The Baltimore County Public Schools Board of Education discussed closing Golden Ring Middle School, lowered graduation rates and increased dropout rates at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening. This is the first meeting of the academic year where new appointed board members Tiara Booker-Dwyer, Tiffany Frempong and Emory Young have taken their seats. The trio, all selected by Gov. Wes Moore’s office, were sworn into their positions Friday and Monday.

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously last week to enact an expedited bill to create the Friendship Heights Urban District that will, among other things, create an advisory committee with the aim of strengthen the commercial and public spaces in the Friendship Heights area of the county. Friendship Heights straddles Montgomery County and the District of Columbia, and the county bill dovetails with legislation introduced by D.C. Ward 3 councilmember Matt Frumin to create a business improvement district for the D.C. side of Friendship Heights.

 

 

Four months after Southwest Airlines left customers stranded in Maryland and across the country, a wave of delays at the airline Tuesday morning renewed fears of a repeat, but ultimately proved to be a hiccup. Nearly 250 Southwest Airlines flights at BWI Marshall Airport were delayed Tuesday after the Dallas-based airline asked the Federal Aviation Administration for a nationwide pause on departures.

Every Baltimore worker who descends down maintenance holes or places themselves in other confined spaces risks life, limb and poisoning from toxic gases because of few if any safety protections. Every Baltimore worker who works with electrical power risks electrocution because of few if any safety protections. Every Baltimore worker who works in a trench to repair water or sewer lines risks being killed in a cave-in because of few, if any, safety protections.

Friday’s announcement by Gov. Wes Moore that Maryland is moving to stockpile mifepristone, the abortion pill that is now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, was a welcome development given the uncertainties over access. Other states have made similar moves in recent days — including New York, California, Massachusetts and Washington — and we expect more to follow, at least in areas where women’s reproductive rights are still valued.

With Maryland state lawmakers back in their districts, at their day jobs, or, after last week’s sprint to the finish, perhaps on a vacation, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has hundreds of bills to consider. The first-year governor has already signed 93 of the over 800 sent to him by the General Assembly, and doesn’t get a formal say on the abortion referendum, which he supports, or a final say on the state budget, which he initiated.

Two of Maryland’s largest — and most politically active unions — have voted to become one. AFSCME Council 67, which represents nearly 15,000 city and county government employees, is joining forces with AFSCME Council 3, which represents nearly 30,000 state government workers and university employees. The combined union, which will carry the Council 3 name, will represent nearly 45,000 public employees across the state.

 

Baltimore’s mayor put the blame for youth violence squarely on the shoulders of parents, but he placed the solution on everyone. Mayor Brandon Scott on Monday morning held a roundtable on youth violence that included Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa and clergy and community leaders to discuss summer strategies and seek help to keep young people safe and engaged.

Drivers are the heart of Lyft. Right now, they are showing us the future of our business — and it’s electric. On our platform, we saw trips in electric vehicles increase by over 90% last year, outpacing even the rapid growth of electric vehicle adoption across the U.S. and in Maryland. Drivers with Lyft see a huge opportunity in going electric: it’s greener, the technology is new (and fun), and, perhaps most importantly, they save money on gas and maintenance costs.

 

 

It happened, on average, more than once a day last year. In fact, preliminary data shows that for the second year in a row, exactly 563 people died on Maryland roads in 2022. The new numbers were released Wednesday by the state of Maryland. In 2022, 135 pedestrians died on state roads, up by four from 2021. Another 11 bicyclists were killed, up five from 2021.