Emily Opilo

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Hallie Miller |Emily Opilo

After the first Keswick Road fire in October, neighbors mourned the married couple lost to the flames and vowed to rebuild. Since then, three more unexplained fires have broken out, each one wreaking renewed havoc on the stretch of attached rowhomes. Now, neighbors aren’t sure what to think. The block includes a mix of longtime homeowners and newcomers just around the corner from the beloved Miracle on 34th Street holiday display. Young and old have been rattled by each blaze.

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Meredith Cohn |Emily Opilo

Baltimore is struggling with its public health. Sexually transmitted infections are rising, and infant and maternal health disparities continue. Opioid overdoses have dropped but remain substantial. The city could stand to see a doctor. For the better part of the past two years, Baltimore has been without a permanent health commissioner. On Friday, the city announced that Dr. Michelle Taylor, currently head of the Shelby County, Tennessee, health department, had been hired for that role.

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Meredith Cohn |Emily Opilo

Mayor Brandon Scott said Friday he is appointing Dr. Michelle Taylor as Baltimore’s next health commissioner. She will serve as the top doctor responsible for a sprawling list of services and policies in a city with more than its share of health troubles, from an ongoing opioid overdose crisis to rising sexually transmitted infections. Taylor will come to the post, vacant for months, from the Shelby County, Tennessee, health department.

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Emily Opilo

An Iranian man has pleaded guilty for his role in a ransomware attack that crippled Baltimore’s computer network in 2019, halting critical city services and costing more than $19 million. Sina Gholinejad entered the plea Tuesday, admitting his role in the scheme that took hostage computer networks of several cities, corporations and health care organizations.

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Emily Opilo

Baltimore City Council grilled city financial leaders Thursday about increasingly bloated overtime spending and hundreds of vacant positions, questioning whether there are other ways to balance the budget than fee increases sought by Mayor Brandon Scott. The inquiry came less than a week before the council will embark on a weeklong series of budget hearings to drill down on Scott’s proposed $4.6 billion budget.