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Maryland State Highway Administration Advances Md. 355 Intersection Improvement Project

Maryland State Highway Administration Advances Md. 355 Intersection Improvement Project

Design work for the intersection of Md. 355 and Doctor Perry Road/Big Woods Road in Maryland is 90% complete, according to the State Highway Administration (SHA). This project aims to enhance safety and overall performance at the intersection, which currently handles an average of 9,040 vehicles daily. The improvements include widening the intersection, adding left-turn lanes on both northbound and southbound Md. 355, and incorporating bicycle-compatible shoulders along Md. 355. Additionally, a new traffic signal will be installed at the intersection. Utility replacement work is already underway and is projected to conclude in 2027. Construction for the main intersection improvements is anticipated to commence in 2028, pending funding, and is expected to take approximately one year to complete. Frederick County has expressed interest in the addition of the traffic signal, which was deemed necessary for several development projects related to the Urbana community to meet the county's Adequate Public Facilit...

Maryland Households Face Potential 5.3% Electricity Bill Hike as Potomac Edison Seeks Rate Increase

Maryland Households Face Potential 5.3% Electricity Bill Hike as Potomac Edison Seeks Rate Increase

Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy serving Western Maryland, has requested approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission for a $52.8 million rate hike. If approved, this increase would raise a typical residential monthly electricity bill by approximately 5.3%. The utility states that the proposed increase is necessary to fund grid upgrades, improve aging equipment, and support additional reliability projects. These projects include implementing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition technology for better system visibility and faster response to issues, replacing substation reclosers and older underground cables, expanding circuit ties and automation, and reconductoring overhead lines. The proposal also aims to increase the clearing of high-risk trees near power lines to prevent storm-related outages. Potomac Edison asserts that even with the increase, its residential prices would remain the lowest among Maryland's investor-owned electric utilities.

Amazon Invests $163,000 in Frederick County Through 17 Community Grants

Amazon Invests $163,000 in Frederick County Through 17 Community Grants

Amazon Invests $163,000 in Frederick County Through 17 Community Grants

Maryland Governor Wes Moore Launches Fourth Class of Maryland Corps Program

Maryland Governor Wes Moore Launches Fourth Class of Maryland Corps Program

Governor Wes Moore has officially launched the fourth class of the Maryland Corps/Service Year Option program at Bowie State University. This marks the largest incoming class since the program's inception in April 2023. The launch event coincided with the National Day of Service and Remembrance, emphasizing a statewide commitment to service. The Maryland Corps program, facilitated by the Department of Service and Civic Innovation, offers young Marylanders paid, full-time service opportunities. Since its start, the program has seen over 1200 members graduate, hosted by more than 300 employment partners across all 24 jurisdictions of Maryland. An impact evaluation report from the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute analyzed data from the first two classes (2023–24 and 2024–25), showing positive early outcomes for participants. These outcomes include increased employment rates and higher hourly wages post-service compared to enrollment, as well as reported increases in voter registration and projected ...

Pfizer Seeks Vaccines Health and Science Professional in Silver Spring, MD to Drive Portfolio Sales

Pfizer Seeks Vaccines Health and Science Professional in Silver Spring, MD to Drive Portfolio Sales

Pfizer Seeks Vaccines Health and Science Professional in Silver Spring, MD to Drive Portfolio Sales

Steering Committee Formed for 2027 Textile Recovery Summit in Maryland

Steering Committee Formed for 2027 Textile Recovery Summit in Maryland

Steering Committee Formed for 2027 Textile Recovery Summit in Maryland

Maryland Expands Public-Sector Collective Bargaining Rights, Receives 'F' Grade in National Labor Report

Maryland Expands Public-Sector Collective Bargaining Rights, Receives 'F' Grade in National Labor Report

Maryland has expanded collective bargaining rights for several groups of public-sector employees. First-term Democratic Governor Wes Moore signed legislation that will allow certain graduate assistants at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, to collectively bargain, with the law taking effect on July 1, 2028. Additionally, bargaining rights were extended to qualifying non-tenure-track faculty at University System of Maryland institutions, Morgan State University, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, effective July 1 of this year. Lawmakers also approved collective bargaining rights for supervisory employees at the Baltimore County Public Library, which also took effect on July 1. These legislative changes come as Maryland received an 'F' grade for its public-sector labor laws in the Commonwealth Foundation’s fifth annual 50-State Labor Report. The Pennsylvania-based free-market group, which evaluates state laws on collective bargaining, strikes, union c...

