Kids can be on their best behavior this summer and this Maryland police department will still issue them a ticket. But that’s not bad news because the citations the Takoma Park Police Department will write up as part of the Operation Chill program reward good behavior rather than for offenses such as jaywalking or breaking curfew.

 

Maryland will get a visit next week from a U.S. Senate leader whose committee is considering a bill to pay for the replacement of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is tentatively planning an on-site visit next week, 11 News has learned.

 

In a somewhat unusual move, Maryland’s top housing official voiced concerns before the Baltimore County Council passed a bill earlier this month designed to prevent and mitigate overcrowding in public schools. Advanced with a 4-2 vote, the policy requires housing developers to obtain approval from an established “public school capacity committee” before they can build in overcrowded school districts.

The U.S. Senate campaigns in Maryland for both the Republican and Democratic candidates have confirmed debating in the fall, but history shows the when and where can vary. Former Gov. Larry Hogan’s campaign announced last month it accepted two invitations to debate before the scheduled general Election Day in November, according to a release from the Republican’s campaign.

The massive ships are going to keep coming. Baltimore’s shipping channel has been at least partially blocked since March 26, when the cargo ship Dali decimated the Francis Scott Key Bridge. After months of cleanup and marine traffic workarounds using temporary channels, the Coast Guard tentatively planned to fully reopen the waterway Monday.

 

Maryland is officially teaming up with the federal government to advance the state’s and country’s offshore wind energy goals. Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other officials met Friday morning in Annapolis to sign a memorandum of understanding focused on offshore wind development.

America’s employers added a strong 272,000 jobs in May, accelerating from April and a sign that companies are still confident enough in the economy to keep hiring despite persistently high interest rates. Last month’s sizable job gain suggests that the economy is still growing steadily, propelled by consumer spending on travel, entertainment and other services. U.S. airports, for example, reported near-record traffic over the Memorial Day weekend.

Across Maryland, local governments are facing tough choices as they finalize their budgets for the coming fiscal year. A statewide mandate to upgrade K-12 public schools — along with a desire not to raise taxes on inflation-weary consumers — is a common lament in counties large and small. But in Baltimore, the stakes may be highest of all. (Photo: Baltimore Sun)

There are a series of hilariously familiar memes on Pinterest contrasting packed lunches on the first day of school versus the last. They all follow the same theme: Kids begin the year with exquisitely assembled bento boxes of fresh fruit, charcuterie and fancy sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and end it with half a cheese stick, a smushed donut and the remnants of the last bag of chips.

When the Francis Scott Key Bridge was struck by a cargo ship and collapsed in March, the discussion of aging infrastructure was soon at the center of media coverage and public discourse. Specifics about how six construction workers died in the accident and even their identities appeared to become secondary. We would eventually find out that at the time of the accident, communication between the workers and emergency responders was clearly lacking.