MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Baltimore, MD

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice weekend and, if you’re lucky, get an extra day off today for New Years Day (observed). I’ve been off work since December 23rd and getting back to it tomorrow will be rough.

There still isn’t much to talk about in Birdland, but one current Oriole has something to celebrate. Kyle Stowers, who made his major league debut in 2022, turns 25 years old today. Happy birthday to Kyle!

I have thought of Kyle Stowers over this offseason when we heard that the Orioles were looking for left-handed corner outfielders. Stowers IS a left-handed corner outfielder, and he’s not exactly chopped liver. Before his promotion, he feasted on minor league pitching in 2021 and 2022, but his playing time in Baltimore just didn’t translate.

I sure know less than the powers that be regarding the players on this team, but I still wish we had seen more of Stowers in the lineup last year. I am hopeful we’ll get to see him quite a bit in 2023, though his situation hasn’t really changed. He still has to break through the already full outfield of Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, and Cedric Mullins.

But the team hasn’t yet acquired that lefty outfield bat, if you don’t count Adam Frazier (and I do not). So at least there’s that. Give Kyle a chance!

Links

Tigers acquire INF Tyler Nevin from Orioles for cash | AP NewsIf you missed the news over the weekend, recently DFA'd Tyler Nevin has been sent to the Tigers for cash considerations. All the best to Tyler, who was a victim of the Orioles' infield inventory squeeze.

A wish list for the 2023 season - MASN SportsSteve Melewski kicks off the new year with some cheery wishes for the team.

Red Sox hire Kyle Hudson as new first base coach - NBC Sports BostonThere isn't much reason to remember Kyle Hudson's time with the Orioles. He logged 34 games with the team in 2011. But I remember him because he played a part in that magical game on September 28th. When Chris Davis doubled off of Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Hudson pinch ran for him and scored on Nolan Reimold's double to tie the game. It was the last major league game of Hudson's career. Now he's the first base coach for the team the Orioles defeated that night.

Former Oriole and 2022 World Series Champion Trey Mancini is still unsigned for the 2023 season, but he and Sara Perlman had plenty to take their minds off of that so far this offseason. The two tied the knot on December 10th and Sara posted a great pic over the weekend to announce it to the world. Congrats to them!

12.10.22 ♥? The best day of our lives. The best year of our lives! pic.twitter.com/wiQRhr6TVi

— Sara Perlman (@saraperlman) December 31, 2022

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! In addition to the previously mentioned Kyle Stowers, it’s also the birthday of former Orioles Garrett Stephenson and Royle Stillman.

Stephenson made his major league debut with the Orioles in 1996. He pitched 6.1 innings across three appearances before being sent to the Phillies as a player to be named later in the trade for Pete Incaviglia and Todd Zeile. Stephenson turns 51 today.

Stillman, who is 72 today, had 40 plate appearances for the Orioles from 1975-76.

As one might expect for January 2nd, there is a dearth of Orioles history on this date. So instead I dug into the Camden Chat archives to see what our writers had to say on this day in history.

In 2017, Mark Brown looked at the upcoming 2017 and wondered if they were a playoff team. It seems wild now, but of course they were coming off their 2016 wild card game appearance and we did have some hopes going into 2017. They lost 87 games that year.

In 2014, we published a recap of the final game at Memorial Stadium in 1991, written by a CC’er who was lucky enough to be part of the crowd.

Also in 2014, Kevin Ebert focused on A.J. Burnett as a free agent target. Remember those days, when we were always wondering if Burnett would become an Oriole? Because he lived in Monkton! Burnett did not become an Oriole, he pitched for the Phillies in 2014.

RADAR UPDATE (1:30 p.m.) -- The rain/snow line has moved into northern Baltimore and Carroll counties. The entire area will transition to rain by 3 or 4 p.m. Expect a wet evening commute.

(ORIGINAL STORY): BALTIMORE -- It took a little longer to get here than first forecast, but the rain is here.

We're getting reports of all kinds of interesting precipitation out there at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. From snow to sleet, to rain and even graupel! It should all transition to rain by the afternoon. Minor snow accumulations are possible first, in some areas, particularly north and west of Baltimore.

The delay was due to the atmosphere saturating as the storm moved in. Thus, rain started in the Baltimore metro later in the morning.

Meteorologist Ava Marie said there will be a mix of rain and snow with a coating of slush possible in the areas north and west of Baltimore. It will last until the afternoon, changing into rain for the rest of the day.

The winds will pick up in the afternoon as temperatures climb to the mid 40s. The rain will taper off by 8 p.m. with clearing skies and a low around 38 degrees.

WHAT: Wintry mix/rain, becoming all rain and heavy, winds becoming breezy

WHEN: Arriving closer to 11 a.m./noon, quickly changing to all rain through 1 p.m., rain tapers by 8 p.m.