PJM Interconnection Capacity Costs Skyrocket, Driving Up Electricity Bills in Member States

PJM Interconnection Capacity Costs Skyrocket, Driving Up Electricity Bills in Member States

Electricity bills in states within the PJM Interconnection, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland, are experiencing significant increases due to soaring capacity costs. PJM, which manages the electricity grid for 13 states and the District of Columbia, sets these capacity costs through auctions designed to ensure sufficient power supply during peak demand. For the 2025/2026 delivery year, capacity clearing prices jumped by 833% from the prior auction. This dramatic increase is attributed to several factors: PJM's revised method for counting available power, which gives less credit to solar and wind resources; the retirement of older power plants (coal and gas) without sufficient new generation to replace them; and rapidly rising electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and data centers. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has capped subsequent auction prices to protect consumers, but auctions have consistently hit these caps, indicating persistent supply constraints.

North Carolina Authorities Identify Remains of 15-Year-Old Girl Missing Since 1977, Investigating as Homicide

North Carolina Authorities Identify Remains of 15-Year-Old Girl Missing Since 1977, Investigating as Homicide

Authorities in North Carolina have identified human remains found nearly 49 years ago as Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old girl who ran away from her Maryland home in the spring of 1977. The skeletal remains were discovered on December 29, 1977, in a wooded area near a manufacturing facility in Wilson County, North Carolina, approximately five hours south of Blizzard's residence. A medical examiner at the time determined the remains belonged to a white female between 16 and 23 years old and had likely been there for six months to two years. Due to the circumstances of the discovery, investigators are treating the case as a homicide, though the manner of death remains undetermined. The case went cold for decades as forensic technology was insufficient for identification. It was reopened in 2010 by a state anthropologist who submitted the remains for DNA testing. Significant progress occurred in 2024 when the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's (SBI) Cold Case Investigative Team utilized advan...

North Carolina Authorities Identify Remains Found in 1977 as Missing Maryland Teenager

North Carolina Authorities Identify Remains Found in 1977 as Missing Maryland Teenager

Authorities in North Carolina have identified skeletal remains found nearly 50 years ago as those of Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old girl who ran away from Monkton, Maryland, in the spring of 1977. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) announced the identification, noting that the remains and clothing were discovered in a wooded area in Wilson, North Carolina, in December 1977. At the time, forensic tools were limited, and dental records did not yield a match, leaving the identity unknown for decades. The case was reopened in 2010 without success. In 2024, the NCSBI's Cold Case Investigative Team, utilizing modern forensic genetic genealogy, developed a DNA profile and submitted it to a genealogy service. This led to the identification of Blizzard. The FBI's National Crime Information Center, the Maryland Department of State Police Homicide Unit, and the Raleigh Police Department assisted in confirming her identity. Although the manner of death was initially undetermined, circumsta...

Maryland Lawmakers Scrutinize Health Officials Over Millions in Questionable Medicaid Payments

Maryland Lawmakers Scrutinize Health Officials Over Millions in Questionable Medicaid Payments

Maryland lawmakers are pressing state health officials regarding millions of dollars in questionable Medicaid payments and recurring issues identified by state auditors. During a recent hearing in Annapolis, legislators focused on a 66-page audit of Maryland’s Medicaid program, which received an 'unsatisfactory' rating for the second consecutive audit from the Office of Legislative Audits. The audit highlighted $6.4 million in Medicaid payments for approximately 2,400 incarcerated recipients, with about 1,000 of these individuals also identified in the previous audit. Additionally, auditors found $2.8 million in claims for services reportedly provided after recipients had died. Del. Steven Arentz expressed frustration over the repeat findings, stating they were 'embarrassing for the department.' State health officials, however, contended that not all identified payments were improper, noting that roughly 75% of claims involving incarcerated recipients were allowable inpatient claims. The Maryland Departmen...

PJM Wholesale Market Capacity Auction Clears at Price Cap, Driving Up Maryland Electricity Bills

PJM Wholesale Market Capacity Auction Clears at Price Cap, Driving Up Maryland Electricity Bills

Electricity bills in Maryland are on the rise, primarily due to the wholesale market serving the region, PJM, clearing its capacity auction at the price cap. This cost is subsequently passed on to consumers through the delivery portion of their bills. A significant contributing factor to this situation is the rapid increase in data-center load, which is outpacing the construction of new electricity generation facilities. Maryland's Office of People's Counsel estimates that this will result in an approximate $21 monthly increase for BGE customers. This particular cost component is embedded in the delivery charges, meaning consumers cannot mitigate it by switching electricity suppliers. The issue highlights a broader trend of increasing electricity rates across various states, with some regions experiencing substantial year-over-year increases.