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WYPR's Fraser Smith toured Baltimore with M.J. "Jay" Brodie, former Baltimore Housing Commissioner and former President of the Baltimore Development Corporation. Brodie--and other voices--provide perspective on Baltimore's efforts to rebuild and re-energize.

00000176-770f-dc2f-ad76-7f0fae420000In 2014, Maryland voters have several big choices to make. Election results will determine a lot of what happens in the state for the next four years. There are statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller. Several county executive seats are in play. Every seat in the state legislature will be on the ballot, as will Maryland’s eight congressional seats. Maryland's two U.S. Senators, however, get a break; neither is up for re-election.WYPR will be covering many of these races. We will be updating this page with information and stories. The primary election is June 24. The general election is November 4.You must register by June 3 2014, to vote in the primary. You must register by October 14 to vote in the general election. According to the Maryland Board of Elections, you can register in person in a number of places, including state and local board of elections offices, the MVA, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and all public institutions of higher education.To register to vote online, go here.Find your polling place here.Early voting for the primary begins June 12. Every locality in Maryland has at least one early voting center. Find an early voting center here.The Governor’s RaceThe Washington Post’s John Wagner has a good breakdown of candidates who are running for governor, thinking about it, or considered it and decided to pass.

Baltimore, like many older cities in America, has a problem with vacant houses that often stretch on for blocks, creating urban blight that depresses property values, stymies redevelopment efforts and serves as a hub for crime.In this series, WYPR examines the issues behind the problem and the efforts to find solutions.Deconstructing Vacants is made possible by a grant from the Goldseker Foundation.00000176-770f-dc2f-ad76-7f0fae570000

Seventh grade Baltimore County teacher Danielle MillerThe first day of school can be a confusing time for students and administrators, but even more so for rookie teachers straight out of college. That first year is when many decide whether they are cut out for a teaching career. According to the National Education Association, nearly half of all teachers quit the profession within the first five years. In this series, “Ms. Miller’s Class, Established 2013,” WYPR’s Gwendolyn Glenn occasionally checks in with Danielle Miller, a first-year, seventh-grade science teacher at Holabird Middle School in Baltimore County.

Facilitator Katie Kolacki gives teachers pointers on how to incorporate the Common Core in their reading/English language arts classes during a training session in Rockville.After a year of teaching to the controversial Common Core standards, administrators and educators are still working out the kinks in the more rigorous standards for math and English Language Arts. Some scholars and educators praise the Common Core, while others are not sure if they are on board with the required changes.Over the next few months, WYPR’s Gwendolyn Glenn will explore the experiences of a variety of players affected by the standards and look at continuing training for teachers who are on the front lines of this education transformation in the series “Common Core: A Work in Progress.”

There was a time when Bethlehem Steel’s gigantic plant at Sparrows Point dominated life and the economy on the lower east side of Baltimore County. Everybody knew somebody who worked "downa Point." But those days are gone. The plant is shuttered and nearby businesses struggle to stay alive.Now, there are plans afoot to clean up the environmental mess left behind, develop the 3,100 acres for new businesses and breathe life back into the region’s all but moribund economy. In this series, WYPR reports on the plans, the clean-up effort and the promise of a better future.Sparrows Point: Planning A RebirthSparrows Point: Cleaning Up After A Century Of Making SteelSparrows Point: Hoping For The Return Of The Good Times

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