The Maryland General Assembly delivered both disappointments and successes in pursuit of the state’s climate and environmental aspirations as it moved past the crossover deadline on March 18 — the point in the session where most bills have to move from one chamber to the other to stay in the race to pass.

The Allegany County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved $345,000 for the Infill Development Incentive Program in collaboration with the city of Cumberland. The mayor and City Council on Tuesday discussed the agreement to sell several lots for $1 each to TeaBow Residential LLC, based in Washington, D.C., to increase housing stock in the municipality.

Patricia Bibes still has panic attacks every time she hears an ambulance siren or sees a white “typical contractor minivan,” she says, “and they are everywhere.” It’s been almost two years since Bibes’ 18-year-old son, Enzo Alvarenga, was killed on Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda—mere blocks from her home—but her emotions remain raw, as if the tragedy happened yesterday.

The Maryland Transit Administration is considering major bus route changes that could impact people who commute from central Maryland to Washington, D.C. At a hearing Thursday night, riders shared their concerns with the proposal. “Cuts are reasonable, but not now and not to this level,” commuter Jeff Schreier said.

 

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) is not budging from opposition to broad-based tax increases or iGaming in the waning days of the 2024 session. House and Senate leaders are expected to head to a conference committee next week to work out differences in the $63 billion fiscal 2025 spending plan.

After claiming the title of lowest state unemployment rate in the country last year, Maryland’s unemployment rate rose for the third consecutive month in February. Virginia’s unemployment rate held steady last month. The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports Maryland’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in February was 2.4%, up from 2.3% in January and 2.2% in December.

 

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. spent $443,983 and registered 22 lobbyists to influence public policy in 2023. Its sister utility, Potomac Electric Power Co., also owned by Chicago-based Exelon Corp., spent $647,813 and had 22 lobbyists. During the General Assembly’s legislative session last year, the two utilities were involved with more than 50 bills focused on such areas as energy, the environment, decarbonization, decommissioning of power plants and the state’s climate transition legislation.

There are traces of Andrea Kolbe all over her big sister, Kyra Vocci. A long chain with Kolbe’s wedding ring — an ornate silver band — hangs close to Vocci’s heart, beside a locket engraved with Kolbe’s photo and fingerprint. Tattooed on Vocci’s forearm is a rainbow and a quote Kolbe liked: “There is a rainbow of hope at the end of every storm.”

The former Baltimore Orioles executive and high-profile attorney Peter Angelos has passed away at the age of 94. The Angelos family released the following statement through the Orioles on Saturday: “Today, Peter G. Angelos passed away quietly at the age of 94. Mr. Angelos had been ill for several years, and the family thanks the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who brought comfort to him in his final years. It was Mr. Angelos’ wish to have a private burial, and the family asks for understanding as they honor that request. Donations may be sent to charity in lieu of flowers.”

The Naval Academy admissions office is deep into 15,147 applications, sorting through the fleet dreams of young men and women from almost every U.S. congressional district. And the competition is fierce. There are only 1,170 spots in the class of 2028 — that might match up well with Vice Adm. Yvette Davids.