Former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused by 16 women of inappropriate sexual behavior during massage sessions at Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers, has been signed by the Kansas City Chiefs after 17 months out of the NFL — a move that one of the women called ‘sickening.’

The initial allegations against Tucker were published in January 2025 after an investigation by The Banner. Two of the businesses said they banned him.

Following the report, the NFL launched an investigation and in June 2025 suspended Tucker for 10 weeks without pay, ruling that he had violated the league’s personal conduct policy. The Ravens had released Tucker the month before.

Tucker has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations “unequivocally false.” He said The Banner was guilty of “journalistic failures” in pursuit of “desperate tabloid fodder.” He again denied the allegations in a statement to the website OutKick, but also apologized to body workers who did not feel “respected and valued” during their interactions.

One massage therapist who was a key source for The Banner’s investigation called Tucker’s return to the league “a sad day for all the victims.” The therapists requested anonymity to protect their privacy because they feared retaliation from the Ravens organization or fans.

The massage therapist, who alleged that Tucker repeatedly exposed his genitals and brushed her arm with his penis while she treated him in 2014, said Tucker’s signing shows he has faced “no accountability for what he has done.”

Attorneys Michael Belsky and Catherine Dickinson, who represented many of the massage therapists, said they found Tucker’s signing “surprising,” considering “the results of the investigation and the NFL’s sanctions.”

“However, our focus is not on him, it is squarely on the bravery of the women that have come forward, and our hope is that their stories are not forgotten,” the attorneys wrote in an email.

The massage therapists never filed a civil case against Tucker and said they came forward to raise awareness in hopes that others would not be subjected to similar treatment.

They see the Chief’s decision as proof that they have not been heard.

“It’s another slap in the face to all the victims,” said one massage therapist who alleged that Tucker repeatedly exposed himself and touched her with his penis during a 2014 massage at Ojas spa.

“It’s infuriating,” she said. “It’s disgusting that a team would pick him up.”

She said she felt the Chiefs must have signed Tucker “out of desperation.”

“Just because you’re thirsty doesn’t mean you need to drink poison,” she said.

“A team choosing to bring him in sends a message about whose comfort and careers come first,” said a massage therapist who alleged that Tucker repeatedly exposed himself to her during 2016 massage.

“That message lands differently in a locker room that already includes Harrison Butker, whose 2024 commencement speech told young women their highest calling was the home, and to be a wife and mother over any outside career,” she wrote in a text message. “Together, these moves say something about how women are valued. Women in my profession, and every profession, deserve better.”

Tucker is a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro kicker and was one of the team’s most broadly popular players (he sang opera and was ever-present in Royal Farms commercials.) He had a career-low field goal percentage of 73.3% in the 2024 season.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who made what many considered to be anti-gay and sexist comments during a commencement speech in May 2025, has hit a career-low 68.8% of his field goals this year. He’s 11-for-16 and has missed four from 50 yards or more as well as one from 45 yards out. He’s also missed an extra point.

The Chiefs signed Tucker to their practice squad, giving them a chance to evaluate him over at least the next several days. Tucker has previously worked out for the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets but was never signed.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked, in the first question of his press conference Wednesday in Kansas City, what message signing Tucker sends to women fans.

“He’s done his suspension,” Reid said. “Took care of that business there. I’ll leave it at that for you.”

Tucker’s accusers say the suspension was not enough. Another of his accusers questioned why the NFL would not “take a stance against men who exhibit abhorrent and lewd behavior towards women.”

The therapist, who said Tucker repeatedly exposed himself to her during massages at QG in the mid-2010s, had words of advice for Kansas City spa employees.

“Please remember that you have the right to refuse service,” she wrote in a text message. “If you see Justin Tucker on your books, you might want to skip that one. You don’t want to be a member of this club.”

Justin Tucker is back on an NFL roster.

The longtime Ravens kicker, who was suspended by the NFL following a Banner investigation that revealed 16 massage therapists had accused him of inappropriate conduct, has not played since January 2025.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed him to their practice squad Wednesday, setting up a potential return.

So does that mean he’ll be kicking this week?

That’s highly unlikely. While Chiefs starter Harrison Butker has struggled mightily this season, making just 11 of 16 field goal attempts (a career-low 68.8%), teams often sign kickers to their practice squad as an insurance policy. Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters Wednesday that Butker would likely be the only kicker activated for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

But Butker’s job security could be on the line. His two missed field goals loomed large in the Chiefs’ 20-3 loss Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks. If his kicking woes continue Sunday against Denver, and if Tucker impresses in practice, Kansas City could release Butker and promote Tucker from the practice squad or sign him to its 53-man roster outright.

If Butker regains his form and Tucker provides little value to Kansas City, Tucker could be released to make space for another practice squad player.

How long has Tucker been out of the NFL?

The Ravens released Tucker in May 2025, calling it “a football decision.” He was coming off the worst season of his 13-year career, and the team had drafted kicker Tyler Loop as his likely replacement. Tucker had three years left on a four-year, $24 million contract extension that made him the league’s highest-paid kicker at the time.

In June 2025, Tucker was suspended 10 weeks after the NFL found that he’d violated its personal conduct policy. He served the suspension as a free agent and became eligible for reinstatement that November.

Tucker worked out for several teams last season and this season, but he wasn’t signed until Wednesday.

Why has he been out of the NFL?

Tucker’s suspension came five months after The Banner first reported allegations from six massage therapists in the Baltimore region who said that Tucker had engaged in inappropriate behavior at four high-end spas and wellness centers from 2012 to 2016.

Over the next two weeks, the number of women who accused Tucker of sexually inappropriate behavior rose to 16. Almost all of them alleged that Tucker repeatedly exposed his genitals during massage sessions, despite their efforts to keep him covered with sheets. Several said that Tucker had an erection during most of the massage and left ejaculate on the table. Two said that Tucker touched them with his penis.

Two spas said his behavior was so egregious that he was banned from returning.

Did Tucker ever address the allegations?

Tucker has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “unequivocally false” and describing The Banner’s reporting as “desperate tabloid fodder.”

Tucker’s attorneys, Thomas A. Clare and Steven J. Harrison of the firm Clare Locke, also denied that he had been banned from any spas and categorically rejected the women’s allegations.

A month after The Banner’s first report, Tucker released a statement to the conservative-leaning website OutKick, saying, “I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session, nor have I ever been told I am unwelcome at any massage therapy provider.” He added, “It devastates me to know that anyone I have worked with would not have felt respected and valued as a professional, but more importantly as a person, and to anyone who has felt otherwise, I am sorry.”

Has Tucker faced any legal ramifications as a result of the allegations?

None of the women who spoke to The Banner said they took their allegations to law enforcement, and none has filed suit against Tucker.

Who were the women who spoke to The Banner? What do they think about his return to the NFL?

Acting on a tip, Banner reporters reached out to massage therapists from local spas and wellness centers and found 16 who reported that Tucker acted inappropriately while on their massage tables in the mid-2010s.

Some said they were “disappointed” and “disgusted” to hear that the Chiefs had signed Tucker.

“Sad day for all of the victims,” one therapist said in a text message. “Basically means he got away with it all.”

“Women in my profession, and every profession, deserve better,” another massage therapist told The Banner.

What made Tucker different from your typical kicker?

Tucker, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection in his 13 seasons in Baltimore, was one of the Ravens’ most popular players. His jersey was a fixture at Ravens games, and he appeared in ads ranging from Royal Farms to the 2024 action film “Kraven the Hunter.” A classically trained opera singer, Tucker performed at the Baltimore Basilica, where he sang “Ave Maria,” and for an NFL promotional commercial ahead of the 2022 season.

At the time he was released, Tucker was the Ravens’ longest-tenured player and the last one remaining from the team’s Super Bowl-winning roster in 2012. He also held NFL records for career field goal accuracy (89.1%) — the Los Angeles Chargers’ Cameron Dicker (92.6%) has since overtaken him — and for the longest field goal in league history. Tucker hit a game-winning 66-yarder in 2021, a mark that the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Cam Little bested last season with a 68-yarder.

Banner reporter Julie Scharper contributed to this story.

It’s the latest front in an ongoing saga related to the school system’s gender identity policies, which were first brought to light in July, when parents working with a conservative nonprofit sued the school system, alleging that a school “socially transitioned” their child without their knowledge or consent.

Shortly after, the Trump administration threatened to go after the county schools, including potentially revoking federal funding.

The federal suit includes the same allegations as those brought by the parents of a student only identified by the pseudonym “Mary Doe.” The parents are also anonymous in both suits.

The Trump administration’s lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop the school board from enforcing its gender identity policy and to provide parents an opportunity to challenge and correct any errors in their children’s educational records.

“Schools should not discuss preferred pronouns or ‘gender identity’ with a student without parental notification and consent,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement.

Anne Arundel County already was sued over this — and already revised its policy

Two parents, backed by the America First Legal Foundation, sued Anne Arundel County Public Schools in July over its policies related to transgender children.

Identified as Jane Doe and John Doe, the parents said the school “socially transitioned” their child by using a masculine name and masculine pronouns for the student without the parents’ consent or knowledge.

The policy said that every student has the right to be addressed by the name and pronoun that corresponds with their gender identity, and that school officials and families “can work to identify appropriate steps to support all students.”

The policy also required school staff to work with students and their parents to create an “appropriate” plan for supporting students and their gender identity — “unless there is a genuine safety concern” for the student’s physical, emotional or mental health.

The lawsuit brought by the Does said a school staff member told the Does in December 2025 that they asked students what name they prefer to be called at the beginning of the semester, and that Mary Doe said they preferred a masculine name.

The Does accused a teacher of lying to hide the fact that Mary Doe had asked to go by a male name, before later admitting that it had happened.That lawsuit is currently progressing through federal court, and the Justice Department filed a “statement of interest” in the case yesterday.

The school system has filed a motion to dismiss the parents’ case and has until Nov. 12 to respond to the Justice Department’s statement of interest, according to online court records.

Shortly after the Does brought their lawsuit, Anne Arundel County Public Schools altered its policies regarding transgender students and social transitioning.

The revised language in August makes clear that the rules on gender identity don’t block a parent’s rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and says that a student’s gender identity is not to be treated as confidential medical information.

Then, according to an internal document reviewed by The Banner, the school system further changed its rules, saying staff can’t use a transgender high school student’s preferred name if a parent is opposed to it.

Prior to that change, the school district did not require parental permission for teachers and officials to use a high school student’s preferred name or pronouns.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit acknowledges the revisions to the policy but says those changes “do not adequately protect parents’ rights.”

How is the school system reacting this time?

The school system said in a statement Tuesday that it disagrees with the allegations and stands by its compliance with federal law.

The statement also said the school system was “in regular contact” with Justice Department officials “in a good faith effort to resolve their concerns,” and called it “regrettable” that federal officials pursued litigation instead of continuing the conversation.

In an email Wednesday, school spokesperson Bob Mosier said the system had no further comment.

How are local leaders and groups reacting?

Val Anias, vice chair of Annapolis Pride, said the organization recognizes that conversations about student privacy, gender identity and parental involvement are “complex and deeply personal.”

But, she said in a statement, “We must also acknowledge that not every student experiences the same level of safety or acceptance at home. School policies must balance family engagement with protecting students’ privacy, dignity and well-being.”

In an emailed statement, County Executive Steuart Pittman called it “unfortunate that our federal government partners use our tax dollars to sue local school districts rather than to educate children.”

The broader context

The lawsuit was filed one week before Election Day. President Donald Trump and other Republicans have often used transgender issues as a political cudgel — and Democrats are favored by many forecasters to gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Moms for Liberty, a conservative parents’ rights group, celebrated the lawsuit on social media, thanking Trump and Dhillon for filing it. The organization’s Anne Arundel County chapter did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Lawsuits like the ones brought by the Does have successfully forced changes to these types of policies in other school districts, including in Maryland.

Earlier this year, Montgomery County Public Schools updated its policies to require staff to share a student’s gender identity if they’re asked by their parents. The change came shortly after America First Legal publicly urged the Trump administration to investigate.

This story may be updated.

The Banner’s Jessica Calefati contributed to this article.

The complaint, filed over the weekend with the Maryland State Board of Elections and Office of the State Prosecutor, argues that the PAC, Truth for Maryland, has not disclosed its donors as required by law.

The elections board and the state prosecutor have policies not to discuss potential or pending investigations.

Truth for Maryland began running ads last week encouraging Marylanders to vote “yes for Wes” and also vote against Question 3, which would change the state constitution’s requirements for congressional redistricting. The ads mimic Moore’s campaign colors and branding.

As a political action committee, Truth for Maryland is required to file reports showing contributions and expenses within 48 hours each time it spends at least $10,000. Truth for Maryland filed one such 48-hour report on Oct. 23, listing $100,000 spent with a media firm. The report did not list any donors.

That report was filed after state elections officials sent letters to Truth for Maryland on Oct. 23, reminding the group that a 48-hour report was required after its ads went up on Oct. 20. Elections officials warned Truth for Maryland that the group could face a “potential” violation of campaign finance laws.

Andrew Brightwell, Truth for Maryland’s chair, did not respond to voicemail and email messages on Wednesday.

Brightwell is a Republican strategist whose prior campaign work includes the campaigns of former Gov. Larry Hogan and Ed Hale Sr., a retired banker ran in the Republican gubernatorial primary this year.

Maryland Democrats say the group should release its donors.

“Marylanders deserve to know who is funding this dark money organization as they push the MAGA agenda in Maryland,” said Steuart Pittman, chair of the Maryland Democratic Party and Anne Arundel County executive, in a statement.

Democratic leadership in the state has been eager to discredit Truth for Maryland as the fate of Question 3 remains unclear as Election Day approaches.

The group’s ads have ruffled the feathers of Gov. Wes Moore, a chief proponent of Question 3 who has pumped more than $1 million from his own campaign funds into pro-Question 3 ads. Moore’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter asking Truth for Maryland to take down their ads and website; the group has kept them up.

The main group supporting Question 3, Fight Back Maryland, has received more than $2 million in contributions, including nearly $1.4 million from national Democratic political action committees.

The opposing committees have been at a huge financial disadvantage. In addition to Take Back Maryland, another group called Protect Maryland Votes has been advocating against Question 3 with a budget of about $200,000 so far. The Maryland Republican Party also has been sending out mailers against Question 3.

Question 3, if approved, would change the state constitution to make it clear that requirements that districts are compact and respect natural boundaries apply to General Assembly maps and not congressional plans. That change would eliminate legal obstacles that have blocked previous Democratic gerrymandering efforts, clearing the way for lawmakers to try to draw Maryland’s only congressional Republican, Andy Harris, out of a job.

The ballot question could be the most contested item of Maryland’s general election, with polls showing voters divided and political groups spending money both for and against the issue.

Moore’s campaign rolled out a TV ad this week featuring former President Barack Obama telling voters to support Question 3.

Marylanders have already begun casting their ballots. Through Tuesday, more than 322,000 had returned mail ballots and nearly 389,000 had cast ballots in early voting. Early voting runs through Thursday, with traditional Election Day voting on Tuesday.

Kaepernick gained notoriety in 2016 when he began kneeling on the sidelines during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. He never played in the NFL after that season. His new memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” explores his personal journey and the experiences that shaped his activism.

This isn’t Kaepernick’s first visit to the county. In December he visited Largo High School for a demonstration of Lumi Story, an AI-powered storytelling platform backed by his company that aims to support student literacy. The visit followed an August appearance at a reception in Ocean City, where county officials teased a potential partnership with Kaepernick and his AI company.

The ticketed event at MahoganyBooks, which is co-hosted by County Executive Aisha Braveboy, is scheduled for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Ticket purchase includes attendance and an autographed book.

Have a tip for our Prince George’s County reporters? Tell us here.

Eight separate lawsuits filed Wednesday on behalf of the trustee in the firm’s bankruptcy case allege that Chasen Construction, part of Chasen Cos., used business accounts to pay for personal yacht expenses from 2022 to 2024. The company’s leaders did so even with the knowledge that their real estate business was “financially distressed,” according to the complaints, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Maryland.

The company has not yet filed a response in court, and an attorney for Chasen stressed that Chasen and his business are “not one and the same.”

Chasen and his business partner Paul Davis met as young men at the Bullis School in Potomac and later opened a series of CrossFit gyms, flipped single-family homes and then went into property acquisition.

Their high-profile Chasen Cos. once sought to corner the Baltimore rental housing market with boutique offerings in renovated and historic properties and owned some 2,000 rental units, mostly in Baltimore.

Just as Chasen Cos. looked to launch several large projects, such as renovation of the old Meyer Seed Co. warehouse at the border of Fells Point and Harbor East, contractors, lenders and vendors filed multiple lawsuits alleging the business failed to make payments and breached contractual agreements.

Last year, Sandy Spring Bank — since acquired by Atlantic Union Bank — and two other creditors successfully forced Chasen Cos. into involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Several months later, Chasen declared personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

In an email, Chasen’s attorney Adam Freiman declined to comment on the specific claims.

“The allegations contained in these complaints are precisely that — allegations made by parties seeking to recover money for the bankruptcy estate,” Freiman said. “They are not findings of fact, nor do they establish that Mr. Chasen personally engaged in any wrongdoing.”

Davis’ attorney Jeffrey Orenstein did not respond to a request for comment.

Chasen and Davis had a taste for luxury. They once entertained the idea of buying an island in the Bahamas , but ultimately decided it was too expensive, according to testimony in a bankruptcy hearing. The construction firm had a private jet, and Chasen and Davis, through legal entities, bought at least five private yachts starting in 2022, according to court documents.

The yachts were named Alexandra Jane, Princess Lona, Princess Lona TT (aka “Little P”), Midnight Express and Limitless.

The lawsuits allege that as many as eight different Florida-based yacht management companies maintained and chartered those yachts and racked up expenses. The vessels were rented out as part of a business enterprise and were also used for personal enjoyment, according to the lawsuits.

Even as Chasen and Davis were buying yachts, Chasen Cos. was largely “underwater, insolvent, and over-encumbered,” the lawsuits allege.

At the same time, Chasen and Davis siphoned millions of dollars away from the company’s construction accounts to “intentionally enrich themselves” and “fund their extravagant lifestyles and prop up their unrelated businesses,” according to the lawsuits.

Lawyers representing bankruptcy trustee Roger Schlossberg have asked the court to recover the value of the transfers from the yacht services and to award attorneys’ fees, other expenses and interest.

They allege the transfers were made to “hinder, delay or defraud” present and future creditors in the bankruptcy case.

The final meeting of creditors in Chasen’s personal bankruptcy case was held in July. No further hearings have been scheduled in the construction company’s bankruptcy case.

“Inflation remains elevated,” the Fed said in a statement released after its two-day policy meeting. Holding off on an increase will allow “the accumulation of more information” that will help determine what policy the Fed should pursue “to ensure a timely return of inflation” to the central bank’s 2% inflation target, the statement said.

The Fed raised its benchmark rate last month for the first time in three years, defying President Donald Trump’s demands for rate cuts, in an effort to get inflation back to its 2% target in a “timelier” manner. The Fed is tasked by Congress to combat inflation, and it does so by lifting rates to slow borrowing and spending and cool price increases.

Wall Street investors and many economists continue to expect a quarter-point rate hike at the central bank’s next meeting Dec. 8-9.

The Fed’s decision comes just six days before a midterm election that has focused heavily on concerns around the cost of living and affordability. Consumers have generally soured on an economy weighed down by more expensive gas, groceries, and clothing, among other items. Warsh denied the election played a part in the Fed’s staying pat.

“Politics played no role in the decision,” he said at a news conference following the announcement. “I just spent two days with my colleagues upstairs. I didn’t hear an utterance about politics.”

Warsh faces plenty of challenges in getting inflation back to target. Some of the forces pushing up prices — specifically the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure and higher energy prices — may not be easily tamed by higher interest rates.

Still, Warsh said the “overwhelming consensus” among Fed officials is what they’ve done “is starting to work some,” noting that credit conditions “tightened for some businesses and households.”

He said specifically that as large tech firms ramp up their borrowing to build data centers, higher rates will have a greater ability to cool that investment.

“Do interest rates matter?” Warsh asked. “I believe they do, and I don’t think they’re divorced from the rest of the economy.”

Parts of the economy are being hit by higher rates, which were lifted by market forces, even before the Fed hiked last month. The average 30-year mortgage rate reached a three-year high of 7.4% earlier this month, though it has since slipped a bit. Higher mortgage rates have made buying a home unaffordable for 5 million more Americans since the beginning of the year, according to Oxford Economics, a consulting firm. Over time, Fed rate hikes can make mortgages, auto loans, and credit card borrowing more expensive, adding to Americans’ sense that things like homes and cars are getting pricier.

A separate inflation measure more closely followed by the Fed, the personal consumption expenditures price index, comes out Thursday and is forecast to have jumped 3.6% in September from a year earlier, up from 3.4% in August. Core prices, which exclude the food and energy categories, are forecast to have risen 3.1%, up from 3% the previous month. Earlier this month, the consumer price index showed inflation picked up in September, when consumer prices rose 3.7% compared with a year earlier.

Warsh denied that consumers would lose faith in the Fed’s ability to get inflation back to its 2% target, given its decision to forgo a rate hike.

“There is no soft inflation target,” he said.

Two Fed officials dissented from Wednesday’s decision, with Fed governor Lisa Cook and Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack voting in favor of hiking rates by a quarter point. This is Cook’s first dissent since she was appointed to the board by President Joe Biden in 2022.

Cook has been targeted by the Trump administration, which tried to fire her last year, though the Supreme Court in June ruled she could keep her job while litigation played out. No president has fired a Fed governor before, a sign of the Fed’s longstanding independence from day-to-day politics. Trump renewed his attempt to remove Cook last month by setting up a committee to look into allegations Cook committed mortgage fraud, which she has denied.

President Trump has also slammed the Fed for raising its key rate last month, though he largely blamed the central bank’s rate-setting committee, rather than Warsh, whom he appointed.

The Fed’s policy meeting is part of a busy week for central banks around the world. The Bank of Canada met earlier, and lifted its key rate a quarter point, to 2.5%. Policymakers at the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan are both scheduled to meet Thursday and are expected to keep their key rates unchanged.

For Warsh and the Fed, another key consideration is that the U.S. economy is growing at a healthy pace and unemployment remains low, at 4.2%, even if hiring is also sluggish. Warsh said growth in the July-September quarter likely rose above 3%. That would be up from 2.2% in the April-June quarter.

Many economists argue that solid growth is evidence that interest rates aren’t particularly high and the economy could withstand higher rates to combat inflation.

A year later, we still don’t know whether or not he can handle it. Defensively, he more than held his own, but an offensive season that never really got firing leaves him as a pivot point of the Orioles’ offseason. If they truly trust Cowser to play every day in center field, they can allocate resources this winter to the corner spots. But if not, perhaps no spot on the field requires more attention.

I think he’s worth the full-time look. But the decision comes down to president of baseball operations Mike Elias and manager Craig Albernaz. For all I know, they might be on opposite sides of that conversation, too. And that’s what makes Cowser’s future one of the more fascinating parts of this offseason.

When we spoke near the end of the season, Cowser perhaps tellingly focused on the defensive side of the ball. His assessment was clear.

“There were question marks about, defensively, if I could handle certain situations, certain positions, and I’ve always felt like I could,” he said. “I think being able to emerge and hopefully continue to play center field is something I feel like I showcased pretty well.”

By many evaluations, that was true. He was worth 10 defensive runs saved (fourth-best among players with at least 600 innings in center, according to FanGraphs) and seven outs above average in center field this year, which ranked 11th in MLB out of 41 players with at least 100 opportunities in center, according to baseballsavant.com.

He was similarly strong in the corners, where he’s proven to be an asset defensively, but his opportunities were limited because of his struggles against left-handed pitching.

Cowser had a .445 OPS and a 29 wRC+ against lefties — 71% below league-average — with strikeouts in 43.1% of his plate appearances against same-side pitching. While Leody Taveras’ output got progressively worse against lefties as the season went on, he was still often preferred in center to Cowser, forcing Cowser to adapt to a platoon role that saw him starting some days and coming off the bench others.

There were some spells where he hit righties well. He had a 1.004 OPS off righties in May as part of a resurgence that helped him regain his spot in the starting lineup. But then he swooned again in June. Even after recovering down the stretch, Cowser ended up with with a .735 OPS and 111 wRC+ against righties, giving him a .687 OPS and 98 wRC+ overall.

He said at the end of the season that he didn’t hit as well as he liked and planned to reflect on why, though he noted that most of it was “between the ears and approach and things like that.” As he was overwhelmed by changeups early in the season, he said he’d spend his whole at-bat waiting for them and then swing anyway, and it was only after he consciously stopped doing that that he was able to dig out of that hole. But the lows, he acknowledged, were too low, no matter the reason.

“I’ll have these really hot streaks and play really well, and whenever I’m not playing well, it’s like the low streaks just aren’t great at all,” Cowser said. “It’s like a .400 OPS and if I could just push that up to a .600 OPS, then the whole season’s statistics would be different. I don’t know what it is, it’s just sometimes I’m seeing the ball really well, and something will happen and the next day I show up and it’s like, ‘What the heck? The ball looks like it’s completely different right now.’”

Ironing those out would go a long way toward earning Albernaz’s confidence, and that would require something to help him solve lefties. Even if he was back around his 2024 (.661 OPS with an 89 wRC+ off lefties) or 2025 (.638 OPS with a 78 wRC+) levels, you can make a case for him being in there every day. Before this year’s struggles against lefties, Cowser had similar numbers off of them as Mullins did in an Orioles uniform.

But considering we’re talking about such an important position, the Orioles will need to have a high level of confidence in 2026 being an aberration for Cowser to not evaluate the center field market in free agency. It’s not a robust group, but new general manager Jared Banner was in Boston when they drafted Mauricio Dubón and Chicago this summer when they traded for Tyrone Taylor, both of whom would add some interesting versatility alongside Cowser, but not in place of him. Trades to add to the outfield are an option as well.

It all depends on how they balance out the good and bad of Cowser’s season. He’s had about a month to think about it himself, and knew what he’d be weighing before the season ended.

“I haven’t hit as well as I’d like to,” he said, “so I think for me, it’s understanding that, and I think in my head, there’s a little bit of disappointment in that, but also, understanding that I can impact the game on both sides of the ball.”

County health and schools officials made the decision in tandem to shut down Princeton Elementary School in Camp Springs through Friday.

The closure was done out of “an abundance of caution, to protect the health and safety of our school community,” wrote Naomi Tomoyasu, the county’s deputy health officer, and schools Superintendent Shawn Joseph, in a letter Wednesday to Princeton Elementary families.

Fever, body aches, sore throat, nausea and vomiting are common symptoms experienced by those affected, county officials wrote in the letter.

The closure will give the school’s facilities team time to complete a deep cleaning and sanitizing of the building and allow for the infectious period to pass, the school district said in a statement.

This appears to be the first time a Maryland school has been shut down due to an illness since the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

In November 2025, there was an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in schools across the state, and in February 2023, there was a stomach virus outbreak with hundreds of cases at Stemmer’s Run Middle School, but neither resulted in closure.

Maryland’s rates of influenza and other respiratory illnesses are low so far this fall, according to data from the state’s health department.

When students return to school, the letter said, the district plans to implement “structured hygiene and health education,” which will includes scheduled handwashing periods that are monitored by staff.

The restaurant in the Annapolis Town Center closed this week, eliminating 45 jobs, according to a notice it filed with the state labor department. J. Alexander’s sat alongside PF Chang’s, True Food Kitchen and Tatte Bakery & Cafe, as well as other restaurants and retail stores, in the Town Center.

The national chain, which is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, has 42 restaurants in 15 states, according to its website.

The restaurant opened the Annapolis location in 2023, replacing Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. At the time, SPB Hospitality, a major restaurant operator based in Houston, owned both J. Alexander’s Restaurant and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant.

In a statement Wednesday, J. Alexander’s said the chain closed the Annapolis location to support the long-term success of the brand.

A spokesperson with Federal Realty Investment Trust⁠, the company that owns the Annapolis Town Center, said its management team is available for the staff affected by the closure.

“We will assist such staff in making connections for new employment opportunities when possible,” Brenda Pomar, the spokesperson for Federal Realty Investment Trust, said in an email. “We look forward to sharing new tenant announcements as soon as possible.”

The closure comes as another high-end chain is moving into Annapolis Town Center: Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The New Orleans restaurant is taking a 10,150-square-foot space in the mixed-use development by the end of 2026.

Wonder, a “lightning-fast” dining hall with a wide array of food options, opened across the street from Annapolis Town Center in January 2026.

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Julie Glass called the crime “somewhat disturbing” and stated that Melanie Wagner abused her position of trust at the private school.

At the same time, Glass said Wagner expressed remorse for her actions and had already repaid between $19,000 and $21,000. The sentencing guidelines for theft, the judge noted, also called for a punishment ranging from probation to six months in jail.

Wagner, 53, of Parkton, apologized to her former coworkers and employer as well as her loved ones.

“It’s like the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life,” Wagner said. “I’m really sorry.”

She vowed to repay the rest of the money she stole and never wind up back in court.

David Love, Wagner’s attorney, said his client is a mother of four with no prior criminal record who graduated from Mercy High School and worked as a bookkeeper.

Wagner was in “desperate straits” after her husband lost his job, Love said. She used a Sam’s Club Mastercard for personal expenses and then wrote a check from the school to pay some of the balance, he said.

Love said his client now works at a convenience store and makes minimum wage.

“Ms. Wagner’s taken responsibility for this matter,” Love said. “She has taken this incredibly seriously.”

But Assistant State’s Attorney Dan Scapardine noted that Wagner also used the credit card to pay Southwest Airlines, Disney Resorts, YouTube, Etsy, Amazon and DoorDash.

Most of the dispute centered on the amount of restitution. That’s because the bank has so far refused to waive late fees and interest. Glass ruled that Wagner owes almost $47,000 in restitution.

Question A

Charter Amendment

Harmful Businesses Taxes and Fees

To allow the County to impose taxes and fees on the operators of businesses deemed to have an adverse impact on community health, safety, and welfare, or County economic development, including, but not limited to, tobacco stores, liquor stores, and self-storage, by removing the requirement that the public vote on such taxes and fees.

A vote FOR this measure will allow the County to impose taxes and fees, to the extent authorized by law, on operators of businesses that negatively impact the quality-of-life of County residents or economic development.

A vote AGAINST this measure will prevent the County from imposing taxes and fees on businesses that negatively impact the quality-of-life of County residents or economic development.

Explanation:

This charter amendment asks voters to allow lawmakers to levy taxes and fees on liquor stores, tobacco stores, self-storage facilities and other businesses “deemed to have an adverse impact on community health, safety, welfare, or county economic development,” without requiring voters to approve such taxes and fees in future elections. It’s not exactly clear what metrics the county would use to determine that a business falls under one of these categories. Under the county charter, local lawmakers cannot raise certain taxes and fees unless voters approve them on the ballot.

A FOR vote would grant the council the authority to levy new taxes and fees against businesses without additional approval from voters; an AGAINST vote would maintain the status quo.

Question B

Charter Amendment

Eliminate At-Large Council Members

Effective December 2030, and for each subsequent election cycle, this measure will reduce the County Council membership from 11 members to 9 members by eliminating the two at-large council seats which do not represent a specific council district. This measure will provide for more efficient and cost-effective elections and will restore the voting strength of communities and neighborhoods in each district.

A vote FOR the measure will reduce the County Council membership from 11 members to 9 members and eliminate spending of taxpayer dollars for general and special elections for at-large members and for the compensation of the offices for at-large members.

A vote AGAINST the measure will keep the County Council membership at 11 members and will not eliminate spending of taxpayer dollars for general and special elections for at-large members and for the compensation of the offices for at-large members.

