Last month, Marylanders heard with alarm about a freak set of tornados that took weather forecasters by surprise, injuring five people and crashing trees onto buildings from Montgomery to Carroll counties. We hear ominous weather stories with more regularity these days, and most likely many of these events are a byproduct of climate change caused by greenhouse gas pollution.

Less than 48 hours after President Biden’s halting debate performance launched Democrats into a panic, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was in an awkward position. Pundits and party leaders had floated his name as a possible Biden replacement atop the ticket, and Moore, a rising Democratic star and one of the party’s most persuasive speakers, had to decide what message to give a banquet hall full of anxious Black activists in this critical swing state.

More than 80% of businesses in Howard County employ less than 25 people, according to the county’s Economic Development Authority, and officials are working to support small local businesses by offering two programs intended to lure customers through their doors. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball recently announced two initiatives, Old Ellicott City Summer Bucks and Local HoCo, intended to encourage visitors to shop local.

 

I met Dana Cooksey as she glided into the muddy landing on Spa Creek, gracefully stepping off her paddleboard. It was 90 degrees, and my hunt for places to swim in Annapolis creeks had led me to Amos Garrett Park. This little street end was my last stop on a hot afternoon. As we talked, we couldn’t help but notice the group on the opposite shore, where the eroded walking trails at Truxtun Park reach down to the water’s edge.

The people spoke, and they had it right.\ When positional All-Star starters were announced, only Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman from Baltimore made the cut, but there were Orioles all over the runner-up spots. Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, Anthony Santander and Ryan O’Hearn got well-deserved support on the ballot.

Maryland Correctional Enterprises, which produces and sells goods using prison labor, failed to pursue millions in payments it was owed for the goods and services it sold last year, according to a recent state audit. The Office of Legislative Audits said that of $12.9 million in accounts receivable the agency held as of June 30, 2023, about $7 million had been due for more than 90 days – with some accounts languishing for more than a year.

A female chimpanzee was born at the Maryland Zoo on June 10. Now she’s waiting for a name. The infant will join Maryland Zoo’s three other juvenile chimps as chimpanzees learn from birth how to get along in a group. The baby will join Lola, born in July 2019; Violet, born in December of 2019; and Maisie, born in August 2020 and came to Maryland Zoo in September of that year.

The Apple+ series “Lady in the Lake” spent more than three months filming around Baltimore. Beyond publicity for the city, the production brought cash and jobs to the area, Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday. The production used the state’s Film Production Activity Tax Credit, an incentive of the Maryland Film Office that helps attract productions to film on location in the state and provides refundable tax credits for certain costs incurred during filming.

 

Most medical students at Johns Hopkins University will no longer pay tuition thanks to a $1 billion gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Monday. Starting in the fall, the donation will cover full tuition for medical students from families earning less than $300,000. Living expenses and fees will be covered for students from families who earn up to $175,000.

Governor Wes Moore’s commitment to a “whole-of-government approach to address climate change” in his executive order last month is a reassuring step toward tackling the climate crisis. A major challenge in effectively addressing climate issues has been the siloed nature of government agencies, often leading to a resistant, business-as-usual mindset.