Central and South Baltimore’s 11th District is home to this primary’s most expensive council race between an incumbent and a challenger. Councilman Eric Costello, the powerful chair of the budget committee who is consistently among the council’s highest fundraisers, faces Zac Blanchard, a political newcomer who is running through public financing.

A recent poll from Emerson College shows a statistical tie between the leading Democratic candidates in the Maryland U.S. Senate race, Angela Alsobrooks and David Trone. The poll, which surveyed more than 1,100 Maryland voters between May 6-8, shows Alsobrooks leading Trone 42% to 41%, with 12% undecided. The 1% difference, while well within the margin of error, is showing Alsobrooks ahead of Trone for the first time.

It’s anticipated that average mobile data usage per smartphone will increase 17% per year in North America through 2029 as more people rely on their smartphones for entertainment, work and school. But whether Montgomery County residents enjoy the benefits of increased connectivity will depend on having the right communications infrastructure in place.

The Baltimore region’s business community has long identified public transportation as a crucial component of our region’s economic competitiveness. A world-class transit system bolsters inclusive economic growth, ensures access to opportunity and attracts top talent to the region. That’s why it’s so important that we celebrate the action taken by the Moore-Miller administration and the Maryland General Assembly this session to make smart, fiscally responsible investments in our region’s transit.

Political campaigns are, by their very nature, theatrical events. Characters are presented — often with personalities larger than life — and a narrative emerges. We’ve certainly seen this throughout the Baltimore mayoral race, but the voting audience was hit with quite an Act III plot twist Wednesday. Attorney Thiru Vignarajah, running a distant third in the crowded Democratic primary for mayor, dropped out of the race and endorsed former Mayor Sheila Dixon after having loudly blasted her as “corrupt” in his campaign ads.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore hosted members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, Biden-Harris Administration’s Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, senior U.S. Department of Transportation officials, and executives from the Moore-Miller Administration to tour the Francis Scott Key Bridge recovery and salvage operations from the Key Bridge collapse.

Three more state agencies will move from State Center into the central business district in the coming year or so. The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) this week issued a request for proposals for close to 90,000 square feet of space to house the agency’s workforce and some workers from the Department of Budget and Management and the Maryland Tax Court in Baltimore City.

Johns Hopkins University plans to replace a child care facility that will be demolished to make way for a massive artificial intelligence center with a much larger facility in North Baltimore. The university presented plans for a replacement building for the Homewood Early Learning Center to the city’s Urban Design and Architecture Advisory Panel on Thursday.

Morgan State University is pioneering transportation research, backed by a $15 million grant over five years from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The research focuses on the development of smart, green, equitable and safe streets for all, using technology to collect data from smart intersections around the campus.