Oh the signs, they are a-changing. Baltimore’s central business district has been in constant flux since the Covid-19 pandemic with high-profile departures, new arrivals like state agencies, major property value drops and more. At the street level and on parking garages, new digital billboards have also brought a bluish LED glow to the area.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center says we’re in a La Niña watch, with a 60% chance for the climate pattern to emerge by the end of November and with the possibility to persist through March. The mid-Atlantic region sits between the northern part of the country, which can expect wetter conditions that normal, and the southern, which can expect warmer conditions than normal, according to a map published by the National Ocean Service.

Hotel workers at Baltimore’s downtown Hilton reached an agreement with the company for a new union contract after months of bargaining, picket lines and a one-day strike on Labor Day. The new four-year contract includes wage increases for non-tipped and tipped hotel workers and more funding for workers’ pension and health care funds, according to Unite Here Local 7 President Tracy Lingo.

With about a week until Election Day, voters continued to show up early in Maryland — but not as frequently as on day one. Early in-person voting dropped over the weekend as the combined number of voters for Saturday and Sunday slightly topped those who voted on Thursday, the first day of early in-person voting. More than 1,800 registered to vote and 154,233 people cast their ballots at the state’s 97 early voting centers between Saturday and Sunday — the third and fourth days of early voting, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Expert review teams focused on career and technical education have begun to visit all 24 school districts, the start of a two-year plan to help school officials find ways to partner with local businesses and nonprofit organizations to boost high school apprenticeship programs. Under the plan, approved Thursday by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), 26 schools in 13 school districts will be visited this school year by individuals who include members of the state’s Career and Technical Education Committee (CTE), staff with the state Department of Education and staff with local workforce development boards.

 

Hercules Custom Iron will move its operation from Walkersville to the former Flying Dog Brewery building in Ballenger Creek. HCI, a division of Hercules Fence, does a wide variety of metal fabrication for commercial, industrial and residential clients. Adam McFadden, general manager of HCI, said the new location at 4607 Wedgewood Blvd. will enable the company to expand its capabilities in comparison to the current Walkersville facility.

President Joe Biden hasn’t exactly been a stranger to Baltimore over the last four years. Our proximity to the White House and his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with the fact we’re served by Amtrak has a lot to do with it. But we must admit we are delighted he is coming back on Tuesday, at least in part, to tout the success of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Three years ago, the president came to the Port of Baltimore to celebrate its passage.

Dozens of Angela Alsobrooks supporters, many clad in her campaign’s signature green, stood behind an array of Democratic bigwigs at City Dock in Annapolis as the candidate for Senate said all the right things about climate change. “Our children have clearly identified in every conversation I’ve had — from college students, our high school students and on — have listed climate change as an existential threat to their generation, and they’re watching,” the Prince George’s County executive said.

Democrats always knew they faced a difficult political map to retain their narrow majority in the U.S. Senate this election year. Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat opened up with the retirement of longtime Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, but it was initially not considered in play, since voters hadn’t elected a Republican senator in more than four decades.

Communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are rallying to donate emergency equipment and supplies to hurricane-impacted regions in Tennessee. On Monday, Cambridge city commissioners will vote on a proposal to donate an old, unused fire truck from the Cambridge Rescue Fire Company to assist recovery efforts. One local farmer, Jessica Tanglao from Denton, is also working independently to deliver much-needed agricultural supplies.