I spotted the last seahawk of 2024, talons briefly clutching the tips of a tree above as my dogs, oblivious, sniffed the ground below. For many, fall arrives with the equinox at 8:43 a.m. Sunday. It’s when the hours of night and day balance and pumpkin spice overwhelms. For me, the shift begins when osprey cries are replaced in the sky above my home along the Chesapeake Bay by barking Canada geese. It means change is coming.

 

Dozens of immigrant families who have been resettled in Montgomery County, Maryland, face eviction and may soon be homeless, according to advocates that are working to stop that from happening. The families are from several nations including Syria, Ethiopia, Central and South America, but most are from Afghanistan. Resettlement organizations paid their rent for six months, but the money has run out.

 

A lender is threatening to take control of a city-backed hotel that is part of an ambitious redevelopment of an East Baltimore neighborhood, court records show. The owner of the 15-story Residence Inn Baltimore at the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus missed a July deadline to repay a $21 million loan. The lender is now asking a judge to put the entire complex — which includes several commercial and restaurant spaces — in the hands of another operator while its finances are sorted out.

Maryland’s lone Republican in Congress, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, is the new chair of the right-wing Freedom Caucus. Harris has replaced prior Freedom Caucus chair U.S. Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, who lost his Republican primary earlier this year. In a statement issued by the Freedom Caucus, Harris said: “I look forward to leading this caucus as we confront the reckless spending of the Biden-Harris Administration, work to secure our Southern Border, and defend our constitutional freedoms in the House of Representatives.”

Baltimore’s Department of Public Works Deputy Director Richard Luna is stepping down from his position, the Mayor’s Office confirmed on Thursday. His last day will be on October 3. The mayor’s office said Luna is leaving on his decision and it is not related to any work or performance-related issues at DPW. “I want to extend my sincere thanks to Director Luna for his tireless work on behalf of Baltimore,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.

The City of Frederick has become the largest municipality in Maryland to approve non-citizen voting in local elections. Late Thursday night, the Board of Aldermen voted 4-1 to grant green card holders and undocumented citizens the right to vote locally. The only dissenting vote was that of Alderman Kelly Russell. Under the new changes non-citizen voters would still have to prove that they reside in Frederick. Convicted felons would be ineligible to vote under the legislation.

Maryland’s Senate race is one of a handful of federal races poised to decide which political party wins control over Congress. That means there’s plenty of polling, as the candidates and other interested parties search for indications of which way voters will go. Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan and Democrat and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are vying for the open seat, along with Libertarian Party candidate Mike Scott and independent candidate Patrick J. Burke.

Over the past couple of years, the US economy has wrung out inflation like dirty mop water from just about every sector — except for the housing market, which remains paralyzed by high prices and chronically low supply. But the action that could help solve America’s home affordability crisis could potentially make it worse. To understand why, let’s take a look at how we got here.

 

 

The FTC said it stands by its study. “Just three companies control nearly 80% of the market that millions of Americans must use to purchase necessary drugs at high costs,” an agency spokesman said. “This is a complicated and opaque market, and the FTC is committed to using its clear authority to help the public and policymakers understand it.”

There’s a lesson to be learned from the fact that Janet Currie has the job she does: It is possible to say no to a big opportunity and still succeed. Currie did. Years ago, Bank of America wanted to promote her and move her to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The offer was tempting. But it didn’t work for reasons including her husband’s job and a desire to stay near extended family.