Baltimore

Judge Rules Cities’ Muni Bond Rate-Fixing Lawsuit Against Big Banks Can Proceed

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | One Republican governor says he voted for Joe Biden … Federal judge strikes down “public charge” rule … Oil clean up on Maryland and Delaware beaches.

  • By Bill Lucia and Laura Maggi

Supreme Court to Hear Energy Companies’ Appeal in City Climate Change Lawsuit

The suit brought by Baltimore is part of a national trend of cities, counties, and state governments suing oil and gas companies over the impact of climate change.

  • By Emma Coleman

Employers in D.C. Region Expect Some Remote Work Into Mid-2021, Survey Finds

About 60% of respondents anticipated less than a third of workers would return to the office by early September because of coronavirus risks. Some are planning for a portion of staff to still be working remotely even next summer.

  • By Bill Lucia

What the Gentrification of Baltimore's Chinatown Means

As developers turn to Baltimore’s historical Chinatown, Ethiopian residents worry about displacement while others worry about cultural commodification.

  • By Amir Khafagy, CityLab

Money for Silence: A Gag Order Policy with Legal Settlements Divides a Local Government

An executive order signed by Baltimore Mayor Jack Young says the city can’t offer “unreasonable” nondisclosure agreements to people who sue the city and work out agreements—but the city council might try to ban them outright.

  • By Emma Coleman

The Ransomware Attack in Baltimore: A Failure of Organizational Resilience

COMMENTARY | Employing best practices and adhering to international standards can help organizations and governments weather cyber attacks and other disruptions.

  • By Willy Fabritius

Boxing As a Solution to Help End Gun Violence

Baltimore Mayor Jack Young suggested that letting young people settle their differences in a boxing ring might stop people from shooting each other. But would an intervention like that really make a dent in the murder rate?

  • By Emma Coleman

Many Officers Hired by New Police Departments After Misconduct Probes

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Developments in local and federal investigations into officials across the country … A bill banning sanctuary cities passes the Florida House … Federal judge says it is legal to sell fireworks on tribal land.

  • By Emma Coleman

Baltimore Mayor Takes Health-Related Leave as Book Scandal Grows

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | The 100 Resilient Cities program will close up shop this summer ... Supreme Court allows Missouri execution to move forward ... Eagles causing problems at Washington state landfill.

  • By Laura Maggi

Cities Deploy High-Tech Boots on Parking Scofflaws

Officials tout the 'self-remove' boots as a convenience. But advocates for the poor say the technology is just part of a larger fine-focused justice system that hurts those who can least afford to pay.

  • By Jenni Bergal

Crime and Murder Rates Drop in Most Big Cities

While the trend isn’t universal, Brennan Center for Justice research findings “definitively reject any claims” of the nation being in a “crime wave.”

  • By Laura Maggi

How Baltimore and Tulsa Are Using Data to Foster Community

“The great thing people need to understand about data—and this was the incorrect understanding I had at first—is it is not about efficiency,” said Tulsa’s mayor.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Featured eBooks

Government Tech & Innovation
Management in City and County Government
State CIOs in 2020

Investing in Your Employees' Best Ideas

COMMENTARY | "Baltimore put money down on its own creativity and has raked in results. Other cities should make the same bet," writes former Baltimore budget director Andrew Kleine, previewing his new book.

  • By Andrew Kleine

When Nuisance Flooding Becomes More of a Nuisance

Observations of a climate change tourist along Baltimore’s low-lying waterfront.

  • By Michael Grass

Instead of Razing Buildings, Some Cities Want to Reuse Their Bones

Cities across the country are looking at whether blighted buildings can be "deconstructed" instead of demolished, and whether this can help to create local jobs.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

Seattle, Baltimore Take on the Housing Affordability Crisis

The former has houses selling for $820,000 on average, while the latter is saddled with about 16,500 boarded up homes.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

‘We’re Not Disbanding the Police Department’

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | A penny-per-pill opioid fee proposal; more waste-storage eyed for Detroit; a new plan to close Rikers Island in N.Y.C.; and Utah shows off its new connected vehicle corridor.

  • By Michael Grass

The Baltimore Police Department Is Badly Broken

This week a detective gave stunning testimony about abuses by the city’s gun-trace task force and an officer was charged with fabricating evidence.

  • By David A. Graham, The Atlantic

Here’s Why The House Tax Bill Is ‘Devastating to Economic Development at the State and Local Levels’

Developing Port Covington in Baltimore shows the power of public-private partnerships; there is no reason we should be taking financing options off the table.

  • By William 'Ed' Trumbull

Cities Enlist ‘Doulas’ to Reduce Infant Mortality

Research suggests that doula-assisted mothers are less likely to deliver babies with low birth weights or birth complications, and more likely to breast-feed their infants.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

Baltimore Mayor’s Advice for Removing Confederate Monuments: ‘Do It Quietly and Quickly’

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Health disparities in Houston; Michigan state worker retirees worry about public records request; and Milwaukee builds notable water tech sector.

  • By Route Fifty Staff