Community : Featured Stories

The "steady diet of comic books" on which Johns Hopkins professor Lester Spence grew up gave him a healthy love of the marvelous and the fantastic. Here, he ponders the "act of taking the mundane and transforming it into the magical" as a way to change the way we think about what "public" really means.

What happens when a gun-slinging, Stetson-wearing high school teacher retires after 35 years? He gets his own movie. 73-year-old former Park School teacher John Roemer is quite the character, but he's very much the real deal. After helping integrate Maryland in the '60s with peaceful protests (and sarcastic flair) and working for the ACLU, Roemer dedicated his life to inspiring his students. One of whom is Sophie Hamacher -- the filmmaker giving Roemer a starring role in the documentary of his life's passions and successes. The two have developed a unique bond, and while Roemer's career as a teacher is coming to an end, Hamacher is on the brink of something potentially huge. 

Federal Hill is known as a destination neighborhood for young, plugged-in Baltimoreans seeking a robust bar scene and chic urban living. That reputation, however, is not without its costs. Recent developments highlight a growing tension between those who see the neighborhood as an entertainment hub and those who would prefer a quieter pace. Here, Bmore's Amy McNeal takes a look at what both sides have to say.

Back in April we brought you the story of what's happening on the East Monument "Main Street," one of Baltimore's less heralded commercial strips. Today, in partnership with WYPR's The Signal, we present a companion piece: an audio feature that allows you to hear directly from some of the folks featured in the original article as they discuss their life and business.

For more than three decades the House of Ruth has served as a safe haven and resource for domestic violence victims in Baltimore. So, what are batterers doing there? Learning the skills they need to change their behavior for good thanks to new approaches at the center's Abuser Intervention Program. Bmore's Dan Collins went behind the scenes to learn more.

When the University of Maryland steered away from traditional models and created the Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS) plenty of folks said it would never work. Today -- nearly 20 years and some 900 field placements later -- the school is still busy making a difference in communities across Baltimore.

Affordable health care is as hot-button a topic as you'll find in America today. Yet while bureaucrats, politicians, and pundits wrangle over policy proposals in far-flung centers of power, the human truth of the issue can be all too easily lost. Not so at East Baltimore's Charm City Clinic, a grassroots effort to provide sustainable, neighborhood-based care to those who need it most.