The Ravens-Steelers rivalry may never die, but a Pittsburgh-based restaurant chain is hoping Baltimore diners will overlook regional differences when it comes to sandwiches. Primanti Brothers Restaurant and Bar, the famed Pittsburgh sub shop, will open its first Baltimore-area store this spring. The 5,200-square-foot restaurant will be a short drive from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, at 996 Corporate Blvd. in Linthicum Heights, according to a representative for the company.

 

A longstanding hotel near Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport recently sold for millions, changing hands for the first time in three decades. An LLC linked to Sarbahn Realty, a local hospitality group, purchased the Courtyard by Marriott Baltimore BWI Airport for $15.6 million in December, according to state property records. The hotel at 1621 W. Nursery Road is one of many hotels in the BWI Business District that caters to airport travelers.

It is often said that things can be done well or they can be done in a hurry, but usually not both. With that adage in mind, our organizations urge Maryland’s elected decision makers to chart a deliberate course during the upcoming session on issues related to siting ground-mounted solar on agricultural lands. The state has legislated aggressive goals for renewable energy generation, and the bulk of that generation seems poised to come in the form of ground-mounted solar arrays on agricultural fields.

The Baltimore Police Department has achieved full and effective compliance with two sections of the city’s policing consent decree with the federal government, city and U.S. Department of Justice attorneys agree. The two filed a joint motion Tuesday asking the federal judge overseeing the city’s progress to agree that the police department is in compliance around transportation of persons in custody and officer assistance and support.

Gov. Wes Moore, facing resistance from other state and local leaders over his administration’s plan to trim $3.3 billion from Maryland’s six-year transportation spending plan, said Tuesday that he intends to restore $150 million of the anticipated cuts. The move — which includes reversing a plan to limit Baltimore’s outsize share of the state’s highway user revenues — would be funded with a one-time infusion of funds in the 2025 fiscal year budget Moore will release Wednesday.

As top lawmakers move to strengthen consumer protections for utility customers who shop for electricity suppliers, large national energy companies are countering with a poll showing an overwhelming majority of voters want to retain robust competition in the marketplace. They are also charging that the proposed legislation would decimate the state’s 25-year-old competitive marketplace for electricity suppliers. And they’re arguing that recent controversy over Baltimore Gas & Electric rate increases illustrates the need for more checks on the utility companies.

Twenty state lawmakers are joining forces to create the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus, joining their voices to speak out against antisemitism and hate crimes, while also promoting Jewish culture and heritage. “Having a Maryland Jewish Legislative Caucus will enable members of the General Assembly to advocate for policies important to the Jewish communities of Maryland,” state Sen. Shelly Hettleman, a Baltimore County Democrat and co-chair of the new caucus, said in a statement announcing the caucus on Tuesday.

On snowy road surfaces, road salt does the trick to provide better traction. “Road salt is mostly sodium chloride, just like the table salt you put on your food,” said Sujay Kaushal, a professor of geology at University of Maryland. “Ions in the salt — little particles — squeeze themselves in between the water when it’s freezing, so that the water has trouble forming a crystal of ice.” However, Kaushal and fellow researchers from Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences say the influx of salt in freshwater streams and rivers poses an “existential threat” to drinking water if current trends continue.

 

Snow has always been “polar”-izing in Maryland, and that didn’t change Tuesday. “Shoveling snow — that I really don’t like,” Baltimore resident Melvin Hines said. By noon Tuesday, the snowfall was done, freezing rain tapered off and frigid temperatures took hold. Baltimore residents were out and about cleaning off cars, sidewalks and driveways for the first time in years. “There ain’t no strategy. It’s nature. Nature is going to take over this. Just making a little path for people if they want to start moving,” Hines said.

 

 

 

Drivers of electric vehicles in Middletown will have another place to charge up, with the installation of a charging station at the town’s offices. The Level 2 charging station will be unveiled Wednesday in the parking lot at the rear of the town’s Municipal Center at 31 W. Main St., Town Administrator Paul Mantello said Tuesday. The town already has one charging station, in the public parking lot along Elm Street, Planner Cindy Unangst said.