In his inaugural column today, The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd crows that he is “all smiles” because, after years of writing a features column, he has finally become a sports columnist:

“There comes a point in every man’s life when he sits back, puts his feet up on the desk and thinks: How can I get a gig doing something I love that involves no heavy lifting?

Ladies and gentlemen, I have found that gig.

So let’s get the introductions out of the way first, shall we?

The name is Kevin Cowherd, and after years of writing a features column for The Baltimore Sun, I switch over today to writing a sports column.”

The fact that Cowherd earned this role solely because two excellent columnists, Rick Maese and David Steele, were laid off two weeks ago does not seem seem to dampen his enthusiasm in the slightest. At best, it is tone-deaf of Cowherd to rejoice in his good fortune while so many of his colleagues—and fellow Baltimoreans—are lamenting the brutal round of firings The Sun has just endured. At worst, it is cruel, specifically to Maese and Steele. Given the state of the newspaper industry in general, Cowherd, a veteran newsman, should have the decency to celebrate his personal victory in private.

-Evan Serpick

[photo courtesy of The Sun]

I can’t be sure, but I have a strong suspicion that Governor Martin O’Malley’s newfound concern for the use of illegal cell phones in prisons was sparked by Tricia Bishop’s fantastic April 26th story in the Baltimore Sun with the headline “Murder on Call: The cell phone calls bounced from the drug-dealing streets of Baltimore to the city jail to a home in Rosedale to arrange the killing of a witness to murder.”

In 2,000 words—a length unthinkable for most blogs or TV networks—Bishop expertly unspooled the complicated tale of Carl Lackl, who was killed because he had witnessed a murder and agreed to testify about it. Bishop carefully laid out the motivations and circumstances of each of the dozen or so characters in a rich, detail-filled story, which turns on cell phone calls made to and from an inmate at the city jail.

A week after the story appeared, O’Malley sent a letter to Senator Barbara Mikulski asking for federal help to test technology that would jam cell phone signals from within city jails and state prisons to prevent witness intimidation and retaliation. The issue has since been catapulted into the national arena, and the Federal Communications Commision could act on the request in the next several months.

As I say, I don’t know for sure what O’Malley’s motivation was for taking action now, but Bishop’s story certainly painted a vivid picture of how prisoner access to cell phones can prove deadly, one that convinced me, likely thousands of other Marylanders, and possibly even our Governor, that action was necessary.

As the Sun—and all newspapers—struggle with economic woes, layoffs, and potential extinction, it’s worth remembering incidents like this, when an active, engaged journalist acting on behalf of the public good makes an indelible, positive impact on our lives. When the newpapers are gone, who will write (and publish) a story like Tricia Bishop’s?

[photo courtesy GiantsFanatic via Flickr]

Our local Olympic hero/meathead has often mentioned his love of hip-hop and rappers like Young Jeezy and Lil’ Wayne, so he must have been waving his flippers in delight upon hearing that, in a Cigar Aficionado cover story (!), no less a hip-hop luminary than Jay-Z defended him over Bongphotogate, saying he was just a kid:

“You look at all these people who graduated from Princeton and Harvard, who are supposed to be pillars of the community—every day [they’re] in the newspaper arrested for some kind of financial fraud. Then you look at someone like Michael Phelps. He’s 23. What’s he gonna do? He’s a kid. He’s going to experiment.”

Let’s just hope Phelps doesn’t experiment with actually rapping: That “kid” defense only goes so far.

Travel and Leisure magazine is adding five cities to the 25 that already compete for the title of America’s Favorite Cities. Readers have been invited to vote for which five they will add, among ten choices including Baltimore. Our competition includes crumbling Detroit, frigid Anchorage, and eight others.

You can vote for up to 5 cities. Personally, I’m casting my ballot for Baltimore, Memphis and St. Louis, all of which easily beat cities already on the list like Dallas, Santa Fe, and Phoenix any day (I’ve been all of ‘em).

So please follow the link and make Charm City proud.

[Image courtesy of Travel and Leisure]

There has apparently been a lot of consternation about the spelling of a certain waterfront neighborhood named after the historic Fell family. It’s commonly come to be written “Fells Point,” but according to the following proclamation by self-appointed “Town Crier of Fell’s Point” Jack Trautwein, that is an error.

For the many valid reasons listed herein (and the fact that the plaque from the Preservation Society marking the area an historic district, shown here, spells it “Fell’s Point”) Baltimore magazine will henceforth make the switch, both in the print edition and at BaltimoreMagazine.net from “Fells Point” to “Fell’s Point.” Huzzah!

Fell’s Point Proclamation

In behalf of the citizens and merchants of the Historic Village of Fell’s Point, be it known to all that:
Whereas, The apostrophe in Fell’s Point has been a long standing controversy among those who live, work, frequent or write about our historic village;
And whereas, There have been many long and heated debates over this issue in our pubs, on our street corners and even in our meetings;
And whereas, The founding family’s name was Fell and not Fells;
And whereas, Any elementary student of English knows that the apostrophe is the correct form for any possessive noun;
And whereas, Recent research indicates clearly that in 1762 Edward Fell utilized the apostrophe “S” in his advertisement in the “Maryland Gazette” announcing his newly surveyed village lots;
And whereas, And whereas succeeding advertisements by the Fell family always used the apostrophe “S”;
And whereas, The apostrophe was eliminated in recent history by bureaucrats who knew no better;
And whereas, An unofficial poll of the “Baltimore Sun” favored the use of the apostrophe “S” by a two to one margin;
And finally, whereas, This earth shaking controversy need now be put to rest.

