Community : Buzz

Ever wish you could see more public sculptures on display in Greater Baltimore?

Well now you can, if you drive out to Howard County. The Howard County Arts Council has selected 12 sites that will feature public sculptures in 2012, according to Broadway World.

The spots include the George Howard Building in Ellicott City, which will feature "Daddy Longlegs" by Carl Billingsley, and Howard Community College, which will feature Hanna Jubran's "The Cycle."

Read about the other sites and selected artwork.

What do Urban Pirates, Marine Steel Wire Products, aMuse Toys and Union Box Co. have in common?

Leaders from all of these Greater Baltimore firms were invited to the White House to share their thoughts on health care reform, the economy and other business concerns, according to the Baltimore Business Journal.

You can read more about the meeting and see a complete list of businesses that participated here.

When the public got word that Café Hon owner Denise Whiting had trademarked the word "Hon," the Hampen business owner faced a backlash that affected sales of her restaurant.

But she told several media outlets that she is dropping her trademark of the term of the uniquely Baltimore term of endearment. 

She also apologized for stirring up such controversy.

Thanks, Hon.

You can read more about it here.

Robert E. Lee park has long been a destination for dog owners, occasionally to the chagrin of non-canine inclined individuals. Recent developments should go a long way to resolving the disconnect.

From the source:

Dogs have run free — amok, some would say — in Robert E. Lee park for years. Residents complained the park had been "hijacked" by dog people. Even the county's parks director knew folks referred to the wooded, lakeside retreat as "Dog Poop Park."

The spot, hovering on the city/county line, had become the area's favorite dog park — never mind it wasn't one.

But that's all about to change.

After a $6.1 million renovation and a two-year closure, Robert E. Lee will re-opening Friday, boasting all sorts of refinements — the centerpiece being a legal, fenced dog run that people will have to pay to use. Additionally, the park will become the county's first to hire a small corps of rangers charged with ticketing people whosedogs are caught off leash anywhere else.

Here's the full story.

In one of the more out-of-left-field examples you'll see of an "outsider's view" of Baltimore, BBC News recently visited Lexington Market to get a sense of how the US budget crisis is hitting home in Baltimore.

From the source:

This gritty, former port city is less than an hour away from the US capital by train.

But it feels a world apart from the glitz and power of the White House and Capitol Hill.

After weeks of partisan wrangling, Congress approved a plan that lifts the ceiling on how much money the US government is allowed to borrow in return for a likely 2.4 trillion dollars (£1.47tn) of spending cuts over ten years.

The worry for Baltimore is the debt deal heralds an era of government austerity that could reduce the flow of Federal funds to an already struggling local economy.

Read the full article here.

Funding woes persist at Baltimore's Edgar Allan Poe House, as the Washington Post recently reported.

From the source:

For a second year city leaders have chosen not to subsidize a museum in the tiny house where the impoverished Poe lived from around 1833 to 1835, a decision that means it may have to close soon.

Since the city cut off its $85,000 in annual support last year, the house has been operating on reserve funds, which are expected to run out as early as next summer. In the coming months consultants hired by the city will try to come up with a business plan to make the Edgar Allan Poe House financially self-sufficient, possibly by updating its exhibits to draw more visitors.

But the museum sits amid a housing project, far off this city's tourist beaten path, and attracts only 5,000 visitors a year.

Read the full story.

Baltimore County is looking to improve openness and walkability in Towson's core.

From the Sun:

"Baltimore County has a plan for the heart of Towson, and it looks like Allegheny Avenue.

In good weather Souris' Saloon can count on serving customers at tables under a black awning on the wide sidewalk where Allegheny meets the traffic circle at York Road. Down the block, Strapazza opens its sidewalk umbrellas for patrons. There's more seating out front at DiPasquale's and Ridgely & Ferrens, finer dining at Cafe Troia, a mix of small stores and the Penthouse high-rise condominium at the intersection of Washington Avenue.

Allegheny isn't burdened by empty storefronts common on streets elsewhere in the town center. And those involved in development efforts say there's also something working nicely in the block itself -- in the mix of businesses and details of windows, sidewalk layout, size of buildings and the way they appear to people walking on the street.

"This is the success story," County Councilman David Marks said, standing on the wide sidewalk outside Souris', where the outdoor tables are often busy long after the work day is over."

Read the full story here.

Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation has partnered with the City of Memphis to help troubled youths.

From the source:

"Memphis' success reducing the number of youths in lockup has earned the city a coveted partnership with a multibillion-dollar private foundation.

"Yes, we're coming," Gail D. Mumford, with the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, announced Friday at a luncheon at Shelby County Juvenile Court.

Casey, one of the nation's largest private foundations, has spent more than six decades working to help disadvantaged youths, including 15 years focusing on reforming juvenile justice centers across the country."


Read more at The Commercial Appeal.

Johns Hopkins University's engineering department started the New Year with a big bang, accepting a $30 million gift from John C. Malone, chairman of Liberty Media and a Hopkins alum, to build a new research building.

Here's an excerpt:

"The gift will finance construction of a 56,000-square-foot building for studying social and industrial systems and individualized health-care treatment, the university, in Baltimore, said in a statement on its website today. The building will be named after Malone."

Read the story.

University of Maryland College Park offers students a good bang for their buck according to Kiplinger's latest list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges. The flagship of Maryland's university system climbed three spots up the list, taking the no. 5 ranking in 2011. Joining College Park in the ranking are St. Mary's College of Maryland, Salisbury University, Towson University, and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Here's an excerpt:

"Virtually all of the schools we list raised their price in 2010-11, but the University of Maryland, which maintained a tuition freeze for four straight years, kept this year's total cost increase to less than $600. The first-class flagship continues its march up our rankings, moving from number eight last year to number five in 2010-11."

Read the article.

As Sen. Barbara Mikulski takes her place in the 112th Congress and becomes the longest-serving female Senator in U.S. history, ABC World News honors her achievement by making her its "Person of the Week."

Watch the video:

It's no secret that Towson University offers students a quality education. What people may not know is that the liberal arts university is one of only a handful of higher education institutions in the country that consistently graduate as many white students as black students.

Here's an excerpt:

"In 10 years, according to school data, Towson has raised black graduation rates by 30 points and closed a 14-point gap between blacks and whites. University leaders credit a few simple strategies: admitting students with good grades from strong public high schools, then tracking each student's progress with a network of mentors, counselors and welcome-to-college classes.

"Regardless of your background, there's people here for you who understand what you're going through," said Kenan Herbert, 23, an African American Towson senior from Brooklyn, N.Y."

Read the entire article.

In Old Catonsville, the area's charming eccentricities help new and longtime residents keep falling in love with the area.

Here's an excerpt:

"If you live in Catonsville, you plunk your lawn chair on the main street to reserve your spot for the Fourth of July parade - weeks ahead of the big day. You are loyal to a snowball stand. And, residents say, you try never to leave.

The quirks of this Baltimore County college town, including a profusion of music stores, endear it to its residents. And its location close to the Penn Line of the MARC train and Interstate 95, makes it convenient for both D.C. and Baltimore commuters."

Read the entire article.

Officials with the nonprofit activist group People for the American Way met recently in Baltimore to talk about how cities can cope with the foreclosure crisis.

The group of 40 toured Whitelock Community Farm in Reservoir Hill, an area on the decline that now has affordable housing for artists. You can read more about the tour on the nonprofit's blog.

The New York Times featured Dr. Andres Alonso and his "mission" to fix the city's ailing school system.

Here's an excerpt:

"It's a test case for what's possible," Dr. Alonso said. "There were incredible opportunities because the troubles were so big."

The system had churned through six superintendents in six years, so Dr. Alonso's priority was to persuade people that things would be different this time. For his changes to work, he needed a lot of support, but that took some convincing.

"The community felt alienated," said Bishop Douglas I. Miles, a pastor at Koinonia Baptist Church and a major sponsor of youth programs in the city. "There was a sense that we weren't wanted except to do bake sales."

Read the entire article.