NORTHEAST CORRIDOR WORK INCLUDES $7 BILLION FOR MARYLAND PROJECTS: A 19th-century Baltimore tunnel and four Maryland bridges over 100 years old are set for high-speed upgrades. President Joe Biden outlined $16.4 billion in federal funding Monday for 25 passenger rail projects along Amtrak’s Northeast corridor, including $7 billion for four projects in Maryland — an electrification replacement for the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, the construction of bridges in Baltimore, Harford and Cecil counties, and a major face-lift for Penn Station in Baltimore. Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun.
EV FEES, HIGHER TOLLS PUSHED TO BOLSTER TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND: 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. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
LAWMAKERS UNLIKELY TO CAP RENT INCREASES, HOUSING CHIEF SAYS: Maryland’s highest ranking housing official said Monday that the state’s shortfall of residential building supply had reached a “crisis” pitch, hinting at several steps state government would take next year when legislators reconvene in Annapolis for the next General Assembly session. But Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jacob R. Day said that capping annual rent increases by property owners and managers was doubtful. He said state lawmakers would likely not prescribe it as a solution for Marylanders, at least not this year. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
ACTING PARK SERVICE DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO THE POST: Angela Crenshaw has been appointed director of the Maryland Park Service, becoming the first Black woman to lead the organization. The veteran ranger has headed the state park service in an acting capacity since April. Crenshaw is one of three women recently appointed to lead divisions of the natural resources department, roles that traditionally been held by men. Julie Scharper/The Baltimore Banner.
ABUSE VICTIMS, ARCHDIOCESE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH BANKRUPTCY: A court-ordered ban on lawsuits against Baltimore-area Catholic schools and parishes will remain in place indefinitely as attorneys for sexual abuse victims and the Archdiocese of Baltimore continue to work through the early stages of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy. Lee O. Sanderlin and Jonathan M. Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.
OPINION: THE VERY BIG BAD STADIUM DEAL: As scrutiny of the proposed stadium deal between the Orioles and the state intensifies, one thing is clear: In the staring contest between Orioles owner John Angelos and Gov. Wes Moore (D), Moore blinked first. David Plymyer/Maryland Matters.
RUPPERSBERGER BACKS TRONE FOR U.S. SENATE: U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger said Monday he would back U.S. Rep. David Trone in Maryland’s Senate race next year — lending Trone the support of one of the state’s longest-tenured congressmen, while three others in the mostly Democratic eight-member House delegation have endorsed Angela Alsobrooks. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- In a video released Monday, the congressman who has been in office since 2002, endorsed Trone in his bid to seek the Democratic nomination to replace longtime Sen. Ben Cardin (D). Cardin doesn’t plan to seek reelection next year. William Ford and Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL RFK JR. CAMPAIGNS OUTSIDE ANNAPOLIS: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — in his first event as a presidential candidate in a state where his family has storied roots — painted a dark metaphor Monday outside Annapolis. Amid a long, at times meandering speech filled with statistics and history about what he considers the “corrupt merger of state and corporate power,” he said the powerful have created a wall between themselves and working Americans. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
BA CO COUNCIL OVERRIDES OLSZEWSKI’s BAG AMENDMENT VETOES: The Baltimore County Council on Monday unanimously overrode County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.’s veto of amendments to the county’s single-use plastic bag ban, exempting liquor stores from the new law. Taylor DeVille/The Baltimore Banner.
MONTGOMERY CO. TO DEDICATE MARKERS TO LYNCHING VICTIMS: Montgomery County will acknowledge the area’s legacy of racism and lynchings throughout November with a series of events and ceremonies as part of Remembrance and Reconciliation Month. On Nov. 11, the county will hold a ceremony dedicating a marker to two of the three Montgomery County residents who are known victims of lynchings. Ginny Bixby/MoCo 360.
MO CO REMOVES LGBTQ+ BOOK FROM HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIES: Citing “the sheer volume of sexually explicit discussions and situations,” Montgomery County Public Schools removed a book from high school libraries on Oct. 11, according to documents obtained by MoCo360 from a public records request. It is unclear whether the book was challenged by an individual in the community or whether it was internally reviewed. Ginny Bixby/MoCo 360.
