Countering county and municipal government officials who’ve tried to limit the number of cannabis shops in their jurisdictions, the state Senate on Thursday voted to rein in local restrictions. Senate Republicans and county officials have contended that the policy usurps local control, and some state and local Democrats representing Prince George’s County have said they’re concerned about a proliferation of dispensaries in jurisdictions with a high concentration of liquor stores and smoke shops.

One of Greater Baltimore’s fastest-growing credit unions will get even bigger following its planned acquisition of a rival firm. Bel Air’s Freedom Federal Credit Union announced plans to acquire Atlantic Financial Federal Credit Union. Freedom’s acquisition of the Hunt Valley credit union is expected to close before the end of the year and is still pending regulatory approval and a member vote.

Senate hopeful Rep. David Trone (D) used a racial slur during a congressional budget hearing Thursday and later apologized, saying he misspoke and did not know what the word meant. Trone dropped a derogatory word for Black people into a brief speech praising President Biden’s tax proposals toward the end of a friendly exchange with the director of the Office of Budget and Management.

The race for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat is heating up. One day after a Washington Post poll was released, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks’ campaign released a new ad focusing on her work as a former prosecutor. In the ad, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates endorses Alsobrooks to fill the seat of current U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, who is not seeking re-election.

Life with Sybil DiMaggio was, in a nutshell, energetic. Days would start with music blasting in the house — the construction inspector and her husband, George Durm, bonded over their love for the rock band 311 — and would continue with gardening and canning activities, her husband said. She was “outdoorsy” with her personal and professional life, doing mosquito control and municipal jobs for a while before continuing to her work on the highway.

The climate crisis isn’t on the horizon — it’s already upon us. Its effects are evident daily, impacting our communities, economy, and even national security. It’s imperative that we push our leaders to take decisive action. Gov. Wes Moore, who has championed environmental causes, and has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to working with and listening to communities throughout our state, can take action today to help our state, and the nation, address this crisis at the size and scope needed. He can do so by making plans to take advantage of a new rule that was recently issued by the Biden administration.

 

Baltimore is not alone. Pretty much every city on the water has grappled with how to best use the land near the lakes, rivers and harbors that were often the original reason for their creation. The stakes are particularly high in postindustrial cities like Baltimore that have realized the immense value of turning former sites of industry into public space for everyone, said Mac McComas, the senior program manager of the 21st Century Cities initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

A county-by-county breakdown shows Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs of D.C. are generally much healthier than the national average. The 2024 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, looks at why there are differences in health within and across communities.

A 13-year veteran of the Maryland General Assembly is leaving her post in May after just one year in the Maryland Senate. Sen. Ariana B. Kelly (D-Montgomery) announced Wednesday night that she will leave the Senate to become the executive director of the Maryland Commission for Women, beginning on May 6.

 

The Maryland General Assembly is a bit like two parents who gave the kids every toy they wanted for Christmas, charging everything on credit cards. Now, they are wondering how they will pay the bills. It is always easier to spend than to pay, just as it is easier to vote for spending than it is to vote to tax people to get the money. The problem is rearing its ugly head now in the General Assembly, with the House of Delegates and the state Senate at odds.