A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
Baltimore Sun: Latest forecast details: Snow to Arrive Earlier, Possibly Heavier, Than Previously Predicted
"When is it going to start?
"Friday morning, the storm was moving faster than meteorologists previously expected. They expect snow to start falling between about 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the Baltimore area, an hour or two earlier than National Weather Service forecasters had predicted Thursay.
"A blizzard warning is in effect from 3 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Sunday. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday declared a State of Emergency beginning 7 a.m. Friday. The declaration gives Hogan powers to 'deploy resources and make decisions to promote public safety,' officials said, and indicates to residents the gravity of the forecast.
"How much are we going to get?
"Most forecasters, including the National Weather Service, have been calling for 18 to 24 inches of snow across Central Maryland. But the latest runs of major forecast models Friday morning were getting more extreme -- weather service meteorologists' best guess for the Baltimore area is in the realm of 24 to 30 inches, with more than 30 inches possible if the storm overperforms. If it underperforms, we're still looking at nearly a foot of snow.
"It is expected to snow the heaviest overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, not tapering off until some time before dawn Sunday morning. You can expect as much as a foot by the time the sun rises Saturday, and as much as another foot by Sunday morning."
From the Baltimore Sun: Fifty Years Ago, Frank Robinson’s Search for Housing in Baltimore Helped in ‘Opening the Door for Others’
"In the first few weeks he wore an Orioles uniform, Frank Robinson threatened to leave the team because his family couldn't find a place to live in the segregated Baltimore of 1966. Everyone knows Robinson went on to win the Triple Crown and lead the Orioles to their first world championship that year.
"But this more trying chapter of his most famous season has seldom been told in the 50 years since.
"Dealt to the Orioles in the offseason, Robinson had sought housing in January 1966, to no avail. Several times, the slugging outfielder was rejected because of race. In February, the Orioles began spring training in Florida and Robinson turned the search over to his wife, Barbara. One day she phoned him in disgust.
"In spite of his baseball accomplishments, Robinson in 1966 had to cope with the complicated day-to-day realities of a city that remained racially divided in many ways. Time and again, he and his family were denied housing in a number of all-white neighhborhoods. He couldn't patronize most taverns in town. And his wife was rebuffed at a beauty shop whose female proprietor said, 'If you were Mrs. Brookes Robinson, we could serve you.'"
From the AFRO American: Organization Tries to Bring Baltimore’s Penn and North Back from Brink
"Last April, the CVS standing atop the MTA metro Station at Penn North Plaza became a nationally televised symbol of Baltimore’s chaotic unrest in the wake of Freddie Gray’s detainment by Baltimore police and subsequent death. But on MLK Day 2016, the drug store and Plaza served as markers of hope as organizers of Baltimore’s Innovation Village announced the new project from a platform at the Plaza.
"A contingent of politicians, public figures, university officials and community activists came to lend their support to a partnership seeking to revitalize West Baltimore. 'Innovation Village represents a strong community collaboration that fuels an ambitious agenda by West Baltimore residents who have resolved to do great things,' said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to about 100 west Baltimore residents who stood in the cold to hear some good news about their community.
"The Baltimore Innovation Village is a cooperative effort sponsored by the Mount Royal Community Development Corporation (MRCDC) in collaboration with Coppin State University and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) as well as other community and business partners. Founded on the model of community-driven improvement, Baltimore joins cities such as Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit in utilizing Innovation Districts in an attempt to restore urban areas plagued by long standing blight and neglect. Richard May, one of three co-founders of Innovation Village stressed that Innovation Village is an effort initiated by residents of the West Baltimore community and for the good of the West Baltimore Community."