The 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly control the purse strings for Baltimore public transit, but state Del. Robbyn Lewis believes she’s the only member who is car free and one of very few who rely on transit as a primary means of transportation. As a lawmaker representing southeast Baltimore City, she was concerned that major decisions about city transit happen a 45-minute drive — or two-hour-plus transit ride — away in Annapolis, and that so few of her colleagues had even ridden a Baltimore bus. So she organized a ride.

Members of Howard County’s school board, county council, and state legislative delegation discussed legislative priorities in an online meeting Thursday. During the meeting, attendees expressed concern over a shortage of 14 special education teachers, while the county’s superintendent noted the school system had solved its bussing problems.

More than 100 people gathered in Frederick on Thursday to celebrate the launch of Long Shot’s permanent sportsbook facility. Long Shot’s restaurant and bar at the Clarion Inn Frederick Event Center on Holiday Drive has conducted off-track betting since 2019. It opened a temporary sportsbook late last year following the statewide legalization of sports betting.

 

Early in my tenure as chair of the Maryland Stadium Authority, the wife of a long-serving employee died. As a newcomer, I wasn’t sure whether I should attend the services, but I felt it was my responsibility to be there. I am glad I went. After I paid my respects, I stayed and watched as many of the authority’s roughly 130 employees arrived at the funeral home in eastern Baltimore County.

Before the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency earlier this year, state officials and advocates warned about the challenges that could arise from the massive undertaking of resuming annual redetermination of Medicaid eligibility for millions of people, also known as Medicaid unwinding. Several months in, inappropriate terminations, computer errors and even call center wait times have added hurdles for the Maryland Department of Health and frustrations for some of the 1.8 million Marylanders on Medicaid waiting to see if their coverage will be renewed or if they will be rolled off and have to shop for insurance in the marketplace.

 

JPMorgan Chase and Co. has hired 40 workers for its first virtual call center in Baltimore, a program that allows customer-service employees to work from home.n The 40 workers, who are initially being paid $22.50 per hour, are just the first wave of hires for the virtual call center program, as Chase (NYSE: JPM) officials said there are plans to hire more people in Baltimore. Chase debuted its first virtual call center a year ago in Detroit where the center has 90 workers.

Omer Balva, a 22-year-old Rockville native, was back from his home in Israel. Then, during his U.S. vacation earlier this month, Hamas stormed southern Israel, kidnapping hundreds and killing more than 1,000. Balva’s reserve infantry unit in the Israel Defense Forces quickly recalled him. But before his return, he wanted to gather supplies he knew that soldiers in his unit might need.

Bethesda’s Eat the Change, Seth Goldman’s 3-year-old healthy drink and snack company, has raised $14 million to expand distribution of its fast-growing Just Ice Tea line and refresh the marketing of its carrot chew snacks. The investment, which closed in mid-October, was powered by existing investors and led by the family of Jeff Swartz, former CEO of Timberland.

As Baltimore’s regional leaders continue efforts to build better communities, we must extend our lens and seek out best practices wherever they might be. This month, more than 70 leaders in government, civic organizations, health care, philanthropy and more traveled to Minneapolis and St. Paul for a three-day immersion in the Twin Cities, a region that is rightly proud of its accomplishments.

Former police chiefs in North Dakota and North Carolina are facing charges in Maryland in connection with a conspiracy to illegally acquire machine guns and other firearms — and court records indicate the case could reach into other states as well. The charges are similar to those faced by Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (R), who sought during a hearing in U.S. District Court on Thursday to have the case against him dismissed.