Community Corner

Stories of the Year: July Through December

Patch reviews the top stories of the second half of 2011.

July

  • A review of tax figures provided by the city's Department of Finance determined that nine of the 10 neighborhoods paying in the city were located in North Baltimore.
  • For some merchants and residents Hampden Health Solutions, a near the Falls Road and West 36th Street intersection, had wore out its welcome by this summer. They bitterly complained about the behavior of patients and were concerned about its proximity to area schools.
  • Fresh & Green’s took of the old Superfresh on 41st Street virtually overnight. The chain took over the location after it was purchased during the bankruptcy sale of Superfresh’s parent company, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P).

August

  • swept through the Baltimore area leaving 450,000 Maryland residents without power. Patch documented how residents from , and other dealt with the aftermath of the storm.
  • John Wagner was Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn in the 2600 block of St. Paul Street in July 2010. Wagner was in prison plus 20 years for the crime in October.
  • An also shook North Baltimore in August. Patch covered the reaction of residents and the city’s response to the unusual seismic event.

September

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  • Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in the Democratic mayoral primary, the city’s de facto election. The election brought little change to North Baltimore’s representation on the City Council with incumbents The notable exception was the defeat of former City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway who lost to challenger Nick Mosby in District 7.
  • A proposal toat the Roosevelt Recreation Center in Hampden caused concern and protests about the proposal. Eventually the city would drop plans to turn the center—a vital hub in the community—over to a private operator.
  • Chestnut AID Pharmacy, a fixture in the Hampden community for decades, in September. Owner Patrick Burke said a combination of increasing federal regulations and the possible arrival of a Walmart at the proposed 25th Street Station in Remington forced him to close the store he had owned since May of 1991.

October

  • In the early morning hours of Oct. 31, a the famed . The damage caused by the blaze was estimated at , but its owners said they are determined to reopen the restaurant.
  • Residents celebrated the reopening of in October. Baltimore County signed a lease with the city for the 415-acre property in 2009. A grand reopening was held to celebrate the $6.1 million renovation to the popular park.
  • Adam Riess, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, was awarded a along with two others for their 1998 discovery of a rapidly expanding universe.

November

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  • Occupy Baltimore, a movement protesting economic inequality, received national attention when they Karl Rove, a former advisor to former President George W. Bush, while he was speaking at Johns Hopkins University. Protesters’ chants disrupted his speech and prompted Rove to react angrily to being interrupted.
  • Café Hon owner Denise Whiting, while participating in the reality show Kitchen Nightmares, for her copywriting of the colloquialism “hon.” Whiting rescinded her trademark on the term. She said that the ill will generated by the copyright was hurting her restaurant.  
  • Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that she would seek an increase in the to 5-cents. She argued the tax is needed to pay for a $23 million increase in the city’s contribution to the public school’s capital funds. The proposal was a who represent North Baltimore on the council.

December

  • Councilman Nick Mosby was. Mosby, who represents parts of Hampden, was the only person to defeat an incumbent council member in the 2011 city elections.
  • As always, the Hampden neighborhood lead the city in Christmas spirit. The community not only hosts the annual , but is also home to the renowned light display.
  • The annual made its way through North Baltimore. Jews celebrating the festival of lights placed menorahs on their cars and paraded through the city culminating with the lighting of a giant menorah at the Inner Harbor.


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