Between January and June, more Marylanders chose to register as independents than chose to be affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties. And Republicans outpaced Democrats in registration during the same period, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. The board’s monthly activity reports show 14,668 more voters listed as unaffiliated since the first of the year, and 8,111 more Republicans. At the same time, the number of registered Democrats dropped by 21,259.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the U.S. central bank could cut interest rates at its September meeting if economic data continues on its current path. “If that test is met, a reduction in our policy rate could be on the table as soon as the next meeting in September,” Powell said. Recent economic data has pointed toward inflation data falling back toward the central bank’s 2% target, while the unemployment rate has crept up above 4%.
The Montgomery County Council has approved legislation designed to cut into the county’s office vacancy rate. The “Make Office Vacancy Extinct (MOVE) Act” would codify and make permanent the program that awards grants to businesses that relocate to or expand within Montgomery County, Maryland. During the discussion before Tuesday’s vote, Council member Evan Glass noted the office vacancy rate for Montgomery County hit a record high this year. The rate topped 18% in the first quarter of the year, according to CoStar, a commercial real estate company.
A longstanding tourism organization in Harford County alleges the local government sought to undermine its reputation and replace the nonprofit after attempts to seek payment failed, according to a new lawsuit. Visit Harford, which became the county’s official tourism marketing organization in 2015, filed the lawsuit Wednesday morning, accusing the county of breach of contract and interfering with business relationships. Under an almost decade-long contract, the county is required to pay the organization $645,000 per year in three equal installments.
Legislative action is needed now to curb deadly police vehicle pursuits. Another death resulting from a police pursuit occurred on Maryland’s roadways, this time in Talbot County after sheriff’s deputies tried to initiate a traffic stop on July 22. Following the April deaths of three innocent third parties killed in separate crashes where police chased suspects fleeing in motor vehicles, Attorney General Anthony Brown called for a statewide standard with clear guidelines that would enhance safety and reduce fatalities.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday will call on federal agencies and Congress to take actions to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States – an issue that has been a major theme of GOP attacks on the administration over the southern border. Biden will issue a national security memorandum directing federal departments and agencies to “work together” and “share information,” a senior administration official said in a briefing previewing the memorandum.
If current polls are to be believed, Donald Trump could win this presidential election. But if he does win, it will likely not be with Maryland’s 10 Electoral College votes. In 2020, Trump received just 32 percent of the statewide vote, and in Baltimore, just 11 percent. Even if independent-minded Republican Larry Hogan wins this year’s Senate contest, Maryland will still be as blue as the Chesapeake.
The project that could become Maryland’s first offshore wind farm would have few “major” environmental impacts, according to an impact statement made available this week. If the offshore wind farm is approved, it could generate between 1,100 and 2,200 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power up to 770,000 homes on the Delmarva Peninsula, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Baltimore County voters will not get a chance to decide whether to expand the County Council by four members. Linda Dorsey-Walker, the chair of the Grassroots organization Vote4More!, said they did not get enough valid signatures on petitions to get the question on the November ballot. It ends a more than two year effort that Dorsey-Walker said excited people countywide.
Hygea Healthcare celebrated the grand opening of a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center in Middle River with Gov. Wes Moore and many other state officials on Monday. Doors opened to Hygea Middle River, the cutting-edge, 50-bed, 30,000 square-foot substance abuse treatment center located at 1210 Middle River Road. The facility’s goal is to disrupt the traditional approach to treating people with addiction.