Explanation:

This charter amendment would eliminate the County Council’s two at-large seats and decrease the size of the council from 11 members to nine, effective 2030. Voters approved the addition of the two at-large seats as part of a charter amendment in 2016.

A FOR vote would eliminate the two at-large positions on the council; an AGAINST vote would retain them.

Question C

Charter Amendment

Bill to Change Redistricting Plan

This measure provides that if the County Council passes a law to change the redistricting plan proposed by the Redistricting Commission it shall do so by bill and not by resolution after notice and public hearing.

A vote FOR this measure will correct Section 305 of the Charter to require the County Council to adopt a bill and not a resolution when it changes the redistricting plan proposed by the Redistricting Commission.

A vote AGAINST this measure will not correct Section 305 of the Charter and may result in the County Council adopting a resolution instead of a bill when it changes the redistricting plan proposed by the Redistricting Commission.

Explanation:

This charter amendment asks voters whether the Prince George’s County Council should approve changes to the redistricting plan proposed by the Redistricting Commission by passing a bill instead of a resolution. The commission convenes every 10 years to determine boundaries for councilmanic districts and makes recommendations to the council.

A FOR vote would require the council to approve changes to the redistricting plan with a bill, which requires the executive’s signature, rather than a resolution, which does not; an AGAINST vote would make no changes and would allow the council to approve changes to the redistricting plan with a bill or a resolution.

Question D

Charter Amendment

County Purchasing

This measure will allow the County Purchasing Agent to sign all purchasing documents to promote flexibility in conducting government operations. It will also allow the County to partner with other public entities to buy goods and services.

A vote FOR this measure will expand the signature authority of the County Purchasing Agent. It will also allow the County to partner with other public entities to buy goods and services.

A vote AGAINST this measure will maintain the current, more limited, signature authority of the County Purchasing Agent and will limit opportunities for the County to partner with other public entities to buy goods and services.

Explanation:

This charter amendment would expand the authority of the county purchasing agent to allow them to sign all purchasing documents “to promote flexibility in conducting government operations,” according to a legislative report. The county executive previously granted this expanded authority via executive order in 2025. The amendment would also allow the county to partner with other public entities to buy goods and services.

A FOR vote would expand the purchasing agent’s authority; an AGAINST vote would make no changes and maintain the agent’s current level of authority.

Question E

Charter Amendment

County Union Independent Arbitration Service

This policy will allow unionized County employees to submit disputed labor issues to an independent arbitration service for arbitration.

A vote FOR this measure will allow unionized County employees to use an additional independent arbitration service to resolve disputed labor issues.

A vote AGAINST this measure will maintain current labor dispute options for unionized County employees to resolve disputed labor issues.

Explanation:

This charter amendment asks voters whether unionized county employees should be allowed to ask an independent arbitrator to settle disputed labor issues. The charter currently allows employees to send labor disputes to the American Arbitration Association. This measure would allow them the option to also send disputes to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

A FOR vote would allow unionized county employees to use FMCS for arbitration; an AGAINST vote would keep the current system in place.

Question F

Bond Issue

Community College Facilities Bonds

This measure will allow the County to borrow money by issuing bonds of up to $67,306,000 to pay for the design, construction, acquisition, improvement, or repair of Community College Facilities.

A vote FOR this measure will allow the County to borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for Community College Facilities.

A vote AGAINST this measure will prevent the County from borrowing money by issuing bonds to pay for Community College Facilities.

Explanation:

This measure asks voters if the county should be allowed to borrow up to $67.3 million by issuing bonds to build, repair and upgrade community college facilities. The county funds major public infrastructure projects like libraries, roads and shelters in the same way.

A FOR vote would allow the county to take on debt for community college building projects; an AGAINST vote would prevent it.

Question G

Bond Issue

Public Works and Transportation Bonds

This measure will authorize the County to borrow money by issuing bonds of up to $140,089,000 to pay for roads, bridges, parking lots, and maintenance facilities.

A vote FOR this measure will allow the County borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for roads, bridges, parking lots, and maintenance facilities.

A vote AGAINST this measure will prevent the County from borrowing money by issuing bonds to pay for roads, bridges, parking lots, and maintenance facilities.

Explanation:

This measure asks voters if the county should be authorized to borrow up to $140.1 million by issuing bonds to pay for roads, bridges, parking lots and maintenance facilities. Prince George’s County is required by its charter to seek voter approval for major municipal borrowing, which is paid back over time using local tax dollars.

A FOR vote would allow the county to take on debt to fund transportation infrastructure; an AGAINST vote would prevent it.

Question H

Bond Issue

County Buildings Bonds

This measure will enable the County to borrow money by issuing bonds of up to $117,848,000 to pay for the design, construction, acquisition, improvement, or repair of County Buildings.

A vote FOR this measure will allow the County to borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for County buildings.

A vote AGAINST this measure will prevent the County from borrowing money by issuing bonds to pay for County buildings.

Explanation:

This measure asks voters whether the county should be allowed to borrow up to $117.8 million by issuing bonds to design, construct, renovate, repair and acquire government buildings. Prince George’s County is required by its charter to seek voter approval for major municipal borrowing, which is paid back over time using local tax dollars.

A FOR vote would allow the county to take on debt to fund county facilities; an AGAINST vote would prevent it.

Question I

Bond Issue

Library Facilities Bonds

This measure will allow the County to borrow money and issue bonds of up to $33,656,000 to build, expand, repair, or improve County library buildings and facilities. This includes acquiring and developing library sites, hiring architects and engineers, and purchasing equipment needed to operate those facilities.

A vote FOR this measure will allow the County to borrow money and issue bonds to build, expand and repair County library facilities.

A vote AGAINST this measure will prevent the County from borrowing money and issuing bonds to build, expand and repair County library facilities.

Explanation:

This proposed measure asks voters whether the county should be allowed to borrow about $33.7 million by issuing bonds to renovate the county’s libraries and facilities. The scope of these projects includes repairing and improving existing branches and sites, acquiring and developing library sites, hiring architects and engineers, and purchasing equipment needed to operate those facilities.

A FOR vote would allow the county to borrow this money for library projects; an AGAINST vote would deny it.

Question J

Bond Issue

Public Safety Facilities Bonds

This measure will allow the County to borrow money by issuing bonds in an amount of up to $53,503,000 to finance the design, construction, acquisition, improvement, or repair of Public Safety Facilities including Fire Department Facilities.

A vote FOR this measure will allow the County to borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for Public Safety Facilities.

A vote AGAINST this measure will prevent the County from borrowing money by issuing bonds to pay for Public Safety Facilities.

Explanation:

This proposed measure asks voters whether the county should be allowed to borrow about $53.5 million by issuing bonds to fund its public safety facilities. The county would use this money for fire department facilities, but the measure does not specify which projects or renovations the money would fund.

A FOR vote would allow the county to borrow this money for public safety facilities; an AGAINST vote would deny it.

If the Orioles’ new general manager needed an orientation on just how feisty this fanbase is at the moment, he got a taste when he offered a pretty tame endorsement of his new boss: “In baseball circles, which is a long way from Twitter, we know Mike [Elias] is one of the most talented executives in the game, hands down.”

Taking the jab, folks on Twitter swung back. They called Banner a yes-man, a puppet, a mere sycophant of Elias, the president of baseball operations who is hitting a wall of fan impatience after eight seasons and no playoff wins. They accused Banner of starting his tenure by taking shots at the fans to kiss up to folks in the warehouse.

But after sitting in the audience of his press conference on Tuesday morning, I think that is the wrong read on Banner and his power dynamic with Elias.

A yes-man? I think the Orioles hired Banner to be anything but.

The words that stuck out to me from Banner’s introduction were terms like “difficult conversations” and phrases like “challenge our processes” and “raise the standard.” Just one week on the job, Banner was savvy enough to not set specific goal posts for himself, but his vocabulary foreshadows change. So does his background.

Coming from two of the biggest baseball markets, in Boston and Chicago, Banner splashes into Camden Yards as a badly needed outside voice for an Orioles culture that has been seen as insular throughout baseball. Elias said Banner will take over many of the day-to-day operations of overseeing the big league club, including player development and handling players and coaches. To Banner’s credit, he showed restraint by limiting himself to just one mention of Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs outfielder everyone knows will be National League MVP and the success story that helped him get this job.

By far, this was the most telling thing Elias said all day about Banner’s proposed responsibilities: “I think he’s better than I am in those areas.”

To me, that is the point of Banner — he has strengths where Elias has shown weaknesses. Elias’ scouting background made him an ideal leader as the Orioles built their talent pipeline and expanded their use of analytics models to make decisions.

But ever since 2024, Elias has struggled to recapture the chemistry and habits of a winning baseball team. Banner’s hire is an acknowledgement that making an organization competitive and making the MLB club into a consistent contender are challenges that require different skills — and maybe that Banner knows a better way to build a winner, coming from outside the organization.

If you’re looking at the corporate flow chart, “president of baseball operations” will always be above “general manager.” But Elias and Banner, with their separate areas of expertise, feel like they’ll at least be level in terms of their power — unless you believe that Banner could have slightly even more sway than his boss in certain cases.

It’s important to note: Elias was not hired by this ownership group; he was inherited. While David Rubenstein has consistently praised him and said he has faith in Elias’ leadership, the decision to bring in a GM to handle more of the big league minutiae is a sign that the owners understand that change is necessary. Banner said he didn’t just interview with Rubenstein, but with Michael Arougheti and his partners Michael Smith and Mitchell Goldstein — the baseball wonks of the ownership group.

This is the first time that the owners have hired a baseball operations role this high in the front office. This is their first big move to put their stamp on the team after watching the last two seasons go horribly wrong. If you think they’d play that card to install a guy who is simply going to nod his head at all of Elias’ decisions and philosophies — well, I’d love to sell you some “Timeless Tickets” for front-row seats at Camden Yards when the O’s finally get to the World Series.

Ownership has given no public sense that their faith is wavering in Elias, but the growing number of pitchforks at his door has to weigh on this organization somehow. Banner said he “was not looking to leave” his high-ranking role with the Cubs. It’s hard for me to imagine that he would do so thinking his future is tied at the hip with Elias, who is already under fire.

I’m merely speculating here, but it seems much more likely that Banner has been assured multiple seasons of runway in his new role. Otherwise, what would be the point of coming here to endure a lockout this offseason and be fired at the end of 2027 if the Orioles don’t compete again?

Yes, Banner and Elias need to be aligned to give the Orioles the best possible shot at having a 2027 to look forward to. Elias needs to lean into his strengths for scouting and talent acquisition, and Banner needs to find ways to whip the big league club into shape. They talked about how they see the Orioles’ situation in a favorable light: Banner loves the team’s farm system, and that many of their top prospects could see the majors soon.

But make no mistake: The context of his hire — and Banner’s own words — suggest he’s here to roll up his sleeves and change some things.

Elias smiled when Banner offered his endorsement describing him as one of the best executives in the game. But even if his Banner’s words suggested deference, he’s the one coming in clean as a daisy, trying to straighten up the mess this organization has become.

Of the two men, it might be the boss who will have to adapt.

The decision opens a city cleanup program to a broader group of residents who have experienced overflows of raw sewage in their homes. Since 2021, Baltimore has sent cleanup crews to residents’ homes only when backups have been caused by heavy rain, but the city now plans to pay for remediation during dry-weather incidents, too.

The city’s narrow approach to this aid program had drawn criticism from residents, City Council members, and state and federal regulators overseeing Baltimore’s sewage system under a consent decree in place since 2002.

As a requirement of that oversight, the city budgets $2 million a year to help homeowners who have experienced backups. But the city has paid out only a small fraction of that money — partly because public works officials said applicants experiencing backups in dry weather weren’t eligible.

“Residents deserve to feel safe in their homes and to know where to turn when a sewage backup occurs,” Scott said in a news release. “Expanding this program is an important step to help more families access professional cleanup services and navigate these difficult situations.”

While heavy rains can overwhelm the city sewage system, causing overflows in homes and buildings, residents can also experience backups in dry conditions if debris or other issues lead to blockages in sewer lines.

A separate program that provides up to $5,000 in reimbursements to residents with sewage backups will remain limited to incidents caused by wet weather, officials said Wednesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Baltimore to expand access to its backup aid programs in 2023, and City Council members echoed that sentiment in a unanimous resolution in January 2025.

The mayor’s reversal came just hours before a hearing in which the council was expected to question the Department of Public Works on its handling of the program.

West Baltimore Council member Paris Gray, who introduced the resolution calling for Wednesday’s hearing, thanked Scott and DPW in a joint statement and said the expansion marks a step toward “making some of our most vulnerable families whole.”

“Since taking office in 2024, making sure Baltimore families have somewhere to turn after a sewage backup has been one of my top priorities,” Gray said. “A backup doesn’t wait for a storm, and neither should the help.”

The number of backups caused by city infrastructure has declined in recent years because of system improvements, but the vast majority still go unaddressed.

Although reimbursement payments remain limited to wet-weather events, Public Works Director Matthew Garbark said Wednesday that the city hopes to funnel more residents into the direct cleanup service.

Garbark told council members that DPW began to “quietly” respond to dry-weather backups this summer in a trial run intended to test whether a program expansion would break the bank. The initiative saw only a trickle of demand, which convinced public works officials that the city’s allotted $2 million would be more than enough to cover both wet- and dry-weather backups.

Since the expansion in July, DPW has spent around $58,000 responding to home overflows, according to department figures. That has paid for a handful of cleanups each month — just 3% of the more than 600 eligible backups during the trial period.

Garbark said after the hearing that officials had long worried that expansion of the program was going to “open the floodgate” at a large cost to the city utility.

“We have realized from data and from being pushed that that is not the case,” he said.

Much of the sewer backup problem is concentrated in low-income neighborhoods like Northeast Baltimore’s Belair-Edison, a hot spot for the problem, and the city programs pay only for cleanup, not damage to personal property.

Rita Crews, president of the Belair-Edison Community Association, told council members that many who deal with backups are older adults reliant on fixed incomes. She urged the city to devote more money to helping those residents.

“You have broken tiles. You have broken pipes,” she said. “It’s just a chaotic mess.”

Jennifer Kunze, Maryland co-director of the advocacy group Clean Water Action, thanked city leaders for answering more than a decade of demands for expanded access. This step wouldn’t have happened without the residents who came forward to share traumatic stories about sewage overflows in their homes, she said.

Still, advocates and City Council members urged DPW on Wednesday to advertise its service more broadly — including in newspapers and on TV — and find other ways to reach affected residents. According to DPW data, three-quarters of the residents who have refused cleanup support haven’t provided a reason, often because they didn’t pick up the phone when the city reached out.

Sewage backups have declined substantially in recent years, but the city still recorded around 1,200 last year, Kunze said.

“Now all of those households will be eligible for assistance,” she said. “But will they find out about it?”

They’ve also filed for bankruptcy — three times in the last decade.

Their political ambitions — and Dillard-Huffman’s proclivity for excoriating current council members — have led opponents to shine a spotlight on their finances.

The Dundalk News Facebook page, which has 40,000 subscribers, shared the 62-page bankruptcy filing earlier this month. Several current council members acknowledged they’d seen it and said it prompted questions about how Dillard-Huffman would handle a position requiring fiscal oversight of the county budget as well as multiple contracts.

The Huffmans, both Democrats, owe $631,242 in student loans to various creditors as well as $98,000 in federal taxes, according to a voluntary petition for Chapter 13 bankruptcy filed April 1. A Chapter 13 filing allows people to reorganize their debt to catch up on missed payments instead of trying to wipe out the debt altogether.

Other creditors include various banks and toll authorities in Maryland and Delaware. The couple also owe more than $7,000 on the water bill for their 1,500-square-foot house in Essex.

Huffman and Dillard-Huffman say they filed for bankruptcy so they could satisfy their financial obligations. Like many Black couples, Dillard-Huffman said, they didn’t come from generational wealth and have struggled as part of the “sandwich” generation — in their case, caring for their disabled son and Dillard-Huffman’s mother.

The couple said they pay their taxes but believe their employers did not withhold the proper amount, causing them to fall behind.

“All these things come together, and sometimes you can’t manage everything,” Dillard-Huffman said. “This is an opportunity to reallocate our funds.”

She said the bankruptcy makes the couple relatable to possible future constituents, many of whom share similar struggles, and that it should not tarnish her candidacy.

“I’m not asking to be the auditor. I’m not asking to take people’s funds,” she said. “I’m not responsible for the budget.”

Roger Hartley, president-elect of the American Society for Public Administration and a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Baltimore, said the Huffmans’ fitness for office in light of their financial situation is “absolutely a fair question.”

“For some voters, they want an explanation, and when they hear it, they may be fine with it,” he said. “Others will see it as, ‘You will be making decisions on budgets, and if you can’t make better decisions in your personal lives, how can you make them for the state and the county?’”

Huffman said the couple’s financial challenges wouldn’t hurt his ability to make budget decisions and oversee state tax dollars — and that those challenges are relatable to voters.

“Like with other families, we’ve had some financial issues,” he said. “The economy is not the best right now and we’re trying to make sure that we pay what we owe.”

Court records also say that for the past six months, Dillard-Huffman has been driving with an expired license and registration after failing to show up for a hearing to fight a traffic citation after being pulled over in Annapolis. A spokesperson for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration confirmed that her license is still suspended as of this month.

Dillard-Huffman said she was not aware of the suspended license until recently. She said she has a new trial date.

Both jobs they seek involve oversight of billions in tax dollars. Councilmanic District 8 includes Essex, Bowleys Quarters, Rosedale and parts of Middle River. House of Delegates District 6 encompasses Essex, Edgemere, and parts of Rosedale and Dundalk.

Dillard-Huffman’s platform includes addressing housing, mental health and disability issues, and overall good governance. Huffman is focused on education, affordability, veterans’ issues and making state government more responsive to working families.

The Baltimore County Council approves the county’s annual $5 billion budget and can cut programs and items that don’t align with council priorities or represent a good use of taxpayer money. Council members review and approve fiscal matters, including real estate contracts, legal expenditures and emergency gear for police and firefighters.

“We are dealing with complex, difficult financial issues. Understanding the importance of balancing the budget is fundamental to the job,” said David Marks, a Republican who has represented the greater Perry Hall area on the council for 16 years and is running for reelection.

If elected to the General Assembly, Huffman would have a vote on the approximately $70 billion state budget and the ability to request grants for local projects known as legislative bond initiatives. The extent of his participation in budget negotiations will depend on his committee assignment within the 141-delegate chamber.

Six candidates are running for the three District 6 seats. Huffman and fellow Democrats Rayneika Robinson and Megan Ann Mioduszewski are challenging Republican Dels. Robin Grammer Jr., Ric Metzgar and Bob Long.

Long said voters need to consider a candidate’s fiscal acumen. He noted that as a real estate broker, he must have his credit reevaluated every two years.

“You have to know how to spend money and have to balance the budget,” Long said.

Dillard-Huffman’s Republican opponent, conservationist and truck driver Josh Sines, said he was aware of the bankruptcy filing but declined to comment.

Education and experience

Dillard-Huffman earned her master’s degree in public administration through in-person and online courses at Strayer University; she also said she has studied in person and online at the University of Phoenix. Huffman earned a master’s degree in special education and teaching at Grand Canyon University, a Christian college based in Phoenix that was for-profit at the time and has a large online enrollment. He also received a doctorate in educational leadership and administration at Capella University, which is primarily online. They both have undergraduate degrees from Morgan State University.

Dillard-Huffman said she was “young and dumb” to borrow funds to earn her master’s, which took 15 years because she was a working mother.

Huffman called student loan companies “predators.”

“We didn’t understand the logistics of it,” he said of borrowing money for their education.

He said if not for the mountain of interest accruing, the debts he and his wife accrued would be easier to address.

Financial experts say many large financial deficits start out as smaller ones — not paying a medical bill or a toll, only to see the problem compound. Dillard-Huffman believes that may have been what happened with the $7,000 they owe the city for the water bill. In three-bedroom, two-bath homes like theirs, water bills are usually about $80 per quarter.

“I do not know why I owe that much on my water bill,” she said. “It’s just something they said I owed.” Her husband said he has been trying to fight it because “there’s no way we do that much water use.”

A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Public Works said they could not comment on the Huffmans’ bill.

Dillard-Huffman earns $150,554 as an inclusive housing manager in Montgomery County; her husband earns $129,168 as a school administrator for Baltimore County, according to their bankruptcy filing. Because of that stability, Huffman said, they’ve helped less fortunate family members.

Dillard-Huffman has been vocal at council meetings about the compensation for full-time council members. The salary board recommended $140,000, but the council later increased its pay to $119,750, well above the median household income for Baltimore County. According to the U.S. census, the median household income is $87,884.

Dillard-Huffman said she thinks the council lowballed the new salary because they knew what she made and sought to punish her for her critiques. She blasted members for approving a pension increase tied to salaries that would have given retiring members a windfall, calling the episode “pensiongate.” The council later rescinded the legislation because of widespread criticism.

Huffman believes his wife’s outspokenness prompted some people to attempt to embarrass them by posting the bankruptcy online. He said he and his wife always knew it could be weaponized against them. He said he hopes that voters focus on the work the couple have done since coming to the area two decades ago — he to take a job at Martin State Airport and she to assess flood-damaged properties as an insurance adjuster after Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

“My community involvement, my wife’s — the things that she has done in her career — shows how we are good stewards and we would be good elected officials,” he said.

Dillard-Huffman pointed out that “perfect credit and a perfect life” should not be the standard for office, and that other candidates have had blemishes.

“I have the education and the experience to be an excellent councilwoman,” Dillard-Huffman said. “And me not paying some bills is not going to change my character.”

A Washington, D.C. exurb of rolling farmland, Frederick sits just across the Potomac River from Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” and boasts fiber-optic connection to the industry capital. When County Executive Jessica Fitzwater was elected four years ago, she promised policies and regulations to make Frederick “a national leader” in responsible data center development.

Today, Frederick is home to Maryland’s only large-scale data center development, and its leaders are learning the hard way about the hazards of navigating the charged and changing politics of the industry, which critics decry for devouring energy, water and land.

The divide over data centers has all but consumed Frederick politics. Fitzwater, a Democrat, faces a surprisingly strong challenge from the former Frederick Mayor Jeff Holtzinger, and the race has turned into a reckoning over her handling of the industry.

Over two weeks last month, Fitzwater touted — then spiked — a $110 million agreement with the county’s lead data center developer, and she has extended the county’s data center moratorium from the end of this year to next summer.

Next week’s election could help shape the county’s — and Maryland’s — longer-term approach to data centers. While most of the state lives under a data center freeze, the outcome in Frederick will be an early test of just how resilient the state’s grassroots backlash will be.

A secret courtship

Four years ago, developers broke ground on a sprawling campus at the site of an old aluminum smelting plant outside Adamstown, a quaint village in southern Frederick. Known today as Quantum Maryland, the data center complex spans hundreds of acres and draws busloads of construction workers a day.

County leaders once flirted with an even bigger vision. In 2019, Frederick officials entered a nondisclosure agreement with Amazon. The county then held closed-door meetings for close to a year with the company on a proposal they called “Project Holiday,” which would have set aside three areas of southern Frederick County for a $30 billion venture with as many as 15 data centers.

The extent of these exchanges is public because the Sugarloaf Alliance, a group dedicated to preserving Frederick’s rural character, successfully sued over access to the records.

“Everybody [was] looking at us like we’re wearing tinfoil hats,” Steve Black, a southern Frederick farmer and president of the alliance, said about the early days of his anti-data center advocacy. Black said he knows many loyal Democrats who are torn over whether to support Fitzwater in the general election.

At the time of Project Holiday, Fitzwater served on the County Council and was briefed on the Amazon talks months after they happened.

She was elected county executive in 2022 and is quick to point out that her administration hasn’t approved any new data centers. Instead, she appointed a task force to study the industry and has imposed a series of moratoriums, the latest of which expires in July 2027.

Nevertheless, Fitzwater has drawn the ire of the county’s anti-data center coalition in part because of zoning changes enacted by the county council. The changes, similar to a proposal introduced by Fitzwater, expanded a designated data center zone from roughly 1,600 acres to 2,600, including several hundred acres of farmland.

In an August interview, Fitzwater said her job is to ensure the industry is strictly regulated and brings benefits to her constituents. Frederick has collected more than $55 million in property and land transfer taxes from the Quantum campus, and industry boosters say the project could eventually net over $200 million annually for the county.

For some neighbors near the Quantum campus, the upside is hard to see.

Where Hope Green once looked out over mountains and deer from her yard, she now sees a hulking warehouse and stacks of diesel generators. She says construction on the Quantum site has tarnished her well water, and Maryland environmental regulators have cited developers there for repeated discharges into a local creek and other violations.

A spokesperson for the site’s master developer, Catellus Development Corporation, declined to comment on environmental issues but said in a statement that the company remains committed to the project.

“For years, we have operated in good faith through the County’s legally established land-use process,” a Quantum Maryland spokesperson said.

Born and raised on an Adamstown farm, Green had hoped to spend her retirement in her house. Now she insists the county or developer should buy her and her neighbors out of their homes.

“What’s left of my family is here. My church is here. My friends are here,” she said. But “if I want to have peace of mind for the rest of my life, I have to leave.”

A political landmine

Last month, Frederick County officials announced a proposal they said would squeeze the local data center industry for a transformative infusion of cash.

The agreement with Catellus, valued at $110 million, would pay for renovations to an elementary school near the county’s sole data center campus; a new community recreation building; a jobs-training facility; and protections for farmland. It would also freeze parts of the county’s rezoning and bar changes to noise and environmental regulations for at least eight years.

Fitzwater called the agreement “unprecedented” and touted it as among the largest commitments of its kind in the country.

But instead of plaudits, the county’s anti-data center faction condemned the package for provisions that threatened to lock in some of the project’s most controversial aspects.

The announcement inflamed a debate that had dominated the primary contests in June.

In that election, a pro-data center super PAC backed County Council President Brad Young and two other candidates supportive of the new zoning, all of whom Fitzwater endorsed. But two of the candidates, including Young, lost to opponents who campaigned against the rezoning.

Fitzwater has vastly out-raised Holtzinger — amassing nearly $770,000 compared to his $45,000 — and Frederick has only gotten bluer since her victory four years ago.

But the subject of data centers has dogged her campaign.

Holtzinger, Frederick’s Republican mayor from 2005 to 2009, criticized his opponent for a platform he said put a statewide political agenda ahead of Frederick residents. He said the Fitzwater administration’s behind-the-scenes dealings with Quantum developers have bred mistrust.

“There’s a lot of repair to be done for the public to have faith in their local government,” he said.

In interviews, Fitzwater said she has adapted as she’s learned more about the data center industry and pointed to her administration’s efforts to publicize information on industry regulations. Still, she said, misinformation has made it challenging to have “real conversations” with constituents.

“I think it’s very much still possible,” she said. “But the kind of the atmosphere that we’re living in right now makes it hard to have those types of conversations.”

A few days after Fitzwater debuted the $110 million developer package, demonstrators gathered outside a Frederick community center to protest it. Inside, Fitzwater and other officials fielded questions at informational booths.

Three people approached Fitzwater and grilled her with questions and complaints. The agreement looked like a “back-door operation,” one activist said as another filmed.

Fitzwater listened calmly. She hadn’t committed to anything yet, she told them.

Four days later, she turned down the money.

‘Too high a price’

For Catellus, the rejection and moratorium extension proved a final straw.

The developer filed a 67-page lawsuit against Fitzwater this month, alleging that she illegally overrode the county’s zoning to block data center development purely to boost her reelection campaign — a swerve attorneys claim has cost the company $500 million.

“When an agreement with Quantum served her politically, she negotiated it and celebrated it,” Catellus attorneys wrote. “When the political winds shifted, she did too.”

Fitzwater said she rejected the deal because the benefits came at “too high a price” for her constituents. She struck a populist chord in a Facebook post that called the developer’s lawsuit “rife with factual errors and outright lies.”

“Data centers and the billionaires behind them think they can buy special treatment and use their money to silence anyone who disagrees with them,” she said. “They can’t stand that I’m using my authority as your County Executive to protect our community.”

For Daryl Boffman, an Adamstown IT contractor who served on Fitzwater’s data center task force, the rancor is disheartening. A Frederick resident of three decades, Boffman supports the AI buildout and hopes tempers will eventually cool when the rest of Maryland sees the benefits data centers can deliver for his community.

His neighbors deserve walking trails, workforce training and a place to gather, Boffman said, and the county might not have the chance to secure those benefits from the industry again.

“The data centers are still being built. They’re still operating,” he said. “They’re going to still be in our backyard.”

After Qayum’s death in 2024, many in Baltimore wondered what would happen to The Helmand, the Mount Vernon restaurant that was synonymous with his legacy. Qayum’s elegant presence loomed large over the restaurant, which was a love letter to his home country of Afghanistan and a reminder of its better days. For months, Pat dreaded setting foot inside the dining room, facing customers and their condolences.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pat Karzai may seem an unlikely figure to lead Baltimore’s esteemed Afghan restaurant and one of its most enduring culinary landmarks. But 37 years in, she’s determined to carry on her husband’s work.

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, she said, “We had salt, pepper, cinnamon. That was it.” She and Qayum met in Washington, D.C. She continued working in insurance after they opened the restaurant on North Charles Street in 1989, and joined The Helmand full-time in 2002.

In the late ’80s, Baltimore was “an incredibly conservative food city,” recalled restaurateur Tony Foreman. But the restaurant — and Qayum’s vision for it — made a massive impression on Foreman. “That honesty, that humanity, and the warmth and the generosity of that cooking … that really stimulated people,” he said.

The Helmand became the talk of the town, and diners fell in love with its simple, delicious food from a country they regularly read about in the news but likely never visited. Early reviewers frequently praised it as “exotic.” Soon enough, critics were calling it one of the best restaurants in Baltimore. It later made headlines when Qayum’s brother, Hamid, became the president of Afghanistan.

Over the decades, the restaurant has continued to feel the impact of events in the Middle East. Qayum ran for president of Afghanistan himself in 2014. After the chaotic withdrawal of the U.S. from the country in 2021, The Helmand welcomed some of the country’s refugees as employees.

One was Anwar Haqyar, who said he served with the U.S. Special Forces in his home country. At first, he had trouble adjusting to his new job as a back waiter — in Afghanistan, people typically served him food. But he remembers how Qayum, whom he respectfully called “rayees,” or “chief” in Pashto, advised him to stick with it. Five years later, Haqyar is now a homeowner and a U.S. citizen, and says that his stable employment history helped him with the process.

In the wake of Qayum’s death, Pat says she leaned on employees like Haqyar for support. But she faced challenges stepping into the role of “rayees.”

“It’s hard for them to listen to a woman,” she said. Her relationship with Qayum has helped. And the workers know: “I’m just trying to keep things the way that he had it.”

She’s also gotten some behind-the-scenes help from her son, Helmand Karzai, who co-owns Tapas Teatro in Station North with her. With his mom at the helm, the restaurant that shares his name is “doing great,” he said, with “small tweaks” to keep things fresh.

Because even at an institution, change is necessary. “Gone are the days where you can provide good food with good service at a good price, and you’ll be full all the time,” Helmand Karzai said. “You’re always trying to attract new customers, stay relevant for your longtime regulars, and kind of stand out from other places.”

About a year ago, Pat freshened up The Helmand’s interior, adding new artwork and reupholstering a banquette in the dining room in blue. “I read a review, and a woman said, ‘I came in and I thought the food was delicious, but it’s starting to look dated,’” Pat said. “And I thought, ‘She’s absolutely right; it is.’”

She points to a new wall hanging, an embroidered patchwork map of Afghanistan with mirrors representing the cities. She’s arranging to send one as a gift to Hamid Karzai, who still lives in Afghanistan. Other additions include framed textiles that she and Qayum purchased through their nonprofit organization, Afghans for Civil Society.

