LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SEEK MORE TAXING POWER DESPITE HOUSING CRUNCH: Maryland’s housing market is already out of reach for more than half the state’s households. Now, local governments are considering whether they should have more power to raise property-related taxes and fees, a change that housing and construction groups say could make it even harder to afford a home. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
SENIORS COULD GET WALLOPED WITH DOUBLED PREMIUMS FOR LONG-TERM CARE: Thousands of Maryland seniors paying for long-term health care could see their annual premiums double, or triple, over the next several years if state officials approve the steep increases requested by four Maryland insurance companies last week. On Thursday, representatives from the insurance companies told state officials that premium rate increases were needed due to greater than anticipated utilization of benefits and lower mortality among participants. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
ED BLUEPRINT HITS A HALFWAY POINT AS LEADERS CONSIDER NEXT STEPS: Implementation of Maryland’s 10-year education overhaul plan known as The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is at the halfway mark, and program leaders are eyeing legislative recommendations for next year. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
IMPACT OF TRUMP’s EO ON BAY CLEANUP UNCLEAR, WORRISOME: It’s unclear how much impact President Trump’s repeal of a policy that has guided federal participation in Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts for nearly two decades will have on the cleanup. But its narrow focus has triggered fears that some priorities will be left behind. Jeremy Cox, Emmett Gartner and Lauren Hines-Acosta/The Bay Journal.
A FISHERMAN, A DAIRY FARMER AND A FIGHT OVER A FOULED STREAM: For Chris Thomas, the fouling of a northeast Maryland tributary called Basin Run is a tragedy. It didn’t take him long to trace the problem to a neighbor just upstream, a dairy operation with hundreds of cows called Kilby Farms. This spring, the Maryland Department of the Environment sued Kilby Farms and an associated real estate company, Hartland Holdings. Officials say the businesses, both owned by the Pennsylvania farmer Ben Flahart, failed to comply with an August 2025 settlement over releases of foul liquid into Basin Run. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
BA CO COUNCIL TO VOTE ON EXTENDING DATA CENTER MORATORIUM: The Baltimore County Council will vote Tuesday on whether to extend the county’s moratorium on data center development through the end of 2027, giving lawmakers more time to consider regulations for the facilities as residents push for stronger restrictions, including an outright ban. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
PRELIMINARY WORK STARTS ON ODENTON STATION PARKING GARAGE: Preconstruction work on a new $56 million parking garage at the Odenton train station will begin today, marking the next step in a broader plan to spur transit-oriented development around the station. The garage will have 1,000 to 1,100 spots and is expected to be completed in mid-2028, Maryland Department of Transportation Director of Development Derek Davies said Thursday. Sofia Montoya-Deck/The Baltimore Sun.
SPOTLIGHT ON PRINCE GEORGE’S LEADERS AT BLACK CAUCUS EVENT: From Maryland U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks to Rev. Dr. George L. Parks Jr. of Largo, Prince George’s County leaders used their platforms at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation‘s 55th Annual Legislative Conference to encourage change across the nation. Richard Elliott/The Washington Informer.
- There have been fewer than 20 Black astronauts in NASA history, but two of them were on a Washington stage Friday for a discussion as part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference. Jeanette Epps and Victor Glover were on hand for “Ad Astra: African Americans in Space Exploration,” hosted by Maryland U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, whose district includes the Goddard Space Flight Center, said the panel was to not only tout space exploration, but to encourage younger Blacks to enter what Ivey called a multitrillion-dollar industry “that’s just going to keep growing.” William Ford/Maryland Matters.
RECORDS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT POLICE ACTION IN SEN. MUSE INCIDENTS: State Sen. C. Anthony Muse returned to the pulpit Sunday, preaching publicly for the first time since a pair of incidents involving his luxury Land Rover in Annapolis drew viral attention and prompted an expanding examination of how police handled the encounter. Nearly six weeks after Muse struck the mirror of a parked vehicle and later left his SUV partly on a sidewalk and against a tree during the General Assembly’s Aug. 3 special session, newly obtained police records continue to raise questions about what officers knew, what Muse told them and why a sobriety test discussed on body-camera footage never occurred. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE SEEKS FEDERAL LOANS TO AID SMALL BUSINESSES IN GLEN BURNIE: Gov. Wes Moore is asking for federal loans to assist small businesses affected by the ongoing structural integrity issue at Glen Burnie’s Empire Towers. The 10-story office building was evacuated in July after the floor of its underground parking garage shifted while it was undergoing unpermitted work. Over two months later, cars parked on the day of the evacuation remain trapped and occupants have not been able to return to work in the building. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
4-YEAR-OLD B’MORE POLICE BOARD STILL DOESN’T HAVE AN INVESTIGATOR: Four years after it was established, the Baltimore Police Accountability Board doesn’t have its own investigator and still has to rely on the Police Department’s internal investigations when it decides on discipline for officers in misconduct cases involving a member of the public. Madeleine O’Neill/Baltimore Brew.
MO CO POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS IN WAKE OF IG REPORT: Marc Yamada on Friday resigned as chief of the Montgomery County Police Department after more than two years in the role, County Executive Marc Elrich announced. While Elrich’s statement did not initially provide a reason for Yamada’s resignation, which took effect immediately, it did state that Assistant Chief Darren Francke would serve as acting chief until a permanent replacement is appointed. Ceoli Jacoby & Elia Griffin/Bethesda Today.
- Yamada resigned Friday in the wake of a report from the county’s Office of the Inspector General that faults him for failing to take leave when absent from work and making a false statement. The report, released Friday hours after the county announced Yamada’s departure, also concluded that, against county regulations, Yamada consumed alcohol at a golf tournament when he was “on the clock” and took a relative — another county employee — to a conference but falsely denied that he had chosen the person to accompany him. Antonio Planos/The Baltimore Banner.
JUDGE SENTENCES BA CO TEACHER TO 3 YEARS IN STUDENT’s ABUSE: A Baltimore County judge on Friday ordered a former Woodlawn Middle School teacher to serve three years in prison for sexually abusing and exploiting a student — a punishment that exceeded the sentencing guidelines. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
RACCOON, BAT TEST POSITIVE FOR RABIES IN HARFORD: Another rabies alert went out from the Harford County Health Department on Friday, warning residents of Street that a raccoon tested positive. The raccoon was found in a largely rural area, but the county health department said it may have exposed people and pets to the virus. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
- Harford County has recorded 23 confirmed cases of rabies in animals this year, more than any other jurisdiction in Maryland, according to state Health Department data. Frederick, Baltimore, Montgomery, Washington and Carroll counties, along with Baltimore, also have recorded at least 10 cases this year. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
- One of two bats spotted this month inside St. Margaret School in Bel Air has tested positive for rabies, the Harford County Health Department said. School maintenance staff were able to capture one bat in the girls’ bathroom and submitted the animal to the state laboratory on Sept. 1. The bat tested positive for rabies the next day. Staff was unable to trap a second bat spotted in the school gym. Shaela Foster/The Aegis.
