March

Morgan State Held to a Different Standard?
In a series of articles detailing Morgan State University’s treatment by local media in face of an audit, the AFRO uncovered numerous instances in which the historically Black institution was unfairly treated. Although Morgan State and the University of Maryland Baltimore County were each accused of mishandling millions of dollars designated for campus construction during this decade, the allegations against the two institutions were treated very differently – and in Morgan’s case, more harshly – by both state legislators and the Baltimore Sun, a special investigation by the AFRO found.

May 2

New East-West Metro Link Proposed
Proposed by the Maryland Transit Administration, the new Red Line proposal was introduced to improve transportation options for people living and working in the metropolitan area by providing a more efficient route for east-west commuting. Stretching for approximately 12 miles, the proposed Red Line will pass through the eastern and western communities of Baltimore City and Baltimore County connecting Woodlawn, Edmonson Village, West Baltimore, downtown Baltimore, Inner Harbor East, Fells Point, Canton and the Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus. It will also connect with existing transit systems – Metro Subway, Central Light Rail and Marc.

June 20

First Black Men’s Health Conference Held
To address the extreme rates of cardiovascular disease, HIV and cancer among Black men in Baltimore, the American Cancer Society teamed up with St. Agnes Hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center and Bon Secours Baltimore Health System to host the first annual African American Men’s Health Conference. The conference was the first of its kind to address conditions affecting the health of African-American men. Through education, screenings and networking of community residents, organizers of the conference helped raise awareness about various health issues prevalent in the African-American male population.

School CEO Transcends Politics to Navigate Reforms
During a sometimes tumultuous first year as Baltimore City Public Schools CEO (June 2008), Dr. Andres Alonso has often argued that his primary focus is children first.

After succeeding five BCPS superintendents, who lasted an average of two years in their jobs, Alonso has so far successfully risen above politics inherent in the position.

Alonso, who immigrated to the United State from Cuba at age 12, sees the devaluing of young people far too often in the system that he leads and the city that he came to a little over a year ago.

“I think this guy coming from New York was the best thing that could have happened at the time because he owes nobody – he doesn’t know anybody—and that’s what I’ve seen so far. All I can do is praise him,” said Baltimore City Councilman Nick D’Adamo.

Having inherited a $50 million budget, Alonso instituted several jarring changes to the system in his first year that many argue is infamous for decade-long bureaucracy and gridlock, including the elimination 310 central office jobs, adding six new middle-high schools and alternative schools, paying students for increased test scores and allotting more power to principals in schools.

In a June interview with the AFRO, Alonso stated: When so many kids are failing, it’s not the kids who are failing, it’s the system that is failing.”

After Feds Fail, State Looking into Old Charges Against Mayor
Investigators for Maryland and the city of Baltimore spent hours at Mayor Sheila Dixon's Baltimore home removing boxes, files and folders. The raid was related to an investigation into city finances that had been under way for two years. In the midst of a widening investigation by the State Prosecutor’s Office, Dixon said investigators “got forceful” when they conducted an early morning raid of her Southwest Baltimore home. “When they came, I said, ‘I’m not waking my kids up yet, my son gets up at 7 for camp and I’m not letting you in until then,’ and then they really got forceful about it,” Dixon disclosed during a telephone interview with the AFRO.

July

Cambridge Elects First Woman, Black as Mayor
Cambridge residents, like people across the nation, had been calling for change and when all the ballots in the July 8 election for mayor and city council had been counted, they had gotten it.

Victoria Jackson-Stanley, 54, was elected the first African American and the first woman mayor of the Eastern Shore town. Earning 52 percent of the non-partisan vote, in an election with a 40 percent voter turnout – the highest for Cambridge in years – Jackson-Stanley unseated two-term incumbent Cleveland L. Rippons. "The people have spoken,” she said. “The people who came out [to vote] said Cambridge is not the same as it used to be. It's not just a Black-White thing; it’s a community thing. This race was about people ready to move on.”

August

AFRO Clean-Green Block Awards
Mayor Sheila Dixon on Aug. 13 announced the finalists and overall winner of the 2008 AFRO Clean-Green Block Awards, a partnership with the mayor’s “Make a Difference” initiative in Baltimore. With the mayor are: City Comptroller Joan Pratt; Hope Williams and Celeste Amato who runs the mayor’s “Initiative for a Cleaner Greener Baltimore”; overall winner Mark Hughes and his son of the Park Lane Neighborhood; Quay Shawn Simmons, a city intern; and Joe Stewart, a finalist from the Better Waverly Community.

September

Morgan State President Announces His Retirement
Earl S. Richardson, president of Morgan State University, informed the institution’s board of trustees that he will retire at the end of this academic year. Trustees told the AFRO that Richardson informed them of his decision through e-mails and telephone conversations. The AFRO disclosed that Richardson, who will have served as president for 25 years when he steps down, had informed certain trustees of his plans to retire. Attempts were made to discredit the exclusive story; however, the AFRO accurately reported that Richardson had discussed with several trustees his plans to step down.

Baltimore Mourns Ken Harris
Thousands gathered during the week of Sept. 27 to honor former Baltimore councilmember Ken Harris, who was gunned down during a robbery at the New Haven Lounge at the Northwood Shopping Center in Northeast Baltimore. The funeral, held at the Murphy Fine Arts Center on the campus of Morgan State University—Harris’s alma mater—was attended by thousands and a legion of Maryland political figures including Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, members of the Baltimore City Council and the Maryland General Assembly.

“He was an outstanding public servant, family man—a Black man committed to making his community better -- there are not many of us left,” lamented Sen. Nathaniel McFadden who represents the 45th Legislative District. Two suspects, Charles McGaney and Gary Collins, were later arrested in connection with the murder.

November

Voter Turnout Lower Across State, City
Despite all the reports of people waiting hours to cast ballots and record voter turnout in some battleground states in the historic General Election, it seems Maryland, a solidly Democratic state, didn’t experience the overwhelming turnout many anticipated. Numbers from the elections board indicated that voter turnout across the state did not increase as expected. In fact, there was a modest decrease in the voter turnout percentage. In Maryland, 76.38 percent of registered voters turned out on Nov. 4 compared to 78.03 percent in 2004, an almost two percent decline. In Baltimore City, which voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama and Joe Biden -- 87.2 percent compared to 11.7 percent for John McCain and Sarah Palin -- turnout fell short of some projections.