Dozens of projects in communities affected by coal-related job losses are receiving nearly $47 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The awards through the ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative go to 52 projects in 181 counties, the commission said. It is the largest single awards package from the initiative since it began in 2015, according to the ARC. Among the largest awards was $2.4 million to expand broadband in Summers County, West Virginia. The project will connect 489 homes and 179 businesses to affordable broadband. Another fiber optic project, in Carroll County, Ohio, was awarded $1.9 million to connect 11 communities to affordable broadband, serving 384 homes and 53 businesses.

As a boy in India, Neeraj Verma experienced Diwali the way Indian children have for centuries: as that magical day on which lamps are lit, friends and family visit bearing gifts, and everyone is encouraged to stuff themselves with sweets. The Clarksville resident still loves the enchantment of the biggest holiday on the Hindu calendar, which millions will celebrate around the world Monday. But he’s equally drawn to the religious elements of this festival of lights, and he’s looking forward to sharing both with hundreds of his fellow Hindus on Tuesday night.

Maryland’s unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to 4% last month as the state, buoyed by hiring in the hospitality sector, added 5,300 jobs, according to preliminary data released Friday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation’s unemployment rate as of September was 3.5%. The leisure and hospitality sector in Maryland had the most jobs gained in September, state officials said, with 3,500 jobs added from the accommodation and food services (2,600) and arts, entertainment, and recreation (900) subsectors. Other gains were reported in the professional and business services (800) and trade, transportation, and utilities (700). Some sectors saw losses, chiefly the financial activities sector, which decreased by 2,000 jobs, and the manufacturing sector, which lost 200 jobs.

I drive through counties — Howard, Harford, Anne Arundel, Carroll or Frederick — and I see earth movers tearing up the landscape and houses being built, and I think: If Baltimore was a better city, if more people wanted urban life, if there were affordable, detached single-family homes built on all the old vacant lots, the whole region would be better off: Baltimore would have a growing population and there would be more open space and woodlands in the suburbs. I had these fantastical thoughts again the other day. I drove along a stretch of Old Court Road in Baltimore County that, last I journeyed there, was farmland, or it might have been woods or a meadow. I don’t recall exactly, but it was definitely not what I found — a paved street with half-acre lots for new homes.

Maryland’s chief tax collector said a decision striking down the state’s digital ad tax should not be appealed. Instead, Comptroller Peter Franchot, who is the named party in a lawsuit challenging the tax, on Friday called for lawmakers to revisit the policy. “While the enactment of this law was well-intended, with revenue dedicated to funding the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, its constitutionality — coupled with the tax’s residual impact on small businesses that utilize digital advertising services — continue to give me pause on the prudence of this law,” Franchot said in a statement. Franchot and Senate President Bill Ferguson, the main sponsor of the law, have opposing views on an appeal that set up an unusual conflict between state entities both represented by the Office of the Attorney General. Despite Franchot’s opposition, an appeal seems likely.

The booming tech and biotech markets in Central North Carolina have lured another Maryland developer south to start digging for new business. Woodlawn-based St. John Properties this month opened a new office in Raleigh, joining other Baltimore developers like Merritt Properties, Greenberg Gibbons and Heritage Properties doing work in the southern state’s Research Triangle. The area was cited in a new report this month as the fourth fastest-growing market in the United States. Dustin Atkielski, a regional partner for St. John, will head the new office and is already scouting for available land. He will also oversee development and leasing in the coming months for the single-story Class A projects that have been the signature of St. John’s multiple developments in Greater Baltimore.

Bank robbery is a high-profile crime that fascinates many people. Movies have been made about famous bank robbers like Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and Butch Cassidy. There is even a new movie that just came out about Gilbert Galvan, Canada’s most prolific bank robber who robbed 59 banks in five years. It might surprise you – as it did me – to learn that the number of bank robberies is the lowest it’s been in half a century. That’s what I discovered while researching a book about the shift to a cashless economy. With people using less cash, I had expected fewer bank robberies. But I was startled to see that the downward trend started well before the cashless economy started springing up in the 2000s.

Early in-person voting begins Thursday in Maryland, and residents will have the chance to weigh in on several statewide races, including selecting a replacement for the outgoing governor, Larry Hogan (R). Also on the ballot are races for comptroller; attorney general; Maryland’s eight House seats; the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Chris Van Hollen, who is seeking reelection; and various local offices. In addition, voters will decide on five statewide constitutional amendments, including the legalization of recreational marijuana. Anyone eager to vote early may do so in person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting Thursday and running through Nov. 3. A full list of early-voting centers is available at elections.maryland.gov. Election Day is Nov. 8, and there are various ways to vote in person or by mail before then.