Companies doing business in the state of Maryland are no strangers to regulation and taxes. So, when Maryland introduced a special business tax that would provide federal tax relief to Maryland businesses, there was widespread cheer. Unfortunately, government inefficiency in the state has caused a rare tax incentive to be more of a headache than it’s worth for many business owners and tax professionals.
One alarming aspect of the current crime wave is the dramatic increase of both violent and property crime in areas of Maryland that have not seen similar surges in the past. That’s exactly what is happening in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, which are suffering from rapid increases in rates of violent crimes, carjackings and robberies.
It was revealed last week during a hearing held by the House select subcommittee that a National Institutes of Health scientific advisor who reported to Anthony Fauci attempted to avoid complying with federal records requests during the pandemic by deleting messages and shifting electronic conversations to personal email accounts.
The Great Pandemic was a scourge for our community, our nation and indeed the whole world, but the response to the crisis was at times a lifesaver to people living at the margins. The many programs implemented by the Biden administration to blunt the harm of the pandemic-induced recession pumped billions into programs aimed at protecting the working poor. And the spending was successful, protecting many families from financial devastation.
In the span of a week, the Orioles’ plans for a six-man rotation to get them through a treacherous stretch with one off day in the month of June went awry. John Means’ elbow injury and Dean Kremer’s right triceps strain saw to that. It remains true that the Orioles’ pitching depth is defined by its quality as opposed to quantity, though now that depth is all in use with Albert Suárez and Cole Irvin in the rotation.
A shout out to Gov. Wes Moore who on Thursday made a tough call on legislation about which most Marylanders are likely unaware. He vetoed House Bill 1258, a measure sponsored by Del. Elizabeth Embry, a Baltimore Democrat, that would have created a website to carry legal notices required to settle estates and trusts. Under current state law, when someone dies, the local register of wills must publish an advertisement in a local newspaper so potential claims by creditors or unknown heirs can be filed against the estate.
On behalf of the dedicated people on the city of Frederick’s Charter Review Committee, I am writing to express our frustration about the delay and disjointed “management” of our report and recommendations from the time it was delivered to our elected leadership on Dec. 1, 2023, to the present. More importantly, perhaps, it is truly disheartening to have certain of our elected officials criticize us in public meetings for purportedly “doing a disservice to the process” by failing to appear and make presentations to explain our intent as to some of our recommendations.
Imagine, if you will, a ferry leaving City Dock in Annapolis. Now another right behind it. One is a small electric-powered boat making the short trip across Spa Creek to Eastport, where the people on board can walk or bike around what was once a waterman’s village and is now home to a museum, places to eat, marinas and millionaires.
In the final weeks of his life, 99-year-old John Valancius received a beautiful medal for what 19-year-old John Valancius did as an American soldier in France. On April 8, in a brief ceremony in a Pennsylvania restaurant, a French diplomat presented him with the Légion d’Honneur, pinning the medal to his lapel and thanking him for his role in liberating France from German occupation during World War II.
Across the nation, lower-income families rely on America’s largest agricultural and nutrition legislation, known as the “Farm Bill.” It defines commodity pricing for farmers, encourages environmental stewardship, and importantly, provides nutrition assistance for low-income households including through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
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