Therefore, On this the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord, 2008, be it
proclaimed that the correct spelling of Fell’s Point be with the apostrophe “S”!

Jack Trautwein
Town Crier of Fell’s Point

[photo courtesy wallyg via Flickr.com]

The mom of our local Olympic hero has been on a little New York media tour this week, promoting her new book A Mother For All Seasons. You may have seen her on the Today show or Access Hollywood talking about the book, which mostly tells her story of raising the 8-time gold medalist, and briefly touches on the controversy that erupted when a photo of Phelps using a bong came out last year.

“I could not have been more proud of how Michael dealt with the onslaught, taking full responsibility for his actions,” she writes of that incident.

Turns out Michael was in town this week too. On Monday, he was spotted here in Bmore, downing a steak at Sullivan’s, but by yesterday, he was apparently up in the Big Apple, keeping his mom company. “Michael is in New York to be with his mama, of course,” Debbie told the New York Daily News. “He’s actually back in training right now.”

If that’s true, I want to train with that dude.

According to several media reports, Phelps was spotted last night at New York club Marquee downing bottles of vodka and occasionally yelling “Shots!” with his cocktail waitress girlfriend Caroline (Caz) Pal, before heading to another club, Tenjune, where he reportedly reaked of marijuana.

I think we can assume the younger Phelps was not with his mama at that particular moment.

[photo courtesy of HarperCollins]

We live close to a light rail stop and I’ve started to use it a lot lately, particularly to get to events at 1st Mariner Arena. I’m happy to say, it’s been great, convenient, very quick, and efficient. But it’s got me wondering: Does anyone (but me) pay to ride?

Each time I go to the station, I dutifully go to the kiosk, buy a ticket, and hold it as I get on the train, ride, and get off the train. No one has ever checked that I have a ticket nor does there seem to be any mechanism to do so. Someone said they’ve heard the MTA does random checks, but no one I’ve spoken with has ever seen that happen. I’m starting to feel like a dupe for plugging my money into those machines.

I have seen other people buying tickets at the kiosks, but I also often see people just walk up and get on the train. What’s to stop them? (In fairness, they might have weekly/monthly passes or earlier-purchased tickets.) I get the sense that many people avoid taking the light rail because of safety fears (though I have never felt unsafe, even with my toddler). It would seem the MTA could quell those fears—and increase revenue to boot—by installing some type of mechanism to make sure people pay to ride.

Thoughts?

 [photo courtesy of Gavin St. Ours]

(Kids outside a rally against Keswick’s proposed eldercare facility in Roiland Park last summer)

After seemingly endless rounds of battle with community activists in Roland Park, Keswick Multi-Care Center has withdrawn its bid to build an eldercare facility on 17 acres it had agreed to buy from the Baltimore Country Club.

The move came after Keswick CEO Libby Bowerman (previously interviewed on the issue by Eyes on the Street) became convinced that the rezoning legislation required for the project to move forward, called a Planned Unit Development or P.U.D., would not be introduced. City Council members and the mayor had agreed not to introduce the bill, thanks largely to the efforts of the Roland Park Civic League and its president, Philip Spevak (also interviewed in Eyes on the Street).

“Of course the neighborhood opposition to the project has been a piece of that,” Bowerman said, explaining Keswick’s decision. “Some City Council reps came out very early in the discussion that they would support the neighborhood position, whatever that would be… We will not be moving forward on the project all.”

On Monday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced the five winners of it’s annual Greatest American Main Street Awards, including our very own Federal Hill!

Suggesting “this historic neighborhood is rapidly becoming the ‘Hip Side of the Harbor’,” the Trust cited events like the Spring Block Party, the Jazz & Blues Festival, and the Street Beat Festival, the revitalized business district (with a vacancy rate that has dropped from a high of 20 percent to the current 4 percent), and the development of the city’s premier retail and entertainment hub, “a feat recognized by Baltimore Magazine, which recently named Federal Hill ‘Baltimore’s Best Shopping Neighborhood’.” (Thanks for the shout-out, Trust).

(photo by Linda Glisson, courtesy of National Trust for Historic Preservation)

(Photo by Dottie Dowling)

In the two years that Dottie Dowling has been feeding and photographing the foxes that wander around her Ruxton home, her neighbors have come up with many reasons why she should stop.

“The first thing people say is that foxes who come out in the daytime have rabies, which is a misconception,” says Dowling, who has done extensive research about foxes on the Internet. “It’s just that they’ve become urbanized and they’re not so afraid of people anymore.”

People have also told her that if you feed the foxes, they’ll lose their natural hunting abilities. “I’ve seen these guys go after squirrels,” she says. “They haven’t forgotten anything.”

It was about two years ago when Dowling noticed foxes coming closer to her door. Struck by their beauty and anxious to take some pictures, she started putting out leftovers. These days, the foxes’ menu generally includes cooked chicken from Graul’s, as well as hot dogs and dog biscuits.

Dowling’s neighbors aren’t the only ones unhappy about her fox-feeding habits. “My dog hates it,” she says. “He’s just jealous.”