In the days before Hurricane Milton hit Florida, forecasters were worried it could send as much as 15 feet (4.5 meters) of water rushing onto the heavily populated shores of Tampa Bay. Instead, several feet of water temporarily drained away. Why? “Reverse storm surge” is a familiar, if sometimes unremarked-upon, function of how hurricane winds move seawater as the storms hit land — in fact, it has happened in Tampa Bay before.

Maryland’s U.S. Senate candidates Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan didn’t tread much new ground in their debate Thursday, but we did learn a few things. Here’s a rundown of the candidates’ answers on topics that, so far, have not been aired much during the campaign season.

 

A solid majority of Hispanic women have a positive opinion of Vice President Kamala Harris and a negative view of former President Donald Trump, but Hispanic men are more divided on both candidates, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Hispanic men are also more likely than Hispanic women to say Trump is the candidate who represents their views on key issues, underscoring the potential importance of this group, which both candidates have courted aggressively.

Mayor Brandon Scott rushed back to City Hall Wednesday after spending the day participating in jury duty to swear-in Khalil Zaied. As the head of the Department of Public Works, Zaied will lead an agency that has been marred by several scandals. In August, Ronald Silver, a trash collector died on-the-job after suffering heat stroke.

Every so often, Stacey Dorsey — decked out in yoga wear — surveys the city from a vantage point high atop the Natty Boh Tower. How did she get up there? “It’s simple, sometimes, how these things happen,” Dorsey said. “You always think maybe it’s some big story. But it’s not.” Here’s Dorsey’s in a nutshell. She used to own a medical billing company, which she’s since sold.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will host open house meetings for the Baltimore Red Line this fall to share potential route alignment options, key project considerations, technical updates and to gather community input. The sessions will be held at locations along the Red Line corridor Oct. 22-26. The public comment period will be open through Nov. 25.

When downtown Annapolis floods, you can watch the water climb the familiar tableau of Alex Haley telling a story to children, rising from nuisance at his bronze shoes to catastrophe when it reaches his chest. Right now, the “Roots” author and the kids are dry. But Annapolis’ $100 million plan to protect its historic downtown from the most drastic impact of a warming climate is struggling to keep its head above water.

With Tesla’s hotly anticipated robotaxi event hours away, investors will soon get a glance at what CEO Elon Musk has called the CyberCab. After a decade of unfulfilled promises to deliver autonomous vehicles, capable of traveling reasonable distances safely without a human at the wheel, there’s a hefty dose of skepticism about what Tesla can do technologically, and when its robotaxi might actually hit the market.

On Thursday, officials broke ground on the extension of the runway at Salisbury Regional Airport, a project expected to bring new flights to the region and boost the local economy. Supporters of the project, including county and airport officials, say it will lead to economic growth throughout Wicomico County and across the Eastern Shore. U.S. Senator Ben Cardin announced that $18.5 million in federal funding had been secured for the project.

Republican Larry Hogan and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks accused each other Thursday of grossly distorting the other’s record during their race for Maryland’s open Senate seat, turning the contest’s lone debate into a volley of charges that each side was trying to mislead voters. On the stage at the Maryland Public Television studio, the candidates fought over whether Hogan could serve as an independent voice in a Senate controlled by Republicans, who would best protect abortion rights, and other far-ranging topic such as foreign policy, legalizing marijuana nationwide and how many days federal workers should be required to return to the office.