Zoning violation shuts down Load of Fun, displaces Single Carrot

“Bummer.”
– Jordan Goodman, via Facebook

“Kind of ironic, when you consider Jubilee owns the vacant theater on North Avenue, right down the street from Load of Fun.”
– Carol Ott

“The smart money is on SCT opening at Mobtown (‘Electra’ ending on the 27th with ‘Othello’ opening on October 26th).”
– Jacob

“Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake runs a Grand Prix race on Labor Day with no accounting for our tax dollars spent just to promote Baltimore. Then a week later her department does this, killing a working space for numerous artists. Giving them no time, no remunerations, no work around. Destroying the heart of a vibrant arts center her own various departments have been championing as part of what makes Baltimore such a great place. Hello, does the left hand know what the right hand’s doing?”
– Bryce Butler, via Facebook

“Curious as to who made that 311 call and what was the driver.”
– Steve

“Here’s a question. Why if you call 311 about a house abandoned and vandalized in your neighborhood, you will be lucky to receive any response within a month. But an anonymous call made to 311 late at night about Load of Fun, results in an immediate inspection and closure of a building central to the Station North Arts District, which closes down the studios of the very artists, which the arts district was designated to support by the city . . . is it a first move by a developer looking to turn the now more desirable district in the same way that DuPont Circle in D.C. or SOHO New York were turned from thriving arts districts to upscale condo areas where artists could no longer afford to live?”
– Bryce
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New Sparrows Point owners suggest (once again) most of mill will be scrapped

“I agree with Mark R. ELT has the going-forward into the future properties (this is what they do), which include the land, some buildings, and the cold mill. Hilco has the take-it-apart, sell it, burn it, scrap it properties (this is what they do), which include the L Furnace, the Hot Mill, the Tin and Coating lines.”
– Nashorn

“The bottom line is Maryland didn’t want SP to succeed. RG did what Maryland wanted. O’Malley will get his port, and his wind turbines. A Smokeless no job state. . . Shame on this country, to allow this to happen. One day in the near future we are going to need the Big L, and guess what. Its not going to be there!!!”
– Bill at SP

“Bill, Bill, Bill . . . The L Furnace bankrupted Beth Steel’s other mills all the way to RG Steel’s fine Ohio mills. Why would Hilco or it’s partners be so stupid as to repeat this disaster? Wait to you get cancer like me and most of my long DEAD fellow Point workers and you will change your mind about clean air and clean Port and Wind Turbine industrial jobs. Big L should have been scrapped 30 years and and then maybe the Point would still be viable.”
– OxygenMaskedMan

“Too many people benefit from just the eradication of Sparrows Point as a steel mill. Sparrow Point lost its relevance and usefulness when it was no longer a major employer in Maryland and became a burden with its EPA issues.”
– Harleyman

“There is no MAJOR or SUSTAINABLE use for the plant so scrap it, develop the land and allow our city, state, and Country reap the benefits of import/export trade. I know it is difficult for those with deep roots to this plant, but you must move on, you must modernize. Jobs will be created with this and the benefits will be there for all.”
– Canton M

“i think the whole plant will be running in the spring. after the election and the need for steel will be great. rg is still involved behind closed  doors. and the creditors are wiped out.”
– Mickey

“Mickey I am not coming back at twice the pay because nothing will change and you know it. . . When I go over the Key Bridge I do not even want to look at that place anymore. Its bad karma and you [know] that too. Other than a paycheck the Point always took more from you as a man.”
– TacoBell
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Pretty great in purple, overwhelming in orange

“What it feels like to be a town with 2 teams that are contenders.”
– @grayvi, via Twitter

“So what do you think it will be like when both teams return after road trips for 8 more crazy nights starting with the Ravens on Sunday night football against the Patriots on the 23rd?”
– Jmfischer4
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City Council approves tax-break plans for two harborfront developments

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa. So . . . is this bit of political gymnastics only a gimmick, or does this mean the Perkins area is going to see some money because of this development? I mean, obviously it’s a gimmick, but is it one that will have any effect on Perkins, or now that it’s on paper that’s where it will stay?”
– krempel

“Are you kidding me?! This is the most inaccurate article I’ve ever read. Perkins Homes were not added into the Enterprise Zone to adjust the unemployment. Look at the map, it’s not even being included. Flat out untrue.”
– Tom R

“Perkins Homes is not part of the Harbor Point EZ Zone. But you are wrong in implying that it did not play a critical role in the application. The BDC included Perkins Homes in census tract data it included as part of Harbor Point’s application for a EZ designation. This in turn increased the unemployment and poverty levels used to justify Harbor Point’s eligibility as supporting a ‘disadvantaged community.’”
– baltimorebrew

“Harborpoint is 1.5 billion dollar complex building about 1.8 million sq ft of new space. It’s receiving a little over a 1 million per year in tax credits. Buying into the BCD’s ‘but for’ baloney, the city gave up tax revenue of $106 million and we, as state residents, are directly reimbursing the city for $53 million of that revenue – in other words, we’re paying for it. So, this is supposed to help it compete against downtown and/or county rates because it might lower rents by a nickel per square ft per month on rents of $20-$30/sq ft? Srsly?”
– Bmorepanic

“The Tax and Finance Committee meeting last week, where most of the members approved this SHAM, was recorded on audio. I’ll be requesting a copy and sharing it for ALL who DO NOT believe the content of this article. EVERY word written here is true and both the acting BDC President and Mr. Todd Dolbin, the BDC’s Enterprise Zone expert, testified in the open public session how they manipulated the census data to qualify the Paterakis deal. TRUTH!!! I was there and this deal STINKS beyond belief.”
– Kim Trueheart

“The negative effect Perkins Homes has on the area is immense, the negativity radiates into Harbor East, Fells Point and Little Italy. Perkins homes is like an abyss, it sucks everything that is good from the surrounding area into it and everyone who lives in the area knows that. It is no wonder why the closer to Perkins you get the more rundown the area becomes. Since Perkins has such a large influence on the area it only makes sense that developers would add those demographics to its proposals.”
– Matt

“Perkins Homes is subsidized low income housing. Abyss or not, that means that our society has decided that it is worth spending taxpayers’ dollars for it to be maintained. If one wanted to argue it is not a wise use of those funds, please go ahead, but make the point directly. Harbor Point is also being subsidized because the public sector has decided that it desirable to be subsidized as well. ‘Developers add those demographics’ of Perkins Homes to their proposals simply because they can. If Central Avenue is to see ‘expanded development as a byproduct,’ it will happen due to Harbor East to a greater extent than Harbor Point (and already has to some extent), because Harbor East is actually contiguous with Central Avenue, whereas Harbor Point is not. Harbor Point is a peninsula out in the water where it has the minimum possible contiguity with other areas, and thus the minimum benefit to those areas.”
– Gerald Neily

“The sell-out continues.”
– OccupyTheBDC, via Twitter
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Principals’ union protests at North Avenue

“One thing I have come to realize something about these unions is that it is rarely about the children, it is about themselves (fear, ego etc.). They always say it is because it is good for PR. “The only thing unions are good for at this point is keeping people employed who should be fired.” -union member. I encourage anyone who is interested in the state of America’s education system to watch ‘Waiting for Superman’ – currently on Netflix.”
– Baltimoreplaces

“Do you know who funded ‘Waiting for Superman?’ Walden Foundation, the political arm of Wal-mart. Do you know why? Because they want to demonize unions and teachers in an effort to privatize public education. Do you think that they want to privatize public ed to help out the poor brown and black children in urban schools? Do you think that Wal-Mart gives a s**t about poor minority children? Wake up. Waiting for Superman is pure propaganda. Private interests have been trying for years to get at the $500 billion dollar public education budget. Charters, vouchers, school ‘choice’, merit pay. . . they are all part of this scam. They got rid of this woman because she has 26 years experience so she is expensive.”
– Bmoreteacher

“Thank you Bmoreteacher for stating the facts. I would like to say that the plan with privatizing and charters doesn’t stop with minorities, it is only starting there. Wall Street plans to take all of K-12, middle-class and all if we don’t stop this charter school movement. I do want to say that there are issues that the teacher’s union has brought upon itself and some reform is needed as most educators will attest to.”
– Cwals99
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Baltimore as Mayberry?

“Great essay! There are a lot of little Mayberrys tucked away in Baltimore.”
– DMB

“Yeah, Bmore is Mayberry. . .  Otis, the town’s only drunk, checks himself in and out of his jail cell every day with the keys hung by the door. Deputy Barney Fife plays with his gun. Everyone’s white, and Sheriff Andy Taylor says, ‘everything’s better when it sits on a Ritz. . . mmmmm, good cracker!’”
– Gerald Neily

“Sounds like a great start in Bmore. Falkenhan’s alone is a hidden gem, I love discovering more good stuff here all the time. Happy cruising!”
– TD

“A couple of weeks ago I happened upon a little Mayberry-meets-the-Munsters crowd on the sidewalk in that same area of Hampden where someone had just pulled up on a trike with a freshly tapped keg on the back. I was immediately offered a brew, one of many nice surprises. No way that would have happened if I’d driven by in a car. Get out & explore some!”
– TD Again
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Inside City Hall: Water bill errors spill over to cause more auditing woes

“Mayor Rawlings-Blake – You can now legitimately say this mess will impact BMore’s Bond Rating!!!”
– Kim Trueheart

“444,025 and more – Elapsed time: two minutes.”
– MairZdoatz, via Twitter

“I was a victim to this water bill stuff. It was due to a water dept. employee writing down incorrect readings but calling them actual for over a year. When they fired the employee, they read the meters and again gave a actual of over $700.00 for a quarter reading. . . I had to wait months for hearing. They did lower it to 250.00 but still all the headache. The city is messed up and this is why I got the heck out!”
– Glad to be gone

“The shell game continues.”
– marylandlady
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City to pay $500K to elderly couple alleging false arrest

“If you want to know why the majority population of the Baltimore City – read BLACK PEOPLE – have no trust in the Police Department this is a prime example. They frequently violate your rights and then blame you for the violation. An idiot could have come to the conclusion that the complaint was bogus and to arrest this couple after it was already proven that this was a disgruntled parent is disgusting. I wish the couple would’ve held out for more money!”
– Big G

“I’m sure that the police union will work diligently to ensure that the officers involved are not disciplined.”
– Jason Taverner