Though Pat still cries frequently when talking about her late husband, she seems to be finding her rhythm in the daily crises that occur when running a restaurant. On Friday afternoon, she needed to find a dishwasher after The Helmand’s current worker called out. “Do you know anyone?” she asked another staff member. It would be next to impossible to get a replacement quickly, she was told. Well, she shrugged. “Everybody’s going to have to pitch in.”

Among Baltimore’s restaurant community, others have pitched in to help Pat. Charisse Nichols, a longtime friend of her son who works for the city’s public market system, volunteered to take over the restaurant’s social media accounts.

“Social media didn’t exist whenever we opened,” said Helmand Karzai, who was 10 when the restaurant launched. And cocktail menus were rare. The Helmand has adjusted to the times, even as Muslim members of their staff abstain from alcohol. Diners can try a fig old-fashioned with their meal.

Nichols’ partner, Peter Serpico, a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurant consultant, has offered his feedback on specials like lamb shank while dining at the restaurant.

“It’s definitely my favorite restaurant in Baltimore,” Serpico said, praising its warm, homey atmosphere. It starts when you walk in the door, he said; unlike many other modern eateries, the kitchen at The Helmand is right off the dining room, so diners smell food when they step inside.

The Helmand recently marked its best year since COVID, Pat said, earning more than $1 million in revenue. Still, she noted, rising expenses from labor to credit card fees are tough on a business with ever-declining profit margins. “We would not be able to support a family on what we make now,” she said.

To Serpico, the Karzais have managed a rare feat in the restaurant world: staying true to themselves rather than bending to TikTok algorithms. “They’re not scouring the internet to say, ‘Yeah, what went viral?’” he said. “Which I think is very refreshing, because they know what they want to do, and they’re sticking to it.”

The restaurant’s signature dishes haven’t changed much since opening day — its famed kaddo borwani, or baby pumpkin drizzled in yogurt garlic sauce, is still a favorite. But diners this month can also try a special called shola goshti, sticky rice with mung beans and lamb. Qayum often cooked the dish at home but thought it impossible to serve the labor-intensive dish at the restaurant. When The Helmand’s new cook said he could give it a try, however, Pat went for it.

The customers at the restaurant are also changing. Many of the old faces are gone. Serpico said he’s always struck by the diversity of the new clientele — students with parents from out of town, couples from the suburbs, people on dates.

And Pat has evolved, too. She once feared walking into the crowded dining room. But today, it’s a joy. And sometimes, below the clinking of glassware and the chatter of voices, she can feel Qayum’s presence.

Prince George’s County Public Schools, which transports roughly 87,000 students, reported a 79.5% on-time arrival rate during the first two months of the school year — down more than 4 percentage points from the previous year.

And that district in Georgia — Gwinnett County Public Schools — uses the same school bus routing software provider as Prince George’s.

The contrast raises a question for one of Maryland’s largest school systems: What does it take to get tens of thousands of students to school safely and on time?

Transportation researchers and officials from Gwinnett and Fairfax County Public Schools told The Banner that reliable bus service depends on more than sophisticated routing software. It requires accurate student data, sufficient drivers, realistic schedules and backup plans for when things go wrong.

“Technology creates the operational plan, skilled frontline staff execute it safely on the road, and clear communication keeps families and schools aligned,” Charley Humble, Gwinnett’s executive director of transportation, said in an email.

What other districts are doing

School transportation challenges in Maryland aren’t unique to Prince George’s. Neighboring Montgomery County has faced a contentious transition to electric school buses, including a legal dispute over a $168 million contract. Baltimore County has also long grappled with driver shortages, late pickups and route disruptions.

After years of similar problems, Prince George’s County Public Schools turned to BusPlanner to improve bus routing, track vehicles more accurately and give families more reliable information about their children’s whereabouts. The district began rolling out the $3.2 million routing and tracking system, including its Chipmunk app, over the summer.

But the transition has brought a new wave of problems. Roughly 10,000 students initially lacked bus assignments, while some families reported hourslong commutes and difficulties tracking their children’s buses. The issues prompted a leadership shake-up, additional staffing and a school board request for an internal audit.

BusPlanner’s chief executive previously acknowledged that the company had not adequately stress-tested the application before its rollout.

And Prince George’s faces another challenge: its sprawling geography and extensive network of specialty programs, which can send students far beyond their neighborhood schools.

Although students generally attend schools within assigned boundaries, those enrolled in immersion, Montessori and other specialty programs may travel across large portions of the county. PGCPS warns families that commutes to those programs can take approximately 90 minutes each way.

The challenge is familiar in Baltimore City, where students can apply to middle and high schools across the city. Unlike Prince George’s, Baltimore generally relies on public transit rather than yellow buses to get students to school, with exceptions for students who require specialized transportation.

Gwinnett, meanwhile, has used BusPlanner’s core routing software since 2013, alongside a separate GPS tracking system called Samsara. The Georgia district has ranked first in the nation in school bus fleet size and student ridership for five consecutive years, according to School Bus Fleet’s annual survey.

Humble attributed Gwinnett’s reliability to staggered school schedules that allow drivers to complete multiple runs, dedicated routing specialists who continually update student information and review routes, and backup capacity to absorb staffing disruptions.

Gwinnett employs more than 2,000 transportation professionals and operates a four-tier routing system, allowing buses to serve different groups of students each morning and afternoon.

Fairfax, which ranks second nationally in student ridership, operates more than 1,600 buses serving approximately 125,000 students across 45,000 bus stops.

The Virginia district also introduced new transportation technology this school year: a navigation system that works with student identification cards equipped with radio-frequency identification technology.

“Daily coordination among drivers, schools, families, and transportation staff is crucial to our success,” spokesperson Steven Brasley told The Banner in an email.

Humble also cautioned against making sweeping route changes over summer break, recommending that districts introduce adjustments gradually to identify problems before they become widespread.

“Large, abrupt changes over the summer create operational friction and confusion for families, drivers, and schools,” he said.

Transportation problems plagued the Prince George’s summer school program in July. And on the first day of school the following month, the new tracking app crashed.

District officials later acknowledged that the transition required transportation employees to learn unfamiliar processes and contributed to incomplete or inaccurate routing information.

When the algorithm meets reality

Elise Miller-Hooks, a George Mason University professor who studies transportation network optimization, said designing school bus routes involves solving an extraordinarily complicated mathematical problem.

Routing software must account for student locations, bus capacity, school start times and traffic patterns. But a route that appears efficient on a computer might prove unreliable on the road.

Miller-Hooks said districts should test routes against real-world conditions, including heavy traffic and bad weather, before putting them into service. They must also build extra time into schedules to account for unpredictable delays.

“You need to understand better what’s under the hood,” she said in a phone interview, emphasizing the importance of having staff who understand the software’s algorithms and limitations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration similarly advises districts to consider the accuracy of information used to develop bus routes, along with the safety of the routes themselves.

Its federal guidance emphasizes evaluating pedestrian access, roadway hazards, bus stop locations and how buses approach students. The shortest route isn’t necessarily the safest, particularly if it requires children to cross busy roads.

But even a well-designed route cannot reliably operate without enough drivers and buses.

Melissa Tilashalski, an assistant teaching professor at the Johns Hopkins University who has studied vehicle routing, said transportation systems need enough capacity to absorb disruptions, including driver absences. Otherwise, students bear the consequences through longer waits and rides.

“Right now, the buffer is with the student time,” she said.

What’s next for PGCPS?

District officials say they are making progress, though the latest numbers show the work is far from complete.

Unassigned transportation trips fell from a peak of 358 at the beginning of September to 123 by the end of the month, according to the district’s Oct. 22 presentation to the school board.

The district also reported 33 driver vacancies as of Oct. 14, down from 41 reported in September. It expanded its routing staff from eight to 12 employees and established a weekly team of transportation personnel and other staff to address routing platform issues.

The district’s customer service operation has also improved its response times. As of Oct. 13, the average initial response to a transportation inquiry was 30 minutes, down from approximately 3.3 days in August. Still, 770 requests remained unresolved.

In an Oct. 15 email response to The Banner, Prince George’s County Public Schools said no transportation runs serving Dora Kennedy French Immersion or Robert Goddard Montessori exceeded two hours, following adjustments to lengthy routes. In early September, the district reported that approximately half of these bus routes exceeded 100 minutes, with some specialty routes approaching two hours.

Denise Douglas, associate superintendent of communications and community engagement, said the district is working with BusPlanner to improve data accuracy, route planning and communication with families.

The district expects to launch a public transportation dashboard by Thanksgiving, while a school board-requested internal audit is expected to be completed in early January 2027.

“Our priority is not simply implementing a technology solution,” Douglas said, “but ensuring families experience tangible improvements in service reliability, communication, and student transportation outcomes.”

For Prince George’s, the challenge now extends beyond fixing a troubled technology rollout. It’s ensuring that improvements in staffing, route planning and oversight translate into something families can measure: buses arriving safely and on time every day.

This story is published as part of the Baltimore News Collaborative, a project exploring the challenges and successes experienced by young people in Baltimore. The collaborative is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. News members of the collaborative retain full editorial control.

It’s not clear why the U.S. Department of Defense moved the study to Hopkins APL from the Institute for Defense Analyses, an Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit. A Defense Department spokesperson confirmed that Hopkins APL was conducting the study but declined to answer any further questions.

Advocates for civil rights and for women in the military worry that the study was moved to cherry-pick a researcher at APL who wrote a 2015 study that highlighted the negative effects of integrating women into Marine Corps combat units.

The study by Yevgeniya “Jane” Pinelis has been cited by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who’s voiced opposition to women in combat roles and implemented strict sex-neutral fitness standards for such units.

Advocates, meanwhile, are seeking more information from the Defense Department about the study, its intent and why it was transferred to APL, even filing a federal lawsuit to force a response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

“Since it’s come to light, we’ve gotten no transparency about why the study is being undertaken,” said Gillian Thomas, senior counsel of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, which filed the lawsuit along with the Service Women’s Action Network and other groups.

Pinelis’ previous study was “widely criticized for its flawed design and biased analysis,” according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit followed an August Freedom of Information Act request for public records that the Defense Department has yet to fulfill. Under federal law, the department must respond to the request within 20 business days to say whether it will grant, partially grant or deny it.

“It’s a matter of national security to understand why the Pentagon is considering, potentially compromising women’s ability to serve,” Thomas said.

The new Pentagon study was first announced in a December 2025 memo by Anthony Tata, who serves as the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. It was assigned to the Institute for Defense Analyses, which operates federally funded research and development centers.

Tata wrote that the initiative aims to evaluate the “operational effectiveness” of mixed-gender units since restrictions on women serving in combat positions were lifted about a decade ago, according to NPR, which first reported the review. Leon Panetta, a former defense secretary under President Barack Obama, called for women to be integrated into combat units in 2013 and gave the military until the start of 2016 to implement the policy.

The review comes amid several dramatic shifts in the armed forces since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office. Hegseth has led what he calls the Department of War since Trump appointed him secretary of defense in January 2025. In the last year, he’s faced backlash for promoting fewer women and minorities in senior military positions, issuing guidance that prevented official resources from going toward identity-related events, eliminating women-centered programs and committees, and calling for re-evaluations of what qualifies as harassment in the U.S. military.

The Johns Hopkins University is the biggest recipient of defense contracts among the 15 research centers the Pentagon funds, largely due to the Applied Physics Laboratory, located off Route 29 in Laurel.

The laboratory was founded in 1942 as the federal government worked to mobilize scientific resources to address wartime challenges. In the university’s June financial report, Hopkins cites the “U.S. Department of War” as responsible for about 70% of APL’s revenue during the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years.

APL’s contract work ranges from evaluating missile systems to assessing submarine technologies and space systems. In the fiscal year ending in June 2025, the laboratory generated about $2.8 billion, about a third of the university’s revenue, according to financial documents.

Over the last decade, the Defense Department has awarded about $12 billion in contracts to APL, per audited financial statements.

The advocates’ lawsuit cited questions about the researcher chosen to lead the review and APL’s lack of expertise in studying occupation-specific performance.

Representatives for APL did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Pinelis.

Pinelis has spent the majority of her career studying the military, including two stints at APL and years at the Defense Department and the Marine Corps, according to her LinkedIn. Hegseth repeatedly cited her 2015 study on mixed combat units in a chapter of his book “The War on Warriors.”

Her 2015 study has faced criticism for containing a potentially biased and small pool of participants, including male and female Marines with inequitable experience and training.

“To midstream be yanking it away and giving it to someone with this public track record is concerning to say the least and we think an explanation is owed,” Thomas said.

He has called Baltimore County Council members who supported a pro-immigration bill “sissies.” He has promoted unfounded claims of fraud in Maryland elections. He has repeatedly disparaged transgender people, immigrants and Muslims.

Tim Fazenbaker is brash, confrontational and extremely online, with a Trump-inspired brand of politics that has endeared him to many MAGA voters in southeast Baltimore County. Soon, it could win him a seat on the County Council.

Fazenbaker, a 48-year-old former liquor store owner, is the Republican nominee for the newly drawn District 9, which includes Dundalk, Edgemere and part of Rosedale.

His tactics have offended many, including members of his own party.

Two sitting Republican state lawmakers sought peace orders against Fazenbaker in recent years for alleged threats and harassment, although neither petition was granted. In June, the county’s Republican Central Committee voted 24-0 to censure Fazenbaker for social media comments it deemed libelous toward one of its members. Fazenbaker dismissed the allegations as “high school rumors,” saying in an interview that party insiders have long targeted him for challenging the establishment.

The Dundalk area has voted reliably Republican for more than a decade. But this November, a controversial GOP nominee who has splintered his party will test whether character matters more to voters than ideology.

Divisions among Republicans over Fazenbaker have given Democrats hope of flipping an open council seat in one of Baltimore County’s conservative strongholds and gaining a supermajority on the expanded nine-member council. Doing so would enable them to act on emergency legislation, approve charter amendments and override county executive vetoes without Republican support.

Democratic nominee Arkia Wade offers a striking contrast to Fazenbaker. She is a political newcomer, known for her nonprofit work with older adults and her family’s legacy of serving Dundalk residents. She is a Muslim and a Black woman, running in a county that has never elected a Muslim or a Black woman to the council. She rarely posts on social media.

Donna Eve Radtke Sekora, who owns a bar and a tax business in Dundalk, is also on the ballot, as an independent.

In a sign of how the race has scrambled traditional political alliances, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Hale Sr. hosted a late-September fundraiser for Wade at his waterfront home on Millers Island, where she courted some of Hale’s conservative neighbors.

One of them was Tracey Hoehn, a lifelong Republican who described her politics as far-right but said she was leaning toward supporting Wade in November’s general election. Character, she said, was a major factor.

“I think Tim and I probably agree on the issues,” Hoehn said. “But he’s got a lot of personal challenges that are making it very hard for me to support him.”

An online provocateur

Fazenbaker has become a regular presence in Dundalk politics over the last decade, mounting several campaigns for office and building a large online following.

Often competing against better-funded candidates, he has used social media as what he calls “guerrilla warfare,” attacking local officials in his own party as ineffective, unresponsive and too cozy with Democrats.

“Singers use the stage as theatrics to express who they really want to be. I adapted that to politics,” Fazenbaker said. “My stage is social media.”

After losing elections for council in 2018, Congress in 2020 and state delegate in 2022, Fazenbaker broke through in this year’s council primary.

With incumbent Todd Crandell opting not to seek reelection, much of the Republican establishment backed J.D. Urbach. Fazenbaker responded by painting Urbach as a liberal, posting several photos of him posing with prominent Democrats.

In recent months, Fazenbaker’s supporters have directed anti-Muslim attacks at Wade on social media. Fazenbaker has declined to comment on or condemn them.

Many have felt that Fazenbaker’s combative style crosses a line. At least eight people in the last six years have sought civil peace orders against him, alleging conduct such as harassment, threats, slander, stalking or doxxing. Most of the petitions were denied, and court records show that Fazenbaker was never convicted of a crime.

State Del. Ric Metzgar requested a peace order during his 2022 primary race against Fazenbaker, alleging that Fazenbaker drove to his house and shouted obscenities at him through an open car window. Metzgar also accused Fazenbaker of threatening him online.

The three-term Republican lawmaker, a staunch conservative, has declined to endorse anyone in the 9th District council race.

“Let me say it this way: The tactics that he has used are not very becoming of a good political candidate,” Metzgar said in a phone call.

Fazenbaker’s supporters say he’s not just an internet troll but a voice for a community that often feels overlooked. He has long opposed housing development in historic Fort Howard. He lobbied to bring the defense technology firm Anduril to Sparrows Point. Recently, he spoke against a proposed 73% pay raise for council members, saying residents in his district were struggling to afford groceries and utilities.

A number of Republicans have lined up behind Fazenbaker. Council member Nino Mangione, who represents northern Baltimore County, endorsed Urbach in the primary but said the party’s priority now should be to prevent a Democratic supermajority on the council.

“Our job is to help each other win,” Mangione told a crowd this month at a Fazenbaker fundraiser. “Republicans have to turn out. We have to stick together.”

Del. Bob Long, who represents Dundalk in the state legislature alongside Metzgar, broke with his colleague by endorsing Fazenbaker.

“I know there are a lot of people that don’t like him, but I don’t follow other people,” Long said in a phone call. “He’s been very respectful to me and my family, and I think he’ll do a great job in Baltimore County.”

Woman of the Year

The new 9th District, which was created during the county’s 2025 council redistricting, is among the most conservative in the county. About 1 in 3 voters is a registered Republican. Although Democrats outnumber them, many are moderates. Independents in the district, who account for 1 in 4 voters, tend to skew right.

Wade is hoping to become the first Democrat elected to represent Dundalk on the council since 2010. In her pitch to voters, she has drawn heavily on her personal story.

Her grandfather was the renowned Turner Station physician William C. Wade, who provided care to Black families during segregation and has a street named after him in Dundalk. Inspired by his life of service, Wade left a corporate job to start a nonprofit that provides transportation and companionship to local seniors.

“I feel like I have his spirit in me,” Wade said of her grandfather. “I’m very passionate about people, and I love helping people.”

The 50-year-old also leads a Girl Scout troop in Turner Station and heads the board of the Baltimore County Arts Guild. Citing her community service, the county’s commission for women awarded her the title of “Woman of the Year” in 2023.

Wade is seeking elected office for the first time, with a platform focused on supporting older adults, improving infrastructure and promoting economic development. She said she also wants to restore a sense of kindness and caring among neighbors.

Wade has outraised Fazenbaker and garnered support from unexpected places.

Hale, who recently became a Republican to run for governor, donated $1,000 to Wade’s campaign. He said he endorsed the Democrat because she has shown a commitment to helping others.

With Wade standing by his side, Hale addressed a bipartisan group at his home in September and called Fazenbaker “a very, very poor representative for our neighborhood.”

“Character counts big time, regardless of the party,” Hale said.

A wildcard

Radtke Sekora, the independent candidate, has raised little money but might still play an important role in the race.

The longtime owner of Donna’s Tavern ran for the council four years ago as a Republican. She became unaffiliated soon after, saying she wanted to answer only to voters, not a political party. Still, she aligns ideologically with Republicans and said she voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections.

The 70-year-old’s candidacy offers an option for voters who are wary of Fazenbaker but reluctant to support a Democrat. In what is expected to be a low-turnout race, those voters may affect the outcome.

Radtke Sekora plans on voting for herself, of course. But among the other candidates — one a member of her former party, the other a Democrat — she has a clear preference.

“If I don’t win, I would rather see Arkia win,” she said.

The Trump administration is seeking an injunction that would stop the board from enforcing its gender identity policy and provide parents an opportunity to challenge and correct any errors in their children’s educational records.

“These policies require staff to facilitate a student’s social transition at school, to memorialize that transition in education records, and to obscure or withhold this information from parents,” according to the complaint, which was filed Tuesday, one week before Election Day.

The move comes as President Donald Trump seeks to rally his conservative base in advance of midterm elections that will determine whether Democrats regain control of Congress.

Over the summer, the years-old policy became the focus of intense scrutiny after the Trump administration, conservative legal activists and some parents challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity. The district previously did not require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns, an internal document shows.

The district responded to the criticism at the start of the school year.

It revised the policy to make clear it does not block parents’ rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and that a student’s gender identity will not be treated as confidential medical information. The district also notified staff that they can no longer use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it.

“No policy, guideline, or practice may limit or otherwise interfere with parental rights under FERPA,” Superintendent Mark Bedell wrote in an August letter to the community. “This includes any information maintained in education records that relates to gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, preferred name, or preferred pronouns.”

In a statement Tuesday evening, the school district said it learned of the lawsuit that day and was “reviewing it closely.”

“AACPS disagrees with the allegations and stands by its compliance with FERPA and PPRA [Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment],” the district said in a statement. “Moreover, the school system has been in regular contact with the Department of Justice in a good faith effort to resolve their concerns while adhering to our obligations to all students, parents and staff.”

The district called it “regrettable that the Department chose to pursue litigation rather than continuing constructive dialogue.”

“Because the case is now before a federal court, AACPS will address the claims in its court filings and will have no further comment at this time,” the district said.

District spokesperson Bob Mosier previously told The Banner that Anne Arundel was among Maryland’s first school systems to develop a framework to support LGBTQIA+ students and works closely with their parents.

“We have steadfastly supported all of our students and take seriously our obligations to follow privacy laws,” Mosier wrote in an email last month. “Our work has evolved as the issue has evolved, and that will continue to be the case.”

The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday criticized the district for allegedly restricting or excluding parental involvement in discussions about a student’s gender when staff believe sharing the information presents a “safety concern.” This enables employees to conceal information while acting on it within the school environment, the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit also describes the impact the policy had on one Anne Arundel family. Teachers and staff allegedly called student Mary Doe a name that didn’t match her legal name or sex, and withheld that change from her parents. “When Mary’s parents tried to exercise their rights to their daughter’s education records, AACPS staff told them some records required an appointment and others a subpoena,” according to the complaint.

After an introduction from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Legend opened the 6 p.m. show on an outdoor stage with his hit song, “Tonight.” He then played a brief set that included hits such as “Ordinary People” and “All of Me.”

The 47-year-old also played songs from his new album “Muse,” including “Daylight” and “Bodies on the Floor.”

“I want to thank the mayor, who’s doing a wonderful job in Baltimore, for introducing me tonight,” Legend said while playing the piano riff to “All of Me,” his closing song.

Fans sang and whistled along to the tunes and shouted and wooed when Legend finished songs with a new vocal run or special oomph. “I haven’t been to Baltimore in a while. I missed y’all!”

Getting up close and personal

It’s not every day you get to see an internationally known singer-songwriter and pianist perform at a Baltimore record store, so Whitney Fidelis wasn’t going to miss her chance.

After working at Pitango Gelato & Coffee starting at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, the medical fellow figured she could do the same outside the Sound Garden record store, located a few blocks away.

So, she did, beating the crowd and getting work done from her laptop in the meantime.

Fidelis and her husband were among dozens who lined up outside the shop to pick up copies of Legend’s new album and see him perform. It was her first time purchasing vinyl, being at the Sound Garden and seeing Legend live — whose “U Move, I Move” with singer Jhené Aiko was the song of the couple’s first dance at their wedding.

“It’s just an opportunity to have an intimate experience with a real artist,” Fidelis said.

She loves how multitalented Legend is and the way he carries himself, and she viewed the Sound Garden performance as a way for him to connect with his fans.

Christian Leavy, 37, of Baltimore also turned out to see a singer whose had a profound impact on her life.

Of course, she wore a custom hoodie. This one, she made with a photo of her in all white standing next to him in the James Bond-style tuxedo he’s been rocking for this album. Her necklace included a frame with an actual photo of the two of them from the last time he performed in the area, in 2024.

Leavy has been a fan of Legend since 2004, the year he released “Used to Love U,” which she listened to in high school. She said she loves Legend’s “churchy” voice, sense of style and positive music, which she said has helped her through medical challenges. She’s had to undergo surgery twice for Chiari, a brain condition.

“He’s a very positive artist. Make me feel good about myself,” she said. “John Legend’s music got me through an MRI.”

Like a true superfan, she’s already been playing Legend’s new album nonstop, with her favorites being “Pray For Ya” and “Her,” featuring Pharrell Williams.

The Fells Points shows were among several record store pop-ups that Legend is making to promote his 11th studio album. In an interview on “Good Morning America” Monday, he mentioned wanting to connect with people and giving them something tangible to hold onto through vinyl and CDs.

Those seeing Legend at the Sound Garden were required to purchase a CD or LP of “Muse” via their website to receive entry. The record shop planned a 6 p.m. show, which quickly sold out. The shop added a second show at 7 p.m., which also sold out.

The Sound Garden, which was opened in 1993 by Bryan Burkert, also recently hosted Mike D of the Beastie Boys for a full set and pop star Tinashe for a DJ set. Tuesday marks Legend’s first time in the Baltimore area since performing his Christmas album at Live! Casino in Hanover in late 2024. He last performed in Baltimore at the Pier Six Pavilion in August 2014.

Going for a lush, cinematic sound

“Muse” is a 16-track album filled with rhythmic, uptempo tunes produced by Williams, a longtime friend of Legend’s, and released on Oct. 23. In previous interviews, Legend described the album as lush and both sonically and lyrically cinematic, telling the story of an artist’s journey with their muse and romantic partner.

The leading single, “Daylight,” was released last month with a music video. “Fireflies,” with Williams, also came out in September, and Legend told NPR that “Fireflies” is among his favorite songs and one of the most autobiographical on the project.

Legend said he gets choked up on the bridge, which features the line, “I’m a candle in the dark/And I come from a divine spark/And I’m my ancestors’ thoughts/And their wildest dreams.”

Aside from Williams, the rap duo Clipse is featured on the album. Clipse, composed of brothers Malice and Pusha T, who like Williams are from Virginia, frequently collaborate with him and had him at the helm of their Grammy-nominated 2025 album, “Let God Sort Em Out.”

Legend was featured on that project, adding his signature vocals to the opening track, “The Birds Don’t Sing.” Clipse is featured on the song, “Bodies on the Floor,” about a troubled relationship. The music video for the song was released Monday.

The legend of Legend

Legend is a 13-time Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and producer known for piano ballads, such as “All of Me” and “Ordinary People.”

He’s the first African American man to hold the prestigious EGOT status — having won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

His coming artistic endeavors include “Imitation of Life,” a musical based on the popular book and film that’s premiering at The Shed in New York on Nov. 21. Legend wrote the score for the musical.

He’s also slated to portray his mentor and friend, the late Harry Belafonte, in the film, “The Road Home.”

Legend’s tour for “Muse” kicks off on Nov. 6 in San Diego.

After attending Tuesday’s 7 p.m. show, which included performances of “Green Light” and “Fireflies,” Julia Weinman said she thought the show would have been longer, though she called it a worthwhile experience.

“Only John Legend could pull us out on a Tuesday night,” said Weinman, 33, a clinical psychology fellow. “Who would miss out on an opportunity to see him for like $35 for a record?”

Weinman enjoyed hearing Legend’s new music along with his classics and is excited to dig into the album. In the end, the only thing she left wishing was that she was taller, or at least had showed up earlier, to see him better.

Just 47% of Prince George’s residents in the survey reported that they felt like they were “thriving,” which was the lowest among local jurisdictions that included Montgomery, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, among others. The county also had the highest total percentage, 54%, of those who believe they are struggling or suffering.

The survey found that, at the same time, these residents maintain a firm belief that they can affect change.

The Greater Washington Community Foundation — a public charity that manages and invests funds throughout communities in D.C., Northern Virginia, and Prince George’s and Montgomery counties — first published the VoicesDMV survey in 2017 and has continued with a report every three years since.

VoicesDMV tries to capture residents’ feelings on several economic well-being indicators, including cost of living, social services and the job market, according to Tonia Wellons, the foundation’s CEO. The largest strain on well-being were federal policies and related job cuts and losses.

“This is probably one of the first times in, I would say, recent history where our region has not been protected from economic shock,” Wellons said in a phone call with The Banner. “Most of the time there is a shock somewhere in the country, we have been able to hover above it because of the strength of the federal sector, and that’s just not our circumstance right now.”

Forty-five percent of the 435 Prince George’s residents who responded (the total sample of the survey was 2,801 people throughout the DMV) said they feared they wouldn’t be able to pay their rent or mortgage. This was the highest mark across the region and the only jurisdiction where this particular anxiety has not eased since 2023’s survey.

Access to food has been a concern for residents and county officials in recent years, too. Twenty-eight percent of residents in the survey reported that they were unable to afford food this year — that’s 11 points higher than the regional average, according the survey of Prince George’s County residents. First-time users of social services, such as food banks or pantries, in Prince George’s jumped to 23%, the highest mark in the region.

Prince George’s County residents face the highest rate of food insecurity in the capital region, at 56%, according to a September report from the Capital Area Food Bank.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.”

Last week, Prince George’s County Council members were briefed on the feasibility of opening a county-owned grocery store to supplement existing programs such as free food pantries at county libraries.

As Election Day nears, 28% of Prince George’s respondents believe they have no influence over local government decision-making, which was the lowest rate among respondents across the region; 17% said they have “moderate” or “great” influence.

“There’s still this belief, generally, of people born and raised here and people who came here, in the ability to change circumstances,” said Wellons, an Upper Marlboro resident, who has lived in the county for nearly 30 years.

“You can’t have such proximity to the seat of power, no matter who’s in the White House, or come here for policy jobs or work in federal government and not have a fundamental core belief that you can make a difference,” she added.

Wellons attributed some of this feeling to the continued relative affordability of the county and data that doesn’t show any considerable exodus to other parts of the country or region.

Wellons and her team pointed toward specific goals that respondents have for local leaders: more investment in youth programs, healthcare and job training.

But she acknowledges that in the month since the survey was released, feelings toward county leadership have deteriorated.

Reporting from news organizations, including The Banner, has resulted in increased scrutiny, including calls for audits and investigations, on the Prince George’s County Council’s grant-funding process.

June’s primary election is typically decisive in the deeply Democratic county. But voters will have a couple of issues on their ballot that could transform the county’s government, such as Question B, which proposes to eliminate the two at-large council seats.

Council members Sydney Harrison and Jolene Ivey are likely to be elected to these seats. The pair has been among the most vocal critics of their colleagues, Chair Krystal Oriadha and Edward Burroughs, who represents District 8. Both have come under the microscope for their efforts to direct millions in grant funds to their preferred organizations.

“I think it’s useful to say that there is a dip in confidence right now,” Wellons said. “And I think it’s going to be incumbent upon our local leadership to shift that, to rebuild our confidence and trust to reestablish a vision for the future.”

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Six out of 11 council members voted for the measure despite questions about its legality and concerns that the prohibition would put store owners out of business.

Two council members abstained from voting on the bill. All three who voted against it questioned whether the council was stepping outside of its legal bounds.

“I do think you have issues around state law with this,” said Wanika Fisher.

“I don’t believe we have jurisdiction for this,” said Sydney Harrison.

“I believe this bill is actually illegal,” said Jolene Ivey.

One member who voted for the measure shared some of the concern.

“I wasn’t sure about the legality, which is why I asked our lawyer, who told me that it was legal,” said Edward Burroughs.

The bill allows gas station stores to continue selling tobacco and related products. But convenience stores, including those that sell groceries, household items and over-the-counter medications, would not.

Longtime lobbyist Bruce Bereano said he plans to write a letter to County Executive Aisha Braveboy asking her to veto the measure.

“Very respectfully, this bill is illegal and unconstitutional on its face. There’s no question, there’s no doubt, whatsoever,” Bereano, who has in the past represented tobacco wholesalers, said during the council meeting.

County attorneys also wrote in a memo to council Administrator David Murray that the restrictions in the bill make it “susceptible to a legal challenge.”

Attorneys from the county Office of Law — which is separate from the council and its attorneys — wrote that a court could ”conclude that the ordinance is regulating tobacco sales,” which are regulated by state law.

