Maryland faces consequential decisions on education accountability, fiscal management, and infrastructure investment as elections and policy deadlines loom.

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• Friday is the deadline for Maryland voters to request mail-in ballots for the upcoming election.
• The article provides instructions for voters who have not yet submitted their mail-in ballot requests.

• Maryland has not yet seen a rise in flu cases, though early spikes driven by an H1N1 variant have appeared in the South and West, according to Johns Hopkins experts.
• Researchers say this year’s vaccine appears to cover the circulating variant and urge residents to get vaccinated now, as the first mRNA flu vaccine becomes available for people 50 and older.

• The Baltimore County Council is expected to vote Monday on a personal property tax break of up to $210 million over 30 years for Anduril Industries’ planned shipyard at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point.
• Some residents objected at a Tuesday hearing to subsidizing a defense contractor, but most council members and business leaders back the $3.7 billion project and its promised 3,100 jobs.

• The University of Maryland Medical System is breaking ground on a $110 million outpatient center in Towson that will bring surgical, specialty, rehabilitation and primary care together in one facility.
• The 112,000-square-foot center at the St. Joseph Medical Center campus will serve about 250,000 patients and visits annually when it opens in spring 2028, part of a broader shift toward outpatient care.

• Republican Sonya Dunn is challenging incumbent Democratic Comptroller Brooke Lierman in Maryland's 2026 comptroller race.
• Both candidates have proposed ideas for improving the comptroller's office, though Dunn faces a challenging path to victory in the Democratic-leaning state.

• Maryland released its latest Report Card ratings Thursday, with half of all public schools earning four- or five-star ratings.
• The Report Card provides annual performance assessments of Maryland schools for comparison and accountability purposes.

• Sen. Antonio Hayes, a two-term Baltimore City Democrat, will chair the Senate Finance Committee, making him the first Black lawmaker in that role.
• The appointment is part of broader leadership changes aimed at reducing Montgomery County influence and rejuvenating Senate leadership with younger members.

• Howard County lawmakers plan to sponsor legislation allowing higher tax rates on detention facilities, including a planned ICE facility.
• The proposed measure would give the county additional revenue authority over detention center operations within its jurisdiction.

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