STATE GAINS 11,900 JOBS IN AUGUST: Maryland’s economy gained 11,900 jobs in August and the state’s unemployment rate decreased from 6.0% to 5.9%, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday morning, reports Bryan Renbaum of MarylandReporter.
REPORT: ARPA FUNDS KEPT 729,000 MARYLANDERS FROM POVERTY: Shauneen Miranda of Capital News Service reports that the American Rescue Plan and other emergency measures kept an estimated 729,000 Marylanders out of poverty this year, according to a recent congressional report. But the cutoff of extended unemployment and other benefits could trigger a reverse effect.
MOTORISTS OVERPAID WITH CASHLESS TOLLS, AUDIT FINDS: Maryland legislative auditors found that glitches in the cashless tolling infrastructure implemented at all of the state’s bridges, tunnels and express lanes overbilled motorists thousands of dollars and, in some cases, failed to identify the issues and reimburse customers promptly, Alex Mann of the Sun reports.
AMID SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE, HOGAN ASKS MVA TO SPEED CREDENTIALS: Gov. Larry Hogan is taking action to address a critical shortage of school bus drivers in Maryland, Amy Simpson reports for WBFF-TV. Hogan is directing the Motor Vehicle Administration to have prospective school bus drivers tested and credentialed as quickly as possible.
DEL. DUMAIS APPLIES FOR JUDGESHIP: Del. Kathleen M. Dumais (D-Montgomery), a senior lawmaker and vice chair of the House Economic Matters Committee, has applied to become a judge on the Montgomery County District Court — potentially opening up a plum legislative position in the weeks ahead, Josh Kurtz reports for Maryland Matters.
PRIVATE GUN SALES SURGE, SHORTING POLICE OF BULLETS: Nationwide fears about public safety are driving gun and ammunition sales, creating longer waits for Baltimore County Police and other Baltimore-area law enforcement agencies trying to stock up on bullets and cartridges, Taylor DeVille reports in the Sun.
UM MESSAGE TO FOOTBALL TEAM WARNS OF GIVING INSIDER INFO: The message from the University of Maryland to its football players was topped by the words “SPORTS WAGERING” in oversized, bold lettering. But the preseason memo, obtained by The Baltimore Sun as part of a public records request, didn’t just caution athletes against point shaving and “impermissible gambling,” which includes participating in fantasy leagues and March Madness and Super Bowl pools, Jeff Barker reports for the Sun. It also warned against disseminating “insider information” about “plays, strategies, injuries.”
Driving Change: The Future of Transportation: Transportation is being rapidly reformed by technology. Smarter, connected vehicles will bring increased automation, increased driving functions, and safety for both public and private modes of transport. This FREE Webinar on September 28th examines a broad range of related topics from micro-mobility (LEVs) and hydrogen fueled vehicles now on the horizon, to vehicle-to-grid applications and strategies for rapid conversion of bus and truck fleets.
OPINION: DON’T RELEASE MALVO: In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Towson U. Professor Richard Vatz argues that Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the two “Beltway snipers” convicted of killing 10 people in 2002 — six of them in Maryland — should not be released from prison.
GOP SENATE HOPEFUL GIVES CAMPAIGN $50,000: Entrepreneur, public speaker and author James Tarantin, a Republican from Montgomery County, announced that he has deposited an initial $50,000 into his U.S. Senate campaign, according to the Baltimore News Journal.
MCDANIEL CALLED ‘BEST VALUE’ COLLEGE IN U.S. Two Carroll colleges recently received high rankings in local and national lists. McDaniel College was named No. 1 in a Best Value category for U.S. News and World Report and Carroll Community College was ranked No. 1 in Maryland community colleges by College Consensus, Kristen Griffith of the Carroll County Times reports.
MO CO COVID RATE DECLINES: Montgomery County’s COVID-19 test positivity rate is continuing to decline, while consistently having more than 100 new cases per day, Bethesda Beat reports. As of Sunday, the county’s Department of Health and Human Services reported a seven-day average positivity rate of 2.4%. Last week, it was 2.6%.
CHRISTA BEVERLY, RUSHERN BAKER’s WIFE, DIES: Christa Beverly, a longtime civil rights lawyer and the wife of former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III, died Saturday, he said. She was 61, Martin Weil of the Post reports. “Today I lost the love of my life, my best friend, and the source of all my strength,” Baker said in a tweet.
- Beverly had been suffering from early-onset dementia for more than a decade, William Ford reports for the Washington Informer. Baker also tweeted, “She was our rock – the absolutely best mother to my kids and wife to me. She spent her life fighting injustice, inequities and, for the last decade, illness with grace and grit.”
ASST. ATTY GEN. NOTED FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION WORK, DIES AT 41: Patrick Henry McCormally, an assistant Maryland attorney general who specialized in consumer protection issues, died Sept. 12 of injuries from a motorcycle accident. He lived in Baltimore, the Sun reports.
