Downtown Baltimore

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.

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.

Roaming the streets that encircle Pimlico Race Course , I discovered so many places that I had trouble going back to the same locale twice. Outer Northwest Baltimore is a fascinating, at times geographically bewildering, place. When the Maryland Jockey Club members built Pimlico, they must have been thinking big and distant. It was a gallop from Druid Hill Park, and if you didn't own a carriage, you would have needed a ticket on the Western Maryland Railway to spend a day at the races.

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.

Just as drivers and pilots affectionately give female names to their sports cars or fighter jets, so has Josh Boyd christened the piece of machinery he operates daily. "Baby Girl" is the early-1920s vintage elevator he runs in the One East Lexington building. As long as the Atlantic Elevator Co. lift is maintained properly, he says, it runs better than modern ones. And it is more than just a conveyance. "It reminds people of yesterday," he says. "It reminds people of their youth." But these operator-run relics, like the telephone operators connecting calls with plugs at switchboards, are part of a bygone era. In 2002, at least nine remained in the metropolitan area.

John Houser III reviews Cazbar in Friday's Live section. Someone spread it around that Cazbar, an "authentic Turkish taverna" in Downtown Baltimore, had closed. It was I, Richard Gorelick. I'd feel much less guilty about that whole ugly episode if you read John's review of Cazbar . It includes a revelatory moment, the sure feeling of eating the best version possible of a thing. Find out what what it was.  

Downtown Baltimore gained 10,000 jobs in 2012 — after losing the same number of jobs in 2011, according to the annual State of Downtown report to be released Thursday by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc. "At the very least, this is a correction," said Kirby Fowler, the organization's president, who was skeptical of the loss reported in 2011. The same firm, Nielsen Co. LLC, calculated both this year's and last year's job numbers for the Downtown Partnership. There are 113,100 workers within a one-mile radius of the intersection of Pratt and Light streets, according to the report.

Rightly or wrongly, Kurt L. Schmoke has been suspected of not being the same kind of "bricks and mortar" mayor as William Donald Schaefer. For that reason alone, his response to a strategy recommendation for downtown that landed on his desk yesterday will be closely watched.If Mr. Schmoke wins re-election this year, "The Renaissance Continues: a 20-year strategy for downtown Baltimore" offers guide posts for him to put his stamp on the city during the next four years. The question is whether he has the imagination and inventiveness to seize the momentum that the opening of a new baseball stadium and light-rail line will bring to Baltimore in 1992.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. crews repaired a gas leak at the corner of West Baltimore and Eutaw Streets last night after a paramedic reported a strong odor of gas at the downtown intersection.Fire officials said the paramedic was responding to a call about 9 p.m. when he noticed the odor. BG&E crews found a small leak in a pipe below the Community Blood and Plasma Service at 335 W. Baltimore St. They made a temporary repair and were set to return today.BG&E spokesman Art Slusark said the utility had received more than the usual number of gas odor reports following Monday's explosion in Irvington that killed an elderly woman.

This'll make you all warm and fuzzy: Baltimore Gas & Electric, which last week announced a merger with Potomac Electric and the movement of its corporate headquarters out of downtown Baltimore, has pledged $50,000 to help fund the Downtown Partnership's "latest business retention and growth initiatives." In press release, a BGE veep is quoted as saying, "This award illustrates BGE's steadfast commitment to the prosperity of downtown Baltimore." YEAH, well . . . And check this out: The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, facing complaints that its tele-marketers use high-pressure sales pitches to recruit new dues-paying members, is offering an award to recognize companies that treat their customers and employees ethically.

“Let's try that one first,” I said, pointing to the craziest wedding gown the saleswoman had selected for me. It was tight through the hips, with geometric ribbon designs that started on the bodice and trailed down through the choppy tulle skirt. It was an avant-garde kind of wedding dress you might wear if your reception was at Sidebar in Downtown Baltimore or the Renaissance Festival - a little punk, a little medieval. It wasn't remotely my style, but I wanted the first dress I tried on to be memorable and this certainly fit the bill.

Roaming the streets that encircle Pimlico Race Course , I discovered so many places that I had trouble going back to the same locale twice. Outer Northwest Baltimore is a fascinating, at times geographically bewildering, place. When the Maryland Jockey Club members built Pimlico, they must have been thinking big and distant. It was a gallop from Druid Hill Park, and if you didn't own a carriage, you would have needed a ticket on the Western Maryland Railway to spend a day at the races.

I don't know how to answer Michael Hanchard's questions, but I understand why he asks them: "If we were a middle-aged white couple, rather than a black couple, and if the group of people who surrounded us were black or Latino, rather than white, would the attackers have been treated with impunity? "Would police officers have told a middle-aged white couple there was no way to determine whether they had been … assaulted?" Before you go thinking that Michael Hanchard is a black man who plays the race card first and asks questions later, consider that the 53-year-old professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins University waited a year to speak about this.

It's the little things that often leave the biggest impression, which is why your wedding should include special details that represent you as a couple. To help you in this venture, Carla David Designs and Love Life Images are hosting The Dazzling Details Wedding Bazaar this Sunday, April 7 at Hotel Monaco in downtown Baltimore. The event kicks off with a VIP brunch from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m., during which time brides-to-be can mix and mingle with industry professionals. The bazaar takes place from noon until 4 p.m. and includes vendors for everything from bridal shoes and fascinators to caketoppers and favors.

Charles Kelley stands in Baltimore's historic Lexington Market, chowing down on a Faidley's overstuffed crab cake sandwich. It doesn't bother the 37-year-old North Carolina man that the market doesn't have gourmet coffee, wine or cheese shops. He's OK with the faded signs and the dirty floor. As jumbo lump crab meat spills out of his sandwich, Kelley is in a state of bliss. "I've had crab cake sandwiches all over," he says, "and this is the best. " While devotees such as Kelley, who come from long distances for the renowned seafood at the 231-year-old market, are content with their surroundings, city officials are hoping to attract a broader audience.

In a victory for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the General Assembly gave final passage Tuesday to a bill easing restrictions on hiring of people with criminal records for jobs at Maryland casinos. The Senate voted XX-XX to approve the House-passed legislation, sending it to the governor. Under current law, an individual who has been convicted of crimes of moral turpiitude and gambling is subject to a lifetime ban on employment at a facility with slot machines. The legislation limits that ban to seven years after a conviction or after a person comes off parole or probabtion.

Over the past month, a series of reports has made people uneasy about the level of safety in downtown Baltimore. In truth, statistics show that both violent crime and property crime have decreased downtown by 40 percent over the last nine years and that downtown is still one of the safest areas in Baltimore. On any typical day, there are at least 160,000 residents, visitors, and employees in downtown Baltimore, going about their business without incident or interruption. The residential base continues to grow every year, outpacing most other cities and placing Baltimore seventh in the country in terms of the number of residents in a downtown area.

Magna gets loan reprieve Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, received a reprieve on loan repayments and more cash. The Canadian company had owed $180 million to parent MI Developments Inc., which has a 59 percent stake in Magna, by the end of the month, and Magna's $40 million line of credit with a bank was due Friday. The bank exteneded its deadline to July 30, and MID to Aug. 31. $550 million in construction Developers completed nearly $550 million in downtown Baltimore construction projects in the first four months of this year.

Downtown Baltimore gained 10,000 jobs in 2012 — after losing the same number of jobs in 2011, according to the annual State of Downtown report to be released Thursday by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc. "At the very least, this is a correction," said Kirby Fowler, the organization's president, who was skeptical of the loss reported in 2011. The same firm, Nielsen Co. LLC, calculated both this year's and last year's job numbers for the Downtown Partnership. There are 113,100 workers within a one-mile radius of the intersection of Pratt and Light streets, according to the report.

A 7-Eleven that recently opened on the west side of Baltimore's downtown is celebrating Friday with 11 cent Slurpees, coffees and Big Gulp drinks. The store is located at 301 N. Howard St., in a part of downtown long targeted for revitalization. It's expected to add as many as 20 jobs to the local economy. The grand opening event, including entertainment, discounted drinks and an appearance by the Oriole Bird, is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. The store is the 44th 7-Eleven in Baltimore City, which is the convenience store chain's top market for hot pizza sales nationwide, chain officials said.