Romel Williams has been contemplating a career change. The financial services salesman always has had a penchant for numbers and figured that accounting would be a good fit. But with $70,000 of student loans from his master’s in public finance, going back to school and taking on more debt seemed untenable. His outlook changed recently after he watched a news conference on Facebook heralding a scholarship for residents of Prince George’s County who are in a similar situation.

Howard County has launched the 2023 “HoCo Holiday” lights map for residents and visitors to locate the best and brightest commercial and residential holiday light displays in the county. Since the map was created in 2021, nearly 150 decorators from Cooksville and Hanover to Laurel and Woodstock have registered to share their seasonal spirit, according to a Tuesday news release. “Many of us have family holiday traditions of walking or driving around our neighborhoods to enjoy the festive holiday lights and experience the joy they bring,”

For three months running, Maryland has had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. But that’s not necessarily cause for celebration. The state’s jobless rate dropped to 1.7% in August, then fell to the lowest level ever — yes, ever — recorded for any state in September at 1.6%, government figures showed. It edged back up in October to 1.7%, beating out North Dakota for the low mark, the U.S. Department of Labor reported recently.

Del. Mike Rogers (D-Anne Arundel) this week confirmed what his filing with the Federal Election Commission last week suggested: He’s joining the race in the 3rd congressional district. “I’m in,” he said in an interview. After almost 30 years in the Army and five years in the House of Delegates, Rogers said he views the potential to be in the House of Representatives as an extension of his public service.

Nearly half of the state lawmakers from Maryland’s largest county and about 1 in 4 statewide were not originally elected to their seats. Instead, they were appointed, sent to Annapolis by a handful of local party officials, according to a recent analysis from Common Cause Maryland, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for fair elections. And, with nine vacancies filled through appointments in the Maryland General Assembly this year and a 10th in the works, election advocates are renewing a push to change a process that they say concentrates power into the hands of people on elected but politically-connected local panels.

The union for Southwest Airlines Co. pilots will open a Baltimore-area “strike center” as negotiations for a new contract continue. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, also known as SWAPA, will open a regional strike center in Columbia on Nov. 28, which will act as a centralized space for pilots if a strike occurs. The center’s opening comes ahead of a last attempt at negotiations with the assistance of the National Mediation Board on Nov. 30 and is the latest development after more than three years of contract talks.

In Montgomery County, there are approximately 900 individuals who are suffering homelessness, according to a report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). The Stepping Stones Shelter in Rockville opened its doors in 1982 with the mission to provide emergency shelter, food and case management services to families experiencing homelessness. In 2023, the property has a capacity for 25 beds to house up to six families with their own bedroom.

Over the years, my overflowing pantry and refrigerator have become a running joke among friends — the shelves haphazardly jammed with condiments, spices and random ingredients. I blame my love of cooking, cookbooks and, of course, a themed dinner party. In Los Angeles, home for 21 years before moving to Baltimore last year, there was no ingredient I couldn’t find. Once, my husband and I went in search of a Turkish market to host an elaborate brunch, a nod to meals we enjoyed in Istanbul, where we were married.

For many, the day after Thanksgiving is reserved for recovery from a day filled with food, family, friends and football. But for others, it’s Black Friday — the perfect time to begin Christmas shopping and for businesses to get a boost in sales.But with more sales shifting online and an expectation that consumers are going to take a cautious approach to holiday shopping this year, Black Friday has lost some of its significance.

When Wesley Williams begins pedaling the world’s tallest ridable unicycle — it’s over 34 feet high, weighs more than 120 pounds and has just a single 20-inch wheel — he really has to commit. “You can’t freeze up,” Williams, 25, said. “You can change your life in a minute.” His maneuvering of the towering unicycle is part of his performance for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, Williams said.