As the Israel-Hamas war rages on overseas, constituents in Montgomery County are watching to see how elected officials and those seeking political office will respond. MoCo360 sent a three-question survey regarding the Israel-Hamas war to candidates running for the Sixth Congressional District seat. Their responses are listed in alphabetical order.
The City Council last night delayed – at literally the last minute – passage of a bill that would establish CitiStat as a standalone agency. Until then, the measure, which would place an “Office of CitiStat” outside of the Mayor Brandon Scott’s Office of Performance and Innovation, had been steaming ahead, propelled by the promise of “better response times” for city services.
Baltimore County officials and the state’s attorney are expected to announce Wednesday morning new measures to test years-old forensic evidence in sexual-assault cold cases. In a news release, the county wrote that it will hold a news conference to announce “a landmark commitment” to expedite testing of Sexual Assault Forensic Examination evidence, called SAFE kits, provided to law enforcement through medical examinations of sexual-assault survivors.
Marty Burns and Bob Lookingbill have been elected to Thurmont’s Board of Commissioners, according to official results on Tuesday. Out of the 836 ballots cast, Burns received 482 votes and Lookingbill received 426. They will have two seats on the board — previously held by Bill Buehrer and Wes Hamrick — and serve four-year terms.
I’ve spent years working in communities, and I’ve seen the ebbs and flows of support for charitable services. But it’s the mission that keeps public servants like me going. In the heart of the central Maryland region, a dedicated group of individuals is quietly making a significant impact on the lives of military members, veterans and their families. They work behind the scenes, often on top of their regular careers and without a desire for recognition.
It’s getting more expensive to buy a home in Greater Baltimore’s most expensive ZIP codes. That’s according to an analysis of data from Zillow Group Inc. and Bankrate LLC by The Business Journals. Nationally, median home prices inched up by an average of 0.67% between 2022 and 2023 — emblematic of a housing market that has retreated from the lofty gains seen during and immediately after the pandemic.
Kaiser Permanente has named its next Mid-Atlantic leader, about six months after Ruth Williams-Brinkley, its regional president of more than three years, announced her intention to retire. The Oakland, California-based health care giant said Tuesday it has tapped Chicago-area public health executive Israel Rocha as its next regional president, set to assume the position Dec. 4.
Baltimore County’s plastic bag ban takes effect Wednesday. Customers will need to bring their own bags to stores or pay a 5-cent fee for paper bags. Some businesses are exempt from the policy, including mom-and-pop establishments that have fewer than four stores and the farmer’s market. Last week, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski vetoed proposed amendments to the bill that would have also exempted liquor stores from the policy.
Real estate developer David Bramble was in a challenging but enviable position when he took on the task of conceiving a new vision for Harborplace. It was a tough assignment, but Baltimore officials and business leaders were so eager to do something about the neglected, depressing 40-year-old waterfront mall that Bramble could pretty much expect official support for whatever he came up with. And he got it: near complete buy-in from the city’s mayor and state’s governor.
Howard Libit is the Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council. In this episode of The Lobby, Howard talks about the 25th anniversary of the Hon. Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel, along with the powerful success of Maryland / Israel relations and cooperative business development. In addition, Damian and Howard discuss the terrorist atrocities committed against Israeli families and the war with the terrorist organization Hamas. Howard Libit is a former spokesperson and strategist for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. He was previously a top editor at The Baltimore Sun, co-founded the news site Center Maryland, and was a principal at KO Public Affairs leading high intensity campaigns and delivering media strategy.