most recent bill covered 18 fewer days than the previous one, and there is now one fewer person living in the house than before. I called the Water Department for clarification and was told that no one can pay any less than $76.27.