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Baltimore and DC High School Students to Debate Transportation Issues

Transportation Research Board Tuesday, January 15, 2013

It's another contest between Baltimore and the nation's capital.

This time, it's a battle of wits between high school debate teams in each city on how the federal government should invest in transportation infrastructure.

The session will be conducted by the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues, writes the Transportation Research Board. The event takes place Jan. 16 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

You can read more about it here.

Port of Baltimore Gets Cargo Boost Due to Sandy

Wall Street Journal Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Sandy has wreaked havoc on transportation all throughout the East Coast.

Last week, we featured a link to a story on how cruise operations were disrupted at the Locust Point terminal due to the superstorm.

Now, it seems that the storm has provided a temporary boost to the port, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.

Cargo ships are bypassing New York and New Jersey due to Sandy. "Maersk Inc., the world's largest container-shipping company, has begun diverting its cargo to Halifax, Canada, Baltimore and Philadelphia," the Journal writes.

The story does note, however, that the Port of Virginia in Norfolk is the biggest beneficiary. You can read the entire story here. (A subscription is required.)

Hurricane Sandy Disrupts Port of Baltimore Cruise Service

MSNBC Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Maryland residents who seeking refuse from the massive Category 1 hurricane that is pummeling the East Coast were out of luck this week. Flights out of BWI were cancelled and the Maryland Transit Administration is suspending light rail, subway and bus service.

And cruise passengers leaving out of the Port of Baltimore saw their vacation plans disrupted.

"Passengers who boarded the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas at the Port of Baltimore Friday evening looked forward to a five-night cruise to Bermuda," writes WBAL TV. "Instead, they left Baltimore five hours late for a ride to the lower Chesapeake Bay near Cape Henry, Va. The excursion became a 'cruise to nowhere' making no stops," the story says. The article was picked up by MSNBC.com.

WBAL Radio Hosts Chat With BmoreMedia Writer Dara Bunjon

WBAL Radio Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Last month, local food blogger Dara Bunjon wrote an extremely popular story that highlighted dining destinations on the Charm City Circulator Banner Route.

Mary Beth Marsden of 1090 AM WBAL Radio asked Bunjon how she got the idea for the story and to name some of the highlights of her culinary tour on wheels. The journey took her from Locust Point to the Inner Harbor. You can listen to the interview here.

Bunjon authors the Dining Dish blog and is the Baltimore Dining Examiner for Examiner.com

Environmental News Site Names Baltimore "Ideal" Travel Destination

Mother News Network Tuesday, January 10, 2012

A website that covers environmental news has recognized Baltimore as its destination of the week.

Mother Nature Network says Baltimore -- once a "victim of Rust Belt decay -- is now an "ideal East Coast destination." The article highlights eco-friendly retail outlets, LEED-certified hotels and restaurants that serve dishes sourced from local farms.

"Like other aged East Coast cities such as Philadelphia and Boston, Baltimore has walkable historic sightseeing routes," Mother Nature Network writes. "These, coupled with the city's parks, markets and user-friendly transit options, make it a good addition to low-impact travelers' East Coast itineraries."

You can read the rest of the story here.

"Great Migration" Exhibit Coming to Baltimore

Washington Post Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A new exhibit chronicling the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the South to the North will make a stop in Baltimore's Penn Station following a stint in DC.

From the source:

Amtrak is opening a new exhibit at Washington's Union Station to recount the history of the "Great Migration" of Southern blacks moving to the North early in the 20th century.

Between 1915 and 1970, about 6 million African Americans moved from the South to the North. Many left behind rural farm lives for job opportunities in industrialized cities. Many made the journey by passenger or freight train, which provided the connection for Amtrak.

Read the full story here.

Carnival Cruise Lines Extends Baltimore Deal

WBAL TV Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Carnival Cruise Lines recently agreed to a deal that will keep it operating from the Port of Baltimore.

From the source:

Carnival Cruise Lines will continue to offer cruises year-round from the Port of Baltimore.

The line agreed to an extension, which was announced Monday and is effective Aug. 31, after the current two-year contract ends.

Read the full story.

BWI Setting Records

Washington Post Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Even in a down economy, traffic through BWI remains robust.

From the source:

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is reaching passenger records despite the rough economy.

Data released Wednesday showed the airport marked its best first half of the year and 12-month period in its history.

BWI chief executive Paul Wiedefeld says 10.9 million travelers used the airport during the first half of the year, setting it on a path to exceed 22.5 million passengers this year. The airport has set monthly records in 13 of the past 14 months.

Read the whole story here.

City Officials Address Grand Prix Traffic Concerns

Baltimore Sun Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Baltimore residents are understandably concerned about the logistical impact of the upcoming Grand Prix, and last week the city sought to allay some of the fear.

