Of course Phelps is from Baltimore…

Watching Michael Phelps make Olympic history in Beijing reminds me, once again, of Baltimore’s uncanny ability to be connected to big news. Suddenly, news organizations around the world are knocking down the door of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Everyone wants to know more about the “Baltimore Bullet.”  

 

It’s been one of those summers. Just the week before, while on vacation, I got a call from a reporter in Boston saying he’d “heard rumblings” that Clark Rockefeller had been arrested in Baltimore—could I help confirm it? (Rockefeller’s the suspected con man accused of kidnapping his daughter) My first thought—of course it happened in Baltimore. I’ve gotten so accustomed over the years to seeing countless “big” stories touch our region that I wasn’t at all surprised by the possibility of Clark Rockefeller getting nabbed in our own backyard.

 

And in June, Baltimore made its own ripple in this busy political year when investigators with the State Prosecutor’s Office raided the house of Mayor Sheila Dixon—looking for, among other things, a fur coat or two. Trust me, there aren’t many reporters anywhere in the U-S who’ve had to chase a story like that. 

 

I tell folks all the time it’s one of the big reasons I’ve made Baltimore my home—it is, as we say, a great news town.

 

With that, I begin a bit of a new venture with this blog. I’ll use this space for occasional thoughts about stories in the news and the work we’re doing. I encourage questions, comments—and tips! If you don’t want to post something publicly, you can e-mail at: jemiller@hearst.com

 

Hopefully, we’ll be able to add some perspective to the stories we cover and to get our ear even closer to the ground in the community.