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Issue #96: December 23, 2008

Dear Friends:

The holidays are a time for us to reflect back on all that has happened throughout the year. I am grateful that we live in a city where so many good people are standing up fighting every day to make Baltimore better, safer and stronger.

Thank you for all that you do every day and I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a peaceful New Year!

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
President, Baltimore City Council

Council President Hosts Holiday Motivation Event For Douglass High School Seniors

Last week, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake hosted a Holiday Motivation Event for the senior class of Frederick Douglass High School at Peerce's Landing in Towson. Top school officials, students and teachers participated in a pep talk about High School Assessment (HSA) tests and the importance of working hard towards graduation, followed by holiday fun and games. Students who earned top grades and perfect attendance were chauffeured to the event by limousine. The event was sponsored by Signature Catering at Peerce's Landing.

"High school seniors in Baltimore City Public Schools face tough challenges ahead, and they need our support going forward," Rawlings-Blake said. "With the HSAs now a part of the Maryland graduation requirement for the Class of 2009, we need to do everything we can to help motivate our high school students to achieve."

Frederick Douglass High School in West Baltimore is one of the oldest historically African American public high schools in the United States. Among its many notable alumni are Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court Justice; Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., civil rights activist; Kweisi Mfume, former President of the NAACP; as well as Rawlings-Blake's late father Howard "Pete" Rawlings, the first African American to chair the Appropriations Committee in the Maryland House of Delegates. Douglass was the subject of a recent two-hour HBO Documentary about the controversial No Child Left Behind Act and inequities in American minority education.

"We know which schools and which students need our help." said Joe Bivona, leading event sponsor and owner of Signature Catering at Peerce's Landing. "The question is: What can the community do to help motivate and push students to graduate? I was very proud to help encourage the seniors at Douglass to succeed."

Send us the good news about your Baltimore City public school!

Do you have an exciting news item on achievements in Baltimore City Public Schools?
Let us know so that we can feature them in the President's SchoolSpot. Call Council President Rawlings-Blake's office at 410-396-4804 or send an e-mail to Marva Williams at marva.williams@baltimorecity.gov

Baltimore City Fire Department Reminds Everyone to be Aware of "The Silent Killer": Carbon Monoxide

The Baltimore City Fire Department would like to remind everyone to have your home heating appliances serviced by a licensed professional to protect your family from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Click the link below to learn about carbon monoxide, the danger signs, how to protect your family and other helpful information.

Dangers of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

MTA Offering Special Rail and Bus Services for Presidential Inauguration

The MTA will offer special MARC Train and Commuter Bus services for events surrounding the Martin Luther King Holiday on January 19, 2009 and the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Although it is a federal holiday, on January 19, 2009, the MTA will offer regular MARC Train service on the Penn Line and limited "S" service on the Brunswick and Camden Lines. Commuter Bus shuttle service will be offered from designated park-and-ride locations to Metrorail stations.

On January 20, 2009, all MARC service will operate as reserved trains on special schedules, and tickets must be purchased in advance. Information on the purchase of special Inauguration tickets will follow soon. MARC Train service will operate starting at 5:00am until 9:00 am and will resume service from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm on all three lines (Penn, Camden and Brunswick). Penn Line service will not operate north of Baltimore’s Penn Station. MARC Trains will board passengers from selected stops along all the lines to and from Washington’s Union Station.

On January 20, 2009, Commuter Bus Service will operate shuttles from selected locations between 4:00am until 9:00am and will resume service from 4:00pm until 9:00pm to and from Metrorail stations. For reserved Inauguration Day MARC trains, tickets will go on sale in late December. The MTA advises customers to expect extremely crowded conditions on Inauguration Day, and they should expect to see even tighter conditions as the events conclude. Visit www.mtamaryland.com or call (410) 539-5000 or (866) RIDE-MTA. TTY 410-539-3497.

City Council This Week

No meetings or hearings scheduled.

Community Events

For a comprehensive listing of holiday events in Baltimore,
check the City Council's online events calendar.

Thursday, December 25

CHRISTMAS DAY HOLIDAY NOTICE
No Municipal Trash Pickup; Parking Meters Will Not Be In Effect
Citizens whose regular trash collection day is Thursday are asked to place their trash out on their next regularly scheduled collection day, Monday, December 29, 2008.

December 26-January 2

Free Winter Break Activities at The Walters
The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St., The museum’s Family Art Center will offer free drop-in art activities from 10 am-3 pm. Young artists and their favorite adult companions can make star lanterns, jeweled votive candles or holiday greeting cards. Activities are suitable for children aged 3 and up. 410-547-9000.

Saturday, December 27

A Kwanzaa Celebration
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., 10am-5pm. The museum celebrates self-determination with live performances, cultural films, and art during its commemoration of Kujichagulia, Kwanzaa's second day of festivities. Admission is $1. 443-263-1800. www.africanamericanculture.org

Wednesday, December 31

Baltimore City’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular
Inner Harbor, 9pm-12:30am. Ports America presents fireworks, performances and more.

Cold Weather Tips: Protect Your Pipes

Pipes and utility meters can freeze when the temperature remains below 25 degrees for extended periods of time. The Baltimore City Department of Public Works offers the following tips to help protect water lines during periods of cold weather:

  • Let a thin stream of cold water run from a basement faucet. The stream should be a continuous flow, about the thickness of a pencil. This water can be caught in a bucket or pail to be recycled later as laundry or dish water.
  • If your pipe is frozen, gently warm it with hot air from a blow dryer at the point where it enters your house.
  • Be sure you know the location of the water shutoff valve in your home. Check it periodically to ensure itworks properly.
  • Periodically monitor your sump pump. A frozen drain pipe could result in a flooded basement.
  • Insulate pipes in unheated parts of your house. Be especially alert if you have had frozen pipes in the past.
  • Keep bottled water on hand.

The Department of Public Works maintains outdoor water lines up to and including the meter. Water lines running from the meter to the house, as well as internal plumbing, are the responsibility of the property owner. For water emergencies in Baltimore City, please call 311. If you are outside the City, but in our service area, please call 410-396-5352.

Upcoming/Ongoing

Pet Adoption Fees Reduction, Baltimore Animal & Rescue Shelter (BARCS), through Dec. 31, 301 Stockholm St. Call 410-396-4695 or www.baltimoreanimalshelter.org.

Ethiopian New Year Celebration, Jan. 2, 5pm-8pm, The Walters Art Museum,
600 N. Charles St. World music, dance performances and the special exhibition, “Portraits Re/Examined: A Dawoud Bey Project.” 410-547-9000.

Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore’s Foreclosure Prevention Program offers emergency bridge loans to victims of predatory or exotic lending, or homeowners hit with emergencies such as illness or unemployment. Eligible low- to moderate-income homeowners can receive up to $5,000 in deferred loans. 410-327-1200.

Community Greening Resource Network (CGRN), sponsored by Parks and People Foundation, is accepting new members. The CGRN is an annual membership program to support community gardens throughout Baltimore City. It provides community-based groups access to material resources (tool, seeds, plants, mulch, and compost) training opportunities (green space planning, organization, and fundraising),and networking opportunities for sharing skills and experience among community greeners. Sarah Krones 410-448-5663.

Registration is underway for Adult Literacy and ESOL Program Classes offered by the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, 3501 N. Charles St., 410-261-3518.

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." 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.

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.