Sun and clouds, with less humidity and highs near 90 today. The weekend will stay mostly sunny and hot, with a chance of storm tomorrow afternoon.
Friday #newsdogs will be back next week.
After firing Anthony Batts, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and temporary police commissioner Kevin Davis are trying to turn the focus back to the city’s fight against a surge in violent crime. Rawlings-Blake is promising to take a hands-on approach going forward, attending a roll call meeting alongside Davis on Wednesday night and a police command staff meeting yesterday. The mayor’s spokesperson says more meetings with officers and community members are on the way.
That surge? Still happening. Five people were wounded in four shootings over about 90 minutes last night.
Experts say the city’s current problems could make the search to hire a new police commissioner a bit tricky. Batts was considered to be part of a small ‘superstar’ group of police leaders that move from city to city. Here’s why that’s bad for us.
Rumors are swirling that AOL may buy Canton-based mobile ad company Millennial Media for around $300 million. AOL, which already runs AOL Platforms (aka Advertising.com) out of Brewers Hill, was recently scooped up by Verizon, mostly for its advertising business.
Former governor and presidential wannabe Martin O’Malley got tripped up over a phony news story. Making the case for stronger regulation of Wall Street, O’Malley complained that former US Attorney General Eric Holder just took a $77 million job with JPMorgan Chase – citing an article in The Daily Current, a satirical news site. The error was quickly and quietly removed.
Responding to a tough atmosphere for restaurants, Summer Restaurant Week organizers are waiving the $150 fee for participating eateries. Many businesses lost diners during April’s unrest and the week-long 10pm curfew – and tables have been slow to fill since then. The promotion kicks runs July 20th through the 27th.
Tabrizi’s is taking a different approach on Restaurant Week – organizing “Homeless Restaurant Week” instead. Owner Michael Tabrizi and a band of volunteers hope to serve 1,000 homeless diners for free during the week.
