U.S. Sens. Christopher Van Hollen and Benjamin Cardin along with Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey, all Maryland Democrats, Wednesday announced $10 million in federal funding for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to construct approximately 50 acres of reefs within existing oyster sanctuaries in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.

“Shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich.” Fans of the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump” may recognize that list offered by the fictional character of Bubba Blue who longed to be in the shrimping business. He was thinking Louisiana.

Brunswick officials on Tuesday discussed Frederick County’s invitation to participate in a program that would secure funds annually for affordable housing and community development projects. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designates certain jurisdictions as Urban Counties, making them eligible for annual Community Development Block Grant funds, which finance programs that benefit low- and moderate-income households.

 

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman vetoed portions of a comprehensive rezoning plan that would have changed the zoning and land uses for properties on Shot Town Road, a historically Black neighborhood on Broadneck Peninsula, and on Ember Road in Pasadena, his first legislative rejections since taking office in 2018.

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced $21.5 million in Waterway Improvement Fund grants for Fiscal Year 2025, including $10.8 million going toward communities on Delmarva. The funds are derived from the state’s one-time 5% boat registration excise tax – and will go toward public boating access facilities, public waterway dredging and emergency vessels and equipment for first responders.

Delays with the federal financial aid form and student loan debt are top of mind issues for many educators when it comes to financial support in Maryland. The Maryland Center for Collegiate and Financial Wellness hosted its fourth annual virtual symposium Tuesday, where more than 100 education experts discussed financial aid concerns across the state and nation.

That is the urgent question of our time. The rapid progress being made on artificial intelligence means that we face a strategic choice about what kind of world we are going to live in: Will it be one in which the United States and allied nations advance a global AI that spreads the technology’s benefits and opens access to it, or an authoritarian one, in which nations or movements that don’t share our values use AI to cement and expand their power?

Usually, libraries offer more than just free books — you can often find free tools and other educational resources. But this Maryland library wants to teach you how to drive without leaving the building. Earlier this month, the Anne Arundel County Public Library unveiled a new driving simulator at its Annapolis branch, located on West Street. It’s run by a desktop computer and three flat screen computer monitors, tilted to mimic the front and side windows of a car.

It’s been only two days since President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the presidency, and already, Harris has picked up an enormous amount of Democratic support. Nearly all of the Virginia delegates who will head to the Democratic National Convention in August have agreed to back Harris as their nominee.

If you’re lucky, Dick Franyo might sing you a Jimmy Buffett song. He owns Boatyard Bar & Grill, a popular restaurant in Annapolis. He opened it in the Eastport neighborhood after moving here in the early ‘90s and then retiring from a career as an investment banker. Together, they have become well-known members of the community.