Fern Shen

Jul 21, 2024 | citybiz.co | Fern Shen |Baltimore Brew |Kevin Parker

Defending their agency after Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming found no working AC or cold water at a sanitation workers’ job site during last week’s record-setting heat wave, the Department of Public Works (DPW) has fired back, disputing one of her findings and arguing others lacked context. Cumming’s report on her July 10 surprise visit to the Cherry Hill yard noted that “inoperable water fountains” were found in an administrative building.

Jul 16, 2024 | citybiz.co | Fern Shen |Baltimore Brew |Kevin Parker

With the problem of polluted stormwater washing off highways only projected to get worse with climate change, environmental advocates are calling on the Maryland Department of Transportation to do more to curb it. One dramatic example of the kind of mitigation they would like the agency to require:Stormwater runoff controls could be built into the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Jul 14, 2024 | citybiz.co | Fern Shen |Baltimore Brew |Kevin Parker

Exposed wiring. Loose and broken catwalks. Trenches without trench boxes. Workers handling high-voltage electricity in cherry pickers with no insulation. A year ago at a memorial for municipal employees who have died on the job, Baltimore union leaders released a report documenting appalling work conditions that contributed to past fatalities and injuries.

Jul 9, 2024 | citybiz.co | Fern Shen |Baltimore Brew |Kevin Parker

Proponents of a ballot measure to cut Baltimore’s property tax rate in half say the city’s top election official was wrong to reject their proposal for inclusion on the November ballot and vowed to challenge his decision in court. Board of Elections Director Armstead B.C. Jones Sr. today sent a letter announcing his decision to the attorney for the tax cut group, Renew Baltimore. In it, Jones argued that only elected city officials can set the property tax rate. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Jul 2, 2024 | citybiz.co | Fern Shen |Baltimore Brew |Kevin Parker

Celebrating the purchase of two downtown hotels to house the homeless, city officials led by Mayor Brandon Scott closed off a portion of the Fallsway and held an upbeat ribbon-cutting ceremony, summoning the media and state and federal VIPs yesterday to attend. “We should all stand in our resolve to help our unhoused residents,” said Shamiah Kerney, whose role as the city’s chief recovery officer was to supervise the channeling of federal Covid relief funds for the hotel purchases.