North Baltimore residents won their fight against a locked treatment facility for youths, @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

Johnston Square’s latest sign of progress: 109 new apartments and a library branch www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

Good morning, journalists

Maryland soybean farmers are caught in a U.S.-China trade war www.thebanner.com/culture/food...

RECESSION BREWING? "During tough economic times, customers increasingly seem to turn to so-called 'below premium' beers like Natty Boh. The ongoing government shutdown, too, has led to more drinking in general."

A sad scene from Takoma Park's Victory Tower, where nearly 90% of the residents use SNAP. By Matti Gellman in @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/culture/food...

Nice postscript to a piece last year by @rkobell.bsky.social noting the absence of women in Baltimore County politics.

State school board says Harford County’s book ban shouldn’t have happened

Asian crabmeat will keep flowing into U.S. under deal with Baltimore’s Phillips Foods

Sheraton Inner Harbor will no longer be a Marriott hotel

It's Day 36 of the shutdown. A furloughed federal worker on how he spends his days: "... tackling projects around the house, going for walks, binge-watching movies, yelling at Republicans online, napping, being a lap for the cats." via @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/economy/ripp...

‘We keep waiting.’ The long struggle of the Superblock’s dwindling business district

Should they be searching for more Mamdanis? The Democrats are torn. (Also: a reminder that he has been helped by running against "the two most disgraced figures of New York Democratic politics of the last 40 years.") www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Without pay for more than a month now, federal workers are turning to side hustles for cash. @briaovers.bsky.social with the story, via @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/economy/ripp...

Renting in Anne Arundel County has gotten about as expensive as in Howard and Montgomery counties. A surprising analysis by @thebaltimorebanner.com

NEW: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is committing $62M so that SNAP participants get full benefits in November. www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

Critics say the new logo and its angular griffin look severe — more like a soccer team, a clothing brand for teens, or a beer label than an art museum.

Great read

20 years for the rising star jockey, via @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Bryson Butterfly was a rising star jockey. Then he was arrested for murder.

Fossil-fuel guzzling ships power the global supply chain. One climate solution is good ol’ fashioned sailboats. The world’s largest wind-powered cargo ship is on its maiden voyage, carrying cars and cognac. Its destination? Baltimore, where it’ll arrive today. www.thebanner.com/economy/worl...

A young Maryland jockey was living his dream. Now he is awaiting sentencing this week for his role in the murder of a Baltimore County high school student. A must-read story by Sapna Bansil in @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

“My plan is to go out and make ICE as uncomfortable as possible but not break any laws.” @juliemore19.bsky.social with the tale of a modern-day Paul Revere.

One report estimates that, in areas near data centers, wholesale electricity costs have risen by more than 200 per cent in the past five years. Rates will probably continue to increase to meet demand.

"She spends an estimated $200 on batteries per season." Fun read via @ginnybixbywrites.bsky.social

The AI boom is propping up the US economy. It's also gobbling up all the people, power & capital. One consequence: It's impeding the manufacturing renaissance Trump wants. For @bloomberg.com with the great Brooke Sutherland, Mark Niquette & Alex Tanzi. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Delightful Sunday read about the surprising site of a huge Jane Austen archive.

It's starting to occur to state lawmakers that utility customers aren't super keen on paying for all these data centers that are straining the grid, via @briaovers.bsky.social @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/economy/pjm-...

The company that made Baltimore's water taxis has transitioned to ... wartime drone boats. Fascinating business story from @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/economy/balt...

"You’re both the landlord and the regulator, all at the same time." Maryland has made some $20M from a landfill it regulates inside the beloved Gunpowder Falls State Park. via @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/community/lo...

"Since ACECO’s backhoes and other demolition equipment started appearing in news photos on Monday, critics of the project began leaving negative online reviews for the company..." via @bannermoco.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

Montgomery County’s only charter school is having trouble. It has had to move temporarily from Germantown to Bethesda, a burden for its parents in Upcounty. Then, its transportation vendors have had compliance issues. And so parents have been pulling out.

Hilarious story from @thebaltimorebanner.com about the robots scurrying around Towson University. Welcome to the future. It is PJs friendly. www.thebanner.com/community/lo...

The hidden cost of saving the Chesapeake Bay: millions for private waterfronts

Administrators at Indiana University baselessly fired the student media director and ordered the student paper to cease its print edition, so it'd sure be a shame if this excellent digital front page were to be widely shared today issuu.com/idsnews/docs...

Maryland is hungry for data centers. @thebaltimorebanner.com took a trip to Virginia's Data Center Alley to see what we'd have in store. via @briaovers.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/economy/data...

"Considering that none has a name more compelling than Princess Awesome, attorneys placed the Silver Spring business at the top of their filing."

Fascinating story out of Montgomery County www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

Following our @thebaltimorebanner.com investigation, city and state housing officials worry: Could a few ‘bad actors’ upend Baltimore’s housing hopes? www.thebanner.com/community/ho...

Two years ago, Press Forward set a $500M goal to strengthen local news. With $400M now invested, funders across the nation are showing they understand what communities stand to lose without reliable, trustworthy sources of local news. More here: www.pressforward.news/two-years-in...

New: Top Maryland prosecutor who investigated police-involved deaths is leaving post, weeks after unit’s first charged case went bust www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Melissa Tran on her four kids: "For a time, I didn’t think I’d get to see them again or hug them again. To touch their face and hug them, I just felt so emotional." www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

NEWS: Hagerstown nail salon owner freed after five months in ICE custody. A federal judge ruled that U.S. officials had no basis for prolonging Melissa Tran’s detention. via Sapna Bansil, @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/western-mary...

Deep dive into the surge in US pedestrian deaths: "It’s not that more pedestrians are getting hit by vehicles; it’s that the ones that are getting hit are more likely to die." "[That] seems like fairly strong evidence for the theory that the rise in large SUVs is behind the uptick in ped deaths."

There's a university in Baltimore with a huge archive of ghostly things. Who knew! 👻

America's unions will see you in court.

A Maryland soybean farmer in his 50th harvest season is collateral in the U.S.-China trade war. By Matti Gellman for @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/culture/food...

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency @heatmap.news

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.” The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...