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Rona Kobell

Rona

Rona Kobell is a regional reporter covering Baltimore County. Before joining the Banner, she worked as an environmental reporter in the region for nearly 20 years at The Baltimore Sun and The Chesapeake Bay Journal. She has twice been honored by Baltimore Magazine for the best environmental reporting in Baltimore. Last year, she was a Johns Hopkins SNF AGORA fellow studying democracy. She’s also taught journalism at the University of Maryland, Loyola University and Towson University.

The latest from Rona Kobell

Martin State Airport is seen with a coating of snow after a winter storm.
Groups drop suit over pollution worries at redevelopment of WWII bomber plant in Middle River
A dispute over pollution concerns from construction work at the site of a World War II-era manufacturing plant in Eastern Baltimore County has fizzled quickly.
Bestselling authors Erik Larson, Jennifer Weiner, and Percival Everett are three of the upcoming speakers at the Baltimore County Public Library's author series.
Baltimore County Public Library takes a page from the Pratt with marquee author series
The Baltimore County Public Library is taking a page from the Pratt library’s playbook and engaging the public with lively talks, much-needed services and even some parent-and-me desks so you can take your child to the library and get some work done.
A young Pileated woodpecker waits in its nest cavity for a parent to return with food at Oregon Ridge Park in Baltimore County.
7 things to do in Baltimore County includes masterworks at UMBC, nature walks
Things to do in Baltimore County including masterworks at UMBC, hiking at Oregon Ridge, dancing in Catonsville and more.
Leonor and Jose Rivera hold each other as they pay respects and mourn at a portrait of Pope Francis after a Mass at The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore on Monday evening.
Archbishop Lori urges Maryland Catholics to remember Pope Francis by serving the less fortunate
Baltimore Archbishop William Lori encouraged area parishioners to learn from Pope Francis’ legacy by embodying light and hope through service to those in the margins.
A construction worker drives a backhoe past the Berkleigh luxury apartment complex in the Greenleigh community of Middle River.
Eastern Baltimore County is changing. Will its representation?
The Baltimore County Council is expanding from seven districts to nine in 2026, after voters approved the change last fall. What that will look like is unclear.
Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier in January, after being sworn in to her new role.
Baltimore County budget plan doesn’t raise taxes but boosts ‘rainy day’ fund amid uncertainty
Baltimore County’s proposed $4.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 includes no tax rate increases, no cuts to beloved programs, and nearly half a billion dollars in a “rainy day” fund for unanticipated expenses.
Snapshots of cruises at the marina.
How last-minute budget language saved a Black yacht club, and the white one next door
Black steelworkers built Pleasant View. They were not going to lose it.
The Baltimore County Council had made it harder to develop in designated rural areas of the county. The urban-rural line protects the Gunpowder River and county reservoirs, including Loch Raven, shown here.
Baltimore County Council advances measure to make it harder to build in rural areas
The Baltimore County Council has voted to advance a measure that would require a supermajority to build in designated rural areas of the county. The charter amendment will now go before voters in 2026.
Exhibits in the visitor center at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park near Cambridge, detail the life of the abolitionist. The National Park Service manages co-manages the visitor center with Maryland State Parks.
National Park Service restores Harriet Tubman, slavery words to Underground Railroad website
The National Park Service restores language to webpages describing the Underground Railroad after reaction to the changes.
Inside the materials recovery facility (MRF) in Baltimore County on September 7, 2023.
US Supreme Court declines to hear Baltimore County appeal in inmate pay case
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear Baltimore County’s appeal in a case involving jail inmates who had worked at a recycling center.
The old Choate House, photographed in 1989, was a 215-year-old tavern on Liberty Road. A developer demolished the historic property in March to make way for new townhouses.
Choate House was a national historic landmark. A Baltimore County developer bulldozed it.
The developer who tore the historic home down said he also wanted a different outcome, that he even offered to pay to move it to a parcel of land he is donating to the county.
The Letter, painted in 2018 by Karen Warshal, and shown at SPCE, a contemporary art gallery in Glen Arm.
7 things to do in Baltimore County, from dance to drama
Things to do in Baltimore County, from jokes to horror punk and art galleries.
Rashard Mack has been charged with murder in a Parkville stabbing.
Man charged with murder in Baltimore County stabbing
Baltimore County Police detectives have charged a 23-year-old man with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Taejhiana Walker, 22.
State police are investigating the death of Shane Lanham, 28, at Eastern Correctional Institute.
Maryland State Police investigate inmate death at Eastern Shore prison
Shane Lanham, 28, was pronounced dead on Saturday at Eastern Correctional Institute.
Ryan Coleman, President Randallstown NAACP gives his remarks at the Randallstown NAACP Rally at the Baltimore County School Board in 2022.
Randallstown NAACP president abruptly resigns
Ryan Coleman has resigned as president of the Randallstown NAACP amid differences with the state conference over his role.
Prettyboy Dam impounds the Gunpowder Falls to create the 1500-acre Prettyboy Reservoir in northern Baltimore County.
Is breaching Baltimore County’s urban-rural divide ‘the dumbest growth possible?’
As the Baltimore County Council considers a measure that would make it harder to change its Urban Rural Demarcation Line, here are answers to five questions about the decades-old URDL.
Toads don’t wait to reach their vernal pool spawning grounds to get busy. Lisa Lewenz often picks them up while they are mid-mate.
7 things to do in Baltimore County, from gardening workshops to community cleanups
Here are seven things to do in Baltimore County for the week ending April 3 that will connect you to spring.
County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, center, cuts the ribbon alongside local dignitaries and children at Sparrows Point Park on Wednesday.
From brownfield to green jewel: Baltimore County opens $25 million park in Sparrows Point
The park includes playing fields, an indoor gym, and a new playground. It also features a 16,000-square-foot community center and an ADA-accessible fishing pier and kayak launch.
Nara Khakurel at his cafe, Coffee Talk Cafe, in Towson.
Coffee Talk Cafe owner Nara Khakurel already knows your order. He wants to know you, too.
Nepali immigrant Nara Khakurel’s coffee shop in Towson is a nexus of jurors and Baltimore County officials.
Baltimore County reversed three consecutive years of population decline.
Baltimore County population grows for first time in 4 years, new data shows
Baltimore County reversed three consecutive years of population decline, thanks in large part to new immigrants.
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