From the Sun:

The city's transportation director, Khalil Zaied, and his aides outlined a detailed plan for gradually shutting down streets in the area between the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards in the days leading up to the series of races from Sept. 2 to Sept. 4.

The event, the first of its kind in Baltimore, has involved the extensive reconstruction of some downtown streets � much to the chagrin of many residents and commuters. But city officials say the event, which they expect will draw more than 100,000 visitors during a normally slow weekend, will more than make up for whatever aggravation it has caused.

Read the full story here.

Port of Baltimore Still Going Strong

Baltimore Sun Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Michael Dresser at the Baltimore Sun reports on a recently released report indicating strong 2010 numbers for the Port of Baltimore.

From the source:

"From 2004 through 2008, the port handled more than 30 million tons of cargo each year, setting a record of 33 million tons just before the bottom fell out of the economy in late 2008. Tonnage fell by a third, to 22 million tons, in 2009 � the port's lowest total this century.

The downturn proved short-lived, however, as the port handled 32.8 million tons in 2010, its second-best year. And 2011 is off to a healthy start, said James J. White, executive director of the port administration."

Read the full article here.

Fitch gives high marks to Maryland Transportation Authority bonds

Kansas City Star Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Buying bonds to fix up Maryland toll roads, bridges and tunnels is apparently a safe investment.

That's according to Fitch Ratings Ltd., which assigned a AA- rating to the Maryland Transportation Authority's series 2010 transportation facilities projects revenue refunding bonds.

The bonds are secured by the net revenues of three bridges and three toll roads and two tunnels. Fitch assigns a AA rating to investments that have a very low default risk. "They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments," Fitch states.

You can read more about the bonds here in the Kansas City Star.

Pioneering research at U of MD Joint Quantum Institute could lead to teleportation across the galaxy

NPR Tuesday, August 03, 2010

It won't work exactly like Gene Roddenberry envisioned on Star Trek, but teleportation will likely be a reality one day. Pioneering research being conducted at the University of Maryland's Joint Quantum Institute, among others, on quantum entanglement could lead to the ability to instantly transport an item from one end of the galaxy to another.

Here's an excerpt:

"According to the quantum theory, everything vibrates," theoretical physicist Michio Kaku tells NPR's Guy Raz. Kaku is a frequent guest on the Science and Discovery channels. "When two electrons are placed close together, they vibrate in unison. When you separate them, that's when all the fireworks start."

This is where quantum entanglement � sometimes described as "teleportation" � begins. "An invisible umbilical cord emerges connecting these two electrons. And you can separate them by as much as a galaxy if you want. Then, if you vibrate one of them, somehow on the other end of the galaxy the other electron knows that its partner is being jiggled."

This process happens even faster than the speed of light, physicists say."

Listen to or read the entire article here.

Baltimore Lightrail an example of successful public transportation

YouTube -- WAVY-TV Channel Tuesday, July 13, 2010

As Norfolk, Va. awaits the launch of its TIDE lightrail system, local television station WAVY takes a trip to Charm City to see how a successful lightrail system operates.

Watch the video.

How will BRAC impact Forte Meade? Let the officials tell you.

The Washington Post -- Capital Business Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Maryland's Federal Facilities Advisory Board, the officials who will pave the way for cooperation between federal, state, government and private companies meet last week to discuss the plans to bring the U.S. Cyber Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency move from Arlington.

Here's an excerpt:

"Everyone focuses on BRAC because that's the big animal, the 800-pound gorilla ... but growth at Fort Meade is a bigger issue than BRAC ... As we looked at this growth over a five- to seven-year time frame -- let's go out to 2013 -- we saw 5,695 [jobs] from BRAC; we estimated [another] 4,000 [new jobs] at NSA [National Security Agency] ... The magnitude of the growth is what really counts here ... At the beginning, this is going to be a mass assault on the transportation system around Fort Meade." -- Robert C. Leib, the Anne Arundel county executive's special assistant for BRAC and education"

Read the entire post here.

Ship ahoy! Royal Caribbean sets sail with year round cruise dates from Baltimore

USA Today -- The Cruise Log Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Vacationers will now be able to travel to Bermuda and the Eastern Caribbean from Baltimore year round on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas.

Here's an excerpt:

"Today is a big day at the Port of Baltimore as Royal Caribbean debuts its first year-round sailings from the city.

The industry giant's 2,252-passenger Enchantment of the Seas is replacing the smaller, 1,950-passenger Grandeur of the Seas, which only sailed seasonally out of the Baltimore port.

Enchantment of the Seas initially will sail a series of five-night Bermuda and nine-night Eastern Caribbean roundtrip itineraries from the city."

Read the entire post here.

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