A new program in Prince George’s County aims to help small businesses retain and attract employees by subsidizing workers’ child care costs, but it’s still unclear how the program will be funded. County lawmakers passed legislation on Nov. 14 establishing a grant program through which local businesses can apply for funds that could then be used to allay child care expenses for lower-income employees.

Two nonprofit developers received a key approval from the city’s preservation panel Tuesday afternoon to redevelop a blighted corner into housing on the west side of downtown. The vote by the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, or CHAP, advances a joint venture by nonprofits Episcopal Housing Corp. and Health Care for the Homeless to build affordable apartments at the intersection of Park Avenue, West Fayette and North Liberty streets.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Saturday afternoon announced his intention to seek a second term. The city’s 52nd mayor spoke about how his administration has made progress on several issues in the city, such as violence. “As I stand before you today, we have a 20% reduction in homicides in the city of Baltimore, a 9% reduction in non-fatal shootings, and Baltimore, we are on track for the first time in nine years to be under 300 murders,” Scott said Saturday at the Cahill Recreation Center.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has crisscrossed the state in her discussion of issues that she has heard from Marylanders during her campaign so far for United States Senate. She started with health care access on the Eastern Shore, moved to housing affordability in Western Maryland and educational funding in Frederick before providing a point of summation: “Economic opportunity is threaded throughout the state.”

U.S. Rep. David Trone has seen a lot in nearly five years in office. Now running for U.S. Senate, he says he’s heard a lot too — from Marylanders across the state “dissatisfied, unhappy with the political system.” That was the top issue he says he has heard — from Baltimore County to Montgomery County to Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore. Asked how he reconciles his congressional career with the dissatisfaction of the political system as he campaigns for higher office, his answer is simple.

In a sudden announcement, Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Michael J. Martirano will retire in January after nearly seven years in the job. He will leave his job on Jan. 10, 18 months into a four-year contract that would have ended in June of 2026. The Howard County school board gave no reason for Martirano’s retirement in a news release Friday afternoon. He was seen as a steadying influence after the departure of Renee Foose, a former superintendent who had battled with the board. Foose was paid $1.6 million in salary and benefits to leave, according to The Baltimore Sun.

It’s leaf blower season, adding new layers of unwelcome noise to the cacophony of daily life. Leaf blowers — along with gas-powered lawn mowers, string trimmers, chainsaws and other garden equipment, also generate an alarming amount of air pollution. Some machines emit as much pollution in an hour as driving hundreds of miles in a car. A recently released report by the Maryland PIRG Foundation, called “Lawn Care Goes Electric: Why It’s Time to Switch to a New Generation of Clean, Quiet Electric Lawn Equipment,” attempts to quantify the public health risks and potential damage.

 

Some parents in Howard County are objecting to the Board of Education’s new student transportation policy, saying it is not safe nor equitable. The new system, known as policy 5200, took effect at the beginning of the school year and cut bus transportation to thousands of students. The school system said earlier this year that the “non-transportation area” changes were a piece of a puzzle to aid the logistics of the new staggered start times.

As a Morgan State University graduate with the spring class of 2023, I’ve asked myself whether the gun violence that occurred on or near campus in recent years ruined my student experience. I can’t truthfully say it did. I still successfully pursued my studies, made friends, made professional connections, found my place in the community and followed my passion in starting a journalism career.

The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office reported Maryland’s preliminary statewide seat belt usage, based on an annual survey, with a rate of 92.1% compliance — a slight decrease from 92.7% in 2022. The annual Roadside Observational Survey was completed in June and observed 33,882 drivers of passenger vehicles and trucks in 14 jurisdictions across the state on primary, secondary and local roads. The observations included 6,531 passengers.