PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER VACANCIES PLUMMET: State education officials gathered Monday at an Annapolis elementary school to cheer a steep decline in teacher vacancies over the last four years. Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright announced the number of open teaching jobs at Maryland public schools fell from a high of 2,145 in 2022 to just under 600 today. She touted salary enhancements and recruitment and retention efforts as central to the state’s success in reducing its yearslong teacher shortage. Jessica Calefati and Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
LOSS OF FEDERAL JOBS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS BLACK WOMEN: Ronicsa Chambers did not expect that her job at the FAA would be one of thousands that would be suddenly cut last year under the second Trump administration’s efforts to reduce federal spending. But Chambers, who was the FAA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility manager, was one of almost 30,000 Marylanders who lost federal jobs in the rapid layoffs and project terminations that began in early 2025, cuts that may have disproportionately affected Black women, according to a recent report. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
COLUMN: NEEDLESS ANGER IS ANDY HARRIS’s DEFINING TRAIT: During his 27 years as a state senator from Baltimore County and a Republican congressman in the 1st District, Andy Harris’s blowups have become the stuff of legend. No surprise, he wouldn’t talk with me about them. Members of my family regularly vote for Harris. Many dismiss his anger as Andy being Andy, and appreciate what he’s done in office. But he’s shown a pattern of needless hostility, of being mean. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
YOUNG ROCKFISH NUMBERS, THOUGH BETTER, CONTINUE TO LAG: For the eighth straight year, Maryland scientists found well below average numbers of young rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay. This summer’s survey, released Monday, showed the best results since 2018, the last time that surveyors counted an above-average quantity of juvenile striped bass, or rockfish. But with “young of the year” index of 5.5 this year — compared to a historical average of 10.8 — Maryland scientists aren’t really celebrating. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
U.S. SUPREMES TO REVIEW MO CO MAGNET SCHOOLS ADMISSIONS CASE: The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it would review a case about whether the Montgomery County Public Schools’ admissions policy for magnet programs denied opportunities to Asian American students. Talia Richman/The Baltimore Banner.
- The case has been dismissed by lower courts, which said the parents had not proved that the policy “disparately impacts Asian American students” or that it was created with discriminatory intent. But in agreeing to hear the case, the high court said it would consider whether the parents “challenging a facially neutral admissions policy as racially discriminatory must establish that the targeted racial group suffered an aggregate disparate impact relative to its share of the applicant pool” for their case to proceed. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
- In a Monday statement, MCPS spokesperson Liliana López noted that the court is not evaluating the specific details of the district’s magnet programs. “Rather, the Court will address a purely legal question and decide what plaintiffs who challenge race-neutral admissions criteria on their face must establish to demonstrate discrimination,” López said. Ashlynn Campbell/Bethesda Today.
DATA CENTERS AT FOREFRONT IN FREDERICK COUNTY EXEC RACE: Data centers loom large in the Frederick County executive race between incumbent Democrat Jessica Fitzwater and Republican Jeff Holtzinger, with some residents saying they are single-issue voters this year. At the same time, non-profits serving the immigrant community blame ICE’s ongoing presence for a significant drop in use of their services across 2026. This comes as new data shows 32% of county households are struggling to make ends meet. Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
B’MORE’s BABY FUND ON THE BALLOT: It’s been a long road for supporters of the Baltimore Baby Fund: countless hours spent gathering thousands of signatures — twice — and arguing for the idea in front of Maryland courts. But this fall city voters will finally have the chance to weigh in on a ballot question to create a fund intended to aid city parents raising newborns. Here’s what you need to know about the proposal. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.
OCTOBER MOST DANGERIOUS MONTH FOR PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLIST INJURIES: October is the most dangerous month for pedestrian and bicyclist injuries for the Baltimore area. Local police departments say they will be increasing enforcement as part of the Look Alive campaign. A total of 142 pedestrians in the Baltimore region were involved in crashes with vehicles last October. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
RAVENS TO REMAIN IN BA CO ‘CASTLE:’ The Baltimore Ravens will keep their nest in Baltimore County for more than a decade under a long-term deal approved Monday. The Baltimore County Council unanimously signed off on the three key pieces to an agreement that will keep the team headquartered at “The Castle” in Owings Mills, a sprawling county-owned training facility leased by the Ravens, through July 31, 2038. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
ARUNDEL COUNCIL PASSES CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE, ETHICS BILLS: The Anne Arundel County Council unanimously approved two bills Monday that require developers to disclose campaign contributions and give the county’s ethics commission authority to fine people who violate ethics rules. Benjamin Rothstein/The Baltimore Sun.
ARUNDEL COUNCIL REJECTS ZONING BILL ON FOOD TRUCKS: The Anne Arundel County Council unanimously rejected a sweeping zoning bill that would have added restrictions on food trucks while allowing them to operate in more locations. The bill included 400 changes to the county’s zoning code. Some residents and council members said the proposal had been rushed. Ahmad Garnett/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND MOM WANTS ANSWERS TO HUSBAND’s DEATH IN ICE CUSTODY: Veronica Ramirez knew something was wrong the day her husband didn’t call. In the three months he had been detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana, Julian Curo Churata had called or messaged every morning to reassure Ramirez and their three children in Maryland that he was OK. As Sept. 28 passed with no word, Ramirez called the wife of another detainee, who told her that Curo Churata had been “doing poorly all day.” Later, a funeral home called to tell Ramirez that her husband was dead. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) has called for a “full independent investigation” into Curo Churata’s death. Liam Bowman/The Washington Post.
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