IMPACTS: Wet roads, but reduced visibility could slow travel

TEMPERATURES: Above freezing throughout the event, as well as at night, so no concerns of a refreeze

Video below: Snow falling in Western Maryland

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Meanwhile, in Western Maryland, the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for possible snow and ice accumulations of less than an inch. (Weather Alerts)

Check back often for updates to the forecast!

Weather Talk video below: When will the Snow Train stop in Baltimore?

Weather Talk video below: A winter with no snow?? Is that even possible?

Weather Talk video below: When will wintry pattern return?

Only a few months ago, CFG Bank probably was best known for being one of Maryland’s larger banks (the fifth largest in the state) and one that specialized in health care and, more recently, cannabis lending.

Not anymore.

In the past few months, the 13-year-old, Baltimore -based CFG has made splashy news (by banking standards) in a couple of ways:

Bank leaders say both moves were a result of CFG’s “robust growth” over the past few years.

“The growth saw us outstrip our current space,“ said CFG CEO Bill Wiedel. “Given our longstanding commitment to Baltimore City, we had been searching for space downtown prior to the pandemic, which obviously slowed down that effort.

“We feel that the Baltimore Peninsula offers all the amenities that will allow us to create a showcase workplace environment,” added Wiedel, who was born and raised in Baltimore. “And at the same time, we look at it as a way to support the reinvigoration of Baltimore.”

As for the CFG Bank Arena, which in the next few months will host the CIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament and concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Anita Baker and Janet Jackson, among others, Wiedel said the venture was a matter of timing, prompted by the bank’s expansive marketing effort to strengthen its name and brand recognition.

But like the move to Baltimore Peninsula, he said, the arena rebranding was more than a business decision.

“We saw it as an opportunity to invest in a part of the city that needs it,” he explained. “We are hoping this will encourage others to invest there as well.”

CFG’s planned move won applause from other companies involved in the Baltimore Peninsula project.

“This lease represents another key milestone toward our broader revitalization efforts in South Baltimore,” said Michael Lohr, managing director for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, one of the project’s investors. Those efforts, he said are meant to “engage the community through job creation and workforce development, in addition to providing access to new attractions and events.”

“It speaks volumes that a company like CFG Bank, a pillar of the Baltimore business community, has selected Baltimore Peninsula for its future home,” said Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, whose Sagamore Ventures is a main force behind the Baltimore Peninsula project. “I look forward to working together to build on our vision of impact at Baltimore Peninsula.”

“Since first introducing CFG Bank to the project, we always thought they would be a great fit, given their aligned entrepreneurial philosophy,” said Mark Weller, founding partner and President of Weller Development Partners, another partner in the project. “We are so excited to see CFG Bank moving to this new, burgeoning neighborhood.”

When finished, the Baltimore Peninsula redevelopment is expected to include some 14 million square feet of new, mixed use development, 2.5 miles of restored waterfront and 40 acres of parks and green space.

CFG Bank has always done banking differently, said Chris Chick, CFG’s bank’s chief operating officer and chief lending officer.

“Our entrepreneurial approach to banking allows us to serve niche industries, like the cannabis industry, and offer creative solutions to reach client goals,” he said.

Wiedel said no more surprise moves are in the works for his bank, but added: “As with the naming rights opportunity, we are more than willing to quickly adjust our plans to take advantage of market opportunities to further support our team, clients and community.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Maryland State Department of Education Provides Update toStatewide Spring 2022 Maryland ComprehensiveAssessment Program (MCAP) Results

BALTIMORE, MD (January 24, 2023) – Today at the January Board meeting, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released an update to 2021-2022 school year English language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessment data, which detail student proficiency in the first administration of the new Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP). Following national assessment trends, statewide ELA results signal a return to pre-pandemic proficiency rates with improvements across all grade levels and student groups. The percentage of students proficient on the math assessments has not returned to pre-pandemic levels of proficiency. Maryland math assessment data results also indicate a decreasing proficiency in math as students advance from third to eighth grades, demonstrating a persistent decline in the mastery of math skills evident prior to the pandemic. Although math outcomes reflect national trends of persistent low proficiency rates, the results show that many students are near proficiency levels, scoring in the performance level just below proficient. For example, statewide data indicates that while 24.6% of fifth grade students were proficient in math, 49.4% of fifth graders scored at performance level 2, developing learners.

Maryland students have returned to pre-pandemic proficiency in ELA, with students across all grade levels attaining similar or improved proficiency rates in comparison to school year 2018-2019 ELA performance. Results varied across local education agencies (LEAs), with a low of 21% to a high of 64% proficient. More students in third, fourth and sixth grades scored at the proficient level this past school year in comparison to the 2018-2019 school year. In the high school English 10^th grade assessment, 53% of all students taking the assessment were proficient, an increase of 10 percentage points as compared to the 2018-2019 school year.

