Around Maryland

The D.C. area boasts one of the largest populations of African immigrants in the U.S., leading Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to proclaim September as African Heritage Month — something that’s been celebrated for the last few years in Prince George’s County. According to the Census Bureau, the D.C. region has the fourth-largest African population in the country, though locally there’s an anecdotal belief that it’s a very undercounted segment of the population.

There isn’t much changing at the top of this list. Princeton University in New Jersey retained its spot as the best college in the country, according to the U.S. News and World Report 2025 Best Colleges Ranking. MIT came in at No. 2, followed by Harvard University, Stanford University and Yale. There’s not a lot of shifting in this year’s rankings, especially in the top 10, according to LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Every Thursday afternoon like clockwork, a group of teens in orange aprons huddles around a collection of brightly colored bikes next to a skate park at the city’s Inner Harbor. Two of them are snapping the front derailleur of a blue two-wheeler back into place so the rider can change gears. Another group is swapping a torn brown leather seat for a freshly covered black one.

I was lost in a thicket of pawpaws and towering bittersweet vines at South River Farm Park. Lisa Arrasmith and Mike Lofton were walking me to the water’s edge, picking a path through public land across the South River from Annapolis. It was overgrown and littered with flotsam from hundreds of surging storms. His knee was dodgy but holding up.

Earlier this month, the Baltimore County Council awarded nearly $2.6 million in operating grants to dozens of cultural organizations located outside its boundaries, including the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Everyman Theatre. That’s nearly five times the operating funds that have been promised to the arts, science and nature-based groups who make Baltimore County their home, according to an analysis of budget data by The Baltimore Sun.

The Maryland Department of Transportation has received its first credit rating upgrade in nearly 15 years, which Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said will lower borrowing costs and save taxpayers money. The department, though, also received a negative outlook to match the state’s forecast, indicating that its credit rating may be downgraded in the near future. Maryland’s general operating budget, similar to its transportation plan, is facing projections of a multibillion deficit in the coming years.

The Federal Reserve announced a 0.5% rate cut, the first reduction since 2020. Mortgage rates could drop as a result for prospective sellers, buyers, and refinancers. Marco Smith, from the Maryland and Delaware group of eXp Realty, said this cut will cause a rippling effect in the housing market. “We will see the interest rates follow that pattern because there have been a lot of buyers on the sideline and any movement of rates, in a positive direction is going to bring people off the sideline.”

The Frederick County Board of Education has accepted two bids from local farms to serve fresh produce throughout Frederick County Public Schools. The board on Sept. 11 accepted bids from Moon Valley Farm near Woodsboro and Catoctin Mountain Orchard near Thurmont. The bids are priced per purchasing unit, which varies among fruits and vegetables.