The Daily Record (Md.)

The rise and ignominious fall of former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Elizabeth Pugh. Her humiliation has unfolded in what feels like slow motion over the past year, and Thursday, Feb. 13, delivered what looks to be the penultimate chapter in this saga. Federal prosecutors, in a sentencing memorandum, requested U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentence Pugh to 57-months in prison. Pugh’s defense attorney has asked the judge to sentence the 69-year-old West Baltimore resident to a year in jail. Pugh pleaded guilty in November to four of the 11 charges she faced in federal court involving conspiracy and tax evasion stemming from her scheme to finance her political campaigns with sales of her self-published “Healthy Holly” children’s books. Pugh is slated to be sentenced on Feb. 27.

Dana Jonson, the Reinvestment Fund’s managing director for Maryland and Washington, spoke with The Daily Record for the Ground Up Podcast in late August at the fund’s offices. She discussed a variety of topics, including the challenges facing projects she invests in and how a potential recession could impact the fund.

Mindgrub CEO Todd Marks talks about how his firm helps multifamily developers deliver enhanced amenities, where that industry sector is headed and embracing smart city technology to close the digital divide.

The Abell Foundation's report on the mergers of city and county governments in Nashville, Louisville, and Indianapolis. We talk with the report's author Jeff Wachter about where these mergers succeed, fall short and why some local leaders are intrigued about the potential of a similar arrangement in the Baltimore region. We also dig into regional commercial real estate news including Rent Cafe finding sharp growth of well-heeled renters in Charm City.