By the time the bartenders notice it, the damage is already done. The room is full. The music is right. The crowd looks the way it always has. But the bar—once the economic engine of nightlife—no longer hums the way it used to. This is not just a Baltimore story. It is unfolding in major cities across the country, from Atlanta to Los Angeles, Chicago to New York. And it was a familiar Baltimore voice— Frank Ski , the legendary radio host and DJ—who recently put the shift into

Baltimore, MD — January 20, 2026 Baltimore entered 2026 with cautious optimism. City leaders and community organizers had just celebrated a remarkable milestone: 133 homicides in 2025, the fewest in nearly half a century and a 31 percent decline compared with the year before — the latest in a multi-year downward trend hailed as historic. But in the first 16 days of January, that progress has already been called into question. Baltimore recorded seven homicides in the early we

On any given weekend, many restaurants and lounges that primarily cater to African American patrons are visibly thriving. DJs draw crowds. Tables are full. Lines form outside. By most outward measures, business is good. Yet a closer look—often in the most basic space of any public establishment—reveals a different reality. Restrooms in some of these venues are frequently in poor condition. Patrons report nonfunctioning toilets and urinals, broken stall doors, ripped booth sea

MICHIGAN —  The discovery of a Michigan woman alive inside a body bag has triggered urgent questions about medical oversight, death-pronouncement procedures, and whether basic safeguards failed at multiple points in the system. According to authorities, the woman had been receiving medical treatment when she was mistakenly pronounced dead . She was later placed into a body bag and transported toward a funeral home — a process that typically includes several checkpoints meant

BALTIMORE —  In a major shakeup that reverberated across the NFL on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 , the Baltimore Ravens have fired head coach John Harbaugh , ending one of the most successful coaching tenures in franchise history. ESPN reported and sources confirmed the move late Tuesday night, marking the conclusion of Harbaugh’s 18-year run as the leader of the Ravens’ sideline. Harbaugh, 63, departs after compiling a 180–113 regular-season record and 13–11 mark in the playoffs

On December 2, 2025, Ivan Bates — the elected State’s Attorney for Baltimore City — sent a seven-page letter to Brandon Scott. This letter struck a sharp blow to one of the central pillars of the city’s post-2020 crime-reduction strategy. Bates announced that his office would “no longer directly coordinate with MONSE.” This effectively decoupled prosecutors from the city’s flagship violence-intervention machinery. The crux of Bates’s argument? MONSE and its affiliated program

In today’s business landscape, artificial intelligence isn’t a luxury — it’s a power tool. And for hustlers, side-grinders, start-ups, and established entrepreneurs, AI can be the difference between staying overwhelmed and scaling with intention. Whether you’re running a one-person operation or managing a growing team, AI levels the playing field. It gives small businesses the same strategic firepower once reserved for corporations with million-dollar budgets. But to benefit,

For much of his career, Lamar Jackson has been the Baltimore Ravens’ defining force — a quarterback whose singular blend of speed, improvisation and downfield explosiveness reshaped the contours of modern NFL offense. But as the current season unfolds, the quarterback once known for defying gravity appears, instead, weighed down by it. After weeks of uneven play, diminished mobility and inconsistent accuracy, Jackson’s performance has ignited an uncomfortable conversation in

A Push Rooted in Pain and Promise Maryland’s current minimum wage — $15 an hour statewide — was considered ambitious when first passed. But inflation, rent spikes, and the soaring cost of essentials have rapidly eroded its purchasing power, especially in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. Groups like One Fair Wage , the national advocacy organization leading the push, argue that $25 is no longer radical — it’s realistic. “You can’t survive on $15 anymore,” the group’s founder

Pras Michel: From Hip-Hop Fame to a 14-Year Prison Term — and a Question That Lingers WASHINGTON — On Thursday afternoon, the former hip-hop star and founding member of The Fugees, Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, now 52, was handed a 14-year federal prison sentence. The landmark judgment followed his 2023 conviction on 10 counts—including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government—in a sprawling political-finance and influence scheme. But while the courtr

Officer Robert Parks faces up to 65 years in prison as city leaders vow accountability amid renewed scrutiny of policing practices. Updated November 2025 BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Police officer seen in a viral video allegedly using his patrol car to chase down a man in Park Heights has been formally indicted  on multiple felony charges, including attempted second-degree murder , in a case that has reignited debate over police conduct and accountability in the city. According

The Baltimore Ravens secured a 27-19 road victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but the win felt more tentative than triumphant — and it brings into sharper relief the central question hovering over the franchise: Can Lamar Jackson deliver the breakthrough season that so many expect, or will the familiar doubts persist? Jackson, making his 100th regular-season start, completed 17 of 29 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown, while adding 36 rushing yards on nine ca