New rates for hangar rentals and other services at Hagerstown Regional Airport won approval from the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, but without some of the added fees initially proposed, and a new three-year rate schedule for water and sewer service was also approved. Because of increasing costs for services, Airport Director Neil Doran had sought approval to implement fees to cover Dumpster costs, security badges, airport maintenance, after-hours fire and rescue services and miscellaneous operations fees in addition to a 4% hike in hangar rentals.

Baltimore officials say they are working to streamline the transfer of police misconduct files to the civilian oversight group that determines discipline, amid concerns about delayed cases. Members of the city’s Administrative Charging Committee told The Baltimore Sun last month that Baltimore Police had been turning over some internal investigations too close to deadlines for disciplinary decisions, forcing them to cram hours of body camera footage into weekends and, at times, schedule emergency meetings.

Just one week into their general election campaigns, Maryland’s U.S. Senate candidates Larry Hogan and Angela Alsobrooks are ratcheting up their rhetoric on abortion rights. Alsobrooks, a Democrat, stood in the bright sun in Federal Hill on Thursday morning to declare that Hogan, a Republican, cannot be trusted to protect the right to seek an abortion.

The Frederick County Council is considering five proposed amendments to the Frederick County charter, including one providing for the removal of a council member from office and another authorizing the legislators to remove an appointed department head. During a meeting on Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to send the five proposed amendments to a public hearing.

I am responding to David Plymyer’s criticism of my effort to reform the Baltimore County Planning Board. My legislation requires members of the Planning Board to be confirmed by the Baltimore County Council. This change would allow the public to weigh in on a nominee’s qualifications and temperament. The recent decision to compensate planning board members makes it even more imperative that the right members serve on this body.

The state has acceded to public demand to retain all 36 of its commuter bus routes but at reduced frequencies, the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration said in a news release Wednesday. In February the department said it would cut eight routes and reduce service on 26 more, including 10 in the Baltimore region.

The Howard County Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a $2.4 billion operating budget for the coming fiscal year that holds the line on property taxes while increasing spending on public safety and schools. After a month of public hearings and legislative meetings, the council approved a spending plan that makes minimal changes to the one recommended by County Executive Calvin Ball.

On Thursday, the Baltimore County Council is expected to vote on (and likely pass) Bill 31-24, legislation intended to address overcrowded school districts. In a nutshell, the measure would revise the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance to gradually restrict development near schools that are judged to be over capacity.

There are moments when Baltimore is unified and times when it is not. An appreciation and respect for the Orioles and Ravens, for steamed crabs and cold beer, for Maryland history makers from Frederick Douglass to Thurgood Marshall enrich our sense of community. Yet partisan politics, class division, violent crime and systemic racism undermine that sense of pride, of belonging, of shared purpose and unity. (Photo: Jerry Jackson/Staff)

One of the biggest stressors for my husband and me as new parents was the prospect of finding affordable childcare. If you’ve watched the news, talked to parents, or scrolled through social media, you’ve probably heard the complaints. I had, as well, but it was an entirely different thing than a lived experience until the birth of our daughter. The prospect of finding someone to trust with your child and paying them thousands of dollars each year is daunting.