Council Chair Krystal Oriadha, who sponsored the bill, said she has worked to decrease the number of tobacco stores in central and southern Prince George’s County, particularly in her jurisdiction, District 7.

She said these areas have an “oversaturation” of tobacco stores.

After the bill passed, she said, “It’s sad if we say that the only way we can have a corner market or a bodega or a store in our community” is if it’s also stocked with cigarettes.

“Especially when I go into those stores, and it has no groceries,” she said. “It has chips, cereal and tobacco products. That is it.”

Mohin Uddin operates a collection of 24/7 Grocery stores in Oxon Hill, Temple Hills and National Harbor with his close friend.

Uddin, 33, said tobacco sales comprise 20% to 30% of his business’s total revenue. Losing that amount would threaten his ability to pay a host of expenses, including rent on properties where he has signed leases for as long as 20 years.

“If we can’t make payments, the only other option is to file [for] bankruptcy,” Uddin said in an interview.

Uddin said the measure will cause businesses like his to close, stripping workers of their jobs and families of their livelihoods.

In January, the county is expected to begin charging tobacco shops, liquor stores, gun stores and storage facilities $5,000 per year to operate in the county.

A coalition of 50 businesses has sued the county over the fee, claiming the council is attempting to “impose unlawful and punitive taxes.”

Uddin said he doesn’t mind paying the new fee. He sees it as a way to help the county.

He added that the $5,000 fee would pale in comparison to the millions in revenue he’s expecting to lose every month under the new restriction on tobacco sales.

“We are people who have taken risks, signed leases and hired employees, and invested in this county,” Uddin said. “We are not asking for guaranteed success. We are only for a fair chance to survive.”

Sure, it matters. But more pressing questions include: How can the Terps build a sustainable winner in this era of college football after the departure of Michael Locksley last Wednesday? And who will they hire as head coach to help answer the first question?

Athletic director Jim Smith is confident those questions will be answered in due time. In fact, in his first press conference since Locksley’s exit, Smith boasted Tuesday about the school’s head coaching opening. He called the role “an incredibly attractive job” and said he’s been receiving calls since last week.

“The volume of inbound calls and texts have been enormous,” Smith said. “There’s not an agency that represents coaches that hasn’t already reached out with a possible candidate.”

Locksley finished with a 38-49 record and only recorded three seasons above .500 since returning to College Park in December 2018, though the Terrapins did win all three bowl games they played in under him. This year, following back-to-back 4-8 seasons, the Terps won their first two games before losing five straight entering the bye week.

That gave Smith time to ensure he wasn’t making an emotional decision, though he declined to detail the timeline of when he made his choice. He also was noncommittal on a timeline for hiring a new coach.

There were but a few “certainties.” Smith said he and senior deputy athletic director Diana Sabau “won’t leave any stone unturned,” adding the school plans to engage a search firm to help them in their process. He also said they’re committed to finding the resources to compete at the “absolute highest level.”

As for what’s Smith’s looking for, he mentioned a leader who can build a program in an era of college football defined by the transfer portal and players getting paid.

The Terps have talent on their roster they’ll hope to retain, including linebacker Zion Elee, quarterback Malik Washington and wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. They’ll have to bring more in.

Washington, when asked if Locksley’s departure affects how he thinks about his future with Maryland, said: “No, still got these last five games we have to play. And that’s all I’m worried about.”

Linebacker Sidney Stewart was a bit more transparent.

“I think that’s a pretty obvious answer that, yes, I have to reevaluate the future,” he said. “But ultimately, I got five more games to play. … All I got to do is attack these last five games.”

In the short term, Smith was sure that interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim was the right guy to bring stability to Maryland.

Abdul-Rahim is in his second stint with the program, where he most recently served as the associate head coach for defense.

“He was clearly the right choice to become our interim head coach,” Smith said.

Wearing a white jacket with “Terps” script, Abdul-Rahim shook the hand of every media member and repeated their names. He watched carefully as Smith said even he’d have a shot at the full-time head coaching job. Then, Abdul-Rahim spoke about using the team’s final five games to set the tone for the uncertain future.

“I don’t see myself as just an interim,” Abdul-Rahim said. “I see myself as someone who’s a program builder, and that’s going to allow this program to take the next steps.”

Whether he’ll have the chance to lead the program’s next steps beyond this season remains unknown. It seems unlikely, even.

Abdul-Rahim called the last week a “whirlwind.” His promotion to interim head coach is his second in the span of a week. He was initially promoted to co-defensive coordinator after defensive coordinator Ted Monachino was fired on Oct. 18. Three days later, Locksley was out.

During that time, Abdul-Rahim said his focus was on allowing his team to reset during the bye week and return from it playing a better brand of football than they did under Locksley, whom Abdul-Rahim called “a mentor.”

To do so, Abdul-Rahim emphasized simplifying the team’s game plan. He’s shortened practices to reduce wear and tear. He’s also compressed the number of play calls defensively and offensively so players can play freer without thinking.

The players and their interim head coach insisted their focus was on Illinois, as the team seeks its first conference win of the season. But, naturally, there are a lot of questions bouncing around in their heads about what the future holds once these final five weeks of the season are over.

Abdul-Rahim says he’s asking his players just two: “Do you love football?” and “How bad do you want to win?” He hopes that will carry them to the finish.

“Because the answers, if you’re really true to it, it’s going to be in your process and your preparation,” he said. “If we can reduce the game to essentially loving football and a burning desire to win, I think we’ll have a good chance.”

The College Park mainstay at 7325 Baltimore Ave. has been a popular gathering spot for University of Maryland students and alumni since 1997, in its current iteration, to catch games and play pool.

The board’s suspension of Cornerstone’s alcohol license will take effect Friday. Officials found the establishment had violated a regulation that the bar constituted a “danger to the peace and safety of the neighborhood,” according to meeting notes.

The findings were based on video evidence and testimony from four University of Maryland police officers, according to a statement sent this week by board director Terence Sheppard.

Sheppard addressed the dozens of attendees of Tuesday’s virtual hearing that he believed were there because of Cornerstone.

“We respect the public’s interest in this matter and recognize that members of the community may have strong feelings about the board’s decision,” Sheppard said during the session. “However, the period for public testimony on this matter has concluded.”

Cornerstone’s attorney requested on Oct. 19 to stay the board’s suspension and a $7,500 fine, Sheppard said at the hearing.

“The board believes we have fiduciary responsibility to the community,” commissioner Tammie Norman said at the hearing as she made a motion to deny Cornerstone’s request to pause the suspension.

The board unanimously decided to deny Cornerstone’s request.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and employees have always been priorities at Cornerstone,” a statement posted Tuesday afternoon to the business’s Instagram says. “We take our responsibilities as a licensed establishment seriously and remain committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment.”

“While we respectfully disagree with aspects of the proceedings and the resulting decision, we believe the appropriate place to address those disagreements is through the legal process.”

The bar’s management sought the College Park City Council’s support this month at a public meeting, according to The Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s student newspaper. They claimed that shutting down the bar for 90 days would result in losing all 70 of its employees.

“Our staff is the heart of Cornerstone,” the Instagram post says. “We remain committed to supporting our team and keeping them informed throughout this process.”

Cornerstone’s operators and its attorney did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.

Cornerstone, also known to longtime residents and alumni as Rendezvous Inn or “The Vous,” has weathered challenges before. During the coronavirus pandemic, the owners raised $84,039 from community members to stay in business.

“You’ve shared drinks and laughs, met your best friends, sung your heart out, danced on the bar, flirted with your crush, celebrated your birthdays, rooted for your team and created loads of NSFW memories at this bar,” wrote owners Mark and Greg Srour on the GoFundMe page.

The business said Tuesday on social media that it was still evaluating next steps for scheduled events and that there are still ongoing discussions with its legal team.

“We want to be clear: Cornerstone is not permanently closing, and we are actively pursuing all available legal options to challenge this decision,” the post says.

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That unwavering consistency has helped make David and Dad’s a staple of Baltimore’s downtown, offering breakfast and lunch at a time when many others in the area have shut down. Customers nearby, be they judges, jurors or tourists, rely on the quick-service shop for homemade sandwiches, soups and salads.

Now, Brady and her boss, David Cangialosi, are preparing to give downtown a new destination for coffee. Tentatively called Perk It Up, the shop will open in late January or early February 2027 at 10 Light St. The art deco building, which houses the Arrive Inner Harbor apartments, is a landmark of the Baltimore skyline and one of the city’s tallest structures.

“I think downtown Baltimore is in need of some nice kind of neighborhood coffee shops,” Cangialosi said. A former Mrs. Fields executive, Cangialosi hired Brady in 1993 to help him run the precursor to David and Dad’s at its first location in Brown’s Arcade. In 2016, the shop moved into its current home, a former bank building at 115 N. Charles St.

Cangialosi hopes the new coffee shop venture, a partnership between him and Brady, will become a local chain, with additional locations coming to the city or possibly the suburbs.

It’s not Cangialosi’s first attempt at branching out. In 2010, David and Dad’s began adding express locations, including ones at Kennedy Krieger’s offices in East Baltimore and at the former T. Rowe Price headquarters at 100 E. Pratt St. All have since closed.

While it might seem a less-than-ideal economy for starting out a new business, Cangialosi said he’s protected his investment through smart negotiations with his future landlord. When opening new branches, Cangialosi said he looks for property owners who are willing to share the cost of the build-out.

It’s a lesson he encourages other small business owners to follow. “You have to open up a business with as little debt as possible,” he said. “And you need to have a willing partner of a landlord who wants their space leased out.” The Perk It Up address was previously home to a Starbucks branch, which operated in the northeast corner of the building. Perk It Up is set for the building’s southern side, facing Redwood Street. The space was previously occupied by a juice bar just off the Under Armour Performance Center gym, but has sat vacant for years, Cangialosi said.

From a financial perspective, specialty coffee beverages carry higher profit margins than food, which is more expensive than ever to buy or sell.

Cangialosi says David and Dad’s does business “the old-fashioned way,” with an eye toward the long term rather than short-term profits. Other places might look to reduce overhead by cutting back on labor, but that can backfire, putting stress on workers, owners and the business itself. “You can’t be consistent,” he said.

David and Dad’s, he noted, has about 20 employees on the premises at any given time, dealing with customers and working in the kitchen. “Everything’s made from scratch here,” Cangialosi said. Once Perk It Up opens, the shop will likely carry grab-and-go baked goods and sandwiches made in the kitchen at David and Dad’s, as well as items from other local bakeries.

And in many ways, the flagship David and Dad’s Café is a throwback to the pre-COVID dining landscape, when downtown was fuller with office workers. In recent years, large firms like T. Rowe Price have relocated to newer buildings along the waterfront. Today, the streets surrounding David and Dad’s feature empty storefronts and fewer pedestrians than ever.

But even as traffic declines, there are always people who will need to come downtown, particularly to visit the courthouses in the area. And most of them need to eat. During a recent visit, many tables at the café were occupied by people wearing juror badges. Brady said customers include local judges, police officers and sheriff’s department staff.

Soon, they’ll have one more spot to grab a cup of coffee.

About a dozen members of the citywide student government, known as the Associated Student Congress of Baltimore City, greeted the school board candidates warmly. Some students and candidates knew one another by name, exchanged hugs and took selfies. But when the time came, the kids grilled the four adults running for two elected seats on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners.

At a candidate forum hosted by The Banner and the student congress, the teens spoke candidly about where they think the district falls short. They pushed office seekers to take policy positions and explain why they were the best people to govern their schools.

Here are five things Baltimore students want their elected leaders to prioritize.

(Maybe) getting their cellphones back

Nobody moved when Jamar Day asked the room of teens to raise their hands if they felt the district’s cellphone ban was “totally unfair and it has done nothing to help your education.”

Giggles spread as the students admitted putting their phones away had helped them concentrate in class. But they still wanted to know how candidates would take their opinions into account about this policy and others that restrict what they can do in school.

Chair of the policy committee and incumbent member Ashley “Ash” Esposito said she’s heard from students who were previously using their phones as translation devices or in lieu of the Chromebooks their schools don’t have for them. Fellow incumbent Kwame’ Jamal Kenyatta-Bey said students need to learn to manage the future they’re walking into, which includes cellphones and AI. Candidate Domonique Flowers said he’d be open to letting students use phones between classes. Day said he’d like to review the policy alongside students and teachers and standardize how schools collect cellphones at each grade level.

“A policy is never permanent,” Esposito said. “Once a policy is passed, it can always be amended.”

Their rights to free expression

Benjamin Grimaldi, a sophomore at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, told candidates that a board policy that is supposed to prevent disruptive protests could stifle student voices, particularly through restrictions on signs. He asked each candidate if they supported repealing the policy.

Three of the four — Day, Esposito and Flowers — said they would. Each said they’d been community organizers and recognized the value of free speech, even when it makes people uncomfortable.

Kenyatta-Bey spoke about attending protests in the 1960s and said he felt the policy was too vague, but he did not commit to reversing it.

“When we talk about disruptive, what does that mean?” said Kenyatta-Bey. “Students have a lot to say; adults are the more disruptive ones sometimes. And so we need to be careful about how we define what that is.”

Safe and reliable rides to school

The city’s unreliable public transit system often fails to get middle and high schoolers to class on time. Baltimore City College senior Zion Parran, who co-moderated the forum, asked candidates how they’d fix the problem.

Both Kenyatta-Bey and Day said they rely on transit to navigate Baltimore, too. Day pitched stationing administrators along the long and sometimes dangerous routes kids take to school to make sure students see familiar faces shepherding them to class safely.

Flowers and Esposito, who both said they moved to Baltimore from areas where students have reliable rides to school, described their shock at the transportation challenges city students face. Esposito said she’d like to tap into federal funding for more electric buses and called on people who live in the counties but commute into Baltimore for work or Orioles and Ravens games to become advocates for Baltimore’s transit needs.

Preparing for life beyond high school

Getting to graduation is one thing. But students want to know how the school board will help them manage their options beyond the classrooms they grew up in.

Every candidate said they want to see schools position careers in the trades as desirable, rather than a last resort when college doesn’t work out.

Esposito said she’s heard from labor unions that the math curriculum in schools is often misaligned with what students need to get apprenticeships, which is an area she wants to improve. While Day wore a Paine College sweater and wants students to consider a degree, he said that “Baltimore is a very working-class city and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Kenyatta-Bey said he picked up tech design when he was young and used to teach career and technical education; he wants to break down entry barriers for Black and brown students.

“If you go through a trade, you have less debt, you have more skills, you make more money,” said Flowers, who wants to bring real-life lessons back to the classroom. “Most of our students have no idea how to balance a checkbook or anything regarding financial literacy.”

Hiring teachers who understand them

Taylor Fraling-Taylor, a Western High School senior and student member of the school board, asked the candidates how they’d recruit adults who care about students’ well-being, productivity and school climate.

Esposito said the district needs to stop looking so desperate to hire teachers. The state struggles with teacher vacancies, but a person needs more qualifications than a bachelor’s degree to teach, Esposito argued. They need to love kids, learning and “people-ing,” she added.

Flowers agreed, pushing back on Gov. Wes Moore’s plan to welcome laid-off federal workers into public school classrooms, noting that the teaching profession isn’t right for everyone. All of the candidates, including former teachers Kenyatta-Bey and Day, emphasized that teaching is a passion rather than just a job.

Day proposed recruiting more certified teachers from the state’s historically Black colleges and universities.

“Most students benefit best from a Black teacher, no matter what their race, nationality is. When there’s diversity in the classroom, everyone wins,” said Day.

This story is published as part of the Baltimore News Collaborative, a project exploring the challenges and successes experienced by young people in Baltimore. The latest series explores the use of AI in education. The collaborative is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. News members of the collaborative retain full editorial control.

Then, just a few days later, after dozens of advocates, local elected officials and even Baltimore students held a rally decrying what they saw as a budget cut, department officials told a packed room in City Hall a different number: Baltimore transit was actually getting $31 million more than in the last budget.

Whether a math problem or messaging failure, the sudden discrepancy confused local lawmakers and has damaged the trust some local advocates say they have in Maryland’s stated commitment to improving Baltimore’s transit network into a “world-class” system. A leading transit advocate for the region calls the episode a “bald-faced misrepresentation.”

“The status quo right now is not OK,” said Brian O’Malley, president and CEO of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, an advocacy and policy analysis organization.

He said there are plans to improve things, referring in part to a major cross-city light rail project known as the Red Line and a proposal to expand the local bus network. But, he said, “We are choosing to fund other things.”

The CMTA was one of two independent organizations that ran their own analyses of the state’s original budget document, each determining that the Baltimore transit reductions were even steeper at $363 million.

So which of the numbers that MDOT officials presented is correct? In a way, both are.

MDOT officials said the lower figure presented initially was a result of two main spending reductions. First, the replacement of all of Baltimore’s Metro trains is wrapping up soon, so spending for the subway is now falling, they said, because that project is close to completion.

Additionally, improvements to Baltimore’s Light Rail line are going to take years longer than the department originally expected. So officials delayed some of the money they had set aside for the upgrades out of the six-year budget, which led to a reduction in spending on paper for the near term.

After the department caught flak for appearing to make the spending cuts, MDOT officials changed their tune, and that “reduction” became a $31 million increase in the latest budget document.

At City Hall Sept. 30, Baltimore lawmakers’ confusion over the state’s shifting math gave way to larger frustrations over what they see as the Moore administration continuing to underfund a transit system that keeps some kids from getting to school on time and delays workers traveling to their jobs. They used words like “shameful,” “bogus,” and “embarrassing” to describe the transit service. Baltimore City Councilman Paris Gray said the state’s answer can’t be to tell West Baltimore to keep waiting.

In response, Maryland Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson told lawmakers that any reductions or cuts to projects do not reflect the department’s values, but rather their constrained budget environment.

On Thursday morning, on a call with local transit advocates, Thomson defended the proposed budget, saying it did not include cuts overall for the Baltimore region. She added that the department was also committing to greater transparency about the “trade-off decisions” that go into making a budget for the whole state.

The dust-up comes nearly four years after Gov. Wes Moore took office and promised to expand Baltimore’s transit network for the first time in 30 years by building the 14-mile Red Line that his predecessor scuttled, part of a new vision in Annapolis that prioritized Baltimore’s success.

Moore has still pledged $1.5 billion to overhaul Baltimore’s existing Light Rail train system that multiple governors before him allowed to fall into total disrepair, which will better position the state for future federal transit grants.

But the budget still does not include any money to put shovels in the ground and build something new for Baltimore.

MDOT wraps up its fall tour of budget presentations Tuesday in Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties. The department will release a final version in January as the legislative session in Annapolis kicks into gear, and it will ultimately fold into the state’s overall budget, which lawmakers sign off on in the spring.

Jared Banner was not looking for this job.

The new Orioles general manager was more than happy as an assistant general manager with the Chicago Cubs. But after meeting with president of baseball operations Mike Elias, president of business operations Catie Griggs and members of the Orioles ownership group, Banner realized that Baltimore, in fact, was where he wanted to be.

“Storied franchise, iconic ballpark, passionate fan base, owners who care and want to win, and most importantly of all, the organization is chock full of a talent, from top to bottom,” Banner said Tuesday during his introductory press conference. “It really made it a pretty easy decision for me.”

The Orioles hired Banner as their new general manager under Elias last week, and on Tuesday, he delivered his first analysis of how he will attempt to redirect Baltimore to its winning ways. The franchise, which reached the heights of a 101-win season in 2023, has stagnated — and the two straight losing seasons prompted Elias to make his largest addition to the front office setup yet.

Banner joins with a track record in numerous roles, but he has previously handled player development responsibilities with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Cubs. He will continue doing so in Baltimore, where one of his first major tasks will be figuring out how to get the Orioles’ core to blossom.

“By and large, we’re going to be partnering on everything, but there are certain aspects of baseball operations that we are going to split up and direct more exclusively between ourselves,” Elias said.

Banner, Elias said, will “take over everything to do with our internal players, our internal coaches, player development, performance, healthcare. All of that is going to fall under his umbrella.”

“I think he’s better than I am in those areas,” Elias added.

That will allow Elias to focus more fully on scouting and player acquisition tasks. That is Elias’ background. He came up as a scout with the St. Louis Cardinals and became the Houston Astros’ scouting director in 2012. Upon arriving in Baltimore as the general manager in 2018, he promised to build an “elite talent pipeline.”

While the Orioles have stocked their farm system with highly regarded prospects, many of them have struggled to make the adjustment to the major leagues. That’s where Banner comes in.

“I’m excited to get going to see what we can do with this group, because they’re so talented,” Banner said. “The sky is the limit. We’re going to create a high standard and we’re going to protect that standard.”

Banner didn’t immediately outline exactly how the Orioles will turn a high standard into winning. But he said the Orioles will “challenge all of our processes, and we might have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. One of my main player development philosophies is we have to make practice more like the game, so the game gets easier once we get in there.”

A central figure on whom Banner will focus is shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who has experienced a steep decline since an All-Star 2024 season. Henderson, 25, saw his on-base-plus-slugging percentage fall from .893 in 2024 to .715 in 2026.

Banner compared Henderson to Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was an All-Star in 2025 despite holding one of the highest chase rates in baseball. While Crow-Armstrong accumulated 5.9 wins above replacement in 2025, “he wasn’t satisfied with that,” Banner said.

“We talked about never being satisfied and he went back to the drawing board, and we supported him in that,” Banner said. “He then became a 10-win player and presumably the National League MVP. The sky is the limit. We’re not putting any ceilings on any of these guys. We’re going to raise the standard, protect that standard and get after it.”

It remains to be seen how large the turnover will be in Baltimore’s player development setup. Matt Blood, the vice president of player and staff development, left the organization in September. Banner and Elias praised the work Mike Shildt and Cal Ripken Jr. have done in the minors, however.

Shildt, the former Padres manager who was hired to become Baltimore’s upper-level minor league coordinator of instruction, worked with Ripken, now a part-owner, to teach fundamentals in the minors.

“Sort of teaching the finer points of the game, I think, is something across the league can use more emphasis these days, and what better experience to have talking to our kids than those guys,” Elias said.

Elias said the Orioles made improvements in 2026 in that department, and Banner will continue the work. When asked if Shildt will keep working with the Orioles next season, Elias said, “We would like to.”

If it wasn’t already apparent when the Orioles hired Banner, however, Elias made it clear Tuesday. The Orioles looked in the mirror and saw a weakness in player development. Banner’s hiring is meant to change that.

Learning from club legends

Over the first week of Banner’s time in Baltimore, he has already made calls to several former Orioles legends, including Ripken, Hall of Famer Jim Palmer and longtime outfielder Adam Jones.

Banner quipped that he “made sure I hit Jim back right away,” alluding to Palmer’s comments about manager Craig Albernaz not replying to a message earlier this year. But most importantly, Banner said, he wants to soak in what those former players have to say about Baltimore.

“I’m excited to learn from those guys, spend time with them,” Banner said. “I’m looking to listen, learn, understand Orioles tradition and culture, and see what new, fresh perspective I can add.”

Hoping to keep coaches in place

Over the last several years, the Orioles have seen ample coaching turnover. Part of that, of course, came with the firing of manager Brandon Hyde. Albernaz brought in some new pieces.

But even before then, the Orioles have rotated through hitting coaches. They’ve had seven hitting coaches since 2024. Currently, Baltimore has Dustin Lind and Brady North leading the hitting department.

Banner said the Orioles are in the process of reviewing their coaching staff but added that they’re “hoping for some continuity. Things do change. Some of our staff members could get new, big opportunities other places, things like that. We’ll see how that all shakes out, but we’re hoping for some continuity.”

A groundbreaking hire

When the Orioles hired Banner, he became the first Black general manager in franchise history. He became the eighth Black general manager in major league history.

That isn’t lost on Banner.

“I think representation matters, and if there’s some little kid in Baltimore who sees me up here and thinks that they’re capable of something they might not have thought otherwise, that’s a big responsibility and something I take a lot of pride in,” he said.

Braveboy had more than $772,000 left to spend on her reelection bid as of Oct. 23, when the most recent campaign finance reports were due. Sweat had about $3,400, according to the latest reports.

Braveboy raised $50,850 and spent $76,523 between Aug. 19 and Oct. 18, according to her Oct. 23 report; Sweat raised $12,503 and spent $11,867 during the same period.

Sweat is running as a write-in candidate after losing a legal fight to appear on the November ballot. The Board of Elections found that Sweat failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify as an unaffiliated candidate, and the Supreme Court of Maryland upheld the board’s determination.

In an email, Sweat said she’s grateful to all who donated time and effort to her grassroots campaign. “Because of the people of Prince George’s County, this campaign is motivated to finish strong on November 3rd,” she said.

Braveboy reported 28 contributions during the latest reporting period, compared with 73 for Sweat. But many of Braveboy’s contributions were substantially larger.

Braveboy received $6,195.20 from Gragg Cardona Souadi, a D.C.-based developer selected to lead the redevelopment of about 93 acres of county-owned land surrounding the Bowie State University MARC station.

She received $5,000 from VGW Luckyland Inc., $4,000 from Motorola Solutions Inc. PAC and $3,097.70 from D.C.-based Continental Construction Inc.

Three individuals each contributed $3,000: Paul Blackman, who listed his occupation as a project manager at Trusted Advisory Group; Roland St. Paul, an attorney and real estate investor with Marcismo Real Estate Ventures; and Derrick Mashore of Myers Mosaic Group, a real estate advisory firm. Lobbying and consulting firm CEO Corey Arnez Griffin made a $1,000 contribution, upping his total donation to Braveboy this cycle to $4,500.

Sweat’s largest contribution during the period was $3,000 from Ron Oliver’s unsuccessful primary campaign for Prince George’s County sheriff, followed by $1,548.75 from DeVon Banks, owner and founder of D-Tech Billing & Claims.

Banks, who also made in-kind contributions to Sweat’s campaign, said in an email to The Banner that she has seen Sweat in the community helping seniors, business owners and parents in need.

“I have also followed and helped with county politics for over 20 years,” Banks said. “I can attest to many things that are coming to light right now. It is shameful that we allow people to thrive off of these practices. Cronyism, pay to play tactics and other corrupt practices that go on behind closed doors only tear away from the people who voted for them.”

Braveboy’s largest reported expense was a $65,000 payment to Slingshot Strategies in Brooklyn, New York, which is listed as “Fundraiser - General Expenses.” Her campaign also transferred $6,000 to state Sen. Shaneka Henson’s campaign. Under state law, candidates are allowed to distribute unused campaign funds to other political committees, local boards of education, public or private institutions of higher ed in the state, or the gubernatorial public campaign fund.

Sweat’s largest expense was $2,500 paid to Vision And Purpose Media Productions in Upper Marlboro for brochure advertising.

Throughout the current election cycle, which runs from Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2026, Braveboy has raised about $2.26 million; Sweat has raised $43,900. Individual donors accounted for about 56% of Braveboy’s contributions, while businesses, groups and organizations accounted for the remaining 44%. About 83% of Sweat’s contributions came from individuals.

Have a tip for our Prince George’s County reporters? Tell us here.

“I think if you talk to people around the game, they’ll tell you that I’m always willing to challenge others, and I’m always willing to get uncomfortable,” he said at his introductory press conference.

In his new role, Banner will need to push the Orioles’ front office — sometimes in uncomfortable ways — to vastly improve the franchise’s struggling player development department.

“Banner Baseball Show” co-host Paul Mancano is joined by Orioles beat reporter Andy Kostka react to Banner’s introduction.

On Oct. 4, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson hurt his left ankle. For almost three weeks, that was almost all there was to know about the injury. Details from coach Jesse Minter were sparse. Speculation filled the vacuum as Jackson missed the Ravens’ next six practices and two games.

Not until Friday, when Jackson made his first public comments since the injury, did clarity emerge on the nature of the ankle ailment itself. Jackson was asked whether he’d suffered a deltoid sprain. Jackson said no, it was a high-ankle sprain. Curious, he asked who’d reported otherwise. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jackson was told — one of the NFL’s most established reporters.

“He part of the training staff?” Jackson deadpanned. He shook his head, adding, “He’s just reporting. Somebody probably told him that, too, though, so can’t blame him.”

The exchange underscored one of the great ironies of Jackson’s career. He is one of the NFL’s most accomplished and most popular players, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, a franchise quarterback and the face of a perennial AFC contender. And yet Jackson remains one of the NFL’s most inscrutable stars, his next steps eluding the league’s most well-connected insiders — and sometimes even Ravens coaches.

Jackson’s high-ankle sprain, which sidelined him for a third straight game Sunday — a blowout home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — is almost as much a strategic-communications story as it is a health story. The Ravens want Jackson healthy; that is an advantage. The Ravens also want opponents to have to prepare for Jackson, even when he’s not healthy; that is an advantage, too, albeit a considerably smaller one.

But in the NFL, gamesmanship and transparency are rarely compatible. The mixed messaging on Jackson’s recovery this month has left Ravens fans lashing out — at Jackson, for what some see as an overly cautious recovery; at Minter, for what some see as a reluctance to acknowledge the severity of Jackson’s injury; and at team officials, who’ve kept quiet through another period of prolonged uncertainty.

The latest inflection point in Jackson’s injury narrative came Friday, when he met with local reporters after practice. Jackson called his ankle sprain “very, very, very, very, very painful” at first. He said playing with limited mobility would be “doing a disservice” to the Ravens. He said he was “headed in the right direction” after three days of limited practice participation. He also said the injury was a high-ankle sprain, which typically sidelines players for over a month.

The Banner previously reported that, based on video and pictures of the injury, experts suspected Jackson had suffered a medial or deltoid sprain (the terms are used interchangeably), and that high-ankle sprains can accompany medial sprains. So it’s possible this is all semantics (both medial and high-ankle sprains generally require longer to heal than typical sprains). But because it’s Lamar Jackson, the scrutiny is intense.

Nine days earlier, ahead of the Ravens’ AFC North opener against the Cleveland Browns, Minter called Jackson’s status “definitely day-to-day.” That was perhaps a generous characterization of his availability; Jackson himself said Friday that he “couldn’t run at all” the week Minter made those comments.

At his weekly news conference Monday, Minter was asked what responsibility he has for setting public expectations about when players will return to action.

“Again, when a player is healthy enough to play, they’ll play,” Minter said. “I think all players are like that. I do think there’s things that change sometimes with injuries, what you think right when it happens in a game and things like that, where the adrenaline and things are still going on. So Lamar has worked his butt off. He’s continued to work his butt off, and when he’s ready to play, he’ll play.”

Jackson acknowledged Friday that the discourse around his injury could be an annoyance, saying, “No matter what Lamar’s doing, there’s going to be something said, so it is what it is.”

Minter chuckled when he was asked Monday whether he maintained a dialogue with Jackson to keep the quarterback apprised of the Ravens’ public posturing.

“I think when Lamar and our training staff and our doctors and myself and everybody in the organization feel that it’s best for him to be on the field, that he’ll be on the field, and everybody will know when that is,” he said.

CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, who covered Sunday’s game in Baltimore and called Jackson’s unavailability a “shock” to the Ravens, said in a tweet Sunday that she’d been told Jackson was “confident” he would play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Def came as a shock to the Ravens that Lamar couldn’t go, but Minter told me while he took majority of reps in practice, they went back and looked he was limited in what he could do. Lamar said if he can’t run, plant or have burst then it’s selfish to be out there. I was told…

— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) October 25, 2026

By now, though, the Ravens know to be cautious with their optimism and careful with their words. Jackson has missed just seven games because of injuries over the past three-plus years — fewer than the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers and the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, among others — but his absences have been unwieldy for the organization at times.

Last season, Jackson took a knee to the back in the second quarter of a crucial Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots, suffering a contusion that forced him from the game. Afterward, coach John Harbaugh called the injury a “bruise of some kind” but acknowledged that he did not know the severity. A day later, he said Jackson’s pain level was “legit” — “I don’t want to minimize the severity” — and labeled him day-to-day.

