Around Maryland

Allegiant flights at Hagerstown Regional Airport have posted a growth of about 38% over last year, according to airport Director Neil Doran, with an expected 45,000 enplanements compared with 33,000 before. But airport officials are preparing for even more growth. In the past few weeks, Doran and Public Works Director Andrew Eshleman have appeared twice before the Board of Washington County Commissioners — first for approval to seek a federal grant to expand the airport’s marketing capabilities, and later for approval to seek another federal grant to adapt the terminal for commercial growth.

A contract to bring electric school buses to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is costing the system millions, according to an investigation from the Office of the Inspector General. MCPS announced the over-$160-million contract to replace diesel school buses with electric ones in February 2021. The rollout was supposed to include 326 buses over the course of the next four years.

It’s Artscape week and the festival is a collection of art for the eyes and taste buds. Dozens of food vendors will fill the streets of Baltimore and your stomach. When it comes to making magic or art in the kitchen, Elisa Milan, knows the first ingredient is love. “But we definitely got some sazon and adobo and sofrito,” said Milan, the owner of The Empanada Lady. “We slow cook everything so that all the flavors marry, and everything falls in love really well.”

Newly released body-camera video shows the moment that Baltimore Police officers helped pull to land a construction worker who survived the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after first responders rescued him from the water. The Baltimore Banner obtained a copy of the video on Tuesday through a Maryland Public Information Act request.

Wealth in Maryland continued moving from the cities to the suburbs in the years after the pandemic, with one county losing more than $1 billion in total income as residents flocked to nearby counties. The latest data from the IRS and U.S. Census Bureau for 2021-2022 reveals where wealth migrated within the state. A consistent trend has been the movement of wealth from urban centers to suburban areas.

It’s been more than a year since Maryland flipped a switch, turning the state’s string of medical cannabis stores into retailers open to anyone 21 and older. Ahead of the rollout made possible by a ballot referendum, lawmakers deftly set regulations and taxes based on what’s worked and what hasn’t worked elsewhere. One goal? Make room for new businesses by attempting to suppress illegal sales.

A coalition of governments in the Washington, D.C., metro area declared a regional drought watch on Monday. Frederick County — one of the 24 members of the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments — encourages residents to limit their daily water usage to help conserve water and make sure the area has a sufficient supply, a press release on Monday said.

With visitors numbering in the hundreds of thousands each year, Rocky Gap State Park is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the state of Maryland. It was first opened in July 1974. This year, the park is observing its 50th anniversary, and celebrated this important milestone throughout the month of July. Those events concluded Wednesday with a free paddle boarding lesson.

The Montgomery County government and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Monday a partnership to bring a life sciences hub to North Bethesda. The proposed development is expected to increase the county’s stature as a national center for life science and medical research as well as promote economic development and transit ridership, county and WMATA officials said during a press conference at the North Bethesda Metro station on Monday.