The Banner Montgomery – WTOP 太子探花 Washington's Top 太子探花 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:02:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Wtop太子探花Logo_500x500-150x150.png The Banner Montgomery – WTOP 太子探花 32 32 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 卤 鈭(b虏 – 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.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really on the hot mess express today,鈥 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鈥檚 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听听for the hatchery.

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

Sen. Chris Van Hollen鈥檚 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鈥檚 鈥淗omeowner Benefit Agreements,鈥 in which the company advanced up to $5,000 in exchange for exclusive real estate listing rights to customers鈥 homes for 40 years. Those in violation of the terms 鈥 on purpose or by accident, owners or heirs 鈥 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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鈥楽ave the Garage鈥: 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 听door is being lowered. Again.

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

Its founders are fighting back. Opponents argue there鈥檚 no place for a music venue on protected farmland. Muddy definitions of 鈥渁gritourism鈥 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.

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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.

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Prince George鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.

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Braveboy moves to oust beleaguered Prince George鈥檚 planning board chair /prince-georges-county/2026/05/braveboy-moves-to-oust-beleaguered-prince-georges-planning-board-chair/ Sat, 16 May 2026 01:40:07 +0000 /?p=29258909 Prince George鈥檚 County Executive Aisha Braveboy on Friday moved to oust planning board Chair Darryl Barnes, whom she appointed last summer.

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.

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NBC 太子探花 correspondent helps rescue teen driver from burning car on Capital Beltway /montgomery-county/2026/05/nbc-news-correspondent-helps-rescue-teen-driver-from-burning-car-on-capital-beltway/ Fri, 15 May 2026 13:55:44 +0000 /?p=29256802 A veteran NBC 太子探花 correspondent helped rescue a driver from a burning car after the teenager crashed into a concrete barrier on the Capital Beltway in Montgomery County at high speed.

The journalist, Tom Costello, told NBC 太子探花 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.

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Wes Moore replaces campaign manager weeks before primary /maryland/2026/05/wes-moore-replaces-campaign-manager-weeks-before-primary/ Thu, 14 May 2026 01:51:51 +0000 /?p=29251089 Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is replacing his campaign manager less than two weeks after听听to kick his reelection effort into high gear.

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.

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Montgomery County Council passes progressive income tax plan /montgomery-county/2026/05/montgomery-county-council-passes-progressive-income-tax-plan/ Wed, 13 May 2026 20:14:50 +0000 /?p=29250018 In the lead-up to a June primary, the Montgomery Council Council Wednesday narrowly approved a progressive income tax hike.

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.

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Washington Nationals team dog Natty to make major league debut Friday /washington-nationals/2026/05/washington-nationals-team-dog-natty-to-make-major-league-debut-friday/ Mon, 11 May 2026 19:46:30 +0000 /?p=29242219 The Washington Nationals will debut their new team dog, Natty, an 8-week-old golden retriever and Labrador retriever mix, this Friday at home against the Orioles.

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.

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Bowie State University to lay off employees amid $18 million deficit /education/2026/05/bowie-state-university-to-lay-off-employees-amid-18-million-deficit/ Thu, 07 May 2026 17:11:14 +0000 /?p=29225631 Bowie State University will eliminate 79 jobs through reorganization, vacancies and layoffs as the university deals with its second multimillion-dollar deficit in two years.

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.

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Maryland is under a 鈥榙rought disaster.鈥 What that means for you /maryland/2026/05/maryland-is-under-a-drought-disaster-what-that-means-for-you/ Mon, 04 May 2026 17:01:47 +0000 /?p=29212878 Federal officials have placed Maryland under a 鈥渄rought disaster鈥 designation. But that doesn鈥檛 mean the state is experiencing a water shortage 鈥 at least not yet.

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.

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Howard County kicks off Ellicott City flood tunnel construction this summer /howard-county/2026/04/howard-county-kicks-off-ellicott-city-flood-tunnel-construction-this-summer/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:17:38 +0000 /?p=29191344 Construction on the massive, mile-long tunnel designed to divert flash flooding from Old Ellicott City will begin this summer, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said Monday.

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.

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