community : Featured Stories

Education is often bandied about among those jockeying for political position as a vague notion in need of improvement. It's a quick, easy soundbite on which almost everyone can readily agree. But what does improvement look like, and how do we find it? One place to start looking is Fells Point's Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, where low income students are beating the odds every day.

Though it sits just outside the northwest corner of the Beltway, Irvine Nature Center could be a different world -- one in which the city that is in reality only a few miles away might as well not exist at all. Bmore's Renee Libby Beck goes behind the scenes at Irvine to discover what it has to offer and find out how it's weathering difficult economic times.

"Be passionate and love what you do" is a simple enough recipe for success. Too often, however, passion and love hang just out of reach as the daily grind takes center stage. Not so for Kim Manfredi of Charm City Yoga, for whom business -- and success therein -- is nothing short of a labor of love.

What's Working in Cities is a new monthly series in which we take a closer look at people and organizations in cities across the country that are transforming neighborhoods and driving change in urban areas. What works in Portland, Austin, or Chattanooga will probably work here, too, in some form or another. Our series will ask why some things work, why some don't, and what big ideas and principles all cities should adopt as we move forward into an increasingly urbanized 21st century.

Joe Ehrmann's days as an All-Pro for the Baltimore Colts may be behind him, but that doesn't mean he's lost touch with the sense of purpose and discipline that are essential to success in both sports and life. Today, via his organization Coach for America, Ehrmann brings the lesson of teamwork to bear in service of building stronger communities.

We already know that Baltimore has a strong emerging entrepreneurial scene. For Heather Sarkissian, ensuring the growth and sustainability of these efforts is the secret to Baltimore's future success.

For comedian and Baltimore resident Marc Unger, the future health of the city comes down to one thing: the need to have honest discussions and make hard choices. And it all starts with city youth.

Information is power, and in Mary Hartney's view it's access to information -- and a better understanding of how to use it -- that represents Baltimore's most pressing issue as we work to forge the future.