With their lease expiring in five weeks, the Orioles and the state of Maryland are considering separating the complex — and potentially contentious — issue of stadium-area development rights from the pressing need to finalize a lease binding the team to Baltimore for the long term, according to two people with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

WJZ is mourning the loss of Pat Warren, a co-worker for nearly 30 years who passed over the weekend. You may remember Pat Warren. She was an anchor, and reporter, who spent much of her time at WJZ covering Annapolis and the legislature. Pat grew up in Canton, Ohio, and came to WJZ from Texas in 1992, bringing to WJZ her professionalism, determination, and sharp, intelligent reporting.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday that the state will fund an additional $1 million in grants for local organizations and religious institutions to hire security in response to a recent wave of hate crimes and incidents. Eligible organizations can seek up to $40,000 in emergency state funding through the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to protect themselves against hate crimes, according to a news release from Moore’s office.

This year, the state commission that signs off on large solar projects has had five such cases, and between the farmers, local governments and developers involved, things have not always gone smoothly, the commission’s chair says. The energy industry veteran is trying to change that. “There has been, quite honestly, a lot of disagreements between the local governing authorities and the solar developer industry, and to a certain degree with some of the farm communities,” said Fred Hoover, chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission.

Laurel Park’s horse racing future hinges on a proposal to be made to the Maryland General Assembly next session that could alter thoroughbred racing in the state as we know it. A determination will come from the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, a commission established by Senate Bill 720 in the 2023 legislative session, to make recommendations on the redevelopment of Laurel Park and Pimlico racecourses – the two most prominent, historic, but aging, thoroughbred racetracks in the state.

High-speed Maglev trains could one day whiz underneath South Baltimore’s Westport community under a recent legal settlement, but planning documents show the proposed passenger rail tunnel would be much more extensive than just one neighborhood. Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail — the private company pushing for a high-speed magnetic levitation train connecting New York and Washington, D.C., via Baltimore — recently reached an out-of-court settlement with Westport Capital Development that allows for construction of a rail tunnel underneath housing and mixed-use developments planned for the South Baltimore waterfront, as reported by the Baltimore Business Journal.

I may have been the only person to ride a bike to the public hearing on the new Baltimore County Bicycle and Pedestrian master plan. I rode down Allegheny Avenue, which is a major Towson artery, then turned right on Washington Avenue, which runs adjacent to the old courthouse, before arriving at 105 West Chesapeake Avenue, where the hearing was to be held.

Bowie State University’s LGBTQIA Resource Center, which has been operating for over a decade, is set to get a face-lift paid for with a grant won by Paige Hoskins, a junior at the school. House of Bowie, previously known as the Gay-Straight Alliance, is a student-run organization with a mission to “defend, protect, celebrate and educate” queer students and allies through programming like book clubs, bingo and soirees, Hoskins said.

Then the 25-year-old allegedly struck her repeatedly with a metal stepladder before trying to strangle her. The attack took place at an Arc of the Chesapeake group home six years after another violent outburst involving Joel. That one resulted in the death of his grandmother at their home in Arnold. He wasn’t in prison because an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge had ruled he wasn’t competent to stand trial.

Giving Tuesday is just 11 years old, but the tradition that encourages people to donate to charitable organizations large and small can have a big impact — especially in years when giving trends downward. According to the Giving USA annual report on philanthropy issued in June of this year, total giving decreased in 2022, with individual donations down by 13.4% when adjusted for inflation.