A handful of residents of Reservoir Hill were quoted in the story, as well as city official Cheryl Casciani, chair of the city's sustainability commission and an executive with the Baltimore Community Foundation. The story is very well-sourced and provides a lot of information on Reservoir Hill's recent journey on beautifying their neighborhood, as well as helping residents learn ways to save energy as well as money. Wheeler personalizes his story with short quotes from people who spend much of their time tending to the gardens at Whitelock.

This is an interesting read to see how the popularity of farmers markets and local foods is increasing throughout the entire country. The numbers from the 2011 directory compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture was a good way to show the difference in numbers between a national standard for farmers markets compared to a local standard. A few more examples of farmers markets that are staying open year-round or fall/winter-only would help solidify the article, as well as quoted sources to help add a voice. The fifth paragraph lacks substantial specifics. Telling the reader WHICH farmers markets are low key, which markets accept coupons and vouchers, which markets sell "really good bacon" would show the writer's research ... More »

The story only has one source, Councilman Nicholas C. D’Adamo Jr. A story like this doesn't necessarily need more than one source--it is just an announcement that Kweisi Mfume is not running in the mayoral race--but having more than one source would create a more legitimate story. Other than this, I found the story to be concise, with substantial career background information on Mfume.

This is a shining review on a local co-op in Baltimore. Cassie Patton's writing is upbeat and leaves you feeling as if you know personally the people mentioned in the article. The story would have been stronger if it had more sources (other than the co-op members). I did appreciate the inclusion of the information from the FDA: "'one cage-free hour' is actually what the FDA qualifies as a free-range animal." At parts, the story reads as a bit too cute, in my opinion, however, the Baltimore Food Co-op is run by people who know and care about sustainability in Baltimore, which is evident throughout the entire article.

I think this article provides information and a sort of answer for many people who are interested in eating "organic" and "sustainable" foods. Sustainability may have lost its true meaning as more and more people turn to sustainable and organic foods and just assume the meaning of the word to be "fresh," "natural" or "healthy". In actuality, the term can mean different things and Gustafson sought to clarify just that in her article. Her article provides a lot of information from many sources, and though the information could get complex and scientific, she manages to write in a voice that is easy to understand--she leaves out jargon where jargon is unnecessary. Overall, it is an interesting read.

This Urbanite article provides substantial information on the Baltimore Food Makers and their prerogative in advancing sustainability and food knowledge in Batimore. The story is written in an upbeat tone that makes the reader want to learn more about this organization and the people running it.

The tone of the story read as somewhat partial and biased. The jarring line after the photo, "And like many others he will probably be unaware of the thousands of illegal immigrants the island relies on during its sumer season" read in sort of a nastier voice than I would expect from a fair story. The story does, however, give two sides to the story of the young girl being killed in the automobile accident. Another source in favor of protecting the Brazilian workers would have created more of a balanced picture.

This is a well-written review of Living Well's community meeting. The writer did his researched and spoke with a few people at the yoga studio, as well as dug deeper into what the space means to different people.

This story was very well-written and packed with details on the housing market, the city's spending on stabilizing abandoned homes, the amount of abandoned buildings in Baltimore City and the effect these decaying buildings are having on the lives of inhabitants nearby. It is well-sourced and concise, and shows the dangers and truths about living in proximity to deteriorating properties.