It wasn’t until two days later, however, on Christmas Eve, that Harbaugh explained why a “bruise of some kind” might prevent Jackson from returning to a must-win game or from the practices before the team’s next must-win game.

“It’s not like a black-and-blue mark,” he said. “These are deep-tissue contusions. ... The muscles lock up around it. You can’t really move very well. He’s in that process now of loosening all that up, hopefully. You can’t really say when it’s going to be right. He has to be able to play. He has to be able to be an athlete and be able to move.”

Other times, Harbaugh was premature with his prognoses. Last October, after Jackson had already missed two games with a hamstring injury, Harbaugh said that “our quarterback’s going to be back” after the team’s Week 7 bye. He acknowledged that he wasn’t certain about Jackson’s timetable, “but that’s the hope.”

Jackson did not return for the Ravens’ Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears. He came back a week later, for a Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins. He said Friday that it was “dumb” for him to play through so many injuries last year.

During the 2022 season, Jackson’s recovery from a knee injury was so heavily scrutinized that he took to social media to provide health updates. In a series of tweets before the Ravens’ playoff game against the Bengals, Jackson said he had suffered a Grade 2 knee sprain — moderate ligament damage and partial tearing — that was “on the borderline” of a Grade 3 sprain, which involves a complete ligament tear.

That December, Harbaugh initially characterized Jackson’s injury as “not a season-ending type.” He later called his status “week-to-week.” On his radio show days before the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Bengals, which Jackson missed, Rich Eisen said that Harbaugh had told him weeks earlier that Jackson could’ve played with a knee brace — “but he doesn’t want to.”

One year earlier, in December 2021, an ankle injury sidelined Jackson. Harbaugh told reporters initially that it was a sprain. The injury was later revealed to be a season-ending bone bruise. Jackson didn’t return to workouts until February, after the Super Bowl.

All the while, Harbaugh was hopeful that Jackson would return in time to save the Ravens’ spiraling season. So, too, was Jackson, who hobbled onto the practice field in late December and went through a Week 17 workout with a pronounced limp.

Lamar Jackson (right ankle injury) returned to practice Wednesday but moved with a pronounced limp pic.twitter.com/KRWeGm6GCg

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 29, 2021

“I’m really hopeful,” Harbaugh said before the practice. “I’m hopeful for all our quarterbacks, starting with Lamar. I really want to see him out there on Sunday. I know the fans do, and I know most of all Lamar does. He’s going to do everything he can to be out there. You can’t make a promise because we don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring.”

Jackson’s practice was his last of the season. He missed the Ravens’ final two games, extending his streak of consecutive absences to four. Harbaugh said after the season that Jackson had “assured me” less than two weeks after the ankle injury that he would return to game action.

“He worked really hard at getting back, but it just didn’t really heal,” Harbaugh said.

Conflicting reports from national reporters have only added to the uncertainty. Those reporters often rely on agents for information, and agents are paid by clients to help control narratives, but Jackson doesn’t have one; his mother acts as his adviser and de facto manager and has cultivated an impenetrable inner circle.

In December 2022, two weeks after Jackson’s Week 13 knee injury, NFL Network reported that Jackson was “expected to return soon” to practice and that the team was hopeful he would play in Week 16. Neither happened.

Two weeks ago, ESPN reported that Jackson had a “realistic chance” to play in the Ravens’ Week 6 game against the Browns. But he was held out of practice that week and ruled out two days before the game.

And on a Sunday morning appearance on NFL Network, two days after the news conference in Owings Mills, Rapoport said Jackson was “still dealing with that ankle sprain.” But even he was jokingly skeptical of the injury designation.

“He called it a high-ankle sprain; I was told it is not a typical high-ankle sprain,” Rapoport said. “It doesn’t matter. We love Lamar, but we also know he is not going to go today.”

But chemotherapy took a toll on her. Her daughter urged her to tell her employer about the treatment and its side effects. She often had to take breaks during the six-block walk from the office to her parking space. Her daughter, the eventual Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, told her to request a closer spot.

But Pat said no. “I feel so blessed just to have a job that allows me to have the health insurance I need, and if God intends for me just to walk, I’m going to walk,” she recalled her mother saying.

That essentially summed up her mother’s character — never one to complain, even in the worst times, with an unshakeable faith that things would work out the way they should. She valued her independence and industriousness and modeled that behavior for her daughters.

That foundation gave Angela the confidence to eventually run for office and become Maryland’s first Black senator, she said.

“I couldn’t have run any one of these races without my mother,” she said. “She was there, rock-solid, from day one of every race, and she was there when the race was over to support me and help me to give advice and guidance.”

The senator will continue living by her mother’s example, she said, long after her death. Pat died Oct. 9 after suffering from lung disease and Alzheimer’s. She was 79.

Pat was born May 15, 1947, to Lelia Bright and Lonnie Thompson and grew up in Seneca, South Carolina. Her cousin, Tina Smith, moved there in first grade. Smith, whose daughter Leslie Gray Streeter is a columnist for The Banner, remembers the teacher asking her on day one if she knew anyone in the room.

Smith can still picture the students staring back at her: “There was Pat, my cousin, of course, with a great big grin on her face.”

For a while, it was always the two of them and Tina’s younger sister, Ann. They played hide-and-seek and ran around together outside. Pat was, in some ways, the leader of the group, Smith said.

“She was very playful, but at the same time, very mature in a way that comes with being the only child and knowing that there are certain things that you are responsible for,” Smith said.

The girls became even closer — and relied on each other for support and comfort — after their grandfather was killed in an act of racial violence. The tragedy pushed the family to swiftly move to the Washington, D.C., area.

“We could talk to each other and we could be scared together and not sure what was going to happen,” Smith said.

As she grew older, Pat never lost her sense of responsibility and protectiveness over her family. But she gained new skills and interests, including dancing, fashion and beauty.

“Pat was the fly one, and we just kind of wanted to be as much like her as possible,” Smith said. Her cousin always kept up with the trends and experimented with new colors and styles.

After graduating from Fairmont Heights High School in Prince George’s County, Pat enrolled in cosmetology school. One day, while Pat was doing a woman’s hair at her house, her future husband walked in the door. James “Mack” McArthur Alsobrooks lived next door and came over to visit a friend. Instead, he found the love of his life.

They gave each other book recommendations and danced together for fun. They also shared a strong faith, and Pat felt strongly about building a family-oriented and spiritual life. They married in 1969 and soon had two daughters, Kimberly and Angela. The family later joined Ebenezer AME Church, where Pat and Mack worshipped for over four decades.

Pat taught her daughters to jump double Dutch and play ball. She joined the school PTA and carted the kids to Girl Scout meetings. She made sure the family ate dinner together every night.

“I could not imagine a more devoted mother and more devoted wife,” Angela Alsobrooks said.

She continued working, mostly as a receptionist, while raising her daughters. She attended floral arrangement school and in the 1980s launched The Creative Silkworm, a small floral business. She later returned to receptionist work at a few local medical centers and ended her career at the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation.

Pat believed “there was dignity in all work, and that there was dignity in every worker,” Angela Alsobrooks said. She was the coworker who always offered rides to those without transportation and a listening ear to anyone in search of advice.

One of Pat’s greatest joys came later in life, with the arrival of her granddaughter, Alexandra “Alex” Alsobrooks-Laney. To Alex, she was “Baba” — the warm, inviting grandmother who played dolls with her as a kid, brought her red Gatorade after track practice and showed up an hour early for school pickup.

Pat always showed interest in Alex’s favorite hobbies, many of which she also enjoyed, like painting and makeup. Even though Pat wasn’t very fond of dogs, she adored Alex’s pup, Nico, and soon became one of his favorite humans.

She was always looking to uplift other people, Alex said, and was never shy about giving compliments. Even though she was generally more introverted than extroverted, she always ended up making friends in public, her granddaughter said.

“That says a lot about her. … You don’t always have to be the loudest voice,” Alex said. “But she was someone where people always saw her kindness and her consideration, and someone that if you met her, you would come to love her.”

Memorial services will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 at Ebenezer AME Church.

The Banner publishes news stories about people who have recently died in Maryland. Our weekly obituaries newsletter shares these stories and death notices with you every Friday.

If your loved one has passed and you would like to inquire about an obituary, please fill out this form or contact obituary@thebanner.com. If you are interested in placing a paid death notice, please contact groupsales@thebanner.com or visit this website.

Legree was clocked this spring with a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, a time that would be elite even among NFL playmakers. But as he reaches a full gait, Legree never looks like he’s in a rush.

Is this why every team in the country, except the Beavers, missed on Legree last fall, when he, his family and his coaches at Baltimore’s Saint Frances Academy were desperately searching to get him a football scholarship? Did he make supreme athleticism and speed look too easy?

It’s one of the bewildering questions to consider as Legree has become the most surprising success story in college football, leading all Division I receivers in both yards (1,040) and touchdowns (14). He has started out his career with seven consecutive games of at least 100 yards and a touchdown and has been a key facet of a high-octane offense that’s led the Beavers to five straight wins.

Last year, when 26 Saint Frances seniors sat at a long table to celebrate their football scholarships on signing day, Legree wasn’t among them. He had no official offers. No one was saying his name. He sat in the crowd and cheered every teammate. “I knew if the roles were reversed, they’d be cheering me on, too,” Legree told me.

Last week, when Legree returned to Saint Frances to say he would play the 2027 season back at Oregon State, a throng of reporters was stationed around him. The story ran on ESPN and made national news.

Saint Frances coach Messay Hailemariam still doesn’t understand how Legree flew under the radar before now. It wasn’t that he didn’t get exposure to college football recruiters — they just didn’t want him.

“I’m sure they want it back now,” Hailemariam said. “But literally, everybody said he was too small.”

West Virginia had Legree in for a visit, but when they saw him at 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds, they worried he wouldn’t be big enough to hold up in their conference. Same with Pittsburgh and Buffalo. James Madison had Legree down for multiple unofficial visits, but wanted him to play cornerback. Even though he was the leading receiver for the nationally ranked Panthers (and added six punt return touchdowns), no school had faith that Legree’s athleticism would translate on offense at the college level.

No one believed more in Legree’s potential than his dad, Jeffery Legree. To the colleges that missed out on his son, he has advice: “I say, ‘Fire the recruiting staffs.’”

A former contractor for the Department of Defense, Jeffery raised his sons Jesse and Josiah with rigor and discipline. After he and their mother separated, the boys would spend the summer with their father in Fredericksburg, Virginia, waking up for 5 a.m. workouts in the garage and sprinting up hills in the subdivision. They also did daily book reports, presenting before 4 p.m. — but the most demanding part of the day was the physical training.

Jeffery had his sons run with parachutes and bands to train their speed. He would have them carry bricks up and down the sidewalk. Timing for the daily routine was strict: Once, when Jesse didn’t get out of bed for a morning workout, his father poured cold water on him while he slept.

“My motto was if I beat you outside with a cup of hot tea in my hand, we got problems,” he said. “But I wanted them to learn if you put in the work, the work will show. I always taught them to outwork everybody.”

The Legree family had high hopes for Jesse when he played for Calvert Hall as a freshman, but they decided to transfer when the school said it would not cover his scholarship for his sophomore year, Jeffery said. The next two years, Jesse played for Loyola Blakefield, but at corner. He longed to touch the ball, preferring to attack rather than defend.

For some college programs, playing at three schools in four years might raise red flags. But after Jesse joined Saint Frances in the spring of 2025, Hailemariam said he saw his potential right away: The slender receiver and returner was often the best player in practice for a program full of D-I talent.

“He barbecued every DB that’s going to the Power Four or SEC schools — it was competitive and s---,” Hailemariam said.


As signing day approached, the Legree family was crestfallen. Recruiters had gradually stopped returning messages. Even small crumbs of interest had dried up as rosters solidified for 2026. Jeffery Legree told Hailemariam that if his son had to walk on to a program, he would take out a mortgage on his house to fund the opportunity.

But Hailemariam had a relationship with Eron Hodges, an Alabama staffer who got a job late in the recruiting cycle at Oregon State for coach JaMarcus Shephard. Saint Frances had sent top prospects to the Crimson Tide, who like everyone else considered Legree too small for the SEC. But when Hodges got to Corvallis, he told Hailemariam he’d take a look at Legree.

Signing day came. All the seniors signed their letters of intent. Legree waited, studying film with the offense for the Panthers’ upcoming championship game. What Hailemariam respects most about Legree’s conduct that day is how he shelved his anxieties about his future: “It was the most beautiful approach to it. I don’t think I’ve seen a kid be slighted like that and still have a great attitude for his teammates.”

It wasn’t until 4 p.m. that Hailemariam got a text from Hodges: “If Jesse wants to come, we have a spot for him.”

Hailemariam ran to the film study session and shouted at Legree: “You got a home!” At first, the team thought the coach was saying “Morgan State,” because most of them had never heard of Oregon State, a school 2,800 miles from Baltimore. But once the players realized it was a D-I school, the whole offense went wild, mobbing Legree with hugs in a melee.

Now that Legree has gotten his chance with the Beavers, he has become a sensation. He’s been touted as the next great Oregon State receiver by none other than alum Chad Johnson (known in his Cincinnati Bengals days as Chad Ochocinco). Legree recently signed as a client of Klutch Sports Group, owned by LeBron James’ superagent, Rich Paul.

As incredible as his college debut has been, it still feels like the biggest things are ahead for Jesse Legree. The only difference is that now everyone sees him coming.

“I always expected big things,” he said. “I just needed an opportunity.”

The Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) is a unique partnership between the nonprofit AFF and landowners that helps combat climate change, improve wildlife habitat and timber value, increase carbon stored on the land, and provide revenue to the landowner—all at no cost to them.

“Some landowners need financial assistance to mitigate invasive species, rent equipment to clear trails and roadways, or pay their property taxes,” says Harry Brookstein, spokesperson for the FFCP. Participants in the program receive an annual payment from FFCP, which sells carbon credits to businesses like REI and Netflix after a thorough vetting process. These companies are typically already actively involved in reducing their carbon emissions and looking for ways to become fully carbon neutral.

As a nonprofit, the American Forest Foundation is committed to the overall mission of meaningful conservation impact and does not have to answer to shareholders whose values and goals may differ from AFF. Plus, participants in the program are not affected by fluctuations in the carbon market as their payment amount is stable, so there is no market risk, and they can utilize the revenue however they want—to make land improvements, pay bills, or finance a child’s college education or wedding.

“The other big issue we try to solve is the technical know-how. A lot of the landowners that we work with know that there are best practices for managing forests but don’t know where to get started. We will match them with a staff forester or someone from our network of consulting foresters who will give them guidance and write a forest management plan specific to their property.”

A forest management plan usually incudes an inventory, identification of key habitats, a clear description of objectives and strategy for achieving them, and a near-term action plan. The forester can also provide advice on broader environmental goals, like improving wildlife habitat.

Brookstein notes that many family forest owners they work with inherited land or they bought a big parcel of land as a place for solitude or a vacation area. “Many have little or no experience maintaining woodlands, so they really value the expertise we provide.”

Landowners in the program can also gain advice and insight by joining the “The Family Forest” virtual community, where they can share their thoughts, experiences, and questions with fellow enrolled landowners.

Best of all, landowners can continue utilizing their land how they see fit—whether it’s for hunting, recreation, or for commercial purposes. “In Vermont, for instance, we have many landowners who tap sugar maple trees. We also have enrolled landowners with ski and hiking trails, and those activities are encouraged to continue,” says Brookstein. “In most cases, the primary restriction is on timber harvesting. However, we are one of the few carbon programs that allows limited harvesting.”

Landowners in the program also benefit by an improvement in their property’s use and value.

“They can improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity on their property. For hunters, better forest management can lead to a bigger variety and abundance of game species. Some people are animal lovers or birdwatchers, and we can provide guidance on managing their land to attract certain bird species, like removing invasive plants to help native flora and fauna thrive. Our first enrollee in Pennsylvania inherited her land from her father and wanted to see beavers return to the property. We worked with her to improve the habitat, and while there are many factors at play, after nearly 60 years, beavers have returned to her land.”

Implementing the forest management plan may also lead to an increase in land value. “By managing your forest to improve its overall health, water and soil quality, wildlife habitat, and reduce runoff and erosion, you can also increase the value of both the land and its timber. These improvements could mean additional financial benefits if you choose to sell the property or harvest timber after completing the 20-year contract.”

Brookstein says while many landowners value the annual payments they receive, they place even a greater value on the expertise and assistance they get from working with the AFF.

“We often hear landowners say how surprised they are by how many people are available to them who truly care about the process and want to see their land improve and thrive. We regularly hear feedback about how our foresters are universally loved.”

Landowners interested in the Family Forest Carbon Program can easily check their eligibility and schedule a call with a representative.

The state’s flagship university, whose football team has a 2-5 record, is offering a special raffle during its Saturday game against the University of Illinois.

Students who stay until the fourth quarter have the chance to win free tuition for the spring 2027 semester, worth up to $5,507. Eligible students must attend the game, scan a QR code shown on the video board during the game and stay until the fourth quarter.

Tuition at the university is just over $12,000 per year for Maryland residents, but with other fees and living expenses, the estimated cost of attendance stands at $32,408, according to the university’s website. For out-of-staters, the total cost is estimated to be $62,374 per year.

The university’s football team, which competes in the Big Ten conference, has struggled to fill stadium seats this season. The Terps have yet to win a conference game.

Maryland crowd 5 minutes from kickoff on homecoming. There’s an alum event at Riggs next door, so may fill in more later.

More noticeable gap is in the “Terp Tank”, left of the student section. Introduced this year, it’s designed as a rowdier fan section.

Today, it’s bare. pic.twitter.com/UL2dDohM25

— Faith Harris (@faithlharris) October 17, 2026

Last week, the team parted ways with head coach Michael Locksley, who had led the Terps since 2018. Locksley finished with a 38-49 record and only three seasons above .500. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, the associate head coach for defense, is the team’s interim head coach.

This isn’t the first time the university has offered free tuition in exchange for football game attendance. In 2018, the school paid a total of $28,000 in scholarship money to students attending home games and staying in their seats until the fourth quarter.

That giveaway was funded by an anonymous donor who approached the university with the idea to incentivize students to stay through each game.

Free tuition isn’t the only perk the university is offering this weekend. Tickets to Saturday’s game are being sold as buy-one-get-two-free, and students are able to jump on other deals, including opportunities to win UMD sweatshirts and free snacks from Testudo, the school’s mascot.

The first 7,500 attendees will also receive a Bavarian alpine hat for Oktoberfest.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.

The U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, working with Montgomery County Police detectives, arrested Elder Blanco-Zapata, 41, of Rockville after he left his home.

He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of David Estrada Fuentes of Wheaton.

Earlier Monday morning, first responders found Estrada Fuentes with stab wounds behind an H-Mart in the 12000 block of Georgia Avenue, police said.

Estrada Fuentes was taken to an area hospital in critical condition and died.

Estrada Fuentes and Blanco-Zapata knew each other and argued before the stabbing, police said.

Blanco-Zapata is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he is awaiting a bond hearing, police said.

This story has been updated to resolve different ages given by police and court records for the suspect.

The 11-member County Council voted 7-2, with one member abstaining and another absent, to pass a bill removing the board’s authority to “issue” funding meant for organizations and initiatives serving those most harmed by the decades-long war on drugs.

The bill instead directs the board to “recommend how to spend” the money. The council will “be responsible for approving the disbursement of all awards,” according to the bill.

Board members and their allies said in interviews after the vote that they plan to appeal to County Executive Aisha Braveboy to veto the measure.

“Have we not seen enough in the news with all the scrutiny and allegations surrounding this council and the steering of millions of dollars of grant funding in this county?” said community advocate Dawn Dalton. “It is embarrassing and arrogant that you are even putting this bill up for consideration.”

Maryland legalized recreational cannabis in 2023, and state lawmakers voted to allocate 35% of cannabis sales and use tax revenue for local jurisdictions.

The County Council created the Cannabis Reinvestment and Restoration Board — which the bill has renamed the Community Reinvestment and Restoration Board — to oversee and award funding that the county receives.

Cannabis board Chair Crystal Carpenter said the bill left unclear the extent of the council’s control over the funding, including whether it would have authority to change grant amounts or award funding to organizations not selected by the board.

“This is not a slush fund to shift according to individual council members’ priorities,” Carpenter said.

Council member Tim Adams pushed back during the meeting.

“This is not a money grab. This is not a power grab,” he said. “And that’s what we as a council are to make sure of.”

Council Chair Krystal Oriadha, who sponsored the bill, said her hope is “that eventually these funds will actually get to the residents of Prince George’s County.”

Council attorney Joseph Hamlin said during the meeting that the bill “does not create new authority” for the council.

But Yanet Amanuel, public policy director for the ACLU of Maryland, said that’s untrue. She said after the council’s vote that the bill “shifts it so that the board is just an advisory board, and the council has final say.”

Several of those who testified against the bill also chided the council for its persistent lack of punctuality — recent meetings have begun an hour or more after their scheduled start — and for rearranging the order in which they took up certain bills.

“A lot of people have taken off of work. And I have eight critical-care patients that I’m supposed to be tending to in the ICU across the street,” said Dr. Rachel Jordan, a member of the board.

She said she had to ask her colleagues for help because of the length of the delay.

District 5 resident Tamara McKinney said the manner in which the council has presented itself to community members at meetings has been “deplorable.”

She said that rather than meeting people’s eyes, council members have been on their phones and shuffling around to speak with each other.

“Your community does not appreciate that behavior,” she said.

Rooms sat empty for almost half the year. Nightly room rates have never been higher, but those rooms are generating less revenue than at any point since 2009, the hotel’s first full year of operation. And that’s before accounting for inflation.

The hotel’s overall occupancy rate was 52.3%, down from a peak of 71.7% in 2013. It’s the lowest occupancy rate of any year outside 2020 through 2023, years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hotel is overseen by the Baltimore Development Corp., the city’s quasi-governmental economic arm. Kevin Seawright, the BDC’s executive vice president and chief operating and financial officer, called 2025 a “transition year.”

Hotels across the city struggled, he told The Banner in a statement, “with room-night cancellations at their highest level since COVID.”

Hotels across Baltimore’s central business district had a down year in 2025, according to data from the real estate analytics firm CoStar. The overall occupancy rate was 55.7%.

“In 2026, the Hilton is performing far better: revenue is up substantially over 2025 and moving back toward pre-COVID levels,” Seawright said. “Major events like All Blacks Rugby, Morgan Wallen, BTS and Jack and Jill, along with stronger group business through Visit Baltimore, are driving that growth.”

According to CoStar, hotels in the central business district have also been doing relatively well, partly because the total number of hotel rooms has been declining, meaning less competition. Since January 2025, the total number of hotel rooms in the central business district has declined nearly 6%, dropping from 8,367 to 7,874.

That includes the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, which unexpectedly shuttered at the beginning of this year.

With 757 rooms, the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor is the largest hotel in the Baltimore region, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. Last week’s financial disclosure is the latest insight into its finances.

More hotel rooms could be coming. MCB Real Estate is currently planning to build a 212-room luxury hotel as part of its redevelopment of Harborplace, with an average nightly rate of $550.

That hotel would be a few blocks from the city-owned convention center hotel, which is operated by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Baltimore borrowed about $300 million in bonds to build the hotel, most of which has yet to be repaid.

The Hilton was supposed to be a revenue generator for the city. But it opened during the Great Recession and has never achieved its revenue or occupancy projections. The city has spent and refunded $143.7 million to keep the hotel afloat.

A night at the Hilton cost $203.90 on average in 2025, the highest rate ever. But because fewer people are staying there, the hotel is actually making less money per room.

Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, is the most commonly used measure of a hotel’s success. Prior to the hotel’s opening, a consultant projected its RevPAR would exceed $184 in 2017 and keep climbing.

The RevPAR last year was $106.60, the lowest it’s been since 2009. Accounting for inflation, 2025 was the worst year on record.

Navy Leap Frog skydivers were the only thing at Sunday’s Ravens game that turned out as the crowd hoped.

The blue-and-gold daredevils drifted through a blue October sky, trailing colorful smoke flares and flags into M&T Bank Stadium. The crowd cheered as they landed one after another at the 50-, 40- and 30-yard lines.

Baltimore lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in a second-half collapse. At least the 70,000 fans got to see the skydivers.

Will any of them enlist?

It’s cynical, I know. But that is the point of the exercise. Not fun. Not football. Not training.

No one will ever win the argument that this should end, that the military should not appear at football games.

Whether Navy parachutists at midfield in Baltimore or fighter jets over the Navy game Saturday in Annapolis, these stunts are just too popular, too patriotic, too much fun to surrender.

Then someone died.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson fell to his death at the Alamodome in Texas on Oct. 17 as he rappelled into the Navy at UT San Antonio game-day festivities.

It wasn’t the first mishap involving demonstrations of military equipment and skills, but it may have been the first fatality. Patterson’s death demands that we ask whether these stunts — dangerous no matter how expertly performed — are worth the risk.

At the very least, Congress must review the safety of this tradition to make sure Patterson is the last to die.

“After tragedies like these, it is incumbent upon Congress to ensure that every possible precaution is being taken to protect the health and safety of our service members,” said Rep. Sarah Elfreth, Maryland’s lone member of the House Armed Forces Committee.

There is a deep connection between the military and football. The Naval Academy and West Point were among the first colleges to play the game, and their annual matchups date to 1890.

The military helped the sport move from elite colleges to an everyman cultural force, both on campus and in the pros. Even the language — offense and defense, aerial attack and ground assault — has long been noted as intentionally shared.

Today, football games are recruiting opportunities. Cheering young men and women in the stands see the skills and hardware on display and think, “Why not me?”

For a while, there won’t be more demonstrations like the one that killed Patterson.

His unit, the 6th Combat Training Squadron at Fort Stewart, Georgia, paused all rappelling demonstrations and training Friday until an Air Force investigation is completed.

An experienced instructor, Patterson was descending 150 feet to the field in Texas about 15 minutes before kickoff and apparently lost control of his ropes.

Other demonstrations continued, as they do every fall weekend.

Congress has examined ties between the military and sports before.

In 2015, U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake led the “Tackling Paid Patriotism” investigation and revealed that the Department of Defense paid millions to college athletic programs to stage these displays.

The Pentagon banned the practice, and Congress wrote the prohibition into the National Defense Authorization Act, the massive military budget bill.

Today, the costs are included in the Pentagon’s recruiting and training budgets.

Mishaps are rare, a testament to meticulous military operations planning, even when the events are as seemingly risk-free as football games. Mistakes still happen.

Twice this year, parachutists have been involved in minor accidents at college games. Both skydivers were veterans, not part of a military demonstration.

The Pentagon has no public tracker for demonstration mishaps.

But in 2021, four Army helicopters from the 101st Airborne flew level with fans in the top seats at Nissan Stadium in Nashville before the Titans-Saints game.

Four Air Force training jets flew a mere 16 feet above the press box at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium in 2010, just before kickoff against Ohio State.

In Atlanta, two Navy aviators were permanently grounded after their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets cleared the scoreboard and field lights by just a few feet before the 2009 Wake Forest-Georgia Tech game.

Maybe nothing was more eyebrow-singeing than the flyover before the 2000 Navy-Texas Christian University game in Annapolis, when a Hornet pilot flew at eye level with the press box. Witnesses said they could feel the afterburners.

Mistakes were made. Barometric readings were misinterpreted. Pilots were grounded.

Several years ago, when the number of military training deaths seemed to spike, Congress asked questions. The Pentagon began to track them more closely.

Any investigation of demonstrations would also have to ask a more fundamental question: whether the demonstrations provide a boost to enlistment worth the risks.

This all hits differently in Annapolis, where the Naval Academy crowd needs no recruiting.

“Please rise as we honor the memory of Air Force Tech Sgt. Ian Patterson,” the announcer at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium said before Saturday’s game.

UT San Antonio officials said they decided to play after a 10-minute delay because they didn’t know that Patterson had died. The Naval Academy was quiet until Friday.

“The United States Naval Academy extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fellow service members of Tech Sgt. Patterson,” said Cmdr. Kara Handley, an academy spokesperson.

After the 4,000-strong brigade of midshipmen marched onto the field Saturday, Navy Cmdr. Sean Delaney returned to his alma mater in spectacular fashion.

He led a pair of Super Hornets from Naval Air Station Patuxent River over Annapolis, thrilling the crowd.

“Look up!”

The cheers blended with AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” as the jets flew past, gone in a heartbeat. A single parachutist replaced them, drifting down with the blue-and-gold Naval Academy flag trailing behind.

Saturday’s homecoming game against the University of North Texas was another loss for the home team.

The fans in Annapolis roared again after the third quarter, when Delaney, a 2009 academy grad, walked onto the field to wave to the crowd.

We should all be grateful he and his crew landed safely.

Congress should make sure everyone else makes it home, too.

On a busy Tuesday in Annapolis last December, Gov. Wes Moore got a message from Matt Grimm, co-founder of upstart defense technology company Anduril Industries. Earlier that month, over lunch in California, the governor had met with Grimm and other executives.

Now, Anduril was searching for a spot to spend billions on a new manufacturing facility. Might Maryland be interested?

Over the next several months, state and Baltimore County officials worked quietly with Anduril executives and Tradepoint Atlantic, a sprawling logistics hub in Sparrows Point, to craft what could be Maryland’s largest employment surge in years.

The dealmaking included a Christmas Eve phone call, a surreptitious cross-country flight, a chilly January site visit — and meetings over crabs at Costas Inn, a favorite Dundalk haunt. Those in the know couldn’t even tell others within their own departments.

The Banner spoke to local, state and federal officials, as well as company leaders, and reviewed public statements to compile this account.

Private talks culminated with an Oct. 6 reveal that Anduril would build a $3.7 billion facility in a corner of southeastern Baltimore County, creating what leaders say will be 3,172 permanent jobs. An event celebrating the news sparked a political skirmish between rivals Moore, a Democrat, and President Donald Trump, a Republican, over who gets credit for the long-awaited return of manufacturing jobs to a once-proud shipyard. The White House took the governor off the speaking program, and he decided not to go.

But many relationships and decisions contributed to Anduril’s decision to build Arsenal-2 in Maryland. It would be the company’s second massive manufacturing facility, after Arsenal-1 in Ohio.

Two crucial factors underpinned the deal: Trump has prioritized domestic shipbuilding during his second White House stint, and the U.S. Navy selected Anduril for a $2.9 billion contract to build components of attack submarines. And the now-decade-long redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel site — shepherded by Tradepoint Atlantic and boosted by hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax incentives — made a vacant shipyard competitive for a major investment like Anduril’s.

Moore understood the possibilities when his phone pinged Dec. 16. He immediately texted back and then got on the phone with his chief administrative officer, Manny Welsh.

“I was like, ‘Manny, we’re not losing this,’” Moore recalled in an interview. “And then we, and he, got to work.”

Maryland connections

The December text exchange touched off a flurry of calls and meetings between Maryland officials and Anduril executives. That included Chris Brose, the company’s president and chief strategy officer.

It was a reunion of sorts. When Brose and Moore were a few years out of college in 2006, they worked in the office of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Moore was a White House fellow and Brose was a speechwriter. Moore also met Anduril co-founder Brian Schimpf in the summer of 2025 at the Sun Valley Conference, an Idaho retreat for power brokers that’s been nicknamed “billionaire summer camp.”

As talks grew serious, Moore brought state officials, including Tom Sadowski, head of the Maryland Economic Development Corp., and Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, into the conversation. As officials learned of Anduril’s preferences in terms of acreage, water depth and access to highways and rail, one location stood out.

“Tradepoint was a natural candidate,” Welsh said.

A group now known as Redwood Holdings, owned by billionaire Jim Davis, purchased the bulk of the former Bethlehem Steel site in 2014. It worked closely with then-County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, who had formed a task force to brainstorm the future of the site. They’d sketched a map — including warehousing, manufacturing and shipping — of the polluted industrial site’s potential future.

