Around Maryland

Baltimore’s Metro subway line will be out of service this weekend as the Maryland Transit Administration continues tests of a new train control system, the agency has announced. All 14 stations between Owings Mills and the Johns Hopkins Hospital will close at 8 p.m. Friday and reopen at 4 a.m. Monday. The MTA will run shuttle buses between Metro stops for riders who would otherwise take the train.

Impact fee experts told Harford County officials that proposed fee increases for developers are a step in the right direction, but will not fully cover the cost of school infrastructure needed for student population growth from new development. Impact fees are one-time fees paid to the county by developers building new residential structures and can only be used to fund school site acquisition, school construction or school renovations.

The Baltimore Department of Transportation could be breaking state and city law by failing to notify residents about towing and then auctioning their cars, according to a report from the city auditor’s office. “Letting people know we have their vehicle and are going to auction it off is a basic service,” Comptroller Bill Henry said in a Thursday news release announcing the results of a biennial performance audit that evaluated the Baltimore Police Department and the DOT since towing is managed by both agencies. “No excuses — we need to do better.”

Did you really think the Harborplace redevelopment fight was over? A day after voters approved a crucial ballot question for the overhaul of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, opponents reiterated their plans to keep fighting. Protect Our Parks, the coalition that encouraged residents to vote “F-No” on Question F, said in a statement that it plans to block residential towers from being built on along the Inner Harbor promenade through its own appeal to voters — two years from now.

The Republican Party picked up several key wins on Tuesday, November 5th. The biggest one, of course, is the presidential race, and local officials believe that will impact offshore wind projects off our coast. Republicans Donald J. Trump and JD Vance won the presidential election. Republicans now hold the majority in the U.S. Senate, and it appears the U.S. House is trending in that direction.

The Novel Refuge, a newly established used bookstore in Laurel, is using books as a way to support refugees in the region. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to support local asylum seekers and refugees by selling books, games, puzzles and other literary-related items, and sending profits to an organization who can assist them.

Ed Leicht came to William Faber’s Holly Neck Road boarding house for the same reason everyone else did — he was out of options. The 76-year-old retired musician had been living with his wife at her sister’s home nearby. Last year, around Christmas, his wife died, and his sister-in-law immediately sold the house. The Leichts had funneled most of their savings into fixing up that house.