Good news for business travelers: Frontier Airlines is adding new routes to Charlotte, North Carolina, Chicago and Detroit at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Frontier said Tuesday it will kick off the service on April 10 with a new daily flight to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and four-day-a-week service to Chicago Midway. The BWI to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport flight will be offered three times a week in April and then four times a week starting May 25.

According to a more than one-hour presentation by the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center, violent crime in Maryland decreased by 16% between 2012 and 2022, compared to the national average decrease of 2%. During that 10-year span, aggravated assault decreased by 11% and robbery by 34%. Nationally aggravated assault increased by 10% and robbery decreased by 42%, on average.

With a strong core of young players and an exciting season under our belts, we know on-field expectations for the Orioles are as high as they’ve been in decades. As we prepare for an exciting 2024 season, we are also raising our own expectations off the field by supporting important measures to improve the health of our home city. That is why we are proud to support an ordinance before the Baltimore City Council that would prohibit the use of all tobacco and nicotine products, including smokeless tobacco, in Baltimore City stadiums.

The state education board is doubling down on Maryland’s efforts to push the science of reading. The board on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution that would require all schools to have research-backed instruction by next school year, and also set an ambitious goal for Maryland to be one of the top 10 states for fourth-grade reading. “It’s not acceptable that we have more than half of our children that aren’t reading-proficient by the end of third grade, so we’ve got to create a sense of urgency about this,” said Carey Wright, the interim state superintendent.

 

Thiru Vignarajah is joining the race for mayor, a month after taking initial steps to join a Democratic primary that includes Mayor Brandon Scott and former Mayor Sheila Dixon. The former deputy attorney general for Maryland and now four-time candidate for office in Baltimore said he was pushed to enter the race after two major events last week: the latest batch of campaign finance reports from his rivals, which he was less than impressed by, and the purchase of the Baltimore Sun by David Smith, the executive chairman of Sinclair Inc. The Hunt Valley-based company owns and operates more than 190 television stations, including flagship WBFF Fox45.

 

Washington County’s new comprehensive plan emphasizes redevelopment of previously developed areas as a means of meeting growth needs while preserving rural areas. But giving new life to older properties can be an expensive proposition. So county planners are exploring expanded options to help property owners afford it. “You’re talking about different kinds of costs” for redevelopment,” said Washington County Planning Director Jill Baker, particularly when you’re “trying to reclaim some of these areas that have not been very well taken care of.”

The Baltimore City School Board voted Tuesday night to scale back virtual learning by eliminating the elementary grades of Charm City Virtual, despite significant parent pressure to keep it going. The board did vote to create a new virtual school that will serve grades six through 12 by merging the middle grades of Charm City Virtual and the high school program at Port Virtual. The creation of a new virtual school would have to be approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. Only one other school system in the state — Anne Arundel County — has created a virtual school.

Meet Skinny Jeans. He’s a 1-year-old mixwith short brown fur, an old scar thin like a strand of hair across his snout. There’s probably some pit bull and terrier in there, maybe another combination on top of that. But whatever the amalgam of breeds, Skinny Jeans is a purebred goofball who enjoys walks. His hazel eyes plead for love and when he shakes his tail, his whole body shakes, too.

Ronald Reagan famously said that if you want more of something, subsidize it, but “if you want less of something, tax it.” Political conservatives have hung on those words ever since — and there’s a degree of truth to the notion that incentives matter. It’s a major reason why federal, state and local governments routinely tax health menaces like tobacco and liquor at a higher rate than other goods. And it’s unquestionably helpful.

The holidays are in the rearview, the new year is getting older by the day and there are still weeks to go before the first hint of spring. That big batch of soup you made at the start of the week is starting to get boring. What’s a foodie to do? It’s easy to succumb to the winter doldrums. Restaurants typically see a drop in business this time of year as more diners stay home, inspired by resolutions to cook more of their own meals or to save some money.