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| "Better, Safer, Stronger" | November 21, 2008 | ||||
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Dear Friends: Protecting Public Health This week, I was proud to join my colleague Councilman Robert Curran (District-3) to co-sponsor a new public health measure to prohibit smoking in areas around the city's 17 hospitals. The bill bans smoking on sidewalks, alleys and other public rights-of-way adjacent to hospitals, institutes a fine of up to $50.00 for violators of the provision and also requires hospitals to post "smoke free area" signs. The simple truth is that patients with asthma, lung cancer or other respiratory-related diseases should not have to walk through a wall of smoke when entering Baltimore hospitals to seek treatment. To be clear, this legislation is something that a number of city hospital administrators support because they have gone to great lengths to prohibit smoking on campuses; however, they've been unsuccessful in curtailing smoking on nearby public property, which is often directly in front of hospital entrances. This new public health measure ensures that areas around our local hospitals will be smoke-free in order to protect the health of patients and citizens. As you may know, in early 2007, the Baltimore City Council passed the first local ordinance in the state to prohibit smoking in bars and restaurants. With this new proposed smoking prohibition in areas around hospitals, Baltimore City will continue to lead the state in advancing public health ordinances to protect our citizens from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Again, I would like to thank Councilman Curran for introducing this legislation, and I look forward to helping to move this bill through the legislative process. Carnegie Institution's BioEyes
The Carnegie Institution is partnering with the Ingenuity Project to bring the special week-long course to ten Title I Baltimore City Public Elementary Schools. The partners also hope to recruit gifted minority and low-income students into the Ingenuity Project's nationally acclaimed program for middle school and high school students. This unique, hands-on course provides a wonderful opportunity for Baltimore City Public School students to learn about the importance of science and will spark an interest for students to consider careers they may not have thought possible. I would like to thank the Carnegie Institution and the Ingenuity Project for working together to bring this innovative program into city classrooms. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake |
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City Council This Week Monday, November 24 City Council Meeting Tuesday, November 25
Hearing: Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee, James B. Kraft - Chair Community Events Friday, November 21 Free Ballroom Dancing Lessons Saturday, November 22 Volunteers needed to decorate Highlandtown’s Main Street for Miracle on Main Street Grants for Buying Your Home Class Poncho’s Studio Show & Holiday Artstravaganza Cross Keys Children’s Celebration Baltimore's Thanksgiving Parade Book Discussion with Dr. Cornel West Home Safety Conference, “What You Don’t Know Could Kill You” Sunday, November 23 Stony Run Sewer Tour/Stream Walk Lecture, "A Mysterious Wedding Ring: Tracing Personal Jewelry Histories" Thursday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Day ** CITY HOLIDAY - NO TRASH PICKUP; PARKING METERS REMAIN IN EFFECT. ** Upcoming/Ongoing
Unconventional artistic creations made from human hair by Korean artist Ja Young Moon, thru Nov. 29, School 33 Art Center, 1427 Light St., open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-4pm; Thursdays 10am-7pm and Saturdays, 12-4pm. www.school33.org or call 410-396-4641. Homebuyer Education Classes sponsored by Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore, Nov. 29, Dec. 13 and Dec. 18, 819 Park Ave. Time varies. Call 410-327-1200. www.nhsbaltimore.org Sitting Down to Take A Stand: Remembering Rosa Parks, Dec. 1, 10:30am, Lexington Market. Music, performances and a 1950’s exhibit bus. 410-685-0095. World AIDS Day Community Event, Dec. 1, 6pm-8pm, Coppin State University’s Health & Human Services Building, Room 103. The theme is "Leadership, Keep The Promise." 410-947-0700. Wassail at The Walters, The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St., Dec. 4, 5-8:30 pm. Live musical performance, children’s art activity, for children, a docent-led tour and wassail (warm cider). A Monumental Occasion, December 4, Mount Vernon Place, 6:00pm. Celebrate the holiday season with the 37th annual lighting of the Washington Monument. Pre-event festivities begin at 5:30pm in Mount Vernon. The evening includes performances, strolling entertainment, refreshments, and the official lighting by Mayor Dixon. The event ends with a colorful fireworks finale choreographed to music. Info: www.godowntownbaltimore.com or contact 410-244-1030. Downtown Dollar or Less Days, Dec. 6-7. Many downtown attractions offer admission for $1 or less. For a listing, visit www.godowntownbaltimore.com. School Board Meeting-Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, Dec. 9, 6pm, BCPSS headquarters, 200 E. North Ave. 410-396-8709. New Conversations/Conversaciones Nuevas, Enoch Pratt’s Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave., Tuesdays at 11am. Practice casual conversation for beginning English and Spanish speakers, 410-396-1580. Food Assistance provided by Project 100, an initiative of the Baltimore City Housing Community Action Partnership and New Psalmist Baptist Church, to help families with food security for 30 days in order to pay down other bills. It’s for residents of 21217, 21216, 21201, 21223, or 21229 who have children and do not receive food stamps or a utility subsidy from Section 8. 410-396-0893 Baltimore City Community College Launches Accelerated Associates Degree Program for Spring 2009. Baltimore City Community College has a new accelerated program for African American males to earn an Associate of Arts degree in one year. The program is entitled the "Quest." Orientation on Dec. 3, BCCC Liberty campus, 2901 Liberty Heights Ave., Gaare Auditorium, 6pm. Info: 410-462-7745 Open Minds is Creative Alliance's free book-based after school program. New visual and performing arts courses, including mural painting, photography, music production and breakdancing are beginning at Wolfe Street Academy, Hampstead Hill, Collington Square and with EBLO-Mi Segunda Casa at John Ruhrah. Call Karen Summerville at 410-276-1651. Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore offers Homebuyers Education Classes NHS Baltimore is a small non-profit organization that helps sustain and create homeownership opportunities through customized lending and consumer education in the Baltimore region. NHS is offering homebuyer education classes through December. For class schedules and registration call 410-327-1200, x135. www.nhsbaltimore.org Conserve energy, save money and protect the environment with BGE’s PeakRewards program. If you have central air conditioning or an electric heat pump, you could save up to 15% year round in energy costs. www.bgesmartenergy.com/peakrewards Power of Parents and Partners in School (P.O.P.S. Program) is a new program to encourage and address the needs of students who are expecting or parenting teens who have dropped out and want to return to school. Developed by the Laurence G. Paquin School. 410-396-9398/9399. Baltimore Speaks Out! Program, a great opportunity for children ages 11-15 to learn about video/film production. Offered at Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Herring Run branch, 3810 Erdman Ave. 410-338-0947. Free. |
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This morning, I had the opportunity to visit Yorkwood Elementary School to observe the BioEYES classroom where students will count and graph zebra fish embryos. The five-day embryology course, developed by the 
On Saturday, November 8, nearly 200 students from across Baltimore City came together and made music during the Baltimore School for the Arts’ (BSA) annual TWIGS Side-by-Side concert. During the event, BSA high school music students performed alongside students from the school’s after-school program TWIGS (To Work in Gaining Skills) and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s (BSO) OrchKids program.