Recreational cannabis is approaching a $1 billion dollar industry in Maryland. Now, the state is tasking counties with divvying up the tax revenue received from those sales. The Wicomico County Council is preparing to workshop legislation that would create a Cannabis Social Equity Fund, allocating tax revenue from pot sales to community groups that benefit those who have been most impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition.

The U.S. Senate voted, 50-47, on Tuesday to approve the nomination of Maryland labor lawyer Nicole G. Berner to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, making her the first openly LGBTQ+ judge on that court. The vote had been expected to be close. Her nomination had been narrowly approved, 11-10, on a party-line vote by the Judiciary Committee in January.

Before the Ravens 2024 season begins, M&T Bank Stadium will host two of the most recognizable brands in sports: Spain’s FC Barcelona and Italy’s AC Milan. The soccer match, to be played Aug. 6, will be the first international pro soccer competition at the football stadium since 2022, when Everton and Arsenal of the English Premier League played in what was dubbed the “Charm City Match.”

More rezoning could be coming to Baltimore County Public Schools. The Baltimore County Board of Education voted Tuesday to alter the boundaries for central-area elementary schools in an effort to ease overcrowding. The board voted unanimously to adopt the changes. “The purpose for this boundary study was to relieve schools projected to be overcrowded and to maximize use of available space in schools until more seats can be added in the region through the capital program,” BCPS chief operations officer Jess Grim said.

“Crossover Day” in the Maryland General Assembly, a key deadline for legislation to be approved, passed Monday with surprisingly little drama and without the marathon floor sessions the day often requires. The House of Delegates, which came in for its first of two floor sessions at 10 a.m., finished its second just before 5 p.m. The state Senate, which gaveled in around 2:15 p.m. for its first floor session, finished its second around 8:55 p.m.

A handful of new security cameras and a shot-spotter detection system could be on the way to Pocomoke. The city’s police chief asked the city for the additional help at Monday night’s city council meeting. The hope is the additional technology could help, in part, with the departments challenges to recruit. “As every agency in America is finding this with a manpower shortage, you have to be creative and inventive on how you’re going to be proactive,” said Police Chief Arthur Hancock. “Technology, you know, it’s a big part of it in todays world.”

Over the last few months, Ginger Gilmore, 46, has watched the value of her food stamps decrease. She was getting $725 a month, which dropped to $600, then $500 and now $430, she said. She also has a limited income, since she receives disability checks and can’t work due to health problems, something she’s dealt with her whole life.

 

The Howard County Public School System is seeking public input on the national search for a permanent superintendent of schools. An online survey will be open through April 5, Board of Education President Jennifer Mallo announced at the school board meeting Monday evening. “We are looking forward to massive amounts of data collection for that,” Mallo said.

If a plan to revive Maryland’s thoroughbred racing industry by building new facilities in the state with public money and organizing a state-created racing operator actually comes to fruition, a bill will need to sprint through Annapolis over the next three weeks. During the legislation’s first hearing Tuesday before the House Ways and Means Committee, a Republican leader expressed “skepticism” about the financial future of the horse industry.

Have a buck? Then you may soon be able to afford a vacant rowhome in many Baltimore neighborhoods. The offer sounds like a steal, reminiscent of the famed 1970s Dollar House program that helped rebuild Baltimore neighborhoods like Otterbein. But city housing officials have stressed that their plan today is narrower — applying to a small fraction of Baltimore’s thousands of vacant properties.