With the official start of Maryland’s summer beach season — the Fourth of July — within view, you can bet that weekend traffic backups along U.S. 50 at Sandy Point and Kent Island are not far off. It’s a tradition as old as the first two-lane Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which opened in 1952, and has kept right up through the addition of the three-lane parallel crossing in 1973 (especially Saturday morning eastbound and Sunday afternoon headed west).

At an annual State of the City address this spring, Mayor Brandon Scott touted the ground his administration has covered on what he calls his “top priority”: reducing Baltimore’s shootings and homicides, in part through a $50 million investment in preventive approaches to violent crime. Among the achievements featured in Scott’s speech this April was the launch of an ambitious new initiative known as “Returning Citizens Behind the Wall,” designed to connect incarcerated people with jobs doing manual labor for the city at $15 an hour.

The quick, sharp sound of paddles striking plastic balls filled the pickleball courts at Monocacy Village Park on a recent warm June morning. Mike Smith was focused on a volley, his feet shuffling back and forth as he and his teammate took turns hitting a bright yellow ball across the net to their opponents.

 

The state’s ratepayer advocate criticized Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.’s proposal to raise delivery rates over the next three years as incentive for the utility to “shoot for the moon with massive spending proposals.” Releasing a consumer guide Tuesday to show BGE’s rate hikes, People’s Counsel David S. Lapp, whose office is charged with advocating for utility customers, said the proposed increases averaging 5% over the next three years allows for “little accountability” as to how the company spends funds from raising rates.

Three Maryland U.S. Congressmen have missed at least 11 votes so far in 2023, an 11 News I-Team review found. The I-Team looked at the number of roll call votes each of Maryland’s two U.S. senators and eight U.S. representatives were eligible for from January through the end of May 2023. The Senate held 129 votes, and the House held 244 votes during that time frame.

 

The spring homebuying season so far has been marked by mixed signals as the nation’s housing supply remains limited, causing home prices to remain high year-over-year. At the same time, mortgage rates have moderated. While hopeful homebuyers may be feeling the whiplash of the last few years, their outlook remains optimistic.

Unionized UPS workers voted overwhelmingly on Friday to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a potential work stoppage if the package delivery company and Teamsters can’t come to an agreement before their contract expires next month. The Teamsters said 97% of unionized workers voted for the authorization, which the union urged for in order to have more leverage during negotiations with the company. But a yes vote does not mean a strike is imminent.

 

Gov. Wes Moore (D) opted for youth and political fire over government experience when it came to filling a House vacancy in Baltimore City’s District 41. Moore has chosen Malcolm P. Ruff, a 39-year-old civil rights attorney, to replace former Del. Tony Bridges (D) in the House of Delegates, multiple sources confirmed Monday. Although Ruff’s appointment hasn’t been formally announced, it was first reported in The Baltimore Banner on Sunday.

Maryland’s largest producer of cannabis is investing millions to build a Cecil County factory that will make edibles to meet anticipated demand for the July 1 debut of the state’s recreational market. SunMed Growers President Jake Van Wingerden said he is building a $16 million, 25,000-square-foot factory as part of the company’s 500,000 square-foot complex at 127 Worsell Manor Road in Warwick to churn out edibles.

Rene Averitt-Sanzone, executive director with The Parents’ Place of Maryland, is one of many early childhood advocates who support Maryland’s plans to dramatically expand prekindergarten programs during a 10-year education reform effort. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future sets early childhood opportunities as its first pillar, or priority. That includes universal access to prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-old children.