Around Maryland

For Brittany Harvin and her daughter, housing instability ended Monday. That’s when she and a dozen other families moved into new 440-square-foot homes as part of an innovative housing initiative called Hope Village. Located at the intersection of Holbrook and East Hoffman streets, the colorful and tiny houses have been constructed in what was an old alleyway in Baltimore’s Oliver community.

Even with this year’s elections dominated by presidential politics and national storylines, Maryland voters made significant changes to their local governments Tuesday — though they weren’t as extensive as they could have been. In Montgomery County, voters overwhelmingly embraced a two-term limit for their county executive — meaning the incumbent, Marc Elrich (D), will be out of a job in two years.

One of the Facebook posts featured Gov. Wes Moore with a clown nose. Another showed three monkeys and sharp criticism of public financing for the redevelopment of Harborplace. The monkey post came from the account of former City Council member Anthony J. Ambridge and appeared on a private Facebook group with 1,200 followers.

Starting Monday in Baltimore County, drivers who pass a stopped school bus with red flashing lights will face a $250 ticket. “It’s a much-needed program so that we can protect our students when you consider the number of kids struck by motorists,” Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said. School buses in the county are equipped with four cameras that capture video and photos of license plates, allowing authorities to identify violators.

The Maryland Energy Administration Monday announced the opening of the new Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Commercial Solar Grant Program, which offers major incentives to Maryland businesses and organizations to help pay the costs of solar energy systems that benefit Maryland’s low-to-moderate income, overburdened and underserved communities.

Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire and Emergency Services fought uncontrolled fires Sunday as a strong smell of smoke and smoggy conditions set in across the Route 40 corridor. The proving ground’s fire and emergency services posted on Facebook at 3:30 p.m. that the National Guard was assisting them in fighting “range fires” — fires burning uncontrolled on a range of land. At least dozens of county residents posted images on social media of the smoky conditions along the Bush River and in numerous neighborhoods stretching from Aberdeen to Edgewood. A putrid, smoky smell also filled the air Sunday.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide ban on open-air burning Friday. Open-air burning – such as campfires and charcoal grilling – are not permitted under the burn ban, but state law does permit the use of propane grills. The ban comes amid a Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service, which cited dry conditions, low humidity and strong winds making conditions favorable for the rapid spread of fires.

While many farmers across Delmarva have the resources to weather the drought, some small farmers aren’t as fortunate. Floyd Pugh of C.P. Farm in Westover, Md., says he does not have a working irrigation system, which is why a fourth of his planted seeds did not germinate. “We got a well drilled in,” says Pugh. “The well was pretty expensive to put in here, but the electric company wants $10,000 to run electric from the highway back to our well, and that’s a little too far out for me to reach.”