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.

Leaders from LifeBridge Health and McDaniel College joined together Oct. 30 at Carroll Hospital in Westminster to announce a landmark partnership to address the nursing shortage in Carroll County and the surrounding region through McDaniel’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. Beginning in fall 2026, McDaniel’s nursing program will be housed at Carroll Hospital, including offices, nursing classrooms, and labs, providing students with access to Carroll Hospital’s state-of-the-art facilities and early and frequent exposure to clinical work within a hospital setting.

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.

Residents of Maryland can now enroll in health plans for 2025 with Maryland Health Connection, the state’s health insurance marketplace that uses tax credits to bring down the cost of the monthly premium. “More Marylanders than ever are enrolled in health plans through Maryland Health Connection,” said Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, in a release.

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.