State lawmakers during their third full week of the 2023 session are expected to discuss a new process for filling legislative vacancies and will begin hearing from the governor’s nominees for judicial openings and seats on various boards and commissions. As lawmakers continue to digest Gov. Wes Moore’s budget, Senate President Bill Ferguson, speaking during a news conference Friday, reiterated his general support for the proposal — a budget that’s 2% smaller than this year’s and cuts spending in areas, like private higher education, community colleges and the state lottery to avoid raising taxes.

Ryanair (RYA.I), has told Boeing (BA.N), that if any U.S. customers refuse to take delivery of 737 MAX 10 aircraft, that it would buy them “at the right price,” executives said on Monday. The Irish airline, Europe’s largest by passenger numbers, already has 150 firm orders for the MAX 10, the largest jet in the 737 family, and options for 150 more, with the first deliveries due in 2027.

After 33 years and four children, Baby Boomers Marta and Octavian Dragos say they feel trapped in what was once their dream home in El Cerrito, California. Both over 70, the Dragos are empty nesters, and like many of their generation, they’re trying to figure out how to downsize from their 3,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home. “We are here in a huge house with no family nearby, trying to make a wise decision, both financially and for our well-being,” said Dragos, a retired teacher.

Johns Hopkins University has launched an ambitious endeavor that the school’s leaders say will make Baltimore a hub of the booming artificial intelligence industry. The new Data Science and Translation Institute, announced several months ago and planned for the western edge of the Homewood Campus, is expected to be “the leading academic hub for data science and artificial intelligence – a resource that will bring world-class experts to the Baltimore region and drive game-changing innovations,” said Rama Chellappa, interim co-director of the planned institute and a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the school.

 

Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez, who announced last summer that she would be seeking the Sixth District U.S. House seat this year, has received the endorsement of National Organization for Women Political Action Committee. Her campaign announced the endorsement last week. “As the first Black Mayor of Hagerstown, Tekesha Martinez has leveraged her lived experience and professional experience as a mediator to improve the lives of women in her hometown,” NOW PAC Chairwoman Christian F. Nunes said in a statement.

Two Baltimore County Council members are pushing back against efforts by County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., which they see as a threat to their authority, to make it easier to repurpose aging strip malls and empty office buildings and speed up housing production. The Democratic county executive introduced legislation Jan. 16 to permit multiple-use developments without council approval in certain areas that would be targeted for redevelopment in the 2030 Master Plan. The bill would also offer incentives to developers who build affordable housing.

With a four-day-old snowfall covering the ground outside, Genae Carney sits at a conference room table in West Baltimore with a computer in front of her and an iPhone at her ear, but it is hard to hear the woman on the other end of the call. “Do you have earphones on?” Carney asks. The woman fumbles with something, and asks if Carney can hear her better. “You still kinda sound distant, but I can work with it,” Carney says.

 

Frederick County’s data center work group is considering recommending changes to the current critical digital infrastructure ordinance, setting noise limits and incentives to encourage sustainable practices among data centers. The work group, created by Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, met Thursday to discuss potential recommendations from its three subcommittees.

 

As the CEO of Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, I am compelled to address a matter of utmost importance: the pivotal role that early education plays in shaping the future of many African American boys and safeguarding them from the perils of life on the streets and the criminal justice system. Last year, our school community was rocked when one of our alumni, Jeremiah Brogden, at the time a sophomore at Mervo High School, was gunned down by another student. The unfortunate fact is occurrences like these happen far too often to Black and brown boys in Baltimore and beyond.

Infrastructure in Maryland will get a big boost thanks to $80 million in funding from President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda. Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday announced the funding through two major discretionary grant programs, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) grant program and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program.