Politics

A nasty fight over personnel matters between Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano (R) and the seven-member county council is headed to court. Officially, it’s a dispute over Giordano’s desire to fill three high-ranking positions over the council’s objection. But it’s also the latest twist in an ongoing struggle between the executive and legislative branches in the Eastern Shore county, as Wicomico continues to settle in to its relatively new form of charter government.

When’s the last time you’ve taken a moment to think about how you’d like to say your final goodbye? Death is not necessarily top of mind, but it’s important to consider end-of-life planning. There’s a new burial alternative that’s buzzing around the country that may soon come to Maryland. There’s a way to give yourself back to the earth and ensure your legacy lives on. Some call it natural organic reduction, or terramation. But, it’s called human composting.

A long-standing effort to provide low-income schools with federal grants to improve building infrastructure and internet connectivity has been reintroduced in Congress by Democratic U.S. lawmakers with support from Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D), and others. According to a Monday press release, the “Rebuild America’s Schools Act” would establish a $100 billion federal grant program and a $30 billion tax credit bond program for high-poverty schools to fund physical and digital infrastructure improvements.

The possible benefits and impact of Carroll County’s newly created school impact fee is being debated by school system officials and local developers. On July 27, the county commissioners voted to create a school impact fee that would charge developers of new housing in the county $3,000 per single-family home beginning Sept. 1. Commissioners voted 3-2 to enact the fee. Commissioners Ed Rothstein of District 5; Ken Kiler of District 2; and Joseph Vigliotti of District 1 voted in favor of enacting the fee; Commissioners Tom Gordon III of District 3 and Michael Guerin of District 4 voted against the measure.

As they left Deep Creek Lake Saturday after a two-day trip to Western Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore and Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz talked to the Cumberland Times-News about issues facing the area, including the annual bear hunt and a proposed bridge replacement over the state’s only Wild river. Moore, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and their administration were in Western Maryland for a series of events that began Friday in Allegany County and ended Saturday in Garrett County.

When Dan Snyder owned the Washington Commanders, state and local governments were loath to offer any incentives for a new stadium, even with the lease on FedEx Field in Maryland set to run out in just a few years. At best, he could have expected funding for infrastructure improvements. But money for the stadium itself? That was a line D.C.-area leaders on either side of the Potomac would not cross.

Piggybacking on a push by city residents from various neighborhoods to fight installation of outdoor gas pressure regulators, Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello announced the introduction of a bill Thursday that would ban such regulators from single family homes. The bill, which Costello unveiled at a news conference at City Hall, would ban regulators from any building that has five or fewer residential units.