Navy Chooses Baltimore for Commissioning Newest Ship

Published June 9th from The Baltimore Banner

The USS Carl Levin, a guided missile destroyer and the Navy's newest ship, will be commissioned at Baltimore Harbor on June 24. (Courtesy of the US Navy) Source: The Baltimore Banner

The Navy’s newest warship, the guided missile destroyer USS Carl Levin, will be commissioned in Baltimore on June 24. Although it isn’t among cities with a Navy installation, the Navy chose Baltimore for the ceremony to commission its newest ship, demonstrating it still sees Baltimore as a Navy town.

The city has a rich maritime tradition that was rooted centuries ago. The Navy’s first ship, the USS Constellation, launched in Baltimore in 1797. Baltimore has always been considered one of the great shipbuilding cities — the birthplace of the famous clipper ships, for example. In fact, in the 1790s, Baltimore led the nation in shipbuilding. During World War II, the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard built 384 Liberty ships, 94 Victory ships and 45 amphibious landing ships.

Read more from the Baltimore Banner here…

Bald Eagles Hatch at Masonville Cove in Curtis Bay

Photo by: Port of Baltimore Masonville Cove Eagle Cam

Three bald eagles were recently born at the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center in Curtis Bay.

A pair of bald eagles had been nesting in a sycamore tree at the campus before hatching.

It's the fifth straight year the eagles have returned to the area to nest. Four times, they've given birth to eaglets.

“Bald eagles can be skittish when people are too close to their nest, and that isn’t good for the eaglets (young), so public access will be limited while the eaglets continue to grow,” noted Ela Carpenter, Urban Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Access to the pier and trails near their nest will be restored after the eaglets fledge, or are mature enough to fly. That usually occurs by mid-May.”

The eagles’ nest can be seen from the education center’s deck, though visitors are urged to bring binoculars for better viewing.

Or you can view online courtesy of the Port of Baltimore’s YouTube Channel.

“The annual arrival of bald eagles to Masonville Cove is a very exciting time,” said Maryland Port Administration Acting Director of Harbor Development Holly Miller. “For the best possible observing experience, we encourage the public to view our eagle cam online so they can closely watch them without disturbing or scaring them.”

Formerly a shipbreaking and dump site, Masonville Cove was reformed into an Environmental Education Center back in 2009 after the removal of more than 61,000 tons of trash and debris.

Read the full article here.

Source: WMAR-2 NEWS BALTIMORE

Paul J. Wiedefeld Sworn in as Maryland’s 18th Transportation Secretary

On March 2nd, Paul J. Wiedefeld was officially sworn in by Governor Wes Moore as Maryland’s 18th transportation secretary. Secretary Wiedefeld has had a more than 40-year career in transportation that has spanned both the public and private sectors.  He is a former administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration and CEO of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.  Most recently he was vice president with the international architectural and engineering firm HDR where he served as the northeast transportation business director.  This is Secretary Wiedefeld’s second turn-time at Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) headquarters as years ago he was MDOT’s director of system planning and evaluation where he was responsible for preparing the department’s capital budget, also known as the Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) which we still use today.