Redwood’s team then spent millions cleaning up the brownfield and began building a logistics hub. Tradepoint Atlantic is now a 3,300-acre crossroads for goods ranging from T-shirts to luxury cars.

Warehouses spanning millions of square feet have sprung up. A shipping container terminal will soon join them.

Over the years, the state and the county have financially supported Tradepoint’s growth. Former County Executive Don Mohler and his successor, Johnny Olszewski Jr., paved the way for the county to spend $78 million in 2018 on roads and water and sewer infrastructure.

But Mohler and others longed for the return of a significant manufacturer offering high-paying jobs to complete the picture.

“If you’re doing a jigsaw puzzle, this is the piece you looked for on the floor,” Mohler said.

The County Council recently approved a 50-year tax break — the largest in county history — for the Sparrows Point Container Terminal, a joint venture between Tradepoint and TiL, or Terminal Investment Limited. MSC, the world’s largest shipping company, is the majority owner of TiL.

The tax break was finalized Dec. 15, just before Anduril reached out to Moore.

“That was a huge component as we were looking at this site. It was perfect timing,” David Frash, Anduril’s director of state and local government affairs, said during testimony at a council meeting this month.

A need for stealth

Anduril had been crisscrossing the country, scouring Google Maps and hiring outside firms to identify an ideal slice of land along the East Coast or Gulf Coast. None was quite right.

The company had previously considered Tradepoint’s shipyard, but that land wasn’t originally available. Half of the shipyard had been spoken for by US Wind, which planned to manufacture turbines.

When a potential option elsewhere faced a hurdle in December, though, Anduril was left scrambling.

It reconsidered Maryland. On Christmas Eve, Anduril and Tradepoint officials held a phone call.

By then, with Trump taking aim at wind energy, that US Wind land had become available for negotiation.

In January, Anduril toured the 187-acre shipyard. Brose and William Noderer, the company’s general manager for shipbuilding, met with Moore in his Annapolis office.

On March 9, officials with the county and the state’s commerce department took a Southwest flight for a 20-hour visit to Anduril’s headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. The contingent had to be stealthy, said Jonathan Sachs, the county’s director of economic and workforce development.

“It’s still so weird to say their name out loud,” Sachs said of Anduril.

Negotiations continued. Moore went to Washington on March 12 to make a formal pitch at Anduril’s office.

Maryland expected that it was competing with other states but didn’t know what incentives others were offering.

Ultimately, county officials, including Sachs and Tucker Cavanagh — Baltimore County’s deputy administrative officer — worked with state officials, including Welsh, to put together nearly $500 million in tax breaks.

The county has approved $210 million in personal property tax breaks, and the state has promised to contribute $75 million over the next six years for construction of the facility and a training center for workers. That funding is subject to approval by the Maryland General Assembly.

Another roughly $200 million in incentives is expected to come from existing state economic development programs.

Maryland submitted its “best and final” incentive letter in April. Anduril told the state in May that it chose Tradepoint.

In late May, Sachs and Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier took Anduril officials out for crabs at Costas Inn. After the group ate, one executive asked Sachs for recommendations on nearby neighborhoods to live in.

The deal wasn’t ironclad, though. The Navy hadn’t finalized its contract with Anduril. The federal government still needed to approve the Tradepoint site — no guarantee, given a history of hostility between Trump and Moore. The two politicians have tangled in recent years over crime in Baltimore and the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild.

But shortly after Labor Day, the site was approved by the Navy. Brose, Anduril’s chief strategy officer, called Moore to deliver the news.

“I probably said a whole lot of f-bombs, and I was so excited,” Moore said. “I mean, it’s the biggest investment in our state’s history.”

The few members of the governor’s team involved in the deal celebrated with a “drink or four,” one said.

Moore v. Trump

Anduril was founded in 2017 by then-24-year-old Palmer Luckey — who had already created and sold a billion-dollar virtual reality company — and former employees of software company Palantir. The company quickly raised funds to construct high-tech unmanned weapons.

While fellow co-founders Grimm and Schimpf often donate to Democratic candidates, Luckey is a major Trump donor whom the president called a friend at the Sparrows Point event. Luckey has often made waves with bold goals and beliefs. This month, he said he is in favor of “public and brutal” executions.

He and Anduril swiftly gained a following as disruptors in the defense industry. The company’s worth has skyrocketed to $90 billion.

Anduril is known for creating autonomous weapons, but the Navy approached the company in 2024 about constructing components for more traditional vessels: Virginia-class submarines, a longtime staple of the naval fleet.

In the lead-up to the Oct. 6 announcement, Moore talked with reporters about it and expected to speak at the event. Instead, the White House told the governor he could attend but not speak.

Moore said he “was not going to sit there for a deal that we got done and then have him on a stage taking potshots.”

He told his team: “There is no discussion. I’m not going.”

A White House spokesperson later criticized Moore for making the announcement “about himself,” calling him a “diva.”

The dustup left elected officials with an eye for optics scrambling. Some Democrats attended. Others, including members of Congress, skipped.

Julian Jones, the Democratic nominee for Baltimore County executive, was a few minutes from the site when he learned from The Banner that Moore would no longer be speaking. He and an aide pulled into a Royal Farms parking lot.

“I thought about it real hard,” he said, “and I decided not to go.”

Meanwhile, an aged building became the setting for a sort of cocktail party. Hundreds of sailors, elected leaders and industry officials celebrated with passed appetizers as Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth flew in aboard Marine One.

“The storied grounds of Sparrows Point will never fall silent again,” Trump declared.

Anduril officials said the company plans to start construction this year, hire its first workers in 2029, and open the shipyard in 2030. It will make pieces of the 460-foot nuclear-powered submarines, which cost about $5 billion each.

The company expects the facility to be fully built in 2034. Anduril has said the thousands of jobs there will be high-paying and won’t require college degrees.

When someone with eastern Baltimore County roots talks about Bethlehem Steel, the nostalgia runs deep. The mill helped build the likes of the Golden Gate Bridge. Warships, too.

“The same way people talk about how, ‘Oh, my granddaddy worked for Bethlehem Steel,’ we’re going to hear the same thing about Anduril,” Moore said. “And that’s really exciting to me.”

In a filing due Friday, Will Jawando, the Democratic nominee, reports that he has raised more than $1.4 million this election cycle, which began Jan. 1, 2023.

His Republican challenger, accountant Esther Wells, has raised $53,091. Wells is not using public financing.

“These campaign finance reports are important, but they are only one measure of a viable campaign,” Wells said in a statement Monday. “The real strength of a campaign is the people behind it.”

A spokesperson for Jawando’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

In Montgomery County, 58% of registered voters are Democrats, according to the state Board of Elections. Jawando and the Democratic nominees for the County Council’s 11 seats are widely projected to win the Nov. 3 election.

An at-large member of the County Council, Jawando is relying on the county’s public financing program. Candidates using public financing cannot accept contributions from political action committees, LLCs, businesses or large-money donors.

In his latest finance report, he has requested $16,025 in matching funds. That would bring his total in matching funds for this race to about $989,000.

Jawando has $62,689 in cash on hand to spend in the final stretch of the race, compared to Wells’ $9,307.

While Jawando cannot directly receive funds from PACs, he has received indirect support from the Working Families Party, a Brooklyn-based progressive group that backed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The group’s PAC has spent nearly $88,000 on Jawando.

Council races

The races for two district and the four at-large seats on the council are contested.

In District 1, which includes Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase and other southwestern parts of the county, Democratic nominee Julie Yang — who now sits on the school board — has raised $469,501 through a combination of contributions and public financing. Republican challenger Reardon Sullivan has raised $90,949 in contributions.

In District 3, which includes Gaithersburg and Rockville, Democratic nominee and current Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman has raised $225,549 through a combination of contributions and public financing. Republican challenger Ricky Mui raised $8,689.

In the race for four at-large seats — the top four candidates in a field of five will win election — Democrat Scott Goldberg leads the pack with $469,420 in total contributions. County Executive Marc Elrich follows with $296,648, school board member Karla Silvestre has raised $294,527 and incumbent council member Laurie-Anne Sayles raised $132,083.

All four Democrats raised their funds through a combination of contributions and public financing.

Republican nominee Sherwin Wells, Esther Wells’ brother, has raised $19,020.

School board

Two school board races — one at-large and the other for District 3 — are contested.

In the at-large race, Omar Lazo brought in nearly $4,100 and Brenda Diaz raised roughly $6,100 during the latest reporting period. Lazo has raised $22,192 in total and Diaz has raised $27,594 in total.

Lazo has more than $11,000 to spend about a week before Election Day. His finances were bolstered by a $500 transfer from Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign. He also got a monetary boost from Yang, the current school board member, and state delegate Jheanelle Wilkins.

Diaz is the subject of negative ads from a super PAC. Strong Maryland is spending tens of thousands of dollars to label her as a bad fit for deep-blue Montgomery County. She’s entering the final days of campaigning with roughly $3,850 cash on hand.

She received a $650 donation from the Montgomery County Federation of Republican Women and $500 from the Chevy Chase Women’s Republican Club.

Throughout the District 3 race, Sally McCarthy has sat comfortably in a stronger financial position than her opponent, Cassandra “Cassi” Sung.

Neither raised much during this fundraising period, but McCarthy has nearly $15,500 cash on hand, compared to Sung, who has just over $200. McCarthy has raised $21,493 in total compared to Sung’s $1,538.

The grants, announced Monday, are part of a broader push by Maryland leaders to address the state’s dwindling power generation, surging electricity demands from data centers and climbing consumer energy prices.

Officials with the Maryland Energy Administration believe the funding will help finance “several hundred megawatts” of energy, or enough to power around 150,000 homes. The program targets battery storage projects and renewable sources, which the state considers to be solar arrays, wind farms, geothermal power, and some types of biofuels.

“This is simple economics,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Kelly Speakes-Backman. “When high demand sends prices up, we need to bring more supply online.”

Called “Megawatts for Maryland,” the program was authorized earlier this year by Democratic leadership in the General Assembly through a sweeping energy law, the Utility RELIEF Act. Energy officials framed the grants Monday as a way to fill financing holes created by Trump administration’s cuts to federal clean energy tax credits.

Grants will be administered over two years and draw on appropriations from the state’s clean energy fund. That fund has ballooned, thanks to compliance payments from utility companies, and lawmakers and Gov. Wes Moore’s administration have nearly exhausted it in recent years to finance energy rebates and clean energy projects as well as to balance the budget.

Clean energy projects, including wind farms, solar arrays and batteries, have frequently encountered local opposition around the state, hampering the expansion of renewable power.

MEA spokesperson Erin Dempsey said eligible projects must meet criteria for financial solvency and public engagement — including through plans for potential community benefits agreements — but under state law, awards at auction must go to projects offering the lowest price per megawatt of new energy.

Recipients also must have secured land for their projects and applied for state permits and connections to the regional power grid.

While Maryland leaders have searched for ways to amp up energy output, the state has slipped well behind the pace on its goal to zero out its contributions to climate change. Maryland has struggled to replace large coal and natural gas plants with renewable power sources, an effort that has seen further setbacks because of President Donald Trump’s attacks on offshore wind projects.

The state’s money can only do so much to counteract federal policy, Speakes-Backman acknowledged.

“We are one state within the entire nation,” she said. “But I don’t think it’s a drop in the bucket, either.”

Police arrested 23-year-old Abubakarr Barrie on Saturday and charged him with first-degree attempted murder, assault, kidnapping and other crimes in connection with the incident. A judge ordered him held without bond Monday, according to WJZ, a media partner of The Banner.

His public defender told the judge that Barrie maintains his innocence. They said he worked for Uber Eats and was seeking his GED. The public defender’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The girl, who was not identified by authorities, was at her sister’s home in Druid Heights on Thursday when she tried to catch a ride to the PlattaKing restaurant in Waltherson, according to charging documents.

A man, later identified by police as Barrie, pulled up beside her in a white Hyundai and asked if she needed a ride, she told police. She called him a “hack,” a term for an unlicensed cab driver, got into the car and put her seatbelt on, records said.

The girl told police she confronted the driver after noticing he was driving in the opposite direction of the restaurant, and he immediately became violent, restraining her with an arm so she could not move.

After arriving at a home on Garrison Boulevard, Barrie grabbed her by the arms and forced her out of the car to the rear of the house, where he pushed her down a stairway and into a small room. Inside, Barrie allegedly began ripping the girl’s clothes and stabbing her, documents said.

The girl scratched and clawed at Barrie’s body as she was stabbed five times, according to documents. Amid the struggle, she found a fire extinguisher and began hitting him with it until she could escape, she told police.

She ran from house to house, banging on doors, until an unidentified person let her call 911 and her mother, documents said.

Responding officers arrived to find the girl covered in blood, suffering from a collapsed lung, according to charging documents.

At the hospital, the girl provided officers with her attacker’s Cash App information and a description of his car, details that ultimately led police to Barrie, according to the charging documents. The girl also notified officers that the suspect still had her iPhone, which police said they tracked to the Garrison Boulevard residence.

Barrie has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 25.

WJZ, a media partner of The Banner, contributed to this article.

Shawn Fenner has been charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, reckless endangerment and other charges related to a fire that broke out at a mosque in the 2600 block of Harford Road shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, Baltimore Police officials said in a news release.

Police said that officers, along with Baltimore fire crews, arrived on the scene and “observed a mosque that was fully engulfed in flames.”

Firefighters extinguished the fire just before 5:30 p.m. and no one was injured, officials said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Person of interest in custody after mosque catches fire in East Baltimorehttps://t.co/GJvTMl2nZf

— WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@wjz) October 26, 2026

Authorities said officers took Fenner into custody Sunday evening. The charges against him were not available in online court records Monday evening.

The 2600 block of Harford Road includes a mix of rowhomes; businesses, such as convenience stores and restaurants; and houses of worship, including a mosque.

Police do not share the specific location of such incidents.

The City Council took two near-unanimous votes Monday to advance the proposal, setting it up for final passage early next month.

The plan calls for a newly-created Department of Neighborhood Safety to incorporate the city’s current crime diversion efforts, led by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, and combine those with additional staff to respond to certain 911 calls.

Officials envision diverting non-life-threatening calls, such as welfare checks and nuisance reports, away from police. Calls that do not involve weapons and are deemed to be in a safe environment would be managed by a social worker and a peer specialist, an unlicensed person with relevant life experience. Teams would eventually work at all hours.

The proposal was introduced jointly by Mayor Brandon Scott and council President Zeke Cohen last month.

Councilman Mark Conway, the lone dissenting vote against the plan, said he was concerned that the bill had been rushed. Conway said he supported the intent of the legislation, but noted that the administration hadn’t produced a budget for the new office.

“I fear we’ll trip and fall and saddle the city with expectations we’re not fully prepared to meet,” Conway said.

The city’s finance department vetted the bill before it was heard in committee and noted that it could have a “potentially large fiscal impact.” The total expense will be determined by the department’s staffing level and the number and type of 911 calls it would be expected to handle, the city’s deputy director of finance said in a memo.

Scott’s staff have said they plan to launch the department with $15 million in restitution funds from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. The memo noted that those funds are currently expected to be depleted by 2032, “resulting in a large cliff whereby programs would either need to end immediately or transition to another funding source.”

Cohen said he wants to see the city hire a director for the office before assigning a final price tag.

“We have done some analyses based on Denver and Durham and some of the other existing systems, but I want to make sure before any number goes out publicly that the person who is going to be tasked with running this entire department is on board first,” he said.

Cohen and staff from the mayor’s office visited Durham to observe its 911 diversion program before introducing the bill. Durham diverts 5% of 911 calls from police. Baltimore currently diverts about 1.5%.

Conway’s colleagues took issue with his contention that the proposed department was under discussion for just six weeks. Numerous members said it was years in the making.

Councilwoman Odette Ramos pointed to past hearings held by the council to discuss crisis response. The council met several times last year after several city residents in the midst of mental health crises were killed by police.

“I don’t feel this has been rushed,” Ramos said. “This is the cap on all of the work that has been done.”

Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton, the longest-serving member of the council, agreed.

“We’ve been trying to bring wrap-around services along for as long as I’ve been on the council,” she said.

“Our job is not to just have ideas and to put them out there,” Conway said in response. “Our job is also managing the budget.”

Cohen said that the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement out of the mayor’s budget and into its own department will give the council additional oversight of the office’s finances.

Letitia Dzirasa, Baltimore’s deputy mayor for equity, health and human services, said she expects to send a preliminary budget for the new office to the council in the next several weeks.

Like the introduction of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, Baltimore’s current crime deterrent program, Dzirasa said she anticipates the city’s 911 diversion efforts to be phased in. Certain call types may be diverted first, and the city may also pilot the program in particular areas before others.

The 37-year-old was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for a year.

He had faced up to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a count of affray in July for the attack on the dance floor of Tape, a private club in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023.

The sentencing comes weeks after Brown and Usher canceled a scheduled Oct. 17 performance at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, along with scheduled concerts in several other U.S. cities. Organizers cited the health and well-being of the touring company. The tour is scheduled to resume Nov. 5 in Atlanta.

Video footage played in court showed Brown having to be pulled away from the victim, his former friend Abraham Diaw, after striking him twice in the head with a bottle.

“The repeated use of a glass bottle in that way, especially aimed at the head, was plainly dangerous. It carried the risk of delivering a more serious injury than was ultimately sustained,” Judge Tony Baumgartner said in Southwark Crown Court.

Despite the seriousness of the attack, Baumgartner said Brown did not qualify for a custodial sentence because he pleaded guilty and there were several mitigating circumstances, including stable employment and charity work. The judge acknowledged Brown’s previous convictions but said he had maintained a clean record in recent years.

Previous brushes with the law

Brown has faced repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, hours before the pair were due to perform at the Grammys.

He has been arrested in several U.S. states over altercations but was either not charged or prosecutors later dropped the charges. In 2019 he was arrested in Paris and questioned on suspicion of rape, but was released without charge.

In return for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle.

Brown’s friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to affray and was given a four-month suspended sentence.

Affray is the use or threat of unlawful violence that leads someone to fear for their safety.

Brown has apologized for the attack

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said Brown played a leading role in the attack.

“By any circumstances, when one watches that footage, it is Mr. Brown that moves first,” Stonecliffe said.

Defense lawyer Sallie Bennett-Jenkins said Brown apologized to all those at the club that night, though she emphasized the attack lasted no more than 20 seconds.

“This is an ugly and unattractive incident,” Bennett-Jenkins said. “It is something which undoubtedly would have caused distress to those who are present and for which Mr. Brown … offers a profound apology to all those present.”

Diaw was discharged from the hospital with head and knee injuries, Stonecliffe said.

Crowds greet Brown outside court

Brown was cheered outside the courthouse by fans who came from as far as Italy and the Netherlands.

His face was covered by a black mask and dark glasses and his bleached hair was mostly hidden from view under a black ball cap. He wore a black leather jacket and light-colored turtleneck.

He blew a kiss to one fan and appeared to sign an autograph for another as he moved through a pack of photographers and onlookers.

Not everyone was cheering for him. When he arrived at court in the morning, a lone voice could be heard shouting at him to ask when he was going to learn that violence is not OK.

Brown left the United Kingdom after the brawl but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after flying to the city for a concert. He had been free on bail of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America the past two summers.

Brown rose to stardom as a teen in 2005 and won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” He earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” in 2025.

Col. Ryan Lee said during a news conference that the officer was working crime suppression when he approached a man walking near Erdman Avenue around 12:16 p.m. The man fled from the officer, who then chased him on foot, Lee said.

At one point, the man turned and pointed a weapon at the officer, Lee said, and the officer responded by shooting the man. The Maryland attorney general’s office on Monday identified the officer as Phil Polanco, a seven-year veteran of the force.

Lee said police recovered a semiautomatic handgun from the scene in the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue, which is in the Belair-Edison neighborhood of East Baltimore.

It’s unclear if the man fired the weapon. Lee said the officer was not injured.

Dozens of officers and detectives scattered across the parking lot outside of the Erdman Shopping Center and along Erdman Avenue.

Officers removed ballot boxes from a bullet-riddled white Toyota Camry, but the boxes were unrelated to the shooting, said Lindsey Eldridge, a Police Department spokesperson.

Clifford Tatum, director of the Baltimore City Board of Elections, said in a statement that a contractor was retrieving the ballots from the nearby drop box location at 3801 Erdman Avenue when the shooting occurred.

“Today a Baltimore City Board of Elections contractor was an innocent bystander in the vicinity of an officer involved shooting on Erdman Avenue,” Tatum said. “The contractor was uninjured. All ballots that were in the contractor’s possession have been retrieved by the Board of Elections and are secure.”

Thursday’s police shooting was the 10th in Baltimore this year, marking the most times police have opened fire since 2016, when there were 11 police shootings, according to a Banner analysis.

“This is a traumatic incident for this neighborhood,” said Mayor Brandon Scott, who responded to the scene. “We will not have individuals willingly walking around carrying firearms and pulling a firearm out in a place right next to a library, right next to a childcare center where there could have been children or elderly there.”

The entire area was covered in crime tape, and there were over a dozen markers for shell casings on the street. Some shoppers coming in and out of the Save-A-Lot stopped to observe the commotion, a few expressing exasperation.

The officer was working overtime on crime suppression “because of concerns in and around the neighborhood,” said Lee. There was a fatal shooting in the neighborhood earlier in the week.

Staff with the State’s Attorney Office were also on the scene with police detectives who were reviewing body camera footage.

Baltimore Banner reporters Emily Opilo and Justin Fenton contributed to this article.

This article has been updated.

On Friday, Lamar Jackson met with members of the CBS broadcast team ahead of the Ravens game Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, as all starting quarterbacks typically do.

A day later, less than 24 hours before Jackson could even gauge how his sprained left ankle felt in pregame warmups, the Ravens ruled him out.

CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, who covered Sunday’s game and was in production meetings with the Ravens last week, tweeted shortly before kickoff that Jackson being ruled out “def[initely] came as a shock to the Ravens.” Play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz said during the telecast that Jackson had woken up Saturday with swelling in his ankle after Friday’s practice.

Def came as a shock to the Ravens that Lamar couldn’t go, but Minter told me while he took majority of reps in practice, they went back and looked he was limited in what he could do. Lamar said if he can’t run, plant or have burst then it’s selfish to be out there. I was told…

— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) October 25, 2026

Coach Jesse Minter said Monday that Wolfson’s tweet had mischaracterized Jackson’s situation “a little bit,” though he didn’t elaborate. With Jackson sidelined for a third straight game, backup Tyler Huntley started in an eventual 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that dropped the Ravens to 4-3.

“We got a little bit of work in on Friday, come in Saturday and feel it [the ankle] out, see where it’s at and see how it’s going,” Minter said. “And then what happened, happened.”

Minter said Jackson is “working his butt off” to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, and he expected the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player to be in “a decent spot.” Jackson was limited in his return to practice last week and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. His availability for this week is unclear.

“If he’s able to play — that’s healthy enough to ... play the way that, obviously, we feel like he needs to play — then he will play,” Minter said.

Extra points

• Minter said the extent of rookie guard Vega Ioane’s knee injury is “still to be determined.” Ioane, who’s started every game this season while bouncing between center and right guard, left in the first quarter Sunday and was replaced by Emery Jones Jr. “We’re getting some things looked at today that I think we’ll know more [about] on Wednesday.”
• Minter acknowledged that the Ravens have needed better in-game leadership at points this season: “There’s moments in the game where it’s like, ‘Who’s the guy that’s going to grab everybody together and get them together on the sideline?’” Minter likened it to a feeling-out process on the team but said that “there’s moments where we need a little bit more.”
• The Ravens have signed veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins to their practice squad, Minter said. Jaylinn Hawkins missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury, forcing Keondre Jackson and K’Von Wallace into bigger roles in the secondary. Jenkins, 32, has started 92 games in his NFL career, including one this year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also has significant special teams experience.

In a letter sent Sunday to the Office of the Attorney General, County Attorney Anthony Jones and county oversight bodies, council members Jolene Ivey and Sydney Harrison alleged that Oriadha and council Administrator David Murray knowingly violated the state Open Meetings Act and the county charter.

Ivey and Harrison wrote that Oriadha refused to recognize them during last week’s public meeting that was focused on a nonprofit closely tied to one of their council colleagues.

The council members said their microphones were “muted and kept muted so that they could not be heard by the other members or the public.”

They have requested a ruling on whether Oriadha and Murray violated the Open Meetings Act.

They’re also asking for an investigation into the Oct. 20 meeting and Oriadha’s alleged pattern of silencing dissent, which they claimed includes threatening staff members.

“The Chair must be held accountable for following the charter, the rules of procedure, and the Maryland Open Meetings Act, which no council member has the right to set aside or abuse,” Ivey and Harrison wrote in their complaint.

Oriadha did not respond to a request for comment.

Council spokesperson Rahwa Andemichael said in a statement on behalf of the council administrator that “we will review the complaint and the record of the October 20 meeting before commenting further.”

In their complaint, Ivey and Harrison alleged that they “have been provided with insight to an atmosphere of hostility, illegal demands, and unethical requests to have staff mute, silence, ignore, and skirt rules and laws.”

Ivey and Harrison wrote that staff responsible for the council’s audio and visual systems have some control over council members’ microphones but are instructed to never mute a council member without direction from the chair or the council administrator.

Oriadha uses a control panel on the dais to select whose microphones are active and to censor certain council members, the complaint alleges.

The council members also claimed that Murray “was observed” during the Oct. 20 meeting instructing staff to keep Ivey’s and Harrison’s microphones muted.

Both Ivey and Harrison told reporters immediately following the meeting that they had been prevented from asking questions of leaders from the presenting organization, Joan’s House, because their microphones had been disabled.

Ivey and Harrison have called for independent audits of Joan’s House, which is closely tied to council member Edward Burroughs, and another organization, Community on the Frontline, which is run by Oriadha’s friend who is also the godmother to her child.

County Executive Aisha Braveboy requested that the millions of dollars the council awarded to Community on the Frontline be returned and called for an investigation.

As part of that probe, last week the Office of Audits and Investigations issued subpoenas requesting that county agencies and the council’s grant office protect relevant records.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks called recent reports about the controversies surrounding council funding “deeply disturbing.”

The microphone issue emerged again during the council’s meeting Monday.

Oriadha allowed council member Tim Adams a “point of personal privilege,” during which he asked his colleagues to keep in their thoughts and prayers for the family of a woman who he said was killed in Greenbelt over the weekend.

Ivey then asked Oriadha for permission to speak, but the chair refused and moved on with the meeting.

Although her microphone was off, Ivey could be heard within the council chambers saying she wanted to acknowledge the recent death of former state Del. Barbara Frush, with whom she served in Annapolis.

Circuit Court Judge David Lease on Friday sentenced 19-year-old Liam Coskun to two years and five months in prison for his role in the May 2025 Gaithersburg crash that killed Myrtle Gottlieb, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said Monday in a statement.

Coskun in June pleaded guilty to the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and grossly negligent manslaughter.

Driving a 2018 Jeep Compass at about 8:30 a.m. on May 31, he struck a 2017 Toyota Corolla that was stopped at a red light near westbound Sam Eig Highway and Fields Road, prosecutors said.

Gottlieb was in the front passenger seat. She and the Corolla’s driver were hospitalized, and Gottlieb died on June 4.

Coskun did not have a valid license and was intoxicated at the time of the crash. About three hours later, a breathalyzer test registered a .09, prosecutors said. Police said he was speeding shortly before the collision.

Coskun’s attorney was not immediately reached Monday afternoon for comment.

Stay up late to watch a TV show together? Play music or go to the movies? With some patience and perhaps a little begging, they knew their easygoing father would come around eventually.

“He would just look at us and maybe frown, but with a smile in his eyes,” said his son, Morgan Turner.

Brian was like that in most areas of his life — grounded and calm, but never taking life too seriously, family said. That’s how they plan to remember him now. The lifelong Baltimore resident, who spent more than 40 years as a social worker in Baltimore County, died Oct. 18 after a long illness. He was 80.

He was born July 18, 1946, and grew up with a younger brother in East Baltimore. He spent his childhood playing baseball in the street with friends, chatting on stoops with older neighbors and chasing his dog, Sparky. He sang in the glee club at Baltimore City College.

After high school, he decided to stay local at what was then Morgan State College, where he majored in psychology in pursuit of a social work career.

“He wanted to help people,” said his daughter, Nicole “Nikki” Lewis. “He just wanted to help people that couldn’t help themselves or needed assistance with helping themselves.”

Brian met his future wife, Wanda, during a class at Morgan. He worked overnight at Westinghouse at the time and often went straight to school after a shift. One day, he fell asleep during class and started snoring so loudly that Wanda kicked his chair.

That was the beginning of their love story.

He recruited her help working on a homecoming float. They found themselves alone together in the psych lab late one night, and he asked her out. On their first date, they saw “West Side Story.”

They married in 1970 at Wanda’s family church on the Eastern Shore. They often bowled together and played tennis, where, to Wanda’s chagrin, her husband almost always won. They welcomed their daughter Nikki in 1971, then had Morgan and Donya about a decade later.

Meanwhile, Brian had started his career working for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services. He soon transferred to the equivalent department in Baltimore County and later moved the family out to Randallstown. He spent 43 years as a social worker there, family said, with his longest stint supporting senior citizens. For at least a year, he also wrote and edited his work newsletter, Full Moon Follies, that he filled with jokes and puns.

But his favorite responsibilities were at home and with the kids.

He usually had a baseball game playing on the TV while he sat in his recliner. He enjoyed cheering for his girls at their softball games and coached his son’s Little League team.

“I wasn’t good, but he never actually pressured me about that,” Morgan Turner said. “It was just something that he was a little bit proud of, the couple years I was doing it.”

He made the kids breakfast every day and carted them to school and extracurriculars. Brian was a huge music fan, especially of Motown and Black-influenced rock, and always had something blasting in the car. He’d conduct the music, one hand gripping the wheel and the other waving in the air.

When not listening to music, he usually tuned into talk radio. He absorbed different viewpoints and often solicited thoughts from others, including his children and their friends, loved ones said.

“Uncle Brian talked to us like we were adults,” said longtime family friend Lynne Streeter Childress, whose sister Leslie Gray Streeter is a columnist for The Banner. “Those conversations with him were grounding.”

Brian introduced his children to the Star Trek and James Bond franchises. He and Nikki could identify every episode of Star Trek within the first few minutes. He read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, too.

Family game nights were especially memorable. Brian was always ready to play chess, backgammon or Boggle, but he was the Scrabble master.

Brian left most of the decisions up to Wanda, but he always advocated for the children when it counted most, said his youngest daughter, Donya Morgan. When she asked to live in a more expensive house off campus with friends in college, Brian convinced his wife they’d make it work.

Brian also wasn’t always the timeliest person, but even if he was running late, his family never questioned that he would show up.

“He stepped up to bat when we needed a win,” Donya Morgan said.

As his children grew older, they came to appreciate Brian’s straightforward commentary and sarcastic, sometimes unconventional sense of humor.

A couple years ago, he made a sports bet with Donya’s husband, Mike Morgan. The winner would get a celebratory beer. When Mike lost, Brian smirked as Wanda chewed out their son-in-law for trying to give him alcohol.

“He was more like ... an older friend than a parent,” Mike Morgan said.

Donya thought the story was hilarious.

Her father was “such a presence without even trying,” she said. “He’s just really good to his kids and his wife. He’s just a good guy.”

A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 27 at the March Life Tribute Center in Randallstown.

The Banner publishes news stories about people who have recently died in Maryland. Our weekly obituaries newsletter shares these stories and death notices with you every Friday.

If your loved one has passed and you would like to inquire about an obituary, please fill out this form or contact obituary@thebanner.com. If you are interested in placing a paid death notice, please contact groupsales@thebanner.com or visit this website.

Molina-Benitez, of D.C., was pronounced dead at the scene after the 11:40 a.m. crash at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Sheridan Street, police said in a statement Monday.

The second vehicle involved was occupied by two people. Both were hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.

Investigators are working to determine what caused the crash.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has video of it is asked to call the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422. The case number is 26-0056964, police said.

But with more than 1 in 4 students chronically absent, the district is also preparing to launch a more intensive approach: assigning staff members to work individually with students who frequently miss school.

The efforts come as two new national reports suggest that reducing chronic absenteeism requires more than reminding families to send their children to school. Strong relationships, early intervention and targeted support are among the strategies researchers say hold the most promise.

In Prince George’s County, 28.2% of students were chronically absent during the 2025-26 school year, nearly twice Maryland’s goal of 15% as part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss at least 10% of the school year, including excused absences.

Many of the district’s initiatives align with the research. But whether they’re making a measurable difference remains unclear.

The 2026 Attendance Playbook, released Monday by the think tank FutureEd and nonprofit Attendance Works, identifies more than 30 evidence-based strategies for reducing absenteeism, drawing on a review of more than 150 studies.

A separate Johns Hopkins University report, based on nationally representative surveys of school principals, found that schools reporting multiple effective attendance strategies were more likely to report improvements than those relying on fewer approaches.

Building relationships, one student at a time

Both reports, which were released on Monday, emphasize the importance of personal relationships.

Sixty percent of principals surveyed by Johns Hopkins said that improving student-teacher relationships was effective or very effective in reducing absenteeism, while 53% said the same about strengthening relationships among students.

Tisa Holley, PGCPS’ director of student stability and success, told The Banner that the district is preparing to launch an attendance case management framework in November to provide individualized support to habitually truant students.

Developed after officials found the highest concentrations of habitual truancy among high school students, the program will operate across grade levels.

Under the framework, eight to 10 staffers at each school, including counselors, administrators and student advocates, would each be assigned roughly 10 students for weekly, biweekly or monthly support.

Their responsibilities vary. Counselors address students’ academic and emotional needs, while pupil personnel workers help families overcome barriers to attendance. Student advocates provide peer mentoring, conflict resolution and other interventions, including home visits, according to the district’s website.

“At the foundation of it all is relationship,” she said. “If a student knows that someone is looking for them — if a student feels at least one person in that building genuinely cares for them — they’re gonna show up.”

The approach aligns with the research. Johns Hopkins found that principals who described their attendance teams as effective were more than three times as likely to report substantial attendance improvements as those without effective teams.

Still, researchers cautioned that their findings relied on principals’ self-reported experiences and could not establish that the strategies caused attendance to improve.

Understanding why students miss school

PGCPS is also asking students directly why they miss class.

Last school year, the district began holding voluntary focus groups with high school students, including multilingual learners and students receiving special education services.

Holley said students were asked what keeps them home, how their parents respond to absences and what changes would make their schools more welcoming.

“It’s one thing for research to tell us ... what these issues are that our students are facing,” Holley said. “But through the student focus groups, we were able to activate students and be able to hear from them.”

The district plans to continue those conversations this year.

The effort addresses a notable gap identified by Johns Hopkins researchers: 41% of surveyed principals said their schools had not used surveys, interviews or focus groups to better understand absenteeism.

Those causes often extend beyond school walls.

Nationally, 40% of principals identified transportation challenges as contributing to excessive absences, while 37% cited unstable housing.

Holley identified similar challenges locally, including housing instability, mental health concerns and students working to support their families.

Transportation remains a concern in PGCPS, where families have reported missed pickups, lengthy commutes and unreliable bus tracking amid ongoing problems with the district’s school bus routing system.

Creative campaigns

Beyond individualized support, PGCPS is experimenting with more creative ways to encourage attendance.

Since March, the district has recruited 77 adult attendance ambassadors from businesses, faith organizations and community groups to promote regular attendance and connect families with resources. A student ambassador program is expected to launch in January.

Students have also developed social media campaigns, including memes and videos encouraging classmates to show up.

Then there’s Princess Present, the district’s costumed attendance superhero who has visited back-to-school nights, parent orientations and attendance celebrations.

“This is weighty. It’s a serious topic, and so we’re taking a novel approach,” Holley said.

Meanwhile, about 20 schools are participating in “Go2Grow,” a pilot program that brings parents of young children together with school staff to discuss attendance and address concerns about regularly sending children to school. The district plans to monitor kindergarten attendance before deciding whether to expand it.

But while awareness campaigns may encourage attendance, the national research suggests that messaging alone is insufficient.

The Johns Hopkins report found that simply communicating the importance of attendance was among the less effective strategies reported by principals. The FutureEd report similarly emphasizes identifying and addressing the underlying reasons that students miss school.

Holley said district officials review attendance data monthly to identify troubling trends and direct additional support to schools.

“We’re not sitting and waiting,” she said. “We are responding as early as we can.”

The Ravens have a second-half problem.

The Ravens’ offensive coaches have a sign in their office that reads: “Nobody adjusts better than us.” It’s coordinator Declan Doyle’s challenge to himself and his staff to stay ahead of what’s coming next.

Right now, the message feels like bitter irony for a team that has been outscored 114-51 after halftime over its first seven games. The problem has accelerated over the last two weeks, with the Ravens getting outscored 48-0 in the second halves of their first two AFC North games, against the Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

Through all their collapses in recent seasons, they have rarely looked so helpless as they did over the last 30 minutes Sunday, after they went to the locker room with a 13-0 lead and a crushing advantage in time of possession.

The Ravens did nothing well — not block, not tackle, not stay onside, not cover — as home fans booed their embarrassing work, then left M&T Bank Stadium in droves. With no Jackson to save them, they looked every inch the last-place team they currently are.

The organization’s leaders grasped how dire it was. General manager Eric DeCosta sat in an empty stall in the postgame locker room, staring straight ahead, speaking to no one.

First-year coach Jesse Minter criticized his Ravens as “too much of a momentum team.”

“Like quicksand,” veteran defensive end Calais Campbell said, summing up the hopeless feeling as Cincinnati pulled ahead and then away.

We’re past hearing players brush off these meltdowns as the typical ebb and flow of an NFL season. They understand there might be something broken in the mental and emotional machinery of this team, a glitch that prevents the Ravens from finding solace in their core principles when a game turns against them.

“We’re too caught up in what’s happening in the game, when we really need to focus on our job and think one play at a time,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “We have one bad drive and they have one good drive, and we start to feel something happening. For us, it’s just to refocus — focus on our identity and what we need to do and really just not look at the scoreboard. We talk about that a lot, but I don’t think we’ve really put that into action.”

In fact, he said, the Ravens harped on that very point throughout their week of preparations for the Bengals.

That they missed the mark so drastically raises troubling questions. Namely, do they have problem-solvers capable of steering this ship away from the rocks? Fans spent years blaming John Harbaugh for the Ravens’ inability to course correct. Now, the harsh light glares on Minter.

“I think it’s tough conversations over and over and just continuing to work through it and talk through it,” he said when asked for the antidote. “Right now, I think it’s just a big point in the season for us to determine what type of team we want to be.”

The bedrock of the Ravens’ offense is missing in action.

Opponents had averaged 5 yards per carry against the Bengals, with much of that damage coming on outside runs. An outside-zone system, with Derrick Henry as its weapon of mass destruction, seemed the perfect means to attack the Cincinnati defense.

Instead, Henry ran into walls all afternoon, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry after averaging 3.4 against Cleveland. Some of that inefficiency results from opponents crowding the line of scrimmage, confident that backup quarterback Tyler Huntley cannot punish them for doing so. But a lot of the blame goes to an offensive line that simply is not moving bodies, as injuries — the latest to guard Vega Ioane’s knee — keep it from cohering.

The Ravens did a decent job working around their inability to run in the first half Sunday.

Huntley began the game with a nifty play-action dump to tight end Josh Cuevas for 16 yards. A few plays later, Zay Flowers needed just a few solid blocks to turn a simple pass to the flat into a 48-yard touchdown. If your quarterback can’t push the ball deep, sometimes a lightning bolt playmaker can do it for him.

They did their share of self-sabotage, putting themselves behind the sticks with false starts and another delay of game (after two the previous week). They covered for their sins with remarkable efficiency on third down, relying mostly on short or intermediate passes that dared the Bengals’ poor tacklers — hello, Jordan Battle and Demetrius Knight Jr. — to make open-field stops. Because they kept extending drives, with 12 first downs to Cincinnati’s three, they controlled the ball for more than 22 minutes in the first half.

It turned out to be fool’s gold, because they could not run the ball efficiently, their version of offensive comfort food. Only one of their six second-half drives lasted more than four plays. Their failings weren’t schematic. They could not win basic blocks and, failing that, could not connect on the short passes that gave them breathing room before halftime.

“I’m certainly concerned about that,” Minter said of his team’s stagnant running game. “We [have] to search for those better answers and how people are playing us, continue to try to create continuity on our O-line with what we have going on. We certainly need to find a way to create plays in the run game where we can at least sustain some drives and do those types of things when a game’s going like that.”

No matter who’s calling the plays, a Ravens offense that can’t run effectively isn’t a Ravens offense. Will Jackson, unlikely to be 100% healthy if he returns in Buffalo next Sunday, be the elixir? That has to be the hope, because the Ravens have flatly run out of solutions the last two weeks.

The defense was every bit as fundamentally incompetent as the offense.

Minter did a fine job confusing Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow with varied looks in the first half. The Ravens brought pressure from ever-changing angles and hit vigorously when Burrow did get the ball to his playmakers.

With safety Jaylinn Hawkins injured, Kyle Hamilton played the back end to start the game.

That didn’t stop him from blitzing on third down to drop Samaje Perine for a 2-yard loss that forced the Bengals to punt at the end of their first drive. Hamilton continued moving around for the rest of the half, never allowing Burrow to find his bearings.

The Bengals didn’t move more than 21 yards on any of their four first-half drives. We were watching Minter’s defense come into its own against a legitimately scary offense.

Which made what followed feel like that much more of an evisceration.

Burrow came out of the locker room focused on releasing the ball more quickly. “Which we figured they would,” Minter said. Nothing he did was a tactical shock. But the Ravens’ sudden inability to tackle allowed those sharp, quick cuts to become seeping gashes.

This wasn’t the fault of one or two players. Every defender, up to and including the great Hamilton, fell down on the basics of the job. With the Ravens within one point at the start of the fourth quarter, Hamilton had a chance to drop Chase Brown for a loss deep in Cincinnati territory. He missed the tackle, giving the Bengals traction. Four plays later, linebacker Trenton Simpson had a line on Burrow in the backfield only to whiff, giving the quarterback all the room he needed to find Tee Higgins for 44 yards, the killing blow in an 88-yard touchdown drive.

All hope was lost at that point, though the Ravens weren’t done bumbling. They finished with 11 missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus, with no takeaways and just one sack on the positive side of the ledger. We can blame Minter and his staff all we want, but if his best defenders can’t make a play with the game hanging in the balance, there’s only so much he can do.

“We’re missing some tackles, and all of a sudden, these plays that were maybe third-and-5 or third-and-6 in the first half are now second-and-1 or creating more momentum for them by making yards after the catch and things like that,” he said. “So really just a — starting with me — it was just a bad effort by the defense in the second half and one that I know our guys will look at and not feel good about, and only we can do something about it.”

We have to accept that injuries are baked into the Lamar Jackson experience.

A fourth straight Baltimore football Sunday was defined by the one Raven who didn’t play rather than the dozens who did.

That’s life in Lamar limbo, a state we’re enduring for the fourth time in six seasons. Jackson has missed 3 1/2 games. He missed four last year, five in 2021 and five in 2022. We know the formula by now. When he plays the whole season (save for a rest game at the end of 2023), the Ravens are one of the league’s best, most entertaining teams. When he doesn’t, they’re just OK. It’s simple, and dispiriting, as we consider where this 2026 chapter might be headed.

Setting the football implications aside for a moment, it’s striking, and utterly predictable, how weird the Ravens’ atmosphere becomes when their most important player is hurt. There’s always an information vacuum, fueled by gamesmanship toward other teams and by Jackson’s inclination to keep his own counsel. Fans and pundits fill that vacuum with speculation that ranges from ill informed to insane. Is he rehabilitating diligently enough? Is he quietly indicating his desire to play elsewhere next season?

Jackson posed a simpler answer when he spoke to reporters Friday. He’s dealing with a painful high-ankle sprain, and he’s reluctant to play impaired, as he did for much of last season. He made sense, but his words did not point toward the conclusion anyone wanted to hear. “Insider” reports muddied the waters over the ensuing 24 hours, setting the stage for fans to freak out all over again when the Ravens ruled Jackson out Saturday afternoon.

So we enter another week of conjecture about a verdict that can only come from one person.

We’re not here to impugn Jackson’s dedication, to suggest that he modify his playing style (he already has) or that he take a pay cut to account for his fragility. But we have to reckon with reality. The Ravens have pinned their highest ambitions on someone who hasn’t been a full-time player through what was supposed to be his physical prime.

This might just be the nature of appreciating Lamar Jackson. It might be that part of the thrill comes from recognizing how fleeting the show really is. He’s not some mythic thunderclap like Bo Jackson, done echoing before we could fully figure out what he might become. He’s too accomplished — a pair of Most Valuable Player awards, an express pass to the Pro Football Hall of Fame — for any “what might have been” list.

He’s also not Walter Payton or Jerry Rice or Tom Brady — greats defined by their metronomic presence and production. If any data point puts Josh Allen above Jackson in the current quarterback pecking order, it’s that Allen always plays.

Jackson, who’ll turn 30 in January, is such an unusual player that it’s difficult to guess how the back half of his career will look. His boyhood hero, Michael Vick, produced exactly one standout season after he turned 30. Steve Young, one of the greatest running quarterbacks of the era preceding Vick, didn’t really get going until he turned 31.

We just don’t know. But, if the Ravens and Jackson continue down their path together, we might have to accept that they’re chasing one perfect season, when his health lines up with the team’s greater design.

The Ravens just can’t catch a break on their offensive line.

So much of what we’re talking about, from running efficiently to protecting a recovering Jackson, depends on coherent offensive line play. The Ravens thought they were a step closer to achieving it when Cam Jurgens lined up at center against the Bengals after a lingering concussion kept him from debuting a week earlier. His arrival allowed Ioane to move back to right guard, where the Ravens envision him growing into a Pro Bowl performer.

Finally, they were playing with the five-man unit they hope will carry them through the rest of this year.

As has been the case all season, one step forward quickly gave way to one step back, with Ioane’s knee injury — Minter offered no information on his prognosis — forcing the Ravens to turn back to Emery Jones Jr., who has given little indication he’s a future long-term starter.

Jurgens held his own against Cincinnati’s terrifying nose tackle, Dexter Lawrence. But his performance was cold comfort given the line’s overall struggles, especially with run blocking.

Stanley, the unit’s senior voice, said the constant lineup changes can’t be an excuse. But the Ravens came into the season facing serious questions about their line, and the injuries — Stanley and left guard John Simpson are also playing in pain — have made it impossible for this group to coordinate consistently.

“One person here, one person there can ruin a whole run play,” Stanley said. “Ten other players can be doing it right, but for those things to be successful, everyone has to be on the same page with their technique and fundamentals. Sometimes, we’re lapsing on that.”

The victim, 24-year-old Eric Browner Jr., was struck by someone driving a 2009 Toyota Corolla that had been carjacked earlier in the day, Baltimore Police said.

The occupants of the Corolla fled on foot, but the car remained at the scene.

Officers responded to the scene around 10:50 p.m. and called medics, who pronounced the victim dead, according to police.

It’s the second fatal crash on Harford Road this week. On Wednesday night, a dirt bike driver struck a Toyota Sienna that was attempting to make a left turn onto Louise Road. The dirt bike driver, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Early Thursday morning, officers responded to a call for a vehicle fire on East Northern Parkway and found a vehicle engulfed in flames; the driver was dead.

James Youngerman, 28, of Suitland, was pronounced dead at a hospital several hours after the 6:35 p.m. collision between a sedan and Youngerman’s dirt bike, police said Monday in a statement. The crash occurred in the 6600 block of Saint Barnabas Road.

The uninjured driver of the sedan remained at the scene, police said. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has video of it to call the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422. The case number is 26-0056517, police said.

Hundreds of thousands of mail ballots have already been shipped out to Maryland voters, but it’s not too late to request one.

Once you receive a mail ballot, you can mail it back, place it in a drop box or deliver it in person to your local board of elections.

It has to be dropped off in person, placed in a drop box or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know to vote by mail, how to track your ballot and some key dates. Still have questions? See something that isn’t accurate on your mail ballot? State and local election officials want to hear from you.

How do I get a mail ballot?

There are several ways to do this: online, by mail or fax, and in person.

You have until Oct. 27 to request that a ballot be sent to you through the U.S. mail or by fax. The elections board must receive your request by that date.

The deadline to request a print-at-home ballot emailed to you is Oct. 30. You can use this online form or fill out this application.

You can also go to your local board of elections and pick one up in person.

Fun fact: More than 646,000 Maryland voters had requested mail ballots as of Saturday, according to the State Board of Elections.

How should I return my mail ballot?

You can mail it, place it in a drop box or deliver it in person to your local board of elections. It has to be dropped off in person, placed in a drop box or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

But election officials and advocates urged voters to return ballots as early as possible to avoid missing a deadline.

How do I make sure my mail ballot is postmarked by the deadline?

Maryland State Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis recommended mailing your ballot as early as possible to ensure that it’s stamped ahead of the deadline.

At the end of last year, the U.S. Postal Service clarified a longstanding policy on postmarks, saying election mail is more often stamped at processing centers than at local post offices. There could be a delay between when you bring it to your local post office and when it gets stamped.

“Sticking it in a mailbox on or right before Election Day, you might not get the postmark on Election Day,” he said.

He urged voters to use one of the nearly 300 drop boxes placed around the state, especially if you’re dropping the ballot in the mail during the week before Election Day.

“They’re safe. They’re secure. Use them,” he said.

How do I make sure my ballot was counted?

The state elections board has a handy online tool. You can check whether it has been received and confirm that it’s been counted.

Any questions or concerns? Call your local elections board.

What if I no longer want to vote by mail?

You can cancel your mail ballot by contacting your local board of elections or do so online.

If you decide to cancel and your mail ballot is already en route to your house, you may have to vote with a provisional ballot when you show up to vote in person.

How else can I vote?

Besides voting by mail, Marylanders can also cast a ballot at early in-person voting centers through 8 p.m. Thursday.

And of course you can vote on Election Day, Nov. 3, at your assigned polling place. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

How do I register to vote?

You can register to vote in person at an early voting station, 7 a.m.-8.p.m. through Oct. 29 or on Election Day, Nov. 3. Bring your Maryland driver’s license, a pay stub, utility bill or another government-issued document that proves where you live.

You can no longer register to vote online or by mail. The deadline has passed.

You can register to vote at age 16 in Maryland but can’t actually cast a ballot until you’ve turned 18.

Not sure if you’re registered? Look yourself up.

So, what’s new with mail ballots?

Nada.

Despite months of back and forth and almost daily headlines about mail ballot rule changes, legal challenges and court decisions, there’s nothing new under the sun.

“Everything is the same here in Maryland,” said Joanne Antoine, the executive director of Common Cause Maryland, a nonpartisan good-governance and elections watchdog.

The U.S. Supreme Court in September struck down President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict mail ballot voting, saying it was too close to the election to change anything.

Trump’s March executive order — now null and void — gave the U.S. Postal Service sweeping authority over election mail and put pressure on states to comply with new ballot and voter roll requirements.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement that the Supreme Court “got it right” and that the Postal Service has “no business deciding who gets a ballot and who doesn’t.”

The tax discount, known as a payment in lieu of taxes or PILOT, will support a $160 million development that includes a high-rise residential and retail building near the heart of the university’s downtown campus. The city’s mayor-controlled spending board voted unanimously in favor of the deal.

The PILOT is the first to be granted from a newly created program called Downtown RISE. Designed to bolster downtown development, the incentive erases up to 95% of property taxes for 25 years in exchange for an annual fee that’s substantially less. It’s the same program city officials are using to negotiate a PILOT for a proposed development of high-rise buildings replacing the Harborplace pavilions.

Applicants face approval from the city spending board, along with the Baltimore Development Corp., the nonprofit economic development agency for the city.

UMB’s development, spearheaded by Wexford Science & Technology, calls for a 15-story, 404-unit, 730-bed residential building in the 600 block of West Lexington Street. Intended for graduate students, the housing would be rented by the bed. Dubbed the North Quad, the development would also have about 16,000 square feet of retail. Wexford applied for and will receive the PILOT.

Officials with BDC pitched the tax abatement as a win for the city. Currently, the property is a parking lot generating no property taxes, said Jeremy Watson, senior vice president for BDC.

“Without this deal,” he said, “the building doesn’t get built and the city keeps collecting what it gets today, which is zero.”

As he made his pitch, Watson quoted from “Shark Tank,” a reality television series on which entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to investors.

“My money is my military. I send it out, every dollar, to capture and bring back more soldiers,” Watson said, quoting Kevin O’Leary, a regular on the show. “If you look at this abatement, we’re sending it out and we’re bringing back 2.43 soldiers with us. That’s a fair deal.”

Council President Zeke Cohen, one of five members of the spending board, said he had watched a lot of “Shark Tank.”

“Kevin and Mark Cuban and all those guys and women would be very disappointed if this board was not pushing and scrutinizing,” he said, referring to other investors on the show.

The North Quad project fits into a broader plan for the area that was presented to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents this year. A proposed South Quad along Fayette Street would be developed during a later phase of the project and may apply for a separate PILOT, according to materials submitted to the spending board.

Part of UMB’s Pharmacy Learning Center would be turned into a gathering space, possibly featuring a pub and an outdoor entertainment venue, according to the development plan. Next to that would be a recreation and sports area. One rendering shows basketball courts, a sports field and courts for pickleball or tennis.

Wednesday’s meeting began late as Baltimore Comptroller Bill Henry and officials from UMB hammered out an assurance that the university would keep the properties on the city tax rolls once they become eligible to pay their full share of taxes at the end of the PILOT. The university is a nonprofit and does not pay property taxes on most of its land holdings.

University President Bruce Jarrell committed to keeping the property on tax rolls. Henry said he’d like an agreement in writing.

Jarrell said the university is committed to improving the west side of downtown, which has deteriorated as nearby shopping districts, once the city’s most prominent, have failed.

“It’s part of a whole vision, and that vision is really Lexington Street, the Lexington Market, down Eutaw Street, past the Hippodrome, Everyman, CFG Bank Arena, right to the Eutaw gate of the Orioles,” Jarrell said. “We want that to be vibrant.”

The PILOT faced opposition from With Us For Us, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups and unions. Speaking for the group, Joan Jacobson said the tax discount was too steep and too long.

“We are pleased that some taxes will come from a piece of land that is nontaxed now, but still, we strongly believe that labor agreements and a small, brief tax discount would better benefit the city,” she said.

The move “puts Neighborhood Sun in a very strong position for growth and further consolidation in the industry,” CEO Gary Skulnik, who founded the company in 2016, said in a press release.

The company, which operates in Maryland, eight other states and Washington, D.C., will quadruple its capacity in New York as a result of the acquisition, according to the release.

Community solar companies allow renters and others who can’t install their own solar panels to subscribe to a local solar farm. Individuals and nonprofits get credits on their electric bills, but their power continues to be delivered through their utility.

Florida-based Climate First Bank, which focuses on environmentally sustainable projects, is the senior lender for the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed.

“Neighborhood Sun’s laser focus on increasing access to solar savings in low- and moderate-income communities is literally converting our beliefs into practice,” said Hana Freymiller, a senior vice president at the bank.

“Together, we have the opportunity to accelerate progress toward fighting climate change and creating true American energy independence,” Freymiller said.

The acquisition brings Meadow’s 67 projects and more than 30,000 subscribers under Neighborhood Sun’s management, giving the Bethesda company a total of more than 200 community solar projects.

“I love it,” Canlas said last week from Area 405, the studios on East Oliver Street.
“I mean, I don’t want to be the only one, right?”

For a group that’s often felt collectively overlooked, that’s not a concern in Charm City today.

Canlas made headlines this summer by winning the Janet and Walter Sondheim Art Prize, along with $30,000, for her thoroughly researched textile installations.

In the same competition, Anna Divinagracia was named a semifinalist for her layered, often photo-driven sculptural objects. Meanwhile, composer and musician Mark Kent Navarro became a finalist for the Baker Artist Awards — another annual competition for the area’s best artists — for the third time since 2023.

What do they all have in common? They’re thriving in Charm City by exploring deeply personal themes like Filipino American identity, assimilation and perseverance through inventive, thoroughly considered pieces of art.

In turn, they’re making the region’s arts scene, and beyond, take closer notice of a vibrant culture.

“It’s an incredibly exciting moment for any historically underrecognized group to be recognized in these institutional spaces and also so supported by their local communities,” said Dylan K. Hill, a contemporary art curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

And it goes beyond awards: Baltimore’s Ralph Bernabe, who moved to America from the Philippines at 13, performs charming indie-pop as Plant Dad, while Tara Cariaso has made a name for herself as a queer theater artist, directing plays and crafting striking masks for the stage.

Earlier this month — fittingly Filipino American History Month — I caught up with Canlas, Divinagracia and Navarro to hear how they use their art practices to better understand themselves and their heritage’s worth.

Thea Canlas

When Thea Canlas learned she was moving from the Philippines to America, she was ecstatic. The pre-teen was already enamored with “Baywatch” and other Western pop culture that had made its way east.

“It was exciting,” Canlas, now 43, recalled. “It was a privilege.”

Did reality match up with her fantasy? Canlas burst out laughing at the question.

“Let’s just say all the work has been reckoning with all of it,” she said. “It’s like, why did I grow up thinking all of this was of less value?”

She’s unpacking this question, and much more, through “Value Studies,” an ongoing series that reimagines items like overseas Filipino workers’ uniforms, detailed with pearls and human teeth, and flags made from Filipino textiles to explore the effects of colonialism and global capitalism on the Southeast Asian country.

Canlas has found a rush of success through her thoughtful work, having made the transition from marketer to artist just during the pandemic.

The former Walters Art Museum employee returned to the Mount Vernon institution in August to receive the annual Sondheim Art Prize, one of the top awards for visual artists in the region. Jurors look to award contemporary artists “on the cusp of making a leap in their work,” according to Create Baltimore, which presents the Sondheim with the Walters.

Canlas is still processing the full-circle win.

“It was very weird. Surreal,” said Canlas, a Maryland Institute College of Art graduate.

Next year will be focused on recharging and working on a Baltimore exhibition for 2028, she said, with plans to visit the Philippines to buy materials and learn how to basketweave for future work.

It’s a time to take stock of her accomplishment, but Canlas plans to only dig deeper into her art in order to better understand her place in the world. “I’m barely scratching the surface,” she said.

Anna Divinagracia

At age 12, it didn’t take Anna Divinagracia long to realize that her new home of Baltimore was a far, far cry from her native Davao City in the southern Philippines.

Food servings. Interstate highways. Clothes. “Everything is just bigger in America,” Divinagracia said recently.

Divinagracia first turned to photography to help make sense of her new reality. But these days she creates rich three-dimensional works, often using materials both familiar — wood, photographs of Baltimore and the Philippines — and unexpected, such as documents from the green card application process.

The latter, “A Game of Dreams,” reimagines Pabitin, a traditional Filipino game similar to a piñata. Instead of candy or toys, she tied dollar bills and “Welcome to the United States” pamphlets to barbed wire.

“I was thinking about what made me want to stay here,” Divina said.

She was used to telling other people’s stories through photos. The switch to these sculptural installations helped the 29-year-old artist, who prefers to go by Divina, realize she had her own story to tell.

“It took an intentional shift around 2020, for me to look internally and think about like, what does my story look like and what would it look like to tell that?” she said.

Her 2025 solo exhibition at Creative Alliance, “Pandarayuhan: Home is a Memory,” offered a tantalizing view of Divina’s narrative. “Mom’s Ref,” a highlight, allowed viewers a peek into her mother’s actual refrigerator, filled with leftovers in tupperware and condiments bought from H-Mart and American grocery stores.

To Divina, who’s “into the idea of people being preserved in the objects that they touch,” it’s a self-portrait of her mother.

“Memory is a fleeting thing for me,” the Morgan State alumna said. “So creating these objects and making magic out of it — imbuing it with them, their spirit — I think, is the art process right now.”

Like Canlas’ work, Divina’s intricate art is best seen in person. Readers can view some of it now in “A Case for the Muse,” a group exhibition at the Compound in East Baltimore on display through Oct. 30.

Mark Kent Navarro

What does home mean to Mark Kent Navarro?

The Filipino American musician and composer returned to the streets that raised him to find out.

For his new album, “Long Live,” Navarro went back to each Baltimore street where he once lived to record whatever sounds he picked up. The field recordings became the catalysts for each track, with Navarro playing every instrument, including piano, guitar and bass.

Growing up in Remington with his sister, Kat, Navarro remembers a sheltered childhood as the only Asian family on their Hampden Avenue block. His mother and grandmother worried about nearby violence.

“I remember when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to play outside,” Navarro says over dramatic piano notes and a staccato drum pattern early on in the nine-track EP. Recorded sounds of birds chirping and passing cars murmur in the distance, recalling a faint memory.

“Moving between homes is a very big aspect of someone’s life,” Navarro said. “I was just thinking about like, even my family changing their home from the Philippines and coming here and just starting all over again.”

Throughout his life, Navarro and his family moved a lot. They scraped by to put Navarro and Kat through private school. Revisiting these stops on a path to a better life reminded Navarro of “the gravity of that kind of sacrifice.”

“I just have such a deeper appreciation for my family in a way that I should have had this entire time,” said Navarro, who’s also an arts technologist at the Baltimore School for the Arts and regularly collaborates with local theatre company Truepenny Projects.

Count the judges of the Baker Arts Award — another competitive contest for the Baltimore area’s rising artists — among Navarro’s fans. He’s been a finalist in 2023, 2025 and 2026 for the honor, which in April whittled down more than 1,000 portfolios to 36 finalists in visual arts, performing arts, photography and other categories. (Canlas was also a finalist.)

Looking ahead, Navarro is planning a listening party for “Long Live” this winter before its release in January.

The 33-year-old will continue to use his music to untangle the “weird struggle” of often feeling more American than Filipino. He looks forward to developing a stronger connection to his cultural roots.

“It’s really me just trying to figure out who I am,” he said.

His identity was not immediately released, and police have made no arrests.

The stabbing occurred at about 12:30 a.m. in the 12000 block of Georgia Avenue, police said in a social media post. The victim, who was stabbed in the chest, was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died.

More information is expected to be released.

UPDATE: The adult male stabbed in the 12000 block of Georgia Avenue has died. This is now being investigated as a homicide. No suspect information is available and more information will released as it comes in. pic.twitter.com/Pb5QAkZ8Lv

— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) October 26, 2026

This is a developing story.

The 44th president recorded a 30-second TV ad in which he speaks directly to the camera, urging Marylanders to vote yes on Question 3, which he says will stop a “Republican power grab.”

Airing in the Baltimore and Washington television markets, as well as on digital platforms, the ad was paid for by Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign. He’s initially paying $500,000 to put the ad on air.

Question 3, if approved, would change the state constitution to make it clear requirements that districts are compact and respect natural boundaries do not apply to congressional plans. That change would eliminate legal obstacles that have blocked previous Democratic efforts, clearing the way for lawmakers to try to draw Maryland’s only congressional Republican, Andy Harris, out of a job.

The ballot question could be the most contested item of Maryland’s general election, with polls showing voters divided and political groups spending for and against the issue.

In the Maryland Question 3 ad, Obama is seated in what appears to be a living room, in a dress shirt with an open collar. As he speaks, dramatic instrumental music swells in the background.

“You may have heard that Republicans in Washington got some states to redraw their congressional maps in the middle of an election year,” Obama says as a black-and-white photo of President Donald Trump fills the screen. “They did it to try to hold on to power in Congress.”

Obama concludes: “You can help stop this Republican power grab by voting yes on Question 3. It lets Maryland draw its own fair maps.”

Obama is selective about deploying his star power to boost fellow Democrats, and he remains a revered figure in the party. Over the weekend, thousands packed a rally in Cleveland to hear him campaign for gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown.

The Obama ad is the latest ramp-up in the campaign over the ballot question, just over a week from Election Day.

Last week, a new group opposing Question 3 sprung up with ads mimicking the Moore campaign’s colors and logo urging Marylanders to vote “yes on Wes” but against Question 3.

Moore has been pushing to redraw Maryland’s congressional districts for more than a year and is a chief proponent of Question 3. His lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Truth for Maryland Political Action Committee that paid for the ads; the ads were still running Sunday night.

Moore has put his campaign cash into the cause, pivoting from reelection ads to pay for pro-redistricting ads instead. Last week, his campaign spent $700,000 for ads in the D.C. market.

“I’m thankful for President Obama’s voice in this becaues what we’re doing is saying to the people of Maryland that we are going to vote ‘yes’ on Question 3 because a ‘yes’ on Question 3 is a ‘no’ to Donald Trump,” Moore, a Democrat, said on MSNOW Monday morning.

Another anti-Question 3 group, Protect Maryland Votes, as well as the Maryland Republican Party, has sent mailers urging people to vote no.

About 200,000 people had voted early through Saturday, and more than 285,000 have voted with mail ballots. Traditional Election Day looms Nov. 3.

Now, town officials are working to bring it back.

North Brentwood, incorporated in 1924 as the first African American town in Prince George’s County, filed a lawsuit against the museum in September 2025 over concerns about its management, building upkeep and care of its collections. A court-appointed receiver, Alexander Williams Jr., a former federal judge, is working to restore the museum’s corporate charter and reconstitute its board. His role, he said, is to help the museum reopen.

That reopening would restore a place that preserves and shares the stories of Black communities across the county.

“It’s a difficult time that we’re living in, with the assault on Black history,” said Chanel Compton, a former museum board chair and executive director who now leads the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. “What history has told us over and over again when it comes to Black power, Black empowerment, it starts with community empowerment, and the museum has that.”

North Brentwood’s history is central to that mission. The town grew from land acquired by Black families, including Civil War veterans. The museum was established to preserve that history and tell the stories of Black communities throughout Prince George’s County.

“If you think about the spirit of the history of urban renewal, gentrification, these community stories can die off in one generation,” Compton said.

Before the museum closed, it offered exhibitions and educational outreach, including programs with Prince George’s County Schools, Compton said. She saw its potential to become a cultural and historical anchor for the county.

But reopening the doors will take more than resolving the organization’s leadership problems. The museum’s corporate charter must be restored before a new board can be seated. The building’s condition presents another challenge.

Williams has filed three receiver’s reports with the courts since his appointment. He described a vacant building in poor condition following a roof collapse. Artifacts once held in storage were returned to the shuttered building and are “boxed up and scattered in every room,” he wrote in one report.

When the museum failed to reopen after the pandemic, North Brentwood Mayor Petrella Robinson turned to the town’s attorney, Kevin Best, because she was concerned that it was being mismanaged.

Best filed what he characterized as a “friendly lawsuit” to get the museum back on track on behalf of the town after learning that the museum’s board was trying to manage a corporation whose charter had been forfeited.

“It’s doubtful that they will try to dissolve and liquidate all the assets of the museum and get rid of all the archives,” Best said. “But what they’re going to do is try to reconstitute the board and get it operating properly, so that they can seek grants and seek donations and try to get the museum back open again next year or so.”

The museum, which sits tucked back on Rhode Island Avenue, grew out of a 1991 oral history project documenting North Brentwood’s Black history. A local group later worked to establish a museum in 2007.

“It was something for everyone, and it was something that we as a town could remember our history,” Robinson said. “We want to get back to that.”

Across the street, Dr. Cecil Boyd hears questions about the museum almost every day. Boyd owns the African American Cafe and leads free historical tours of North Brentwood. He said customers ask him 20 to 30 times a day what is happening with the shuttered museum.

“Obviously, people would expect us to have answers, but we don’t,” Boyd said.

Boyd’s tours point out the town’s historic landmarks, including the physical racial barrier between North Brentwood and neighboring Brentwood. But he said the museum remains a missing piece for visitors who want to learn more about the community.

“They get to see all that, but they can’t see the museum where all the real rich history of this stuff lives,” he said.

Boyd opened the cafe in part to give people a place to gather after the tours and continue talking about what they had learned. He envisions the cafe, the tours and the museum working together to deepen visitors’ understanding of the town.

“They sit down and they talk and they collaborate,” Boyd said of the gatherings at the cafe. “They’re doing praise and worship. They’re exchanging phone numbers and they’re connecting with people and taking pictures. It’s a really beautiful experience. But again, it would be so much better if we had the addition of that museum to help elevate people’s experience when they come here and experience North Brentwood for the first time.”

When the museum was open, keeping it running was difficult, said Marva Jo Camp, a former board member who became involved with the organization through former North Brentwood Mayor Lillian Beverly, one of the museum’s founders.

“We had some good young people that were working there, and they didn’t have somebody over them that could make sure things were happening the way it needed to happen,” Camp said, adding that board members were left to do much of the work themselves.

Camp and Compton expressed hope for the museum’s future. Compton noted that it took nearly 100 years after the National Museum of African American History and Culture was conceived before it opened.

Compton said the museum’s closure was disappointing and heartbreaking, but she believes that support from the community, the county and the state can help it reopen.

“What our history tells us is that if we work together as a community, we may not all agree, but our North Star is we’re gonna make sure we get this repository open for this county, our ancestors for today and for tomorrow,” Compton said.

Have a tip for our Prince George’s County reporters? Tell us here.

The Republican incumbent, who was appointed to replace Wade Kach in May, has pledged to protect land north of the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line. His opponents, Democrat Shawn McIntosh and independent Cory Shaffer, say he can’t be trusted.

“Nino Mangione is taking money from developers,” McIntosh said at a Sept. 30 candidate forum. “Will he be beholden to developers? I think so.”

Mangione — who declined to participate in this story — rebutted McIntosh’s claims during the candidate forum. He has repeatedly targeted his opponent for her decision to use public financing — which comes from taxpayer dollars — to fund her campaign.

District residents, including those at the forum run by the Hanover Road and Boring Community associations, are preoccupied with how their future council member will manage developers’ interests and whether that representative will change the fabric of the exurban communities they call home.

Each candidate is vying to represent 97,000 residents between Cockeysville and the Pennsylvania state line. The area is the county’s most decidedly purple. Voter registration data shows about 40% of the district’s 75,000-plus registered voters are Democrats, 36% are Republicans and 24% are unaffiliated or registered with another party.

For a dozen years, Kach, Maryland’s longest-serving Republican, led the district. He dedicated his tenure to preserving land and water while preventing projects that could threaten them, such as solar farms, 70-mile-long transmission lines and housing.

A high schooler who attended the forum inside St. John’s Western Run Parish asked the candidates how they would protect the district from development.

“Am I going to come back to Hereford one day and see a city?” she said.

Mangione, McIntosh and Shaffer have tried to reassure voters that they won’t pursue projects or approve policies that turn farmland and countryside into major metropolitan areas.

A Trump admirer

Mangione, 39, is a familiar face in Maryland politics. His family is well known in Baltimore. After his grandfather, Nick Mangione Sr., became a prominent real estate developer, the elder Mangione purchased WCBM-AM 680 — a conservative talk-radio station that catalyzed his grandson’s politics.

A former state representative, Mangione served seven years in the Maryland House of Delegates before mounting a campaign for Baltimore County Council last year.

After Kach retired in May, the district’s Republican Central Committee — consisting of two voting members — chose Mangione out of seven applicants to fill the vacancy.

Mangione vows to fight “against the ‘WOKE’ policies of the radical left” and has said President Donald Trump is the person he admires most in the world.

This year, The Banner reported that Mangione’s campaign paid Kelley Rogers, a felon and Maryland political operative, $121,500 for political advice dating to 2023 — just months after Rogers was released from prison.

Campaign finance data shows Mangione has raised more than $600,000 to fund his run for Baltimore County Council, although he had less than $90,000 on hand by mid-October.

Last month, the councilman voted for legislation that provides the Lutherville Station redevelopment project — a proposed 325-unit mixed-use apartment complex — access to future state funding over residents’ objections.

The controversial, seven-year campaign to transform the run-down shopping center next to a light rail station has alarmed residents who fear it will attract crime, lead to overcrowded local schools and change their community.

“Unfortunately, you have to make tough decisions even when it’s not popular because you’re bound by development and zoning rights,” Mangione said during the forum.

At a council meeting last month, Mangione said he is negotiating with Lutherville Station’s developer, Mark Renbaum, to classify the project as a planned unit development. He said the zoning classification would provide the community with additional, unnamed benefits.

According to campaign finance data, Lutherville Station LLC, the business entity behind the redevelopment project owned and operated by Renbaum, has contributed $5,000 to Mangione’s campaign since January 2026. The developer also has personally contributed $3,000 to Mangione’s campaign since January 2025.

In a July 2025 interview with The Banner, Mangione said the county needs to embrace “reasonable, smart growth.”

“For me,” he said, “it comes down to: Will that development enhance the property value? Will that stay within the character of the district?”

Community first

Throughout the fall, McIntosh has knocked on doors, left Ring camera voicemails and handed out pamphlets and brochures with the promise of a progressive future for District 5.

“I think that Baltimore County has for too long been driven by special interests, and that’s just not what I want to do,” the 61-year-old said. “I want to be community driven.”

Campaign finance data shows McIntosh has raised over $127,000 in public financing. The Democratic challenger hasn’t accepted donations from political action committees, labor unions or businesses.

That’s what separates her from Mangione, she said.

“What you see is what you get,” McIntosh said while door-knocking in the Pine Valley Valleywood neighborhood in Lutherville-Timonium.

Her goals, she admits, are lofty: make the county more affordable, pare the budget, ban data centers, restructure the zoning system, protect the URDL and center residents in conversations about development.

The mother of five said Baltimore County is known for being developer driven and that Mangione would only further cement that reputation.

In turn, Mangione has attacked McIntosh in a series of AI-generated fundraising emails, Facebook and Instagram posts for using matching public funds to bolster her small-dollar donations.

“Taxpayer dollars funding a political race. The selfishness here is unreal,” he wrote in a Facebook post. ”Join me in telling greedy Shawn McIntosh to stop using our tax dollars."

McIntosh said, if her opponent wins, she is convinced the same powerful businesspeople and developers who donated to Mangione’s campaign will push the council member to prioritize their profits over constituents’ concerns.

“Strip mall after strip mall, storage facilities galore, car washes galore, all along our commercial corridors,” she said.

The public health policy wonk and executive director of nonprofit Sugar Free Kids Maryland said she is committed to weighing the community’s concerns against the county’s needs and balancing both priorities.

“I don’t see a D or an R behind my constituents’ names,” she said. “They are my constituents. It doesn’t matter to me D or R. My job is to represent them. That’s my job.”

An independent candidate

Shaffer, 38, wants voters to put an independent candidate on the Baltimore County Council.

He spent months at grocery store parking lots along York Road and the Cockeysville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library collecting the 1,000 signatures required to get his name on the ballot.

It’s also where he connected with residents struggling to afford their lives.

“It’s this really chicken-and-egg issue where we’re spending 40 hours a week working for the basics of what we need to survive,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of time and energy left to fight for our community.”

The father of three used to be in pharmaceutical sales before he opened a mental health clinic. He said he wants to build a county that his daughters won’t be priced out of. However, redevelopment projects such as Lutherville Station need to benefit the community beyond housing.

Shaffer said he does not think the recent legislation Mangione sponsored — which allows Renbaum to pursue state financing for Lutherville Station once construction is approved — puts residents at the forefront of the conversation.

“We’ve given away a lot of our leverage over this time,” he said.

Feckless leadership, he added, comes from the constraints of a two-party system.

“Somebody runs because they don’t like what the other party is saying,” Shaffer said. “Because we only have those two options, so many voters are so used to doing what they’re doing.”

Campaign finance records show Shaffer had raised less than $3,000 through mid-October. If he doesn’t win, he said, he’ll run again next time.

Passing under a covered, columned porch, the home opens to a center hall foyer. From here, the home flows to the main living spaces, an ideal floor plan for entertaining. A formal living room features one of the home’s three fireplaces. There’s also a formal dining room and a private home office with rich millwork and built-ins.

At the back of the house, the floor plan transitions into an open-concept relaxed living space. Oversize windows and French doors overlook the private backyard, bringing the outdoors in. An expansive kitchen has a large center island and high-end appliances. The comfortable dining area and family room offer built-in storage.

Up the winding staircase, there are five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The primary suite offers a luxurious retreat, with a bedroom, private sitting room, dressing room and newly updated en suite bathroom. The sitting room spills out to a deck with a pergola, overlooking the leafy yard.

The lower level provides additional amenities, including a large recreation room, climate-controlled wine cellar, sauna and exercise room.

Outside, the heated swimming pool is a highlight. It’s surrounded by thoughtful hardscaping and landscaping, including three covered brick and flagstone porches. An attached two-car garage completes the home.

Enjoy proximity to the Capital Crescent Trail, Kenwood Golf and Country Club and convenient shopping. The home is less than 2 miles north of the Washington city line.

The details:

• Address: 5329 Woodlawn Avenue
• List price: $4,800,000
• 5 bedrooms, 6 full bathrooms, 1 half bathroom (7,510 square feet)
• Agent: Corey Burr, The Burr Group, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

How to make that happen is up for debate.

Some of the candidates vying for two seats on Baltimore’s school board in November’s election have proposed a moratorium on school closures. They say the annual process is traumatizing. It pits families from undersized, underperforming or poorly managed schools against their school district leaders and often leaves buildings vacant for years, attracting arson and vandalism.

Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Jermaine Dawson just saved two schools from closure as he takes a more comprehensive look at all of the district’s schools. Charter school closures, however, are still on the table.

We asked school board candidates if they’d support a pause on school closures. Here’s where they stand.

In support of a school closure pause

Ashley “Ash” Esposito

Incumbent Ashley “Ash” Esposito has sent her colleagues a draft of a three-year school closure moratorium. She ran on the issue in 2022.

“Schools existing attract families. So if you eliminate the school, for all you know, in 10 years, you’re deterring a family from living in that community,” said Esposito. “These aren’t just buildings. ... These are where people have memories. It’s a matter of historical preservation.”

Esposito has voted to close schools before. She supported shuttering Edgewood Elementary after seeing how few kids attended and how that limited the services the school could provide.

But she said school board members have the power to slow down the process and consider factors like funding and the impact of school choice.

Jamar Day

A school closure moratorium is part of Jamar Day’s campaign platform. During a potential pause, he’d expect the board to analyze which schools have closed and in which neighborhoods, he said. He expressed concern about vacant schools languishing for years and becoming a “public health nuisance,” attracting crime and critters.

Day’s nephew attended the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, the now-shuttered all-boys charter school. The honor-roll basketball player was thriving, Day said, and then everything was “pulled from underneath him.”

Day said as a school board member, he’d want to consider longer probation periods for struggling schools and offer them help.

“You have a lot of schools kind of in limbo. They’re like, ‘Should I paint this wall if we’re going to close down in two years? Should I start this new program?’” said Day. “We need to come up with a solidified plan that we can stick to over the next five to 10 years.”

Domonique Flowers

Candidate Domonique Flowers also supports a moratorium on school closures. He wants a closer examination of the factors that lead to school closures: Did those schools lose funding? Which schools are in danger of getting shut down? Is population loss to blame?

And if a school has to close, Flowers would want to make sure students who are getting meals or other resources there can continue to receive them elsewhere.

Against a school closure pause

Kwame’ Jamal Kenyatta-Bey

Incumbent board member Kwame’ Jamal Kenyatta-Bey said he wouldn’t support a solution as broad as a pause on school closures.

“When we look at a moratorium, it’s such a blanket sort of analysis,” said Kenyatta-Bey. “A blanket analysis never really covers the waterfront.”

Kenyatta-Bey said that when he considers whether to close a school, he wants to know how its students fare after graduating, whether the school district supports it when it struggles, and what resources students receive, such as special education and arts classes.

Kenyatta-Bey supports Dawson’s plan to take a step back and examine how the district closes schools. He would also like to determine whether it makes sense to keep funding schools based solely on student enrollment. He wants to make sure all children get the best education through an equitable distribution of funds.

“Baltimore City is fighting a battle that came from years of neglect,” said Kenyatta-Bey. “Therefore, there’s an unevenness that has to be smoothed out.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.

Follow all the action from M&T Bank Stadium with Banner staffers.

Inside the 2026 Ravens, there are two teams. One is a Super Bowl contender. The other is a fiasco. The trouble for coach Jesse Minter is that they get equal billing on game days.

The First-Half Ravens are one of the NFL’s best teams. They’ve led all but one game at halftime this season, outscoring opponents by a combined 65 points, most in the league. By net expected points added per play, no team has been better, according to Sumer Sports.

The Second-Half Ravens, as they showed again inside M&T Bank Stadium, are one of the NFL’s worst teams. They’ve been outscored after halftime in every game but one, their gross differential running to minus-70 points, also most in the league, after 35 unanswered Sunday from the Cincinnati Bengals. By net EPA per play, only the Eagles have been a worse second-half team — and Philadelphia hasn’t faced a schedule as soft as the Ravens’.

The Ravens’ issues, abundantly clear over the final 30 minutes of a 35-13 loss to Cincinnati (4-2), are profound and deep-seated. Minter has wanted this team to be at its best when its best is needed. Almost every week, the Ravens (4-3) take that message to heart, then leave it behind in their locker room at halftime.

“We can be so much better than we’re playing, and I think everybody knows that. You see it in spurts,” defensive lineman Calais Campbell said after a second straight loss — and second straight second-half shutout — dropped the Ravens to 0-2 in AFC North play for the first time since 2007. “But this game isn’t a 40-minute ballgame. It’s not a 30-minute ballgame. It’s a 60-minute ballgame [with] four quarters, and we have to find a way to play a complete game with all of them.”

There is a cruel irony to the worst loss of this confounding Ravens season blotting out maybe the team’s most impressive half all year. At halftime, the First-Half Ravens, despite missing star quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle) and top lineman Vega Ioane (knee), led the Bengals, easily the most well-rounded opponent they’d faced through seven weeks, by 13 points. The First-Half Ravens outgained Cincinnati 258-59, held star quarterback Joe Burrow to 43 yards passing and kept the Bengals out of field goal range on their four possessions.

Then the Second-Half Ravens took the field. The Bengals scored a touchdown on their first drive. The Second-Half Ravens went three-and-out. The Bengals scored a touchdown on their second drive. The Second-Half Ravens went for it on fourth-and-short and failed.

A tailspin accelerated into a doom spiral. The Bengals scored three more touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, the stands emptying with each end-zone trip. The Ravens’ franchise-worst 35-0 second half might’ve turned out even worse, too, if not for the mercy of Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor, who rested Burrow to insert longtime Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco for the Bengals’ sixth and final drive.

The defeat was the Ravens’ third this season with a blown double-digit lead. A week ago, in a last-second 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, they were held scoreless after the second quarter and outscored 13-0 in the second half. After Sunday’s collapse, Minter called the Ravens “too much of a momentum team.”

“In the first half, I thought there was really some good in all three phases,” he said. “Then again, [there were] some opportunities where you can create even more that we didn’t take advantage of. Then, in the second half, we let the game kind of snowball on us once it got going and, obviously, got to find a way for that not to happen.”

Their roads to ruin on offense and defense are eerily similar. In the first quarter, the Ravens’ offense and defense rank third in EPA per play. In the second quarter, they rank fourth and third, respectively. In the third quarter, 22nd and 22nd, respectively. In the fourth quarter, 28th and 32nd, respectively.

There is no obvious culprit on either side of the ball, though getting Jackson healthy for Sunday’s game against the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills would help both. On offense, the Ravens’ yards per play has fallen by more than a yard after halftime, from a top-five mark (6.5 yards) to a more mediocre mark (5.3 yards), undone by quick-fading passing and running games. Ill-timed penalties haven’t helped; the Ravens were flagged 10 times for 57 yards Sunday.

The Ravens’ run defense has regularly softened, and their pass defense has mostly collapsed. In the first half, opposing quarterbacks have completed 59.4% of their passes for 548 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. In the second half, they’ve completed 71.3% of their passes for 1,078 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. By efficiency, the First-Half Ravens have made the typical opposing quarterback look like 2025 Cooper Rush. The Second-Half Ravens have made him look like, well, 2026 Joe Burrow.

“There’s something in there that’s missing,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said of the Ravens’ defense, which Burrow torched after his tepid first half (16-for-18 for 249 yards and four touchdowns). “Obviously, [it’s] there a lot, but it’s not there all the time. So just finding that and chasing that, play in and play out, quarter in and quarter out, regardless of the circumstance and being detached from the result, like I said. We will do that. But, obviously, it’s tough dropping these two.”

This is not a good time for an identity crisis. The Ravens are at the bottom of the AFC North after consecutive divisional losses. After Sunday’s trip to Orchard Park, New York, they will face the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers in Week 11 and the über-talented (if über-inconsistent) Houston Texans in Week 12.

Wide receiver Zay Flowers (eight catches for 137 yards and one touchdown), who along with quarterback Tyler Huntley (298 yards passing, one touchdown, one interception) powered the First-Half Ravens, said the team is “not losing hope.” Running back Derrick Henry (45 rushing yards) said the Ravens “know how to get back up.” They nearly climbed out of a 1-5 hole last year.

But, with every frustrating week, the Ravens become a little more familiar with their vertiginous heights and their perilous lows. They have been good enough for long enough this season, Minter said, to know that inside them is a good team. They have also been bad enough for long enough to know that a bad team lurks inside, too.

“Right now,” Minter said, “I think it’s just a big point in the season for us to determine what type of team we want to be.”

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta sat in the corner of the locker room, hands clasped, elbows on his knees.

After last season, he led a hiring search to replace his friend John Harbaugh after owner Steve Bisciotti fired the long-time head coach. Harbaugh’s tenure ended because the team missed the playoffs and continued a habit of blowing double-digit second-half leads.

Seven weeks into Jesse Minter’s coaching tenure, nothing appears to have changed.

Despite what should be a star-studded lineup, the Ravens are falling below expectations. And, on two beautiful October Sundays, they have exposed their fanbase to what has become its greatest fear: a double-digit lead that disappears like a ghostly whisper.

Last weekend, it was a 10-point lead to the Browns. This time, it was a 13-point lead that turned into a 35-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens are now last in the AFC North.

They’ve also lost their identity, at least in part. Once lauded for pairing a ferocious defense with a methodical offense — ensuring nothing was given easily to the other team — the Ravens are now known leaguewide for wilting in the second half.

And a difficult month has the chance to get even more haunted in Week 8 as the Ravens head to Buffalo to face the 5-1 Bills on Halloween weekend.

The precariousness of the situation seems to be settling in. Whereas the locker room after previous losses featured quiet chatter and the occasional smile or joke, this one was hushed.

Players on the defensive line spent those moments staring down at their hands, their phones, the ground. Their leader, Calais Campbell, trudged off to face the same old questions from reporters. Campbell called the second half, in which the defense gave up 35 unanswered points, “quicksand.”

The linebackers gathered in a huddle with their position coach, a common sight, but this one featured red eyes and grim faces. Their leader, Roquan Smith, spoke later and said consistency is “like a missing piece we’re trying to figure out.”

Wide receiver Zay Flowers, who had eight catches for 137 yards and a touchdown, didn’t want to talk about his play, saying, “I like to win. The stats don’t really matter if you lose. That’s all I really got.”

Minter said his message to the players is that they’ve proven they can be really good. They even did it Sunday. The defense rattled Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the first half. The offense exploited weaknesses. Receivers blew by defensive backs. Everything was controlled; players were executing.

But, after the second half, Minter had no choice to deliver the other side of it. He told his players the Ravens have proven they can be a bad team, too. Everyone took the blame for that, with running back Derrick Henry calling his own performance “terrible” and Minter saying the second half was a “bad effort” from the defense.

.

And so another game ended and the locker room filled with clichés that are even more worn than usual with this team. There was talk about players needing to look themselves in the mirror, watch the tape, hold each other accountable. But there was a lot of that talk last year, too, in the season that led to Harbaugh’s firing.

Smith is aware of that.

“It’s definitely something I’m tired of hearing as well, not just you guys,” Smith said.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley said the blown leads of years past linger.

“I’m sure that can seep into the psyche of guys out there,” Stanley said. “Guys are humans, and that’s something that we’re trying to beat. We talk about it a lot. We can’t just live by momentum and what’s going on in the game. We have to just focus on our standard and what we expect.”

Campbell has been a part of good teams and bad, in Baltimore and elsewhere. He’s played more games than any interior defensive lineman in the NFL. DeCosta brought him back as much for his locker room leadership as his play. Right now, his advice to the team is: “All right, let’s relax, reset and get back to work.”

That line has been uttered by veterans throughout the room for years. Yet the Ravens keep finding quicksand, and then sinking. DeCosta — and his boss — hoped a coaching change would bring a fix.

It has instead delivered the same bewildered looks and strained answers as the last regime.

In the plodding final minutes of Baltimore’s embarrassing 35-13 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, former All-Pro linebacker Terrell Suggs tweeted his dismay: “35 UNANSWERED ‘MF’ POINTS?!”

Hall of Famer Ed Reed commented: “Wow, terrible coaching decisions week in week out crazy!”

You can only imagine what other Ravens alums were thinking in their own private corners, wondering what has become of a franchise that used to be synonymous with ironclad, willful defense. Throughout the last 30 years, if you came to Baltimore, win or lose, you were leaving black and blue. The Ravens of the past left their mark.

These players are so far below that standard that franchise legends are calling them out. And they deserve the thrashing.

Only three previous times had Baltimore allowed 35 points in the second half — and they had never been unanswered. The last instance in 2022 against Miami, the Ravens managed 10 second-half points. It was still one of the most gutting losses ever, but there was at least a bit of juice coming out of the locker room.

Lamar Jackson is still shelved with an ankle injury, but there’s no excuse for falling this far — especially on defense. Kyle Hamilton is here. Trey Hendrickson is here. Roquan Smith and Nnamdi Madubuike and Marlon Humphrey are all here.

That particular quintet accounts for half a billion dollars ($507.9 million, if we’re being exact) in contracts that the Ravens have awarded in the last few years. The Ravens bypassed more experienced head coaching candidates for Jesse Minter, who carried a reputation as a defensive guru.

And yet these guys can’t hold a double-digit lead to save their lives.

Suggs, Reed and Ray Lewis all had bad losses in their time but never quite this bad. Part of the accounting in the coming week should require the defensive players to look at the busts in the halls of the team’s Owings Mills practice facility and ask if they have earned the right to wear the same purple and black after their efforts the last two weeks.

It’s not just a question of whether the locker room can keep its composure. It’s if Ravens are playing hard enough to keep this franchise’s pride.

Smith was one of the few defensive leaders still in the locker room to talk to reporters when the media shuffled in. At least he understands the predicament.

“Especially in the second half, that wasn’t to the standard of ‘Play like a Raven,’” Smith said. “It’s about us chasing that. And, regardless of words, chasing consistency, play in, play out, that’s something we all have to do.”

It’s even more frustrating that this Ravens group showed the ability to compete at that level in the same game.

For one half, Minter’s unit was revved and ready, holding Joe Burrow to 43 yards and no touchdowns on 6-for-12 passing. It was pushing him around in the pocket, hitting the Bengals hard and keeping them off-balance. This energy helped push the Ravens to a 13-0 lead.

But no one in Baltimore is buying the act anymore. Ravens fans have seen enough blown leads to know it’s all about the second half. Next Gen Stats reported that Baltimore’s win probability peaked at 87.5% in the first half after its second field goal — but if I were a betting man, I would have put my house on that 12.5% outlier.

It’s the lack of finishing when the Ravens front gets pressure. It’s the missed tackles. It’s the busted coverages that go for more than they should. Minter isn’t above accountability either, he acknowledged. Burrow and his top-tier receivers were busting holes in the corner of his zone schemes, making his safeties look flat-footed.

The perfect illustration of the letdown was shown in two bookend plays. In the first quarter, Hamilton stuffed Bengals running back Samaje Perine for a loss on third down. In the fourth, he bounced off Perine, who traipsed into the end zone.

Say it out loud — 35 unanswered points! It’s a figure that makes those proud folks in the history of great Ravens defenses shudder. Part of the problem might be that this group doesn’t seem to have a tight connection to that legacy.

Look at some of the sound bites from the veterans of this defense last week. Humphrey joked that it would be better if he didn’t get matched up often with Ja’Marr Chase (and a missed fourth-quarter tackle he had is liable to be a Marlon meme until the end of time). Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time is kind of Humphrey’s hallmark at this point.

When Hendrickson was asked why the team let down in the second half again, he gave an internally focused response: “I go out there with everything I got every play, and the will to win is not out of my lungs. So taking care of my one-eleventh is my job, and elevating other people around me also.”

He may be the best pass rusher the Ravens have, but he’s not the charismatic leader who will rally this locker room. For all the money Baltimore paid him, it has gotten five tackles and two sacks out of the deal so far.

Minter has been in Baltimore before, so he gets the weight of history. But the tone he took after the loss — the second straight game in which his team was scoreless in the second half while allowing double-digit points — didn’t smack of the urgency you’d want to see from a coach who now is behind the rest of the AFC North in his first season. He said the Ravens need to stop riding waves of momentum and keep poise when the game feels like it’s slipping from their grasp.

“We have total control over that, and that’s what we need to understand,” he said.

The Ravens also have control of their pride. They can play defense with the passion of history behind them, with the shadows of Lewis, Reed and Suggs burnishing their resolve instead of weighing them down. If they can connect to a sense that they’re not just playing for themselves but for Baltimore’s legacy, I think we’ll see a higher level of execution.

Right now, there’s only one impression this group is leaving on Ravens history:

A stain.

Maryland State Police said one of the two men allegedly involved reported that the driver of a black BMW cut in front of him on the outer loop of Interstate 495 near Colesville Road and slammed on the brakes.

Both drivers pulled over and an altercation followed, according to state police.

Troopers from the Rockville barrack received a call about the incident shortly before 8:30 a.m., police said.

ICE confirmed that an off-duty agent was involved and said the agent was pepper-sprayed by a motorist. The agency referred questions about the confrontation to state police, who are leading the investigation.

In a statement, ICE said its employees are expected to uphold the law and meet high standards of professionalism, integrity and ethical conduct.

No arrests have been made, state police said. Troopers assigned to the agency’s Highway Gun Crimes Initiative are working with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Montgomery County Police said state police handled the incident and referred questions to that agency.

From M&T Bank Stadium, “Banner Ravens Podcast” co-hosts Paul Mancano and Jonas Shaffer break down a disheartening 35-13 loss to the Bengals.

The incident happened in late September after a worker mistakenly uploaded a spreadsheet with patient information to an unnamed third-party platform that was not approved by the hospital for that use, a Johns Hopkins news release said.

“Johns Hopkins is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of its patients’ information and is taking this incident very seriously,” the release said. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this may have caused.”

The breach — which impacted the data of 3,182 patients who visited the center from May through September — was discovered during an internal review the same day, and the hospital has started informing those affected.

The sheet contained information about patients’ providers, admission dates, treatment, medications, account numbers and medical records numbers.

It did not have patients’ Social Security numbers, financial accounts or other identifying information, the