Giacomo Bologna

5 days ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Giacomo Bologna

ROCHESTER, N.Y. ― When Rochester was trying to decide what to do with the highway that tore through its downtown, it could have followed the lead of other cities. Many were embarking on long, complex and costly tunnel projects that buried highways underground. Rochester did something that was both more radical — and much simpler. Rochester removed its highway.

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Giacomo Bologna

In the middle of the 20th century, the government tore up a tree-lined parkway in Buffalo, New York, to build a trenched expressway so that cars could get to the airport faster. Home values near the expressway collapsed. Nearby businesses shuttered. Heavier traffic created more car exhaust polluting the air. And one of the city’s most affluent communities became its poorest and most segregated. Almost every major city in America has a similar story of a highway that destroyed a neighborhood.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Giacomo Bologna

Inside Pimlico Race Course, the onlookers stamped their feet, clapped their hands and watched as, too often, their horses finished behind the others. They crumpled their betting slips, tossed them in the trash and tried not to think about their losses. Outside, the neighbors counted their cash. It’s an annual tradition for Park Heights, where the Preakness Stakes briefly transforms some residents into hawkers, hustlers and pop-up entrepreneurs.

4 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Giacomo Bologna

After its second bankruptcy in two years, the nationwide pharmacy chain Rite Aid plans to close its Aberdeen warehouse and layoff 363 employees. According to a filing with state regulators, Rite Aid will close its distribution center at 601 Chelsea Road by June 4. Rite Aid is one of Harford County’s biggest private employers. According to a 2024 financial report, the drugstore giant employed 900 people in Harford County. Rite Aid’s bankruptcy will have ripple effects throughout the state.

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Giacomo Bologna

The investors stepped inside the marble-floored lobby of Vivo Baltimore and tasted blood in the water. They came wearing suits, sunglasses and boat shoes — one sported a hefty gold chain. They took phone calls, crossed their arms and eyed the competition. They circled like sharks. They left like minnows. Going once. Twice. Three times. The two residential buildings sold after a single bid from the lender: $25 million.