MAYOR  PROMISES  IMPROVED SCHOOLS BUT DIFFERS WITH EDUCATION CHIEF ON HOW TO PROVIDE THE FUNDING   Al Jazeera English films her address for TV documentary  on  Baltimore   BOTTLE TAX TO GO FROM 2 CENTS TO 5   By Alan Z. Forman   With fanfare befitting a president — City Hall staffers decked out […]

  EAST SIDE OF INNER HARBOR TO BE HQ FOR MERGED FIRM Development led by bakery magnate John  Paterakis  Sr.;  ‘cross-border’ utility merger sets U.S. standard   Chicago-based energy giant Exelon Corp. yesterday unveiled plans for a 22-story Baltimore headquarters on the east side of the city’s Inner Harbor once its historic merger with Constellation […]

  JUDGE  DECLINES TO DISMISS CASE   A choice… to be stupid — Henson def. atty.   By Alan Z. Forman   Prospective jurors in the election-fraud trial of political operative Julius Henson will be asked if the defendant’s dread- locks might prevent them from judging fairly, the court decided late today after earlier deny- […]

  HOPES TO RAISE $10 BILLION FROM  SALE  OF  FB  SHARES   Would be 5 times higher than Google’s 2004 IPO   BALTIMORE’S T. ROWE PRICE A PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDER   Facebook’s historic $5 billion initial public offering (IPO) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday names Baltimore money manager T. Rowe Price as one […]

       VoB SELECTS:  INVESTIGATIVE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB   CAN FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER COME  BACK  A  THIRD  TIME? Virtually  all  political pundits  say  No   UPDATE (Sat., Feb. 4th @ 10:30 PM): GINGRICH LOSES 2nd STRAIGHT IN NEVADA Major win for frontrunner;  Romney on a roll   Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ran roughshod […]