In mathematics, student performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, math proficiency percentages for grades 3 through 8 combined decreased from 33% in 2018-2019 to 22% in 2021-2022. In middle school,18% of sixth grade students were proficient in math and just 7% of students who took the grade 8 assessment were proficient. LEA results varied from 7% to 38% of students proficient in mathematics. The percent of students proficient in Algebra I was 14%, below pre-pandemic results of 27% proficient in 2019.

With national data indicating that grade levels were affected differently by the pandemic, an analysis of cohort data provides information on the performance of the same students over time. Nationally, an analysis of test results that followed groups of students between school years 2016-2017 and 2021-2022 in 21 states demonstrated a decline in middle school math proficiency rates 3-4 times greater than the decline in ELA. Following cohorts of students over time in Maryland, ELA proficiency has increased 4-5 percentage points between third and eighth grades, while math proficiency decreased by 24-26 percentage points.

“State investment in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, emergency federal funding, bold leadership, and the development and implementation of our strategic plan must provide the foundation and resources needed to overcome the challenges of the pandemic and ensure all students have every opportunity to thrive academically, socially and emotionally,” said Maryland State Board of Education President Clarence C. Crawford. “Just as we saw notable improvements between the early fall assessment and this past spring, we will continue to push forward and partner with LEAs in redoubling our efforts so that all students have the opportunity to master both ELA and mathematics skills for success in school, college, career and life.”

“As a result of the inspiring work and commitment of our educators and school leaders, we continue to address and overcome the learning challenges that have long existed and were only exacerbated by the pandemic. Even as we begin to return to pre-pandemic outcomes, our latest MCAP results underscore that normal is not good enough, especially for our historically underserved students,” said State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury. “By leveraging best in class and evidenced-based strategies to accelerate student learning, MSDE must provide the guidance, leadership, and support to carry out the promise of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future boldly, collaboratively and with urgency. We must do whatever it takes to ensure that every student has access to excellent education opportunities to realize their full potential at every stage and transition point of their academic journeys from elementary school to high school graduation and beyond.”

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to assess students annually in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school in ELA and mathematics. The assessment measures mastery of Maryland content standards to ensure that all students are progressing and receiving the necessary supports for remediation, acceleration, and enrichment. The newly designed MCAP ELA and mathematics assessments were administered to Maryland students for the first time in Spring 2022, and include four student performance levels: distinguished learner, proficient learner, developing learner and beginning learner. Both distinguished and proficient learners are considered proficient.

All Maryland students participating in the Spring 2022 assessments will receive an Individual Student Report (ISR). This report enables educators and families to better understand a student’s proficiency on Maryland content standards individually and in comparison, to peers in their school, county or city, and the State. The 2021-2022 assessment results, including disaggregation of data by LEA and student groups, will be published on the Maryland Report Card website. Individual student data has been provided to the LEAs, and printed student reports will be sent to the LEAs in March. Results in the future will be made available more expeditiously following the completion of the administration of the assessments.

BALTIMORE, Md. (WHTM) — They call her “Jinx” because she was born on Friday the 13th.

On Wednesday, the Maryland Zoo announced the birth of the female addra gazelle calf, and they’re describing her mom Blanche as an “overachiever”.

Blanche was brought to Baltimore in late fall, with plans to breed her with the zoo’s male gazelle. This was part of the Addra Gazelle Species Survival Plan (SSP) coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). But when Blanche arrived, she was already, umm, expecting a blessed event.

For now, the leggy little bundle of joy is being kept indoors. “We’ve been keeping Jinx warm and dry in the barn to bond with her mom. She’ll make forays outdoors as she grows and the weather warms up,” said Erin Grimm, Mammal Curator at the Maryland Zoo.

While her arrival means the zoo has to put breeding plans on hold for a while, Jinx is a welcome addition both for the zoo and the species. Addra gazelles (Nanger dama) are also known as the Dama Gazelle and Mhorr Gazelle. They are the largest and tallest gazelle species. The animals are native to Africa’s Sahara desert, from Sudan to Mauritania region. The Addra gazelles are critically endangered due to habitat loss caused by natural desertification and overgrazing by livestock. They also face poaching and overhunting for horns and meat, as well as non-human predators such as lions, leopards, hyenas, and cheetahs. Addra Gazelles used to be seen in large herds; today it’s rare to see groups larger than 20 in the wild.

All of this is why zoos and aquariums have adopted Species Survival Planning around the world. Captive animal populations can develop inbreeding problems, which can be countered by moving animals among facilities. This helps maintain genetic diversity so that individual animals will be healthy, which in turn improves the odds of the long-term survival of the species.

The Baltimore Zoo’s Addra gazelle herd currently consists of three animals, Blanche, Mukuru the 17-year-old male, and of course Jinx.

During warmer weather, you can see the Addra gazelles in the zoo’s African Watering Hole habitat, along a path near the flamingos, rhinos, ostriches, zebras, warthogs, and blue duikers (an incredibly cute antelope about the size of a house cat.)

For more information about Maryland zoo, click here.