Politics

County officials voted not to approve a solar project in Snow Hill. A motion to approve a utility scale solar project on Timmons Road in Snow Hill failed with a 3-4 vote by the Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday. The solar project is proposed for about 28 acres of a 103-acre agricultural parcel on the northwest side of Timmons Road.

Liquor stores will be exempt from a new ban on single-use plastic bag sales in Baltimore County after the county council overrode a veto from County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. on Monday night. The council unanimously blocked an Oct. 25 veto, Olszewski’s second-ever, that would have added liquor stores to the list of businesses required to charge customers at least 5 cents for a paper or reusable bag.

Council Member Andrew Friedson is one of the county’s most prominent elected officials. CASA is one of the county’s most prominent interest groups and depends on the state and county governments for a large chunk of its budget. Normally, when parties like this disagree, they do so politely and, if possible, quietly.

An Anne Arundel County bill that would require developers to set aside a portion of units for moderate-income housing was amended Monday night following its first public hearing at The Arundel Center. One change made to the bill, which is designed to provide affordable housing for people living and working in the county, was slightly raising the number of affordable for-sale units a new larger development must offer.

An unusual lesson plan at Annapolis High School, taught by Maryland’s 2023-24 Teacher of the Year, attracted a visit from Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller on Tuesday. Due to the success of Mary Kay Connerton’s wellness program, Miller came to participate in a guided yoga session and a roundtable discussion on mental health with school staff and students.

A blue ribbon transportation panel is poised to recommend new fees for electric vehicles and increased tolls as part of an effort to solve a revenue shortage plaguing the state’s Transportation Trust Fund. The Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs Commission was briefed on both possibilities Monday. An interim report due to the General Assembly by the end of the year could include both recommendations to lawmakers and the Maryland Department of Transportation.

CitiStat will be in a position to triple its staff under a City Council bill that avoided a mayoral veto by agreeing to place its data-crunching employees under the umbrella of City Administrator Faith Leach. Councilman Mark Conway, former acting director at CitiStat, last night announced four changes to Bill 23-0372 following a compromise struck with the staff of Mayor Brandon Scott.