Montgomery County officials are working to learn from their mistakes after a June report from the Office of Inspector General revealed the county lost up to a potential of $8.2 million from not properly enforcing its plastic carryout bag tax that was passed in 2012. Part of the issue? The county doesn’t have a complete list of which businesses aren’t collecting the tax.

The Camden Yards applause reached a crescendo when the scoreboard screen showed Gov. Wes Moore pumping his fist and Orioles Chairman and CEO John Angelos clapping to celebrate a stadium deal described as keeping the Orioles in Baltimore “for at least the next 30 years!!” There hasn’t been so much as a chirp since from leading state Democrats, particularly those who may have to grapple in the next General Assembly session with a proposal to make additional funds available to the team.

Even on a day with no rain, water can be heard flowing underneath Remington at the intersection of West 27th and Fox streets. About 30 to 40 feet below a maintenance hole cover, Sumwalt Run — a creek that once flowed above ground — continues to move through the city’s stormwater sewer system, Baltimore artist Bruce Willen said.

Two affordable housing complexes in Glen Burnie and Odenton for older adults and those with disabilities will soon be getting face-lifts. Stoney Hill, a 55-unit apartment complex in Odenton, and Glen Square, a 127-unit building in Glen Burnie, both managed by the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County, will undergo a combined $60 million in renovations starting at the end of this year, with completion expected around January 2026, said Clifton Martin, CEO of the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County.

The Frederick County Council on Tuesday approved water and sewerage amendments for Quantum Loophole’s data center campus, which will allow the campus’ water and sewer infrastructure to connect to public systems and get water from water treatment plants. The amendments, submitted by Quantum Loophole and Aligned Data Centers, respectively, requested that land on the former Alcoa Eastalco aluminum smelting plant site be reclassified to reflect progress on planned water and sewer projects on the campus.

 

Baltimore is receiving an influx of federal and state dollars for major transportation projects like the Red Line and the Penn Station overhaul, creating the opportunity for a wave of new transit-oriented development in the region. But to take advantage of that opportunity, city and county governments must adopt pro-growth zoning policies and offer economic incentives, developers and state officials said Monday at the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Transportation and Economic Development Summit at the Baltimore Convention Center.

 

During the last 40 years Southern Maryland has come into its own, making a dramatic transformation from one of the poorest and least competitive regions of the state, into one of the most dynamic and prosperous — doubling in population and diversity with a strong economy and steadily expanding opportunity. Major projects have played a role in the transformation of the region. But as important as these developments have been, none has had a greater impact than bringing rapid transit to Southern Maryland will have on the region’s future quality of life.

 

One Baltimore City school held an anti-bullying event Wednesday that they hope will target the issue from the inside out. The district is focusing on some of its youngest students – third, fourth and fifth-graders at Francis Scott Key Elementary-Middle School on Fort Avenue in Locust Point. “So we attack bullying and the effects of bullying from the inside out. We don’t really go and lead with ‘no bullying,’ but everything we talk about prevents bullying,” Fred Watkins of Lil Laughs said.

 

Survivor support has also been extended to voting as The Maryland State Board Elections said voters can apply at their local board of elections sites under “persons being threatened.” Once proof is provided, their information will be confidential. “Voter registration data is of course public. This just another layer of protection for those survivors of domestic violence to make their voices are still heard,” MD State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said.

The county council’s Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) has submitted its economic impact statement on Council Member Will Jawando’s bill to repeal the county’s tip credit for minimum wage. And OLO’s judgment is unambiguous: the bill would damage Montgomery County’s economy. OLO begins with this summary. OLO anticipates that enacting Bill 35-23 would have a net negative impact on economic conditions in the County in terms of the Council’s priority economic indicators.