Mondawmin Mall

Baltimore's Mondawmin Mall will be expanding with three new stores in newly constructed space that will replace the former Motor Vehicles Administration building, the mall announced today. A Ross Dress for Less, a Deal$ and a smaller, yet-to-be-named store will move into a 38,000-square-foot redevelopment on the site of the MVA building, which is being demolished. “Mondawmin Mall has been an integral part of the Greater Mondawmin community for more than 50 years,"  said Romaine Smallwood-Smoot, the mall's general manager, in a statement.

Baltimore's Mondawmin Mall will be expanding with three new stores in newly constructed space that will replace the former Motor Vehicles Administration building, the mall announced today. A Ross Dress for Less, a Deal$ and a smaller, yet-to-be-named store will move into a 38,000-square-foot redevelopment on the site of the MVA building, which is being demolished. “Mondawmin Mall has been an integral part of the Greater Mondawmin community for more than 50 years,"  said Romaine Smallwood-Smoot, the mall's general manager, in a statement.

It's a new season and the University of Maryland Medical System officials say it's a good time to take stock of your health. They are offering free screenings for cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. The screenings will be offered at Mondawmin Mall , 2401 Liberty Heights Ave., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday. The event, called Spring Into Good Health, is in its fourth year. Hundreds of people are expected to get the tests, as well as get information on men's and women's health, child safety, nutrition and other topics.

Amelia J. Brooks, a retired store manager and active church member, died Feb. 16 from heart failure at a daughter's home in Buford, Ga. The former longtime West Baltimore resident was 90. The daughter of a cobbler and a housekeeper, the former Amelia Juanita Soden was born in Baltimore and raised near Harlem Park. Mrs. Brooks was a 1941 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School and at an early age began attending church at Union Baptist Church and Douglas Memorial Baptist Church.

R&B singer and Baltimore native Mario will appear at Mondawmin Mall Wednesday at a teen summit. The event is open to young people citywide and attendees will have a chance to ask the star questions. Other "celebrities" appearing on the panel include: Ray Lucas, president of 100 Black Men Baltimore chapter Sonja, a former 92 Q disc jockey Keion Carpenter - a former NFL Atlanta Falcon who's from Baltimore              Tori Nelson - middleweight women's boxing champion  The release also lists mall General Manager Romaine Smallwood-Smoot as one of the attractions.

A man was shot in West Baltimore on Monday evening, not far from Mondawmin Mall, according to city police. Homicide detectives responded to the scene because of the severity of the man's injuries, said Detective Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman. Officers on a routine patrol of the area about 7:40 p.m. heard gunshots coming from the 1700 block of Gwynn Falls Parkway, in the city's Parkview/Woodbrook neighborhood, and responded, police said. At the location, which is between Mondawmin Mall and Druid Hill Park, they found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound, police said.

A 24-year-old Northwest Baltimore man died last night afte being repeatedly shot in the head in the Mondawmin Mall parking lot, police said.The victim, Carlton Maurice Boone of the 1000 block of Argyle Avenue, died shortly after the shooting at 5:45 p.m. while being transported to Liberty Medical Center, said Detective Mark Tomlin, a homicide investigator.Mr. Boone's killer remains unidentified and at large.Though police ruled out robbery as a motive, they said they did not know why Mr. Boone was killed, Detective Tomlin said.

A small mob of tardy motorists with tags and registrations that expired Sunday drove to the Mondawmin Mall motor vehicle office Monday, paid to reregister their cars and emerged to find that just a little late was not soon enough.While the car owners were inside doing their civic duty, two foot-patrolofficers were outside doing theirs: writing $17 tickets for expired tags."Gee, that's not right, is it? They know people are coming up here to renew their tags," said Russell Howe, 33, of Baltimore, who unpeeled his new "92" sticker and plastered it on his rear tag before discovering a $17 ticket under the windshield wiper of his 1979 Monte Carlo.

It's a new year, time to clean out some of the claptrap from 2011. If you've got any old cell phones lying around, you can drop them off for recycling Friday and Saturday (1/13 & 14) at Mondawmin Mall - and get a $10 gift certificate in the process. It's the second go-round at cell-phone recycling for Mondawmin, which did it once in June last year. Once again the mall has partnerered on the effort with the self-styled " Green Ambassador ," Cathy Allen. So from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, you can drop off old, unwanted cell phones at the mall's Center Court.  And "while supplies last," the mall cautions, participants who bring in a phone can pick up a $10 "Shop Etc. " gift card - itself made of recycled material, and good for purchases at most stores and eateries anywhere in the United States that accept American Express, according to the mall's web site.

After four consecutive -- and not always profitable -- years at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore's AFRAM Expo, the annual Afro-American festival, is going northwest, to Mondawmin Mall.Festival officials will announce the change of venue and dates at a news conference at 11 a.m. today at Oriole Park. Held in September last year, the cultural celebration of African-American food, music, arts and crafts is planned for July 31 to Aug. 2 at the mall, at Gwynns Falls Parkway, Liberty Heights Avenue and Reisterstown Road.

 The Baltimore CASH Campaign has announced 15 sites where low- to moderate-income taxpayers can get free tax preparation this season from IRS-trained volunteers. Free tax preparation is available for families with income of under $50,000, or singles earning less than $25,000 for 2012. Consumers can set up an appointment online or by calling 410-234-8008. Here are the locations:   Neighborhood Housing Services 819 Park Ave., 21201 Appointments only Not wheelchair accessible Enoch Pratt Library 400 Cathedral Street Appointments only 1199 SEIU 611 N.Eutaw St., 21201 Appointments only Southern Community Action Center 606 Cherry Hill Rd. Appointments only Bon Secours Community Works 26 N.Fulton Ave. Walk-ins Welcome Drop off Service available Mayor's Office of Employment Development Mondawmin Mall, 3rd Floor 2401 Liberty Heights Ave. Appointments only on weekdays Saturday Appointments and limited walk-in space available Northwest Community Action Center 3939 Reisterstown Rd. Appointments only Center for Urban Families 2201 North Monroe Street Appointments only Northern Community Action Center 5225 York Rd. Appointments only PNC Bank 12E. 25thSt.

When snowflakes began falling Monday afternoon, the commotion near Mondawmin Mall slowed. Children pointed to the sky. Shoppers, their shoulders previously hunched against the cold, stood to take in the scene. Inside, shoppers buzzed through stores buying last-minute gifts, extra wrapping paper or the final ingredients for holiday meals and desserts. At The Esquire barber shop, men and boys waited for a chair and a fresh cut while talking of Christmas Eve church trips and parties ahead.

A man was shot in West Baltimore on Monday evening, not far from Mondawmin Mall, according to city police. Homicide detectives responded to the scene because of the severity of the man's injuries, said Detective Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman. Officers on a routine patrol of the area about 7:40 p.m. heard gunshots coming from the 1700 block of Gwynn Falls Parkway, in the city's Parkview/Woodbrook neighborhood, and responded, police said. At the location, which is between Mondawmin Mall and Druid Hill Park, they found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound, police said.

In less than a year, there will be a Target in Canton. The discount chain announced this week that it will be opening a 135,000 square foot store in the Canton Crossing shopping center in October 2013. The store will have groceries in addition to the "everyday essentials" that Target is known for, the company said in a statement. The Canton Crossing center, off Boston Street between Baylis and South Haven streets, will have two anchors (Target is one) and is expected to have 30 businesses in all -- including seven or eight restaurants and a bank branch, according to the developer,  Chesapeake Real Estate Group LLC . The only Target currently within the city limits is at Mondawmin Mall, in northwest Baltimore.

Mall info.: Arundel Mills Mall , 7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, 410-540-5110 Holiday hours: Nov. 22: Closed Nov. 23: 12 a.m.-10 p.m. Nov. 24: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Nov. 25: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 26-29: 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Nov. 30: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 1: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 2: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 3-6: 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Dec. 7: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 8: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 9: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 10-15: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. ...

As the Baltimore area deals with the loss of power and closed and flooded roads in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, some stores and businesses plan to reopen Tuesday but others remain closed. Harborplace & The Gallery mall at the Inner Harbor will stay closed Tuesday, with plans to reopen Wednesday, management said, though Harborplace restaurants and shops with exterior entrances were making their own decisions about opening. Office tenants and Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel guests will be given access to the offices and hotel.

THE PRATT LIBRARY opens an information kiosk today at Mondawmin Mall. It's a tiny step in an expansion plan that might see the Pratt build four superbranches in quadrants of the city. But it's an important step.The modern library isn't just a place to check out books; many people use its computers to access information electronically. The kiosk at Mondawmin (another will be placed later at the Inner Harbor) will provide access to the Pratt's various electronic data sites and government pages and others on the World Wide Web.The Pratt's strategic plan announced last year includes placing kiosks in nontraditional locations such as malls to expand library service.

On the family room wall of Pauline Brooks' Northwest Baltimore home -- nearly lost among numerous other awards and tributes -- hangs a small plaque. But the honor is one she most adored."

Hurricane Sandy forced many area retailers to close Monday. Mall owner General Growth Properties shut down its Baltimore-area malls including Harborplace & The Gallery in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Towson Town Center in Towson, White Marsh Mall in White Marsh, Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore city and The Mall in Columbia. The Gallery remains ccessible for office tenants and guests of the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Management expects to know later today whether the malls will re-open on Tuesday.

The following cancellations and closures have been announced in anticipation of severe weather conditions from Hurricane Sandy: SCHOOLS * Public schools are closed in Baltimore and in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties, among others in the state * Most colleges and universities in the region are closed * Full list of area school closings . GOVERNMENT OFFICES * Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City,...