The plant, known as the mid-Atlantic beaksedge, was recently declared threatened and endangered by the state鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources. It joined the list of听听this year, alongside seven others.

The beaksedge can only be found in seasonal ponds in three U.S. locations 鈥擠elaware, New Jersey and Maryland 鈥� along the mid-Atlantic coast. One of those wetlands is in the Delmarva Peninsula, a stretch of land between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays.

The botanists who discovered the species in the 1980s believed it to be the Harper鈥檚 beaksedge and recorded it as such. That label remained until 2023, when another botanist who authored a paper about the mid-Atlantic beaksedge realized that the plant that had been identified decades earlier was mislabeled.

This story continues. .

Source

Sure, Khatira Rustami put in those late nights studying for Advanced Placement courses. She figured out how to fill out college financial aid forms. She became the vice president of the Student Government Association and the Muslim Student Association. She earned straight A鈥檚.

But her parents had given up their language, their culture and their extended families to bring her here. If they鈥檇 stayed in Afghanistan, she wouldn鈥檛 have received an education. She wouldn鈥檛 be going to George Washington University this fall on a full scholarship. She couldn鈥檛 dream of becoming a diplomat.

And she certainly would not be valedictorian.

So on this May afternoon, as she walked the graduation stage, she wanted her parents to truly understand what they had made possible.

She was surrounded by teens with similar stories. Every student at her Prince George鈥檚 County high school is an immigrant or the child of immigrants. It was a small senior class 鈥� less than 100 students 鈥� and they knew each other鈥檚 stories as well as their own.

This story continues.

Source

His resignation took effect Saturday, wrote Bill Spencer, the commission鈥檚 acting executive director, in a message to staff reviewed by The Banner.

鈥淚t should be noted that any ongoing investigations remain underway, and it is important that we allow our processes to move forward without interference or speculation,鈥� Spencer wrote.

Barnes could not immediately be reached for comment.

This story by Jack Hogan continues. Read the rest at The Banner: 鈥�.听听

Source

The move came one day after three planning board members removed the vice chair from his leadership position and just hours after The Banner published a story detailing misconduct听听dating to his appointment in July.

Barnes, reached by phone Friday, declined to comment on Braveboy鈥檚 push to remove him.

The County Council will have the final say over Barnes鈥� removal, and it has scheduled a virtual meeting for May 22 to vote, according to a notification letter sent from council Chair Krystal Oriadha to Barnes and reviewed by The Banner.

This story continues. Read the rest

Source

The journalist, Tom Costello, told NBC News he was driving home Tuesday when he witnessed a 鈥渉orrific crash鈥� as the car broke into pieces, flipped and landed on the ground.

鈥淚t was smoking. It was crushed,鈥澨�.

This story continues. .

Source

Ron Owens, who had been the Democratic governor鈥檚 campaign manager since last summer, will exit at the end of the week.

He鈥檒l be replaced by Dylan Arant, who currently works in the governor鈥檚 State House office and ran Attorney General Anthony Brown鈥檚 successful campaign in 2022.

The change comes roughly six weeks before the June 23 Democratic primary, in which Moore faces token opposition from Eric Felber, a Montgomery County doctor.

This story continues.听Read more

Source

The plan passed 6-5 following a heated debate over whether the council should increase taxes amid rising unemployment and inflation.

The current income tax rate for all residents is 3.2%. Under the new tax rates, residents making more than $150,000 annually will pay a 3.3% income tax 鈥� a 0.1% bump.

This story continues. .

Source

Born March 5, Natty and his five siblings will train to be service dogs to help people with disabilities. Natty will be the club鈥檚 first-ever team dog and will train alongside Nationals players, staff and fans as he prepares for the next step in his development.

He arrived in D.C. on May 4 and met volunteers Jackie and Laura, who鈥檒l teach him manners, basic cues and a proper diet to prepare him for professional training with Canine Companions instructors in 18 months.

This story continues.

Source

Maryland鈥檚 oldest historically Black university is facing an $18 million deficit, President Aminta Breaux announced in a message to the campus. That follows last year鈥檚 $13.6 million budget shortfall, which was corrected through hiring delays and eliminating vacant positions, she wrote. Bowie State employs 1,175 workers, according to public data, so the workforce will shrink by about 6%.

鈥淲e recognize that this period may bring uncertainty and want to assure you that we are approaching each decision with care, thoughtfulness and deep respect for our faculty, staff and students,鈥� Breaux wrote.

This story continues. .

Source

It can sound confusing, Samantha Borisoff, a climatologist for the Northeast Regional Climate Center, said. There are 鈥渁 lot of nuances鈥� when it comes to drought, and different departments 鈥� say, agriculture and environmental officials 鈥� use different parameters and thresholds when issuing guidance to the public.

Still, Marylanders should use water wisely because rainfall has been below average and groundwater levels are below normal.

Here鈥檚 how drought conditions could impact Maryland.

What it means for agriculture

Most of the state is experiencing moderate or severe drought conditions, according to the Department of Agriculture, which takes many indicators into account. Precipitation, soil moisture and groundwater levels are only a few pieces of the puzzle, Borisoff said.

The Department of Agriculture monitors droughts to issue disaster declarations and loan eligibility 鈥� which is what officials did April 17 after designating disaster status to nine Maryland counties. Allegany, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George鈥檚 and Washington counties are eligible for assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency.

This story continues. .

Source

The 18-foot tunnel will collect stormwater along the steep-sided valley to keep it out of the historic mill town, which experienced catastrophic, deadly floods in 2011, 2016 and 2018, and carry it down to the Patapsco River.

Ball announced that work would start this summer while standing 150 feet under Old Ellicott City in an access shaft for the project. He was joined by Del. M. Courtney Watson, state Senators Guy Guzzone and Katie Fry Hester, and Heather Owens, who survived the 2016 flood.

This story continues. .

Source

Swalwell, a Democrat first elected to the House of Representatives in 2013, suspended his California gubernatorial campaign and resigned from Congress earlier this month after听. He has denied the allegations.

鈥淚 am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I鈥檝e made in my past,鈥� Swalwell said in an April 13 social media post announcing his resignation from Congress. 鈥淚 will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.鈥�

The Iowa native completed undergraduate and law studies in the University of Maryland system and has served on the Board of Visitors for the Francis King Carey School of Law since at least 2023. Swalwell听received his law degree from the school in 2006, then began his career as a prosecutor in California.

This story continues. .

Source

Guerra Sandoval, a native of Guatemala who has lived in Maryland for nearly two decades, is the former partner of听, one of the workers repairing the Key Bridge overnight when the Dali struck it in March 2024.

The six men who died were immigrants from Central America and Mexico, survived by dozens of immediate and extended family members left not only to grieve but also to navigate new financial pressures and other demands resulting from the loss.

This story continues. .

Source

U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson said there are 鈥渋nternal inconsistencies鈥� in the federal government鈥檚 report concerning possible environmental impacts on the surrounding area, including local water and sewer infrastructure.

Hurson鈥檚 injunction prohibits building and operating detention space inside the facility while awaiting further arguments in the federal court case. But the ruling still allows ICE to proceed with certain construction activities like erecting an eight-foot security fence around the property, installing security cameras, fixing the HVAC system and creating office space inside.

The ruling comes as Hurson鈥檚 previous stop-work order was set to expire.

This story continues.

Source

Senate President Bill Ferguson and Speaker of the House Joseline Pe帽a-Melnyk stood with Gov. Wes Moore on Monday for a news conference laying out their agreement, which they听. The savings come via a temporary rollback to an energy efficiency surcharge on customer bills.

鈥淲e have spent these past weeks staying laser focused on making life just a little bit more affordable for the people of Maryland, because we鈥檙e all very clear of the complete onslaught that we鈥檙e enduring here,鈥� Moore said.

The Democrats who dominate the General Assembly spent the session telegraphing a plan was in the works for what has become a dominant issue, but agreement on the details proved more challenging than they suggested when they first announced the bill,听, a month ago.

This story continues. .

Source