Sheila Dixon plans to announce that she’ll run for mayor at an event Thursday morning, after months of hints that she would make another bid for City Hall’s top office. The declaration would make her the second major candidate to enter the race and set up a rematch with Mayor Brandon Scott, who entered office in 2020 after narrowly besting Dixon in the Democratic primary.

The Maryland Cannabis Administration announced the creation of its Social Equity Verification Portal Friday in anticipation of the Jan. 1 deadline to distribute new grower, processor and retail licenses to communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. The portal, which will help to determine eligibility for the first round of new licenses, is set to launch Sept. 8. There are three determining factors that qualify applicants.

As summer edges toward fall, thoughts turn to, well, vaccines. Yes, inevitably, it’s time to think about the usual suspects — influenza and COVID-19 shots — but also the new kid in town: recently approved vaccines for RSV, short for respiratory syncytial virus. But who should get the various vaccines, and when? “For the eligible populations, all three shots are highly recommended,” said Georges Benjamin, a physician and the executive director of the American Public Health Association.

 

 

At the end of June, as many Marylanders eagerly anticipated buying recreational marijuana legally for the first time, Sgt. Thomas Morehouse was worried about the safety of Baltimore County’s roads. Morehouse, a certified drug recognition expert for the Baltimore County Police Department, was concerned about residents lighting up and then getting behind the wheel after July 1.

Kamiara West positioned her plate to take advantage of the midday light streaming through the windows, angling her phone to capture an artful view of her chicken Caesar salad with a garlic knot on the side. She took a few photos, then turned her phone to show them off. The snaps could easily be those of a food influencer-in-the-making. But the subject wasn’t a trendy new Baltimore restaurant. Instead, West, 18, was photographing one of the meals of the day in the cafeteria at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School.

On a recent rainy afternoon, a dozen educators and environmentalists from Central New York were standing ankle deep in Charlotte Creek here, collecting water samples in test tubes, petri dishes and ice trays. As the rain pelted the group at a sideways angle, with the creek running faster than usual, Heather Grant, one of the leaders, felt compelled to offer a gentle warning.

The Maryland Stadium Authority on Tuesday voted to opt out of a revenue sharing agreement with the Orioles for an upcoming Bruce Springsteen concert. This is the third time the authority has opted out of a cut stemming from events not related to baseball games. Instead, the authority, which manages Oriole Park at Camden Yards, will settle for roughly $800,000 — the lion’s share of amusement tax revenue.

Sports betting has finally come to Montgomery County — just in time for football season. Sports & Social, a large sports-themed restaurant in North Bethesda, began taking bets over Labor Day weekend after the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission issued a wagering license to Whitman Gaming Inc. and FanDuel, the entities operating the sportsbook within Sports & Social.

Howard County Public Schools COO Scott Washington resigned late last week, a spokesperson for the school system confirmed in an email Tuesday afternoon. An official reason for the departure was not given. The exit comes on the heels of a chaotic start to the academic year, with a bus driver shortage leading to route cancellations and stranded students, and even calls from parents for the resignation of Superintendent Michael Martirano.

In the battle against cancer, every victory counts, and Ben Cardin, Maryland’s Senior U.S. senator, is perhaps more familiar than anyone with these triumphs. Over his three decades on Capitol Hill, Sen. Cardin has been a tireless advocate for establishing and expanding access to cancer screenings. We know that prompt detection can make the difference between successful treatment and premature death — that’s why it is not an exaggeration to say that the senator’s legislative efforts over the years have saved countless lives, and why his latest effort holds the promise to save many more.