bthesite.com | blog

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has a new target: Baltimore. Specifically, the Baltimore Ravens.

Read the rest of this entry »

A study published today in the Journal of Psychopharmacology by researchers from Johns Hopkins University says that hallucinogenic mushrooms may be good for the soul.

Read the rest of this entry »

Baltimore City school officials are hoping that a change in students’ diets will lead to even bigger changes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday afternoon, while I was stopped at a traffic light in front of the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield offices downtown, a demonstrators passed a flyer into the car. Their agenda: universal health care.

Read the rest of this entry »

Problems surrounding the Red Line are starting to be a regular thing, it seems. This week’s installment: most of the proposals for the transit line are too costly to qualify for federal funding — money we’re relying on to pay for half of the project.

Read the rest of this entry »

Baltimore’s fight against homelessness continues.

Although city officials previously came to an agreement with St. Vincent de Paul (the homeless would be allowed to stay in the church’s park, if the city could visit and encourage them to move into permanent housing), things seem to have changed over the past few weeks. A nonprofit organization recently conducted a survey of the park’s residents and found the conditions to be “deplorable.”

Read the rest of this entry »

In welcome news for those of you who navigate the city by automobile, the city opened a $2.9 million transportation management center today.

Most of Baltimore’s 1300 traffic signals can be controlled by operators at the center. The goal is not only to improve commuting times, but also to reduce pollution by cutting down on the amount of time people are idling at traffic lights.

Read the rest of this entry »

Finding a seat on the light rail may be more difficult — at least for the next few months.

This probably isn’t a newsflash for those of you who ride regularly, as the train shortage began nearly a week before the MTA issued an advisory to the public. Friday’s official notice attributes the delays and overcrowding to mandatory inspections, required after one train’s wheel cracked last month.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Jones Falls Trail expanded a bit further on Saturday, when another 2.75 miles of the hiking/biking pathway opened to the public.

The new portion of the trail circles through the woods of Druid Hill Park, completing the section that extends from Penn Station to the Woodberry Light Rail station. When the rest of the sections are finished — at a date to be determined — the Jones Falls Trail will be 12 miles long, starting at the Mount Washington Light Rail station and extending to the Visitor Center in Inner Harbor.

Read the rest of this entry »

You will now be strip searched. Virtually.

The Homeland Security Secretary visited BWI Airport yesterday to announce changes to security checkpoints in Concourse B (Southwest’s terminals). Millimeter wave scanners will be added, which take a digital photo of each passenger sans clothing. The subject’s face will be blurred and the photo will not be stored, although it’s obviously still making some people a bit uncomfortable, privacy concerns and all.

Read the rest of this entry »