A petition to unseat Anne Arundel County NAACP President Rickey Nelson Jones over accusations of homophobia, sexism and other issues is being forwarded to the organization’s national leadership for consideration within the next few days. Since Jones assumed office around the start of the year, members have taken issue with statements he’s made on same-sex relationships and the role of women in society — both in his written works and interactions with members, according to petition organizer Marguerite Morris, speaking on behalf of the petition signatories in a news release.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday afternoon that it has concluded search operations in the Williamsport area, a day after announcing that the SUV driven by the suspect in the killing of a Washington County judge was found in a wooded area in the small Western Maryland town. Authorities are still searching for Pedro Argote, who is suspected in the fatal shooting of Washington County Circuit Judge Andrew Wilkinson on Thursday night.

Joe Slovick isn’t shying away from making commercial real estate loans these days. His rivals not so much. Developers are clamoring for loans and he sees a huge opportunity for Eastern Savings Bank to capitalize on that demand. Competitors — and the banking industry as a whole — see such a strategy as too risky. Slovick said that while rising interest rates and a possible recession might scare other bankers away, he believes that his bank has the right strategies in place to benefit.

Baltimore will receive up to $1 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies toward a public art project led by Derrick Adams. “Inviting Light” in the Station North arts district in the North Baltimore neighborhoods of Greenmount West, Charles North and Barclay will include light installations and programming at five sites that project safety and respect for residents and local businesses in a community that has suffered from petty crime and neglect, according to a news release.

Fishing Creek is not a very original name. There are creeks named “Fishing” across Maryland. You can find them in Chesapeake Beach, Cambridge and Frederick. My neighbor fishes almost daily in our creek near Annapolis. The other night, I saw his brightly glowing stern light rising up our darkened street into his yard as he parked his boat trailer after another fall day of fishing.

The influence of big money in politics has grown since the Supreme Court’s infamous Citizens United ruling. Thankfully Maryland allows for publicly financed elections at the county-level, which aims to level the playing field. But after two election cycles using the current system, it’s time for the General Assembly to make some important improvements.

Earlier this month, the Baltimore County Council approved the expenditure of $798,000 for a contract negotiated with Guidehouse Inc. by the administration of County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. Guidehouse will provide “strategic management consulting services” intended to accelerate the county’s lagging efforts to address the acute shortage of affordable housing.

City residents feel somewhat safe despite a high crime rate, but contend that Baltimore Police officers are ineffective at reducing crime, do not quickly solve cases, and don’t work well with the communities they serve, according to a new community poll conducted by Morgan State University. The results of the second community survey, mandated by the Baltimore Police Department’s federal court oversight, suggest that residents’ attitudes toward local law enforcement remain dismal, despite widespread reforms.

Stuck in limbo amid the politics and the letters, comments, social media posts and statements issued this week are the people inside Buckingham Elementary School. This is a proud school. The pride can be seen in the community supporting it each day. For instance, a local church recently sent over a month’s span letters of support each week to teachers at Buckingham, which is a Title I school, meaning more than one-third of the student body is living in poverty. The students and teachers deserve a new building to learn and work within.

Several Anne Arundel County parents and students used the Board of Education meeting Wednesday evening to voice concerns and offer solutions to specific school issues. Usually the public comment portion of Board of Education meetings are not followed by responses from the board or administrators, but Superintendent Mark Bedell and others were noticeably impressed with Wednesday’s student speakers.