Amid the fallout over contracts between the University of Maryland Medical System and members of its board of directors, the institution’s overseers have asked president and CEO Robert A. Chrencik to take a leave of absence starting March 25.
Brandon Weigel
Brandon Weigel is the managing editor of Baltimore Fishbowl. A graduate of the University of Maryland, he has been published in The Washington Post, The Sun, Baltimore Magazine, Urbanite, The Baltimore Business Journal, b and others. Prior to joining Baltimore Fishbowl, he was an editor at City Paper from 2012 to 2017. He can be reached at [email protected]
MD Senate passes $15 minimum wage bill
The Maryland Senate today passed a bill raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, sending the measure to Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk.
Sponsored by Baltimore Sen. Cory McCray, the bill would require companies with more than 15 employees to raise wages by the 2025 deadline. Smaller businesses would have an extra year to hit that mark.
Wye Oak’s Andy Stack makes solo turn as Joyero
In Wye Oak, Andy Stack creates the percussive and atmospheric underpinnings of the band’s sound, sometimes using one hand to play the drums while the other controls a keyboard.
Stack and guitarist/vocalist Jenn Wasner, who cut their teeth and found a national audience while in Baltimore, have pushed their sound to more experimental territory, adding in a mix of synths and electronic tones.
Study: Baltimore has seen one of the highest rates of gentrification in the U.S.
From 2000 to 2013, Baltimore experienced the fifth highest rate of gentrification in the United States, ranking behind bustling cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, according to a new study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), a nonprofit that tries to steer investment into underserved communities.
Baltimore joins those four cities and San Diego and Chicago in accounting for half the gentrification to occur nationwide in that time frame.
Group of musicians plans multi-genre music fest The Baltimore Mixtape
Seeking to add another showcase of the city’s music scene, a group of eight musicians and promoters has announced The Baltimore Mixtape, a multi-day festival bringing together local artists from various genres.
One of the organizers, musician Rich Kolm, writes in an email that it would be in line with other everything-but-the-kitchen-sink offerings from the last 15 years such as Whartscape, Scapescape, the Baltimore Folk Festival and Ratscape.
Hogan, Miller call on UMMS board to shape up
Gov. Larry Hogan and Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller called for reforms of the University of Maryland Medical System board after reports in The Sun revealed several unpaid board members, including Mayor Catherine Pugh, have conducted business with the organization.
Seawall unveils initial designs for revamped Lexington Market
Featuring a central hip and pent hip roof spanning the length of the pavilion, the new Lexington Market would look a lot like the old sheds that served as the market’s home until a fire destroyed the structure in 1949. Only, it would be newer and sleeker, with slatted metal siding and factory-style windows.
Seawall Development, the firm tasked with designing the next iteration of the 237-year-old market, presented these plans, drawn up by BCT Architects, to the city’s Urban Design and Architecture Advisory Panel today.
Q&A: ‘Road Grays’ co-founder Austin Stahl discusses his baseball magazine’s humanistic approach
With spring training well underway and days spent at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in warmer climes not far behind, Baltimore baseball fans are at that sweet spot of anticipation for the upcoming season.
Sure, things are really not looking good for the Orioles, owners of a ghastly 47-115 record last year, but there’s still the unknown and–dare I say it–ever-so-slight feeling of optimism that comes with a clean slate and 162 games still to play.
Adding to the build-up to baseball is Road Grays, a new magazine founded by local married couple Austin and Megan Stahl that focuses on human stories in our national pastime. Issue 1, out now, includes pieces of local interest, such as an interview the groundskeeper at Oriole Park and a feature by local luminary Rafael Alvarez on outfielder Curt Blefary, as well as a photo essay on Japanese baseball and a feature on the crews that make minor league baseball function.
To mark the start of Road Grays, the creative team is hosting a launch party at Atomic Books tonight from 7-9 p.m. Austin Stahl will discuss the magazine and Alvarez will read from his story. To find out more, I caught up with Stahl to talk about the origins of Road Grays, his vision for it going forward and what he thinks will happen with the 2019 Orioles.
Student protesters disrupt Baltimore delegation’s vote on Hopkins police bill
Chanting “No justice, no peace! No private police!,” student protesters this afternoon interrupted a vote by the city’s House delegation on whether to endorse a bill to give Johns Hopkins University its own police force.
In a twist, Mr. Trash Wheel collects a beer can featuring his likeness
The circle is complete. In a kind of funny, kind of sad bit of irony, Mr. Trash Wheel, the googly-eyed trash-collecting vessel at the mouth of the Jones Falls, gobbled up a beer can with his very own likeness on the label.
