Muggy, but not quite as hot as yesterday, with clouds and the chance for storms rolling in later. Tomorrow will be rainy and in the 80s.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced plans for the city to buy lidded trashcans for every household in the city.The mayor hopes that the new program, expected to cost around $10 million, will keep streets and alleys cleaner and reduce the rat population. The garbage can program follows a pilot in Belair-Edison, and an initiative announced last fall to double the city’s anti-rat patrols.
A 58-year-old man was robbed of his car and killed early Monday in the Penrose neighborhood of West Baltimore. Soon after, the stolen 2001 Porsche Boxster was involved in a hit-and-run, with the suspects ditching the car at the crash scene.
Lenny Robinson, the Owings Mills man best-known as Batman for his practice of dressing up as the superhero and cheering up children in area hospitals, was struck and killed after his custom ‘Batmobile’ broke down on I-70 near Hagerstown. Robinson was 51. The accident is still being investigated.
In a surprise announcement, Helen Holton, longtime city council member, says that she’s facing health issues and won’t run for re-election next year. First elected in 1995, Holton serves the 8th district in west Baltimore and chairs the council’s budget committee.
Plans to rehaul Federal Hill’s Cross Street Market have stalled, according to developer Scott Plank. The city and Plank’s team haven’t yet reached a negotiating agreement for the market project – meaning that finalized plans for the space are on hold. Robert Thomas, director of the city’s public market corporation, acknowledged that the process is taking longer than both sides wanted, but believes that the end result will be a better market.
In other Plank news, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank’s new tech incubator, City Garage, will play host to Beta City on October 1st, a one day event focused on celebrating local startups and providing opportunities for entrepreneurs to pitch investors. Beta City will be a signature event of Technical.ly’s annual Baltimore Innovation Week.