Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is giving a tour of sorts around downtown Bethesda. It’s a mild, sunny day in late December, and he’s dressed in a leather jacket, playing equal parts chronicler and fortune teller of the pressures on affordable housing. As he points up and down Wisconsin Avenue, Elrich reels through a litany of planning terms: MPDUs (the “moderately priced dwelling units” the county requires in large development projects); affordable units (cheaper than MPDUs); and NOAH (the “naturally occurring affordable housing” he wants to protect).

Honeybee losses are at record highs across the nation, with Maryland beekeepers reporting a 55% winter loss in 2021, the second highest in the country, according to an annual survey from the Bee Informed Partnership, a national collaboration of research laboratories. And it’s just not bees. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources warns that habitat loss and invasive species imperil the state’s 1,200 rare, threatened or endangered native species among the more than 15,000 species listed. Even common species are at risk, it says.

Bipartisan momentum is building in Congress to restrict China and other foreign adversaries from purchasing U.S. farmland, a reflection of a similar push by some states as well as apprehension over Chinese spy balloons, rising land prices and growing international competition. “Foreign ownership of agricultural land threatens small family farms and the overall health of the agricultural supply chain,” wrote a bipartisan group of House lawmakers in a Feb. 27 letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, condemning the department’s insufficient foreign transaction reporting from 2015 to 2018.

Business is the backbone of Greater Baltimore. Small businesses support the neighborhoods in which they reside. Large companies can become the job creators and revenue generators needed to lift up a city’s struggling finances. But for middle market companies, those who may not reside in a multibillion-dollar high-rise but nonetheless are known staples in their industries, they can sometimes be underappreciated as they continue to operate outside of the greater public eye.

A new bill in Maryland would make it possible for people convicted of specific nonviolent crimes to get jobs at local casinos. “These are opportunities that help create a change within our community,” Maryland State Del. Nick Charles from Prince George’s County told WTOP. Charles sponsored the bill, saying it’s an opportunity to change the law to help support reentry into the workforce. MGM Resorts is working in partnership with Charles to help get the bill passed.

When Under Armour Inc. moves its headquarters to Port Covington, Locust Point will not only be losing its largest employer but it could also lose one of its only green spaces. The Locust Point Community Garden has existed on land owned by the Baltimore sportswear maker for the last five years. In that time, the property has transformed from an overgrown lot to a garden with more than 60 beds that is serviced by 100 local households.

Tutoring is a textbook example of how sometimes a lot of money for public schools does not pay off as advertised. That’s true so far for investments in tutoring nationwide, triggered by the pandemic. And it’s true in Maryland although there is potential for speedy improvement. Tutoring is universally recognized as the most effective way to prevent and remediate learning deficits. School systems nationwide are on track to spend around $3.6 billion this year and next on tutoring.

As we mark Disability Awareness Month, it is an optimal time to reaffirm and amplify our commitment to providing exceptional special education services and supports. There has been much community discussion recently, including media coverage about special education services in Howard County. I am immensely proud of the progress we have made in serving our students receiving special education services and in building a culture and climate of meaningful inclusion in our schools.