NEWS
March 22, 2013
I smiled when I read Susan Reimer 's column about locking one's car doors to prevent thieves from stealing valuables from inside ("Hey Annapolis car owners: Lock it up!" March 7). It seemed so small-town 1950s America, so different from the reality of people who have to park their cars in Baltimore, where locking your car door is completely irrelevant. Here, thieves will smash your side windows and grab your personal items - even out of the glove box, where they know you've stashed your GPS - in less time than it takes to open an unlocked door.
NEWS
February 26, 2013
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's suggestion that she might one day seek to raise taxes on restaurant meals in Baltimore City may be the worst idea regarding affordable dining since Marie Antoinette's injunction "then let them eat cake" ("Health costs too high, mayor says," Feb. 21). Virtually no one likes to pay tax on top of the cost of a meal in a restaurant. Price is almost always a factor for diners eating out. Because there are roughly an equal number of fine dining establishments in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, why not dine where one can save a few bucks for a comparable meal?
NEWS
By Luke Broadwater and The Baltimore Sun | February 11, 2013
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she plans to introduce a "bold set of major reforms" at her annual "State of the City" speech Monday, less than a week after her press office released a consultant's report that painted a dire picture of future city finances. The speech is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Du Burns Council Chamber on the fourth floor of City Hall. Last week's report by Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management Inc. concluded that Baltimore is facing a structural deficit of nearly $750 million over the next 10 years.
NEWS
By Julie Scharper, The Baltimore Sun | August 23, 2012
The organizers of last year's Baltimore Grand Prix made their final payment on their overdue city tax bill this week, the state comptroller's office said Thursday. The payment comes as the city prepares for this year's three-day open-wheel racing festival from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, which is being organized by a new group of local investors and racing promoters. Baltimore Racing Development put on the inaugural IndyCar racing festival over Labor Day weekend last year. City officials expressed confidence in the racing group in the lead-up to the race, but soon afterward acknowledged that the group had fallen behind in hundreds of thousands of dollars of payments to the city and state.
NEWS
By Ian Duncan, The Baltimore Sun | August 21, 2012
Baltimore police have arrested two women and three men accused of posing as city tax collectors and violently robbing elderly people in their homes. Tierra McCoy and Vaneka Powers, both of Baltimore, have been charged with robbery, conspiracy and attempted extortion, said Sgt. Sarah Connolly, the lead detective on the case. McCoy is being held on $1 million bail, and Powers has been denied bail, Connolly said. Brothers Christopher Pasco and James Pasco and Michael Fields , who are accused of stealing the money from the victims' homes, have also been charged with robbery.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | August 18, 2012
Baltimore police continued to warn against a scam targeting the elderly for robberies, saying new incidents were reported Saturday. In one incident, police said, a 94-year-old woman in Locust Point was assaulted and robbed of $1,000 after falling for the scam. In another, a 79-year-old man in Greektown was injured and also lost $1,000, police said. The scam begins with a woman claiming to be a city tax official calling the victims and telling them they have outstanding Baltimore bills, authorities said.