After a tense budget work session, Montgomery County Councilmembers agreed in a straw poll that they would not pass a 10% real estate tax increase and would find other sources to fully fund the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) budget. “What was presented to us by the county executive is that MCPS can only be funded with a 10% tax increase.

When Glenda Gathers moved to Severn in 1980, she saw a neighborhood that was missing something. Squished between Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Fort Meade in western Anne Arundel County, Severn was viewed by some as crime-ridden and violent. Yet, Gathers, known locally as Miss G, saw potential and a future for the community where young people had a safe haven in which to grow and mature with their peers.

Thoroughbred horse racing, renowned for its excitement and splendor, was once dubbed the “sport of kings.” Seabiscuit and Secretariat captured the national imagination. One of the first Sports Illustrated articles, in 1954, highlighted a horse owned by Queen Elizabeth II running at Laurel Park. Today, racing remains historic and entertaining and, perhaps most notably in Maryland, brings the state its most iconic annual event, the Preakness.

It took Angela Rockstar about a year and a lot of nudging the CBS publicity department to get a blue check on Twitter. But she lost it April 1, along with about 400,000 other people who were previously verified. And she doesn’t think she wants it back. “Having that checkmark opened up so many doors for me,” said Rockstar, a Columbia resident who was a houseguest on the 20th season of reality show “Big Brother” back in 2018.

Another type of derby — sans horses — will be taking place this week at the renovated Lexington Market. The “Crab Derby” will return to Lexington Market at 112 N. Eutaw St. on Wednesday after a five-year hiatus. The race dates back to 1857 when two Lexington Market vendors got into an argument about who had the fastest crab, according to the market. The crab racing tradition is usually held every year during the week before Preakness Stakes, which take place this Saturday.

The newsroom where my friends were murdered is a coffee shop today. When my kids were young, I held them on the patio where a Naval Academy mom was killed by a stray bullet years later. I drive by a colorful mural honoring an Annapolis singer almost every day. He died in a drive-by shooting at the spot, a mistaken victim of someone’s rage.

“Cycling advocates pan Maryland-Virginia bridge crossing plan as potentially deadly” is the latest in a series of well-reported stories by Maryland Matters on the new Nice bridge across the Potomac River, connecting Charles County to Virginia. Containing no surprises, it lays bare the cynical trap intentionally left by the outgoing Hogan administration (and Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Ports) for the incoming Moore administration, and the newly appointed MDOT Secretary Paul Wiedefeld.

An Upton/Druid Hill nonprofit organization is revitalizing the properties of one of Baltimore’s most influential Black families. Beloved Community Services Corporation, led by Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, acquired Clarence M. Mitchell Jr.’s family home, located at 1324 Druid Hill Ave., and the law office of his wife, Juanita Jackson Mitchell at 1239 Druid Hill Ave. in December 2022.

 

Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) gathered dozens of supporters at a rally to kick off her campaign for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, seeking to shape what she described as a “people-powered” campaign as she faces challenges expanding her profile statewide and contending with the massive spending ability of one of her primary opponents.

This week is Public Service Recognition Week, and it has given me the chance to think about my own service to the state. For almost 35 years, I’ve worked in the Department of Natural Resources. I started as a secretary with the Forest Service and now work as an administrative specialist with the Wildlife and Heritage Service, helping conserve Maryland’s wildlife and plant population and provide residents with the most up-to-date information on hunting and trapping.