MARYLAND LOSES MOST FEDERAL JOBS SINCE JANUARY: Maryland lost another 2,500 federal jobs in August, the second month in a row that the state has led the nation in federal job losses, according to numbers released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor. The August numbers brought the total number of federal jobs lost in the state to 15,100 since January. That year-to-date total is also the most in the country. Nicole Pilsbury/Maryland Matters.
PURPLE LINE FIVE YEARS LATE, $4 BILLION OVER BUDGET: When the Purple Line got greenlit more than a decade ago, plans called for the 16-mile, 21-station light rail traversing Montgomery and Prince George’s counties to open in 2022. Then the tumult began: court cases, delays, construction firms walking away, even a global pandemic. The ribbon cutting won’t come until late 2027, at an estimated building cost of $5.6 billion. The total cost of $9.5 billion, including the contract to operate the light rail, is nearly $4 billion more than the original price. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS ‘FUNCTIONALLY UNRELIABLE,’ COMPTROLLER SAYS: The vast majority of Maryland school facilities are in need of repairs or are “functionally unreliable,” amid skyrocketing construction costs, according to a new report from the state’s comptroller. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE BETS BIG ON QUANTUM COMPUTING AS KEY ‘LIGHTHOUSE’ INDUSTRY: From South Carolina to Tokyo, Gov. Wes Moore’s 2025 traveling sales pitch to bring more businesses to Maryland has focused on a few key areas — “lighthouse” industries, as he calls them, that could ignite a new age of economic growth in a state that’s struggled to keep up. The brightest lighthouse — or at least the one Moore has rallied around the most — is also the riskiest: The emerging world of quantum computing. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
300,000 MARYLANDERS TO FACE LARGE INSURANCE RATE HIKE: Nearly 300,000 Marylanders who bought health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act Marketplace will see monthly health care costs jump next year, as state officials finalize premium rate increases for 2026. The Maryland Insurance Administration announced the approval Friday of a 13.4% average premium rate increase for 2026, meaning individuals and households will have to pay hundreds more in health costs over next year. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
- The approved rates are 3.7% lower than what insurance companies suggested back in June, when the companies offered 17% hikes, far above the average of 8% a year Marylanders usually see. The insurers claim the increase is due to Congress and the Trump administration getting rid of the federal premium tax credit in the latest spending bill. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
FEDS END BLUE RIBBON PROGRAM LOVED BY MARYLAND SCHOOLS: U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications Strategy Madi Biedermann sent a letter to state and private school officials last month announcing the end of the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, which is beloved by the Maryland educators who led schools that joined its ranks. Last year, 356 schools received the honor, doled out to both high-achieving institutions and those closing achievement gaps. Ten Maryland schools made the list: four public and six private. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE ANSWERS TRANS SECTY ACCUSATION WITH BRIDGE COST, SCHEDULE: While the U.S. Secretary of Transportation is raising concerns about Maryland’s use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs to select contractors for the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement, Gov. Wes Moore, in a statement, instead answered his concerns about the “overall cost and schedule for completion” of the bridge. Initial projections from the state said it expects the Key Bridge to reopen in 2028 at a cost of $1.8 billion. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND DEMS DERIDE KIMMEL SUSPENSION AS CENSORSHIP: Democrats in the Maryland congressional delegation on Friday warned that ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following controversial comments on the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a threat to free speech. “It represents the type of censorship that we see in authoritarian regimes,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski said in an interview. Mary Burke of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
HOME SALES SLOWING, MARYLAND REALTORS SAY: Data out of the Maryland Association of Realtors shows that the state’s housing market overall is slowing, as well, with densely populated areas such as Baltimore City, Montgomery, Howard and Prince George’s counties and others seeing significant decreases in homes sold this year, compared to last. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS ISSUE BLANKET COVID SHOT PRESCRIPTION: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers added confusion Friday to this fall’s Covid-19 vaccinations — declining to recommend them for anyone and leaving the choice up to those who want a shot. n response, Maryland health officials issued a blanket prescription for the Covid-19 vaccine so residents would not have to ask their providers for a script. Mike Stobbe and Lauran Neergaard/The Associated Press.
BALTIMORE CITY BATTLES DOLLAR STORE GROWTH: As dollar stores proliferate in Baltimore, much to the dismay of city leaders who have been working to boost specific neighborhoods, they have introduced a bill they hope will help. Bill 25-0040 would mean that “small box” retail establishments proposed for any commercial zone would have to get “conditional use” approval from the Zoning Board, providing some leverage for residents. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
