The Banner Montgomery – ��Ǿ�Ʒ�� News

The Banner Montgomery – ��Ǿ�Ʒ�� News Washington's Top News Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:06:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WtopNewsLogo_500x500-150x150.png The Banner Montgomery – ��Ǿ�Ʒ�� News 32 32 Montgomery County slapped a notice on her Little Free Library /montgomery-county/2026/07/montgomery-county-slapped-a-notice-on-her-little-free-library/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:06:46 +0000 /?p=29428498 Carol Andress’ husband gave her a Little Free Library kit for Christmas. She painted the wood box pastel blue and yellow, and the couple sank its post into the grass in front of their Bethesda house, under the shade of an old fig tree.

She hung a hand-painted sign: “Take a book and/or leave a book.”

For more than a decade, Andress’ little library has served Bethesda’s Westgate community with free books. It’s part of a movement that in the last 20 years has planted tens of thousands of Little Free Libraries across the nation to encourage literacy and neighborliness.

But a few weeks ago, Andress found a notice from the county taped to the little library she tends so carefully, with new books every week and a fresh coat of paint whenever its colors dull.

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]]> Justice Department sues Maryland over immigration policies /maryland/2026/07/justice-department-sues-maryland-over-immigration-policies/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:10:05 +0000 /?p=29420252 The United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming Maryland and Attorney General Anthony Brown were in violation of federal immigration law.

The lawsuit, one of several President Donald Trump’s administration has brought against Democratic-led states and cities, takes issue with the��.

That law, which the Maryland legislature passed overwhelmingly earlier this year, broadly prohibits state law enforcement from holding individuals for U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement without a judicial warrant. It also limits how much local authorities can communicate with ICE.

The Justice Department is seeking to have federal courts overturn the Community Trust Act, arguing it violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

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]]> ‘War scene’: Bus crash, other collisions leave at least 33 injured in Pikesville, Md. /maryland/2026/07/30-injured-1-critically-when-bus-crashes-into-building-in-pikesville-md/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 01:28:11 +0000 /?p=29415850 More than 30 people were injured, at least one critically, when an MTA bus went careening through a main street in Pikesville Wednesday evening, slamming into a store and leaving cars strewn across the road.

Baltimore County Fire Chief Joseph W. Dixon said officials were investigating what set off the chain of collisions in the 1500 block of Reisterstown Road shortly before 6 p.m., but he likened it to a “war scene.”

More than 100 first responders converged on the scene, which was littered with damaged vehicles, car parts, building bricks and hanging power lines.

This developing story continues. .

]]> Maryland football player gets probation after death threats, 92 calls to girlfriend /maryland/2026/07/maryland-football-player-gets-probation-after-death-threats-92-calls-to-girlfriend/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:47:57 +0000 /?p=29415615 University of Maryland cornerback Dontay Joyner was sentenced Wednesday to three years of supervised probation after threatening to kill his girlfriend and calling her 92 times in five days, with prosecutors describing him as a danger to the victim and the community.

“The language used was incredibly offensive, incredibly distasteful, incredibly inappropriate,” Judge Kerwin Miller said during the sentencing, after Joyner pleaded guilty to telephone misuse and electronic communications harassment.

In Maryland, telephone misuse carries a maximum jail sentence of three years. It is defined as making “repeated calls with the intent to annoy, abuse, torment, harass, or embarrass” another person.

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]]> BGE’s proposed $8-per-month rate hike won’t take effect until at least January, regulator says /maryland/2026/07/maryland-regulator-stops-bges-8-per-month-rate-hike-for-now/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 01:29:53 +0000 /?p=29410158 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. wanted to��starting Aug. 1. But state regulators said Monday that the proposed rate increase will require months of review and, if ultimately approved, won’t take effect until at least January.

The utility company last week filed a $156.1 million rate case with the Maryland Public Service Commission — a move that would increase residential customers’ electric bills by an estimated average of $8 per month.

In its filing, BGE said the rate increase was necessary to “sustain a safe and reliable system.” Without the funds, the region was at risk of longer, more frequent and more expensive power outages.

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]]> The Naval Academy enrolled women 50 years ago. It’s not celebrating /maryland/2026/07/the-naval-academy-enrolled-women-50-years-ago-its-not-celebrating/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:21:28 +0000 /?p=29408694 The U.S. Naval Academy marked 30 years, then 40 years of enrolling women with celebrations and fanfare. But on Monday, its 50th anniversary of coeducation, the Annapolis military college is doing nothing.

Academy officials weren’t involved in a 950-person April gala hosted by the alumni association. An academy spokesperson wouldn’t say whether the institution would mark the milestone.

The silence irks some female graduates who believe it’s the latest sign of President Donald Trump’s influence on the armed forces.

This story by Ellie Wolfe and Matti Gellman continues. Read the rest at The Banner Montgomery:  

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]]> Former U.Md. cornerback Tino Ellis sought love. The island had other plans /tv/2026/06/former-u-md-cornerback-tino-ellis-sought-love-the-island-had-other-plans/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:41:54 +0000 /?p=29377636 You may have recognized one of the faces on Monday night’s episode of “Love Island.”

Tino Ellis, a former cornerback for the University of Maryland, entered the Peacock show’s villa to try his hand at finding a mate.

“Love Island,” a spinoff of the British series of the same name, grew��in popularity in the summer of 2024, spurring memes and watch parties. The contestants, dubbed “islanders,” must couple up in the Fijian villa. Islanders who fail to form a couple or who end up in a vulnerable couple can be eliminated in recouplings or public votes. The winning couple receives $100,000.

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]]> For some Montgomery County children, free summer meals are too far away /montgomery-county/2026/06/for-some-montgomery-county-children-free-summer-meals-are-too-far-away/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:38:52 +0000 /?p=29352617 The end of the school year adds a new burden for families who rely on campuses to provide free breakfast and lunch to their children.

While Montgomery County Public Schools operates an expansive summer meals program, that food can be hard to access for kids who live in Poolesville, Barnesville and other communities in the rural Upcounty.

The closest summer food site to Poolesville Elementary, for example, is more than 10 miles away — at least a 20-minute drive.

“People just don’t appreciate how different this area is than the rest of the county,” community leader Link Hoewing said.

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]]> When Maryland math scores plunged, Black college students suffered the consequences /maryland/2026/06/when-maryland-math-scores-plunged-black-college-students-suffered-the-consequences/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:02:29 +0000 /?p=29335773 The Towson University undergrads stared at the quadratic formula projected onto the board. It seemed to be taunting them.

x = [-b ± √(b² – 4ac)] / 2a

Their instructor, Cristina Packard, had already taught them how to solve for x, but the students groaned when she asked for a volunteer to demonstrate. No one could remember how to do the high-school-level algebra in front of them.

“We’re really on the hot mess express today,” she said as she floated between desks in her remedial math class.

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]]> After Trump cut, Eastern Shore oyster hatchery survives another year /maryland/2026/06/after-trump-cut-eastern-shore-oyster-hatchery-survives-another-yea/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:32:22 +0000 /?p=29318126 Last year, after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unexpectedly pulled support for operations at Maryland’s Horn Point oyster hatchery, officials worried about its future. They thought they might have to lay off half their employees, which would substantially curtail output from a facility that has played a central role in a recent resurgence of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.

But lab director Mike Sieracki said he was surprised to learn this spring that Maryland lawmakers had slipped $400,000��for the hatchery.

Then last month, NOAA backfilled over $350,000 it had��from the hatchery budget, according��to statements this week from U.S.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s office and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, which runs the hatchery.

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]]> MV Realty preyed on Maryland homeowners, attorney general says /montgomery-county/2026/06/mv-realty-preyed-on-maryland-homeowners-attorney-general-says/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:59:08 +0000 /?p=29315635 The Maryland Office of the Attorney General has charged a Florida-based real estate firm with deceptive trade practices and other consumer protection-related counts, accusing MV Realty of misleading Maryland homeowners into predatory loan agreements with intentionally obscure terms.

The charges center on MV Realty’s “Homeowner Benefit Agreements,” in which the company advanced up to $5,000 in exchange for exclusive real estate listing rights to customers’ homes for 40 years. Those in violation of the terms — on purpose or by accident, owners or heirs — are required to pay at least 3% of the home value upon sale or transfer.

Attorney General Anthony Brown is pursuing a cease and desist order, termination of the past agreements and liens, as well as restitution for consumers, according to a Friday news release. Attorneys general in , , , and have also taken action against the company in recent years.

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]]> ‘Save the Garage’: The ongoing battle over a music venue on the Agricultural Reserve in Montgomery Co. /montgomery-county/2026/06/save-the-garage-the-ongoing-battle-over-a-beloved-music-venue-on-the-agricultural-reserve/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:47:25 +0000 /?p=29312553 ��door is being lowered. Again.

A beloved local music venue on Boyds’ Honey Acres Farm in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve must shut down all public music events, per a district court judge’s recent ruling.

Its founders are fighting back. Opponents argue there’s no place for a music venue on protected farmland. Muddy definitions of “agritourism” are complicating the situation.

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]]> Rare plant discovered in Maryland added to state endangered list /environmental-news/2026/05/rare-plant-discovered-in-maryland-added-to-state-endangered-list/ Thu, 28 May 2026 22:11:20 +0000 /?p=29300944 Decades ago, in the 1980s, two botanists working along the Eastern Shore wetlands of Maryland discovered a rare, grassy plant with rust-colored spikelets.

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

The beaksedge can only be found in seasonal ponds in three U.S. locations —Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland — 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’s 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.

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]]> A graduate’s journey from Kabul to Maryland highlights new beginnings /local/2026/05/a-graduates-journey-from-kabul-to-maryland-highlights-new-beginnings/ Tue, 26 May 2026 21:03:05 +0000 /?p=29293488 This was as much their day as it was hers.

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’s.

But her parents had given up their language, their culture and their extended families to bring her here. If they’d stayed in Afghanistan, she wouldn’t have received an education. She wouldn’t be going to George Washington University this fall on a full scholarship. She couldn’t 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’s County high school is an immigrant or the child of immigrants. It was a small senior class — less than 100 students — and they knew each other’s stories as well as their own.

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]]> Prince George’s County planning chair resigns, avoiding showdown with County Council /prince-georges-county/2026/05/prince-georges-planning-chair-resigns-avoiding-showdown-with-county-council/ Mon, 18 May 2026 20:17:57 +0000 /?p=29267182 Darryl Barnes resigned over the weekend as chair of the Prince George’s County Planning Board amid investigations into his alleged misconduct during his 10-month tenure, according to an internal message from the acting executive director of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

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

“It 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,” Spencer wrote.

Barnes could not immediately be reached for comment.

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