For us, safety is non-negotiable. It is one of our core values at Washington Gas. Moreover, while Maryland certainly deserves a lower-carbon energy future, it is essential that we chart our course toward that future not ever losing sight of today’s safety considerations. Maryland residents (not just our customers) rely on natural gas for a significant portion of their energy needs. Natural gas fuels the kitchens of our restaurants, warms the water in our showers, and ensures back-up power for emergency situations.

If you want to see the future of cleanup efforts on the Chesapeake Bay, take a good look at Baltimore. Stop laughing. At first, you might see 92 square miles of aging urban space that few recognize as an environmental role model. Look closer, though, and you’ll find the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, where Maryland lawmakers, state agency leaders and environmentalists see the best path to a healthier bay.

There’s no need, and rarely much excuse, for State of the Union speeches. The Constitution mandates that the president make periodic reports on the subject to Congress, but for much of our history, the reports were printed on paper and read at leisure. Somehow, Americans got by without self-aggrandizing rhetoric, without feel-good guests waving from the galleries, without performative ovations. No catcalls, no members of Congress snapping selfies, no theatrical rending of paper by a House speaker. Bliss.

Gaming revenue at Maryland’s six casinos in February rose after a January slowdown, and total gaming revenue was 1.4% higher than February 2023, at $159.2 million. Among the state’s three largest casinos, only Baltimore’s Horseshoe Casino saw gambling revenue fall — down 8.2% from a year ago to $15 million. Gaming revenue at Horseshoe has steadily declined, with its last year-over-year increase more than one year ago in January 2022.

MedStar Union Memorial Hospital opened a new outpatient center on Wednesday to help patients struggling with heart conditions get care without traveling across different floors in a crowded hospital. The MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute combines disciplines like advanced heart failure, vascular surgery and other cardiac specialties in one place. The 10,000-square-foot building at the corner of Calvert Street and E 33rd Street in North Baltimore was once home to the hospital’s counseling center, now located across the street.

Bike infrastructure in Baltimore has helped make city streets safer in recent years but the Department of Transportation is behind schedule in building a network of lanes, Director Corren Johnson told the City Council on Thursday night. “In total we have just under 37 miles. We are making progress, but not as great as we had planned,” Johnson said.

Frederick businesses can get help with improvements to their exteriors with the approval of a grant program that will be distributed to three business and community organizations in the city. The city’s aldermen approved the $100,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development on Thursday.

 

The University of Maryland Medical System plans to open a facility in Sparrows Point to serve as a base for storing and delivering hospital supplies and equipment. The medical system said Thursday it has signed a lease for and started building a 400,000-square-foot Logistics Operations Center at the Tradepoint Atlantic distribution hub in Baltimore County, an estimated $32 million construction project.

Anne Arundel County — which has pursued innovative ways to reduce gun violence — is partnering with the Chase Your Dreams Initiative on a weekend of events aimed at engaging with and educating young people about the problem. The dialogue on Saturday and Sunday will focus on the causes of gun violence and promoting solutions that help create safer communities, according to the Gun Violence Prevention Celebrity Weekend website.

Is it a tax break or a tax increase in disguise? Maryland lawmakers are again considering a bill to cut the state sales tax — but expand it to include services. House Bill 1515 proposes lowering the state sales tax rate from 6% back its previous 5%. But the bill would also expand the application of the sales tax to 10 categories of services that currently are not taxed, which could include things like accounting, auto mechanics, dry cleaning, advertising, media streaming services and funeral services.