We watched closely as Gov. Wes Moore spoke during a prime-time slot on the third night of the Democratic National Convention, wondering if he’d use one of the biggest stages in politics to make his rising star burn brighter or turn the spotlight toward Maryland. He did a little of both, serving as a loyal surrogate to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Montgomery County police and the Maryland school system’s new security chief say there will be more collaboration in the upcoming school year. During an online briefing, Marcus Jones, Montgomery County Public Schools’ new security chief, said “safety is a top priority” for the school system. Jones, who retired after nearly four decades with the Montgomery County Police Department, said that he’s in the process of talking to other school districts about their experiences with weapons detections systems.

 

Kamala Harris’ campaign has accepted the terms of next week’s presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, including the fact that the candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak, according to a person familiar with the debate negotiations. However, in a letter to ABC News Wednesday afternoon agreeing to the rules, the Harris campaign again laid out their objections to the muted mics condition, insisting that they believe the vice president will be “disadvantaged” by the format.

A former Republican state delegate has a wafer-thin lead in the 6th District race for Congress, although he trails in the most densely populated portions of the district, a poll out Thursday shows. Republican Neil Parrott has a 41%-39% edge over Democrat April McClain Delaney if the general election were held today, according to Gonzales Research & Media Services. The 2-point gap is well within the margin of error.

Del. Rachel Muñoz (R-Anne Arundel) announced Wednesday that she will step away from the legislature so she can “spend more time with my young family.” In a letter to the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee, Muñoz to said she intends to resign effective Jan. 1, 2025. “I have truly appreciated the opportunity to represent and serve the people of both District 33 and District 31 for so many years.

The Port of Baltimore could be headed for its second partial shutdown this year. A six-year contract between a dockworkers’ union and shipping companies expires at the end of this month, and labor leaders say they are closer than ever to their first strike in nearly 50 years. Such an action would affect ports along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, upend the global supply chain and put thousands of Baltimore-area residents out of work.

 

Local officials shared their concern Tuesday after recently learning that continued state funding for designing the second phase of widening Interstate 81 would not be in the Maryland Department of Transportation’s draft six-year transportation plan. The construction money for the next widening phase was deferred last winter, but the planning and design money had remained in the state’s plan.

Marylanders who have relatively straightforward tax returns will have the chance to ditch independent — and sometimes costly — tax preparers and instead file their federal taxes directly with the IRS for free in 2025, state and federal officials said Wednesday. The new “direct file” system launched as a pilot program earlier this year and Maryland is one of the first states that will make it available during its permanent expansion.

Testing recently conducted by the Maryland Department of the Environment found eight Frederick County Public Schools where levels of certain chemicals in drinking water exceeded new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits. In an email on Wednesday, FCPS spokesperson Brandon Oland confirmed that the students, staff and families at eight schools that tested with elevated levels in the district were notified late last week of the test results.

The Baltimore Police Department will launch a pilot program in January that provides 100 employees with a financial stipend to cover child care expenses to help boost the depleted agency’s recruitment and retention. The stipends, up to $250 per month and $3,000 annually, will be made available to 100 qualifying professional staff and sworn officers with children younger than 13 years old or who have special needs, according to the department.