William F. Chaney has helped build statues for the Alex Haley-Kunta Kinte Memorial and a plaque honoring Malcolm X in Annapolis. He has also done the same for Robert E. Lee and another Confederate soldier. To some this might be strange mix. But for the millionaire, who has spent millions memorializing American figures of the past, the symbols are a reminder of this country’s history.

Building an audience on TikTok has been a way for Cam Barrett to reclaim part of her identity after spending much of her childhood as an unwitting social media influencer.\ As early as she can remember, her adoptive mom posted about her on platforms like Facebook and MySpace. From intimate details about her adoption to her first period, the private information made public without her permission has had a lasting impact on the now 25-year-old.

Housing costs are soaring. Maryland Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day says low supply drives up both rents and home prices. We ask about Governor Moore’s legislative proposals to boost new construction, spur affordable development, and increase protections for renters.

 

Skyline Technology Solutions, a 20-year-old IT company, is expanding its Anne Arundel County headquarters near Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The firm recently renewed its lease for 29,000 square feet at Aviation Business Park at 6958 Aviation Blvd. in Glen Burnie. At the same time, it signed a new lease for 16,000 square feet at the site. Mike Roden of CBRE represented Skyline Technology Solutions and Lacey Johansson of St. John Properties represented the landlord in the deal.

In a bid to combat the city’s housing crisis, officials in Cambridge are spearheading an initiative that could mark a pioneering move in Maryland. The proposed program centers around the establishment of a land bank, envisioned as the first of its kind in the state. The concept behind the land bank is to address the commonness and amount of vacant properties and buildings that plague Cambridge. City leaders estimate that there are over 1,000 vacant properties, contributing to the housing shortage gripping the area.

Anne Arundel County is the latest jurisdiction in Maryland to publish a map showing residents whether they need to check their home service lines for lead water pipes. It’s not because officials  think pipes have lead in them. It’s because federal law requires utilities to inventory lead pipes in home service lines. “[T]he probability of finding lead in the County water system is low, with our water quality consistently remaining well above state and federal regulatory standards,” Anne Arundel County officials wrote on the county website.

 

A Maryland Senate committee reviewed proposed legislation Wednesday that would require local school boards to provide more transparency about their budgets. Senate Bill 1026, sponsored by Sen. Benjamin Brooks (D-Baltimore County), would require the State Board of Education to adopt a process for the uniform and timely reporting of local school board budget information to county officials and would set guidelines for how budget information is organized on public websites.

The U.S. Postal Service is honoring 10 leaders from the Underground Railroad on new Forever stamps, which are being unveiled in a Saturday ceremony in Dorchester County. Many leaders of the Underground Railroad, the secret network of those escaping slavery and those who assisted them, remained anonymous. But the figures being honored on the stamp include Catharine Coffin, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett, Laura Haviland, Lewis Hayden, Harriet Jacobs, William Lambert, the Rev. Jermain Loguen, William Still and Harriet Tubman.

 

Maryland leaders are taking steps to fill two Republican vacancies on the state elections board — one because a board member resigned after being charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Gov. Wes Moore has nominated Diane Butler to the Maryland State Board of Elections, sending her name to the state Senate on Wednesday for its review and confirmation.

 

Southwest Airlines will slow its growth nationwide this year, but its CEO said BWI Airport will remain a key focus for the Dallas-based airline. Bob Jordan said Southwest (NYSE: LUV) will focus more on improving its financial position and modernizing customer experience in 2024 but still expects to grow at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where it is the largest airline.