The Banner Montgomery – ��ݮ��ý ��ݮ��ý

The Banner Montgomery – ��ݮ��ý ��ݮ��ý Washington's Top ��ݮ��ý Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:32:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Wtop��ݮ��ýLogo_500x500-150x150.png The Banner Montgomery – ��ݮ��ý ��ݮ��ý 32 32 Montgomery County pares back gun restrictions after court challenge /montgomery-county/2026/07/montgomery-county-pares-back-gun-restrictions-after-court-challenge/ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:32:24 +0000 /?p=29454318 To comply with a court ruling, the Montgomery County Council voted 10-1 Tuesday to pare back some of its restrictions on guns.

Among other changes, it shortened the list of places near which a person can carry guns and removed a restriction on purchasing and selling ghost guns in the presence of a minor.

These changes do not significantly affect the county’s gun restrictions, but rather tweak them to comply with the state’s existing laws.

The vote follows an April opinion in which the Maryland Supreme Court confirmed the county’s right to regulate firearms, but also found that some of its regulations either exceeded its authority or were preempted by state regulations.

The story continues. .

]]> A political ally of the sheriff schedules evictions in Prince George’s — for a fee /prince-georges-county/2026/07/a-political-ally-of-the-sheriff-schedules-evictions-in-prince-georges-for-a-fee/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:49:04 +0000 /?p=29448302 A legendary figure in Prince George’s politics, community organizer Elsie Jacobs plays an unusual role in the county sheriff’s office.

Jacobs, 85, is not an employee of the office but helps organize and schedule evictions — one of the sheriff’s primary responsibilities. She also has what she called a��security detail made up of sheriff’s deputies, she said during a recent interview with The Banner.

The evictions typically happen twice per month��and have been dubbed “Elsie Jacobs days” by sheriff’s deputies. In exchange for her eviction services, Jacobs said, she charges landlords a fee.

How much?

“That’s none of your business,” she said.

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]]> Think high school redistricting was tough in Montgomery Co.? Get ready for elementary boundary study /montgomery-county/2026/07/montgomery-county-will-consider-closing-campuses-and-changing-attendance-zones/ Fri, 17 Jul 2026 19:51:24 +0000 /?p=29441018 Montgomery County families should brace for possible elementary and middle school closures — and new boundaries to determine which campuses their children will attend.

Maryland’s largest school district recently wrapped up an acrimonious high school redistricting process. Now administrators are turning their attention to the campuses that serve younger students.

The next couple of years will bring emotional debate. Many parents buy homes and plan their lives around where they want their kids to attend school. Campuses are neighborhood hubs, sources of local pride and community that have educated generations.

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]]> BWI runway to close temporarily for $84 million repaving effort /dc-transit/2026/07/bwi-runway-to-close-temporarily-for-84-million-repaving-effort/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:40:42 +0000 /?p=29435017 A major runway at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is temporarily closing next week as construction crews kick-start tarmac rehabilitation.

For 11 weeks, the $84 million project will shut down one of two runways that handle arrivals and departures of commercial flights at BWI. It will also require overnight closures of the airport’s other commercial runway for the majority of that time to accommodate work at the intersection of the two runways.

But fret not, summer traveler. Airport officials say it shouldn’t impact airline operations in and out of Baltimore’s self-described “easy come, easy go” airport.

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]]> 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.

This story continues. .

Source

]]> ‘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:  

]]> 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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