Rawlings-Blake picks her top campaign contributor to run Grand Prix

“It’s time for one more member of the Board of Estimates to step up and stop Mayor Grand Prix before she does even more damage to our city! Are you listening, George Nilson and Alfred Foxx?”
– Disgusted

“The Baltimore Grand Prix is the worst sport-related thing to happen to my hometown since Robert Irsay bought the Colts. It’s simply an idiotic way to run a city, especially one that needs its municipal bureaucracy completely overhauled.”
– David Rood, via Facebook

“Did any of you go to the event last year, and see and feel the energy it brought to the Inner Harbor? Why be so negative about a sporting event that showcased Baltimore in a very positive way on five continents?”
– Bud Swiston, via Facebook

“As someone who knows what a street race looks like, this was a complete disaster. I was in favor of it initially as I grew up on Formula 1 racing, especially as a television sport. But this did nothing for the residents and was a selfish and exclusive event for selfish and exclusive visitors.”
– Lisa O’Reilly, via Facebook

“Just because a city does not have a tradition of racing doesn’t mean that it can’t develop one. Ask Long Beach. I think the Baltimore Grand Prix, in the hands of Andretti, will become a successful, profitable, high-profile event.”
– Bud Swiston, via Facebook

“Long Beach is the exception, and far, far from the rule. Not one of the other Indy street races has had long success and most have been financial losers.”
– Terry Lorch, via Facebook

“I have to give it up to the mayor; it’s pretty ballsy to continue with something that the majority of your citizens either do not want or think should be postponed until 2013.”
– Calvin Garner

“Captain Renault: ‘I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!’”
– David Kennedy
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Mechanic Theatre: Preservationists seek to save “Brutalist” building from wrecking ball

“This is like Lucy holding the ball for Charley Brown – you just know it will be a parking lot for next 20 years.”
– RMSovichArchitecture, via Twitter

“There are two possible reuses: bomb shelter or megachurch. . . I failed to see architectural merits in the Mechanic that would justify preservation. As it is it symbolizes the overall problem of that side of downtown – how the action has moved to Harbor East.”
– Hap5905

“Architect Johansen described its style as ‘functional expressionism’ but since it no longer has a function (and wasn’t very good at its function to begin with) it no longer expresses anything but ‘hey, I’m a big hunk of dirty, leaking concrete shaped like a Cubist’s dream of a turkey with my butt end facing the main street of a city slowly rebuilding itself from the mistakes of the 1960s and 1970s, of which I’m one.’”
– James Hunt

“This part of downtown was really made dysfunctional by the elimination of Redwood Street from Charles to Hopkins Place (for Charles Center) and to Howard (for 1st Mariner Arena). Redwood could and should be restored with or without the Mechanic, to take its rightful place as downtown’s best street.”
– Gerald Neily
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Set-to-shut fire company praised for rescuing three children in burning building

“This [West Baltimore] community used to be served by truck 13 up until 2001. Then truck 2 until 2009. Both of those companies have been closed. So now the city wants to close a third truck company that services this neighborhood.”
– Salbrunacini

“A Mayor Talks to Fire – Baltimore 2012”

Fire do not roar
through neighborhoods
I have fingered and marked
as not deserving of fire trucks–
I command you stay put–
be an element obedient
to the power of politics.

Why should you listen?  
Because I wish it–
because I have a more important agenda
on my mind than you–
the budget has swelled,
developers wait in the wings
and their share of my donated pie
has to be large enough
to impress them I have the might
to move mountains.
– Excerpt from a poem by Unellu

“The Fire Dept. has been cut to nearly 55% of what it used to be several decades ago.  The population has declined by several 100K people. . . yet the call volume is 4 to 5X what it was in 1960. The men and women of the City Fire Dept. don’t want awards, medals or certificates. What we want is for the admin. to stop tying our hands behind our backs and making it harder to accomplish our job.”
– Haligans

“I am thankful these three children were saved – but I don’t want to think about the ones who may not be, if our mayor has her way.”
– Carol Ott
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Less than $1 million would be saved from fire company closings

“Mayor Blake is actually a good person who has the city of Baltimore in her heart but she is standing on the side lines allowing Clack to destroy her reputation and her Fire Department.”
– Public Safety FIRST

“All fire apparatus are staffed with members trained in emergency medical response. Some are paramedics and can give medicine well before an ambulance can get there. They can start CPR when minutes count. If that was your family lying there, would you want to have to wait for the next closest truck or engine? I don’t think so.”
– Hlfranklin

“We do need a new Chief – one who has ties to Baltimore not another national search. Why? They didn’t hire the best candidate the last time who had dual Master degrees not just a Bachelors! The Fire Department is a very proud department with good firemen and paramedics. It’s not a job but a calling and commitment to the citizens of Baltimore.”
– Johnnie 882
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Sparrows Point’s blast furnace temporarily idled as company struggles to pay its bills

“RG has put out a press release on their Company site and the BF will back up and running this weekend. Thanks Mark for once again for stirring the pot!”
– Friend of Steel

“This is exactly what I have been reporting to The Brew for weeks. The excuse is maintenance, but the company is broke and it is too expensive to operate L blast furnace. This is the turkey that is going to kill RG Steel.”
– Dr. Raymond Boothe

“That is right, Friend of Steel, no problems and no worries at SP, everything is going along just fine. A normal temporary slowdown while the maintenance crews do their thing. This is really good news as it shows that Mr. Ira is pumping lots of money into SP to keep the mill in tip top condition!”
– Walter

“Sparrows Point has led the way for the steel industry and will continue to do so.”
– Jason

“I can’t understand how the steelworkers at sparrow’s point can read all the report’s regarding the company’s money troubles and still refuse to believe that its effects are putting their jobs on the line. Are they victims of some mass hypnotic state: ‘You will believe everything is O.K.’”
– Blast Fce Man
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Young’s call to save rec centers meets with weak response

“For the sitting City Council President to call for an Agency Head to take-on their boss, the Mayor, is laughable! So why am I crying? It’s broken. . . Weak!!!”
– Kim Trueheart

“After following the notions of the City Council President for some time, I am not certain he understands his role as Council President. He is facing tough issues and many tough pressures from citizens; however, he is the Council President and he must better understand his role within the Council and with the Executive branch.”
– Walter Dean

“Young and Mosby are on a losing march. It has already been decided that recreation centers, in an area that needs them the most, will close. There will be fewer, jazzier ones (?) run privately and they will be located in places that will not be easily accessible to West Baltimore’s children.”
– Unellu

“We’ve got that race to pay for. You know where the priorities are.”
– Adam Herson, via Facebook
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A $3.5M project to resurface Roland Ave.  and improve entrances to private schools

“You are fishing for some outrage with this story, but I don’t think there is anything bad here. The city gains revenue through property taxes. This is just maintaining infrastructure and improving some traffic features in an area that pays quite a bit in property taxes and (since many can afford to send their kids to private schools) do not use many city resources. It’s a big city and this is just not that much money in a $1.5 billion dollar budget.”
– Westside Resident

“We participated in the Ciclovia last weekend on Roland Ave. The road surface is a disaster. Almost unsafe to ride your bike on. This may be a wealthier part of town, but you’d never guess that by the condition of the streets. Glad to hear the schools are contributing such a large portion to the project.”
– Mikesproge

“Part of why this project moved forward and others languish is that residents in Roland park have higher expectations of what public infrastructure should be, part is that they are less hesitant to communicate that, part is that they take more responsibility and collaborative role, and part is that city employees often respond positively to all those things . . . I think the much insinuated opinion that Roland Park gets special treatment because its a rich area has percolated down to city employees and so, secure employees who resent it often take an offended attitude towards service to that area, and insecure and deferential employees proactively try not to step on toes and assume more is needed to service the area.”
– yamma
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Rock Opera Journal: Two in “Valhella” cast, on hard work behind BROS’ party image

“Come see the show, read the program, and find out! We have classically trained singers and musicians, MICA trained costume designers, and the most beautiful set I’ve ever seen in Baltimore theater. Just because BROS is volunteer-based doesn’t mean our quality suffers. What BROS lacks in money it makes up for in heart.”
– jmargulies

“Valhella is the hottest thing Baltimore has seen since the fire of 1904. Get your tickets while you still can. Valhella tickets are going faster than anything Baltimore has seen since the Grand Prix of 2011.”
– Keith Becraft

“Are the Valhella BROS giving out 50,000 freebie tickets like our Grand Prix did? Will Valhella be rejected by the national rock opera sanctioning organization like our Grand Prix has by in-de-car?”
– Gerald Neily

“How do you know I didn’t, or wouldn’t, go to see your show? I hate operas but I love originals. As long as your Hellyeah is not Porgy and Bess you have a chance with me and my kind.”
– Unellu