After posting a photo on social media that I’d nervously snagged of me and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott at a KIPP Baltimore school Christmas party in 2022, I casually wrote, “He’s like what Allen Iverson was to basketball.” When the National Basketball Association imposed strict dress code regulations on Basketball players, Iverson donned durags, large chains and baggy clothing now synonymous with late ’90s and early 2000s hip-hop culture.

Officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, held a news conference Wednesday on their efforts to cut crime in downtown Silver Spring, emphasizing that progress is being made despite challenges that include police department staffing levels. Noting that crime for the first quarter of the current year seems to be trending downward, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the county has seen just one homicide so far this year in comparison to an average of “seven per quarter over the last three years.”

The prospect of an extended General Assembly session seems less likely after House and Senate fiscal leaders announced a budget compromise Wednesday. The announcement follows a flurry of activity between the two chambers late Tuesday and early Wednesday that included budget analysts meeting as well as conversations between the chairs of the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

Every morning, Gov. Wes Moore logs onto a video link for another update on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. What happened in the last 12 hours? What will happen in the next 12? Some of those on these closed conference calls with local, state and federal officials say Moore’s leadership style reflects his 16 years in the Army, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan. He defers to technical experts at the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard, the federal agencies working to remove the container ship Dali from the wreckage of the bridge it destroyed in the early hours of March 26.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, one of the largest not-for-profit health care organizations in the nation, opened space in its Baltimore headquarters office April 1 to assist the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) efforts to help businesses affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The opening of the CareFirst Engagement Center in Baltimore at 1501 South Clinton St. came days after Gov. Wes Moore requested a disaster declaration from the SBA to allow small businesses to apply for federal loans to help make payroll and cover other bills resulting from the closure of Baltimore’s port due to the collapse of the Key Bridge.

The Online Data Privacy Act of 2024, a proposed bill that would affect data collection and online privacy, has already passed the Senate and is being considered in the House of Delegates. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce and several small businesses testified against this legislation with their concerns. “We operate completely online. Digital ads are one of the primary ways we find new customers, grow our business, and compete with national brands, said T|W Tote owners Sherika and Shallon.

Maryland’s $63 billion spending plan for next year is tangled in intraparty gridlock in Annapolis, as Democrats in the House and Senate have not meaningfully budged in the second day of a standoff over whether to pass $1.2 billion in tax and fee increases. Proponents of the tax package say it’s needed to reduce projected deficits not seen since the Great Recession, but House and Senate budget negotiators are about $1 billion apart on how much money they think should be raised.

Prince George’s is a sprawling county of nearly 500 square miles with a huge need for bus and other transit services. Yet hours and times for bus service are limited, with no Sunday service for the county’s TheBus and evening hours ending early, often by 7 pm. With 11% of the population in poverty, less expensive, more reliable and accessible public transportation could serve a broad range of needs.

CSX Transportation has launched a dedicated freight route between Baltimore and New York City as part of an effort to reroute cargo following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Port of Baltimore, one of the most active on the East Coast and the single largest importer of cars in the United States, has been mostly closed since a nearly 1,000-foot cargo ship lost power and struck a support column of the bridge, toppling the 47-year-old structure.

The Goucher College Poll is out, having surveyed 800 Maryland registered voters about their opinions on issues about the U.S. Senate race, Gov. Wes Moore, the direction of the state of Maryland, and the economic conditions in the state. Additionally, 408 Democratic likely voters were asked about the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate.