The Maryland Senate race is already the third most expensive Senate race in the country — and it’s about to get more expensive. MoveOn.org, a political action committee that supports progressive candidates, announced Wednesday that it will endorse Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.

As planning continues for the redevelopment of Harborplace, a walk along the Inner Harbor Promenade highlights efforts to attract more visitors to Baltimore’s waterfront in the meantime. “Shade stations” were recently installed near the Inner Harbor Amphitheater to give respite on hot days. This week, Inner Harbor visitors relaxed on the Adirondack chairs that sit under wooden pergolas. The structures are also bordered by Chesapeake Bay native plants.

One alarming aspect of the current crime wave is the dramatic increase of both violent and property crime in areas of Maryland that have not seen similar surges in the past. That’s exactly what is happening in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, which are suffering from rapid increases in rates of violent crimes, carjackings and robberies.

Stella Stakolosa grinned when she saw the image projected on the screen Tuesday morning in a classroom at College Park Academy, a charter high school in Riverdale Park, Md. “Mom, it says Stella!” the young girl exclaimed to her mother, Megan Stakolosa. Stella pumped her fist. Stella, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, was the center of attention at the school where about 20 high school juniors and seniors spent the past semester working on a project to help her play lacrosse, her favorite sport.

 

About 150 Southwest Airlines flights in and out of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport were delayed Wednesday because of what the airline described as a power outage at one of its data centers. Southwest Airlines confirmed delays were caused because of the power failure in the Dallas, Texas, area.

 

First responders deal with traumas daily. They witness the aftermath of terrible car crashes. They hear desperate calls for help on the other end of a call. They see families devastated after a fire destroys their homes. They call loved ones to share terrible news. It is not an easy job to have and to answer that call every shift.

In the fall of 2020, incoming mayor Brandon Scott surprised environmental groups and disappointed community leaders by reneging on a campaign promise to support ending the city’s practice of sending trash to a highly polluting incinerator in South Baltimore. He said opposing the renewal of the city’s 10-year contract with the owners of the incinerator (commonly known as BRESCO) was impractical.

The jury in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial finished its first day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict after meeting for more than four-and-a-half hours. Jurors will return on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET to resume deliberations, but the 12 men and women will also again hear from Judge Juan Merchan.

The Maryland Board of Public Works is set to approve an engineering contract of up to $100 million to advance the east-west Red Line transit project in Baltimore at a meeting next week. With approval next Wednesday from the Board of Public Works — comprising the governor, comptroller and treasurer — the state can move ahead with planning and engineering tasks for the Red Line.

A former top fire department official in both Prince George’s County in Maryland and the City of Alexandria in Virginia is the pick to be the next fire chief in Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has nominated Corey Smedley to lead the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service after his last pick was abruptly withdrawn from consideration earlier this year.