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Local government

    Former State Sen. Jim Brochin speaks before the Baltimore County Council.
    Jim Brochin talked tough on immigration in county executive interview. It fell flat with council Dems.
    Former State Sen. Jim Brochin’s rhetoric on detainees troubled many council members whose votes he needs to be named the next county executive in two weeks.
    The Days Inn motel in Towson, seen top right, will soon be cleared to make way for a new affordable housing development in a commercial section of Loch Raven.
    Loch Raven motel being cleared for affordable housing in Baltimore County
    “Loch Raven Overlook” will be constructed near where Tuesday’s deadly shooting occurred in Towson.
    A W.L. Gore display from a fashion show in 2016. The state is suing W.L. Gore & Associates over claims that it polluted the air and waters around its Cecil County facilities for several decades with toxic forever chemicals.
    Maryland sues W.L. Gore over decades of forever chemicals contamination
    The state alleges that the manufacturing company, known for its waterproof Gore-Tex jackets, contaminated the air and waters around its Cecil County facilities with toxic forever chemicals for decades, despite understanding their consequences.
    The Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant occupies a 466-acre site on the Back River in Dundalk.
    Baltimore’s mayor says sewer rate hike was unexpected. City documents say otherwise.
    Mayor Brandon Scott, who had to fight through a difficult primary in May, won a second term last month and retook the oath of office Dec. 3, said Wednesday the election was not a factor in his decision to seek a rate increase this month.
    Johnny Olszewski, Baltimore County Executive, speaks at a press conference announcing a package of foundational legislative reforms to expand access to new housing opportunities as well as address community concerns in Baltimore County.
    Inspector General finds no evidence Olszewski administration paid improper benefits
    The 27-page report, released Wednesday, undercuts accusations of cronyism that swirled around Olszewski this year as he mounted a campaign for Congress.

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    Fred Homan, a former county administrative officer, reviews documents before addressing the Baltimore County Council during a legislative session in Towson in September.
    Fred Homan’s time is up, but he won’t leave
    Fred Homan left county government six years ago, but he remains a constant presence at Baltimore County Council meetings.
    In August, Mayor Brandon Scott laid out his plans for managing the money won from pharmaceutical companies. Baltimore has now wrapped its court case against two opioid companies and now waits for a judge's decision on the city's $5 billion request.
    City, drug companies wait on $5 billion decision after wrapping opioid case
    After five days of testimony, a judge is set to decide what will happen. The decision could take months.
    Stefanie Mavronis, director of the mayor’s office of neighborhood safety and engagement, said the city shouldn’t wait for tragedy to happen to think about how to keep young people out of violent situations.
    Baltimore’s promised school violence intervention program is finally here
    The program launched in four high schools that dealt with gun violence near their campuses or involving their students.
    The Baltimore County Council is poised to select the next county executive from a pool of five candidates.
    They reached the last round of interviews for Baltimore County’s top job. Who will get it?
    The Baltimore County Council is poised to select the next county executive from a pool of five candidates.
    Mayor Brandon M. Scott set to nominate Veronica P. McBeth as new Director of the Baltimore City Department of Transportation.
    Baltimore mayor picks Biden administration official to lead transportation department
    Mayor Brandon Scott announced his pick to lead the city’s transportation department — someone who’s currently working for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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    Henry Earle, 21, during a drywall training course at the Detroit Training Center, which specializes in workforce development programs in construction, manufacturing, and transportation in Detroit, Mich. on Sept. 20, 2024.
    Fixing Baltimore’s vacant property economy could help everyone — just ask Detroit
    Even as wealth grows in Detroit, some say they feel left behind.
    The Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge would protect up to 40,000 acres spread across a large area spanning Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties, mostly south of Washington, D.C.
    A new wildlife refuge in Southern Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay’s first in over 25 years
    The Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge would protect up to 40,000 acres, potentially establishing the largest conservation area of this kind in the state.
    A view of Harbor Point, which received a tax break in the form of a TIF.
    Baltimore gave out developer tax breaks. Is the city seeing the benefits?
    Baltimore’s TIF-backed developments are, slowly but surely, making money, a new report finds.
    An Exxon gas station in Baltimore. A state commission has recommended charging energy producers like ExxonMobil for the state's costs associated with climate change.
    How can Maryland pay for its climate goals? Maybe by penalizing fossil fuel titans.
    A similar “climate superfund” bill was approved by New York lawmakers in June, while Vermont became the first state to institute a law like this one earlier in the year.
    Corren Johnson was confirmed as director of the city’s Department of Transportation in July 2023.
    Baltimore’s head of transportation abruptly resigns amid search for her replacement
    Corren Johnson, Baltimore’s director of transportation for the last two years, has resigned effective immediately, Mayor Brandon Scott said Thursday.

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    Guests write holiday cards to newly-arrived immigrant neighbors across the country during Global Refuge’s 10th annual Hope for the Holidays campaign in Baltimore, Md., on Friday, December 6, 2024.
    Maryland’s immigrant support groups see a surge in requests following Trump win
    In the month following Donald Trump’s presidential win, organizations and advocates representing immigrant populations report a significant uptick in inquiries and calls.
    Ana Rodriguez, organizer with CASA, protests outside of the Maryland State House for free healthcare on the last day of the legislative session on April 10, 2023.
    Why is it so hard to get to Maryland’s state capital?
    Annapolis is the center of power in Maryland, but it's not the easiest place to get to without a car.
    The relationship between the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia has not been productive on Chesapeake Bay issues.
    As Chesapeake Bay deadlines loom, its ‘big 3’ governors meet in Annapolis
    It’s been a decade since governors from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia have each attended the annual bay meeting. It won’t be lost on those in the room that each of these three men could be president one day.
    A Bald eagle flies over a shallow pond on Hart-Miller Island.
    Can Baltimore County’s Hart-Miller Island spread its wings without hurting its birds?
    Baltimore County officials want to make the island, reachable only by boat, accessible to more people.
    Faresha Sim poses for a portrait in her apartment in the Avalon on April 20, 2024. She wears a mask and gloves the majority of the time because of mold.
    Mold is everywhere. Maryland may try to do something about it.
    State officials could set a threshold for when mold should be considered hazardous or mandate a time frame for remediation. But without more research, Maryland’s rules likely won’t go far enough.
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