A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
From the Baltimore Sun: Baltimore approves Port Covington housing, hiring deals over objections
"The real estate firm redeveloping Port Covington, which is seeking a record amount of public financing for its multibillion-dollar South Baltimore project, has agreed to what supporters called unprecedented local hiring commitments.
"Sagamore Development Co. LLC, the real estate firm owned by Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, has also promised to work with a diverse group of companies and include affordable housing under the terms of three agreements with the city that the Board of Estimates approved Wednesday by a 3-2 vote.
"'With the approval of these agreements, the city will begin realizing these benefits now,' Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. 'Sagamore Development has committed more than what was required and then some.'
"But critics said the deals have been fast-tracked through city processes and do not do enough for Baltimore's working poor and middle class, given Sagamore's request for roughly a half-billion dollars in city support.
"'Let me be clear: I believe the Port Covington project could be a game-changer for the entire city of Baltimore,' said City Council President Bernard C. 'Jack' Young, who voted against the agreements. 'That's why I'm so disappointed. ... The agreements negotiated by the administration lack boldness and vision, and boldness and vision are required for a project of this size.'
"Rawlings-Blake, City Solicitor George Nilson and Public Works Director Rudolph S. Chow voted in favor of the agreements. Baltimore Comptroller Joan M. Pratt voted against them.
"Under the agreements, Sagamore, the master developer and owner of about 160 acres in Port Covington, said it will aim to ensure that at least 20 percent of the employees at the site live in Baltimore."
From the Baltimore Sun: Towson University reviews policies on incidents motivated by hate or bias
"Towson University plans to revamp its process for reviewing incidents on campus allegedly motivated by hate or bias after a number of recent incidents have stirred debate about racism among students.
"'In my short time here, several individuals and university groups have widely criticized the hate/bias reporting process,' University President Kim Schatzel wrote in an open letter Wednesday to the campus community. 'It has been described as confusing, ineffective and non-responsive.'
"Schatzel, who began her term in January, said the university's Office of Student Conduct launched an investigation into an incident at a campus cafe in which an unnamed student made comments that employees called racially derogatory and threatening, as well as "additional incidents involving racist and disruptive behavior."
"'As Towson's president, as an institution of higher education, and as a community, we condemn hate speech and any racist behavior toward a member of our community, and it will not be tolerated,' she wrote. 'We must also take steps to eliminate the hostile environment created by the conduct, address its effects and take steps to ensure that the conduct does not continue.'
"In the incident at the cafe earlier this month, according to a campus police report, a student told a black employee, 'You people don't know how to listen,' and threw money across the counter. The next day, employees became alarmed when the student rifled through a backpack, saying, 'I've got something for you,' the report said.
"Campus police determined that the behavior wasn't criminal. According to the police report, the student had been involved in similar confrontations on campus in the past."
From the AFRO: The Death of Freddie Gray: One Year Later
"The AFRO spoke to several people who were personally affected by last year’s uprising. These are their stories, in their own words."
Reflections from Ericka Alston, of Penn North Recovery Center; Larry Lomax, homeless at the time but now living on Liberty Road; Adam Ahmed, Owner of E-Z Mart Tobacco and convenience store; and Lieutenant Jarron Jackson, who lives in Northwest Baltimore.