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Cleaning Up: Federal money is expanding drug treatment in Baltimore--and causing providers headaches.

Shadow Economy. Following the players in Baltimore's illegal economy.

Family Portraits. Portraits of Black Guerrilla Family members indicted in Maryland.



Mobtown Beat Stories
Former Turtle Broker From Maryland Faces Possible Prison Time

Former Turtle Broker From Maryland Faces Possible Prison Time

Mobtown Beat: The legal turtle harvest in the state goes on By Van Smith 2/1/2012
Gay Marriage and Transgender rights Bills Head back to Legislature

Gay Marriage and Transgender rights Bills Head back to Legislature

Mobtown Beat: Supporters and advocates shift tactics to improve chances of passage By Laura Dattaro 1/25/2012
City Police Training Under Scrutiny

City Police Training Under Scrutiny

Mobtown Beat: Independent Review Board, City Council question programs By Edward Ericson Jr. 1/18/2012
Maryland Immigration Attorney Pleads Guilty to Sham-Marriage Conspiracy

Maryland Immigration Attorney Pleads Guilty to Sham-Marriage Conspiracy

Mobtown Beat: The case is unusual, but marriage fraud isn’t, officials say By Van Smith 1/11/2012
Justice Department and <em>Washington Post </em>prevail in Baltimore man’s lawsuit

Justice Department and Washington Post prevail in Baltimore man’s lawsuit

Mobtown Beat: Complaint Dismissed By Van Smith 1/4/2012
Program Eyes How to Make Pigtown Stop Smoking

Program Eyes How to Make Pigtown Stop Smoking

Mobtown Beat: Morgan State researchers hope engaging the community can help more of it quit By Laura Dattaro 12/28/2011
Morris Martick 1923-2011

Morris Martick 1923-2011

Mobtown Beat: "What I took from him was to not be scared of being unique. He just did things the way he wanted" By Michelle Gienow 12/21/2011
Attorney Stanley Needleman Sentenced to Prison

Attorney Stanley Needleman Sentenced to Prison

Mobtown Beat: Prosecutor at hearing alludes to facts not made public By Edward Ericson Jr. 12/21/2011
Little Italy Bocce Dispute Rolls On

Little Italy Bocce Dispute Rolls On

Mobtown Beat: The lawsuit is settled, but the he said/she said continues By Van Smith 12/14/2011

Changes to Zoning Board Watered Down

Mobtown Beat: Community advocates wanted bigger changes; zoning board head and developers successfully resisted By Edward Ericson Jr. 12/7/2011
Spewing Sewer Leaves Couple Homeless

Spewing Sewer Leaves Couple Homeless

Mobtown Beat: DPW chasing clogged and leaking pipes city-wide By Edward Ericson Jr. 11/30/2011

Maryland is Changing the Rules for Debt Collectors

Mobtown Beat: The collections industry is . . . pleased By Edward Ericson Jr. 11/23/2011
James Webb Space Telescope Further Funded by Congress

James Webb Space Telescope Further Funded by Congress

Mobtown Beat: The House and Senate on Nov. 17 passed legislation that lays out fiscal year 2012 funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), including the full $529.6 million requested to ensure a 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. By Laura Dattaro 11/23/2011
Maryland Super-Lobbyist Bruce Bereano Aims to Erase His Fraud Convictions

Maryland Super-Lobbyist Bruce Bereano Aims to Erase His Fraud Convictions

Mobtown Beat: Last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Skilling v. United States, which found that the provision of the federal mail-fraud statutes that formed the basis of his prosecution was unconstitutional By Van Smith 11/16/2011
Cracking the Penal Code

Cracking the Penal Code

Mobtown Beat: Maryland crack-cocaine convicts set free under federal sentencing reform By Van Smith 11/9/2011
Those Mysterious Questions on the Bottom of the Ballot? Here’s the Deal

Those Mysterious Questions on the Bottom of the Ballot? Here’s the Deal

Mobtown Beat: Understanding the two charter amendments in Baltimore City’s Nov. 8 general election. By Laura Dattaro 11/2/2011

This is What Democracy Looks Like

Mobtown Beat: Baltimore City Council meeting versus Occupy Baltimore General Assembly, Oct. 17 By Edward Ericson Jr. 10/26/2011
United Workers harness protest energies with their Fair Development Conference

United Workers harness protest energies with their Fair Development Conference

Mobtown Beat: Baltimore-based coalition of low-wage workers has been campaigning on behalf of workers at the Inner Harbor By Rachel Monroe 10/26/2011
Census shows striking growth in Baltimore homelessness

Census shows striking growth in Baltimore homelessness

Mobtown Beat: Population swells nearly 20 percent in two years; ranks of homeless young people increase 50 percent By Van Smith 10/19/2011
Judge Blocks Wells Fargo Mortgage Lending Case

Judge Blocks Wells Fargo Mortgage Lending Case

Mobtown Beat: Rules that city must wait to get bank’s white-borrower loan records By Edward Ericson Jr. 10/19/2011
Defeated Baltimore City Council primary candidates extend their race to the general election

Defeated Baltimore City Council primary candidates extend their race to the general election

Mobtown Beat: Belinda Conaway, Shannon Sneed among candidates pursuing write-in votes By Edward Ericson Jr. 10/12/2011
Done Taking Crap: One Baltimorean fights City Hall on recurrent sewer issues

Done Taking Crap: One Baltimorean fights City Hall on recurrent sewer issues

Mobtown Beat: Eric Sapp and his tenant, Matt Berry, have been flooded repeatedly since November 2009, from both a blocked or collapsed sewer pipe and from storm-water runoff. By Edward Ericson Jr. 10/5/2011
Reisterstown church uses theater to drum up renovation funds

Reisterstown church uses theater to drum up renovation funds

Mobtown Beat: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church hopes Church Folks will uplift congregation as well By Edward Ericson Jr. 9/28/2011

Pressing Buttons

Mobtown Beat: Two local educators talk technology in the classroom By Laura Dattaro 9/19/2011
Our Lady of the Flowers

Our Lady of the Flowers

Mobtown Beat: A former massage-parlor operator brings roses and prayer to the Block By Baynard Woods 9/14/2011
All the President’s Men

All the President’s Men

Mobtown Beat: Underfunded outsiders look to unseat appointed City Council president By Van Smith 8/31/2011
City Councilmember Helen Holton survives legal troubles to face challengers in the 8th District

City Councilmember Helen Holton survives legal troubles to face challengers in the 8th District

Mobtown Beat: Last month, the Maryland Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s dismissal of bribery and perjury charges against City Councilmember Helen Holton (D-8th District). By Andrea Appleton 8/24/2011
Warren Branch faces his first re-election campaign for 13th District City Council

Warren Branch faces his first re-election campaign for 13th District City Council

Mobtown Beat: City Councilmember Warren Branch faces four challengers for his 13th District City Council seat, which he’s held for one term. By Edward Ericson Jr. 8/24/2011
Four challengers—and the AFL-CIO—take on Belinda Conaway in Baltimore\

Four challengers—and the AFL-CIO—take on Belinda Conaway in Baltimore's 7th District

Mobtown Beat: The family dynasty sells well at Baltimore polls, but Belinda Conaway has a tough race on her hands By Van Smith 8/17/2011
Baltimore City Comptroller Joan Pratt runs unopposed again

Baltimore City Comptroller Joan Pratt runs unopposed again

Mobtown Beat: First elected in 1995, Pratt has weathered three elections since, with barely any opposition. By Andrea Appleton 8/17/2011
2nd Chances

2nd Chances

Mobtown Beat: One savvy young newcomer has collected the big endorsements and money for an open Council seat By Edward Ericson Jr. 8/10/2011
Southern Exposure

Southern Exposure

Mobtown Beat: 10th District incumbent faces yet another contested re-election By Van Smith 8/10/2011
Rematch

Rematch

Mobtown Beat: Incumbent City Councilmember Bill Henry faces a past challenger in the 4th District By Andrea Appleton 8/10/2011
Three for 3

Three for 3

Mobtown Beat: Curran decides to run again, and two decide to challenge him in the primary By Andrea Appleton 8/3/2011
King Cole

King Cole

Mobtown Beat: With no primary challengers, 11th District’s William Cole braces for the general election By Van Smith 8/3/2011
Teacher Features

Teacher Features

Mobtown Beat: Two challengers for 1st District—but Jim Kraft has all the money By Edward Ericson Jr. 7/27/2011
Challenge Stage

Challenge Stage

Mobtown Beat: Veteran hopeful and first-timer vie for Middleton’s 6th District seat By Van Smith 7/27/2011
Nine in the 9th

Nine in the 9th

Mobtown Beat: Challengers line up to take on the 9th District's appointed incumbent By Andrea Appleton 7/27/2011
Council “Dean” Challenged

Council “Dean” Challenged

Mobtown Beat: Rikki Spector faces first competitive election in 5th District since 2003 By Van Smith 7/20/2011
Lone Star

Lone Star

Mobtown Beat: No one has filed to challenge Mary Pat Clarke's Council seat By Andrea Appleton 7/20/2011
Indifferent Stokes?

Indifferent Stokes?

Mobtown Beat: Carl Stokes bags his mayoral bid to try to retain 12th District Council seat By Edward Ericson Jr. 7/13/2011
Old Money

Old Money

Mobtown Beat: Even dated campaign-cash data can show what it takes to win city elections By Van Smith 7/6/2011
Beans and Bread expansion delayed again

Beans and Bread expansion delayed again

Mobtown Beat: A long-planned expansion of a homeless services center in Upper Fells Point was delayed again on June 22 after a zoning appeal. By Edward Ericson Jr. 6/29/2011

British cocaine conspirator gets four years

Mobtown Beat: Sarfraz Patel, a British national who allegedly remortgaged his home to raise money for an unlikely drug deal arranged by undercover police in Baltimore, was sentenced to 48 months in prison. By Edward Ericson Jr. 6/29/2011

Wait for Social Security benefits is getting longer

Mobtown Beat: The Social Security Administration (SSA) may be losing its battle against the backlog of disability cases, according to an analysis of its data by a New York-based nonprofit. By Edward Ericson Jr. 6/22/2011
Inmate’s lawsuit claiming guard ordered gang “hit” gains traction

Inmate’s lawsuit claiming guard ordered gang “hit” gains traction

Mobtown Beat: For a prisoner without a lawyer, Michael Smith has done pretty well as a civil plaintiff in federal court. By Van Smith 6/15/2011
Dust in the Wind

Dust in the Wind

Mobtown Beat: Did city workers fail to follow standard lead-abatement procedures in Union Square? By Edward Ericson Jr. 6/8/2011
What’s the Deal?

What’s the Deal?

Mobtown Beat: Preservationist and neighbors wonder about the fate of West Baltimore’s historic St. Peter the Apostle church By Andrea Appleton 6/1/2011
The Eternal Flame

The Eternal Flame

Mobtown Beat: Waste incinerators win the political debate again By Van Smith 5/25/2011
Cartel Trial Challenged

Cartel Trial Challenged

Mobtown Beat: Defendants say new evidence destroys credibility of government’s star witness By Van Smith 5/11/2011
Jazzed Out

Jazzed Out

Feature: The Sportsmen’s Lounge faces July eviction to make way for grocery store By Van Smith 5/4/2011

Ouch

Mobtown Beat: Nonviolent, low-level drug dealer gets 151 months in federal prison By Van Smith 4/28/2011

Recent Mobtown Beat stories

Stories published before Aug. 10, 2010

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