community : Buzz

Fire Chief James Clack doesn't rely on radios or meetings at the firehouse to talk to officers and firefighters in Baltimore's Fire Dept. He turns to social media, and he's one of the first fire chiefs in the country to do so.

Here's an excerpt:

"In the age of the Internet, some fire departments have tried to limit what makes it online, but some chiefs have used technology to allow them to better communicate with firefighters and officers.

Baltimore Fire Chief James Clack has been one of the most proactive chiefs in the country when it comes to using social media.

"I really have a lot of ways to interact with our workforce," he said during a session at Firehouse Expo today that also include Syracuse Fire Chief Mark McLees and Memphis Fire Chief Alvin Benson."

Read the entire article here.

Kamie Crawford, a 17-year-old senior at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac Maryland was crowned "Miss Teen USA 2010" this past weekend in Paradise island, Bahamas.

Watch her crowning moment:

Ahoy ye maties, the Pirate Ship isn't only for the kiddies. The Inner Harbor attraction hosts nighttime cruises for adults eager to release their inner pirate over shots of rum and the occasional cry, "argghhh!"

Here's an excerpt:

"The Fearless, a 52-foot replica pirate boat that fits up to 49 passengers, is crewed by pirates and features water cannons, a deck that doubles as a dance floor and a bathroom, which we're pretty sure wasn't available on pirate ships of old. Pirate flags flap in the harbor breeze (accompanied by an American flag), and the wooden ship looks quite realistic. As soon as you step onboard, you must don a pirate vest and sash, which can be worn around your head or waist and, as you'll discover by the end of the night, a variety of other unexpected ways. You're also given a pirate name and a (temporary) pirate-themed tattoo.

Passengers are welcome to bring any kind of beverage..."

Read the entire article here.

The Senator Theatre showed its final fiilm Wednesday. The historic art deco theater had been in operation since 1939. Redevelopment plans are underway between the City and Buzz Cusack, owner of The Charles Theatre.

Here's an excerpt:

"Fans filled the house for the last movie--the original Star Wars.

"The Senator, as we know it, is gone with the wind. Hopefully, it will be better but a family tradition--it's the end of an era," said Saray Israel.

After Wednesday, the projector will go dark.

"When the key goes in the lock tonight--that's a question you're going to have to ask someone else," Kiefaber said."

Read the entire article here.

Get your hiking boots on! Baltimore City has received $4 million from the Maryland State Deparment of Transportation to begin the fitth phase in the extension of the Jones Falls Trail, a hiking and biking trail snaking through through the city.

Here's an excerpt:

"The trail currently extends 4.25 miles from Penn Station to Clipper Mill and passes by a number of historic mills, the scenic overlook at Round Falls and the Baltimore Street Car Museum.

When completed, the trail will stretch 12 miles from the Inner Harbor to Lake Roland."

Read the entire article here.

Nearly four months after some 1100 cities submitted proposals as part of Google's Fiber for Communities initiative, a $1 billion project that will bring super high-speed broadband to the city or cities Google has chosen, the search giant responded with a YouTube video thanking them. Two of Baltimore's own Mario Armstrong and Joe Weaver, who's holding a Google logo created by his daughter, are included in the video.

Read Google's response here.

Watch the video:

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What's it take to be a mayor in the 21st century? A good grasp of social media and pushing out information to constituents is one thing, according to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Watch the video:

Welcome Kerry, a new Baltimore resident who moved here from New York City. To ease the transition, the self-styled bookworm has found a few good blogs by Charm City locals...more would always help though.

Here's an excerpt:

"I am now an official resident of Maryland! I even bought a car. So long, NYC. Hello, suburbs and water and boats and driving to the grocery store.

In honor of my move, I naturally looked around for good MD-area blogs to follow... and HOW EXCITED WAS I to discover..."

Read the entire post here.

This week it was a quirky tweet that made the top of our super short list this week....

@SocialMedia411 tweets this updated rewrite of a classic, " Dance like the photo's not tagged, Love like you've never been unfriended, Tweet like nobody's following"  We're gonna try it tonight!

@BaltimoreGal had a good one, too! " I am eating my favorite sandwich: Maryland heirloom tomato with peppered goat cheese! YUM #summereats" Mmmmm....heirloom tomatoes one of summer's greatest pleasures. We'll take one of those!

Don't see your tweet? Follow us @bmoremedia and @bmoremediame, or send us a favorite tweet from a Baltimore tweeter!

Living in Baltimore, it's easy to see that the arts play a huge role in the city. As with eveyrthing that's created here our artists do it with a flair found only in Charm City. The Washington Post captures the style in a series of articles focusing on everything from art to theater.

Here's an excerpt:

"Baltimore brews its own arts scene, with a taste of what America was and what it will be."

Read the entire series of articles here.

Holly Freishtat, Baltimore's recently hired food policy czar, has a big job -- creating a healthier food environment for Baltimore residents. And, she's the only city official of her kind in the country.

Here's an excerpt:

"A study of Baltimore neighborhoods found that nearly a fifth of its 630,000 residents live with little or no access to fresh foods � neighborhoods often described as "food deserts." Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of adults and nearly half of all high school students are overweight or obese and the death rate from heart disease is 30 percent higher than in the rest of Maryland.

Freishtat works out of the planning department, and her job is to implement the 10 recommendations for improving the city's food system made last December by Baltimore's food policy task force. They include expanding access to farmers markets, community gardens and community-supported agriculture; improving the food served in city schools; and pushing for new zoning laws that remove roadblocks to food production and sales."

Read the entire article here.

Baltimore's twitterati were busy last week. So, even though we were on vacation, we saw a few we knew had to be on this week's TOTW list.

BRAC is coming and so are the jobs, hopefully this tweet from @MDBiz  will help you land a new gig! "A primer for BRAC job-seekers: MD's Mike Hayes on security clearances, timing & whether you need a college degree. http://bit.ly/c3Lf3K"

We're sooo looking forward to Artscape and this makes it even better! @WeightlessOne tweets, "There's a stoop storytelling workshop and performance for free on Saturday at #Artscape. http://bit.ly/d47peW."

@OpenSociety tweeted two really good questions, "How would you define "open society"? We often talk about the idea, but what does it mean to you?" and "Audacious Idea: What would Baltimore look like if everyone had a home? http://bit.ly/djyENV"  Send us your answers on Twitter!

Have you heard? @ABC2NEWS needs volunteers! "Top Stories: Extreme Home Makeover volunteers needed - The Extreme Home Makeover crew is calling on Baltimore area r... http://ow.ly/184Znd"

Dogs are always a winner! @BaltimoreMD "Doggies playing in the fountain outside our Visitor Center. #HappyPlace http://twitpic.com/23vfk0"

Want a chance for your tweet to make our list? Follow us @bmoremedia and @bmoremediame! You can also send us your favorite tweets on Twitter or via email.

Ever wonder why Baltimore has so many murals and where they are? This blogger answers the why and points the way to the where.

Here's an excerpt:

"I'm starting a regular feature to highlight them and this will allow me to mention other aspects of art in the process. Baltimore, Maryland has a Mural Painting Program that I did not know about. Evidently, this has been ongoing for 30 years! In 2008, through the program, CityPaint, there was a push to get 20 murals painted."

Read the entire post here.

Whether it was the mid-summer like heat or one of many other fun events happening around Baltimore last weekend that kept you from the African-American Heritage Festival, you're in luck! You can still get a taste of what the festival had to offer.

Here's an excerpt:

"This weekend the African American Heritage Festival was held in downtown Baltimore and we had the opportunity to see some stars come through. Here' some video of Robin Thicke, Fantasia & Marsha Ambrosious peforming."

Watch the videos here.

If you're like us you spent most of your time last week trying to get and stay cool! Here're the tweets that caught our attention whiel we cooled down!

Thanks @SlowFoodBmore! We were wondering what do with the 4 lbs. of peas we bought for $10 at the JFX Farmers' Market "Read our blog post on how to make the best use and storage of your Farmer's Market goodies! http://ow.ly/1Zkdc"

Still looking for something for your kid to do this summer? @prattlibrary tweets, "Swe-eet! Nearly 5,000 kids have already registered for Summer Reading 2010! Have you registered yours?"

Big congrats to @bad_decisions who got some great news! "just got a call from food network. my ugly mug might be on tv soon. #OMGWTFBBQ!" and then later this tantalizing hint..."thanks for the well wishes everyone! its for an episode on, you guessed it: bacon!"

We've put on our thinking caps...how about you? @GBTC  "Please RT: Okay Bmore, get those creative juices flowing & enter the TechNite 2010 Naming Contest! http://ow.ly/21r6Q"

This we had to see to believe! @BeerConnoisseur tweets, "The World's Largest Rolling, Soon To Be Flying, Beer Mug is complete! Had my bro, Tim, stand next to it for... http://fb.me/zZOpC00d"

Don't see one of your tweets? Then follow us @bmoremedia and @bmoremediame, or send us your choices for the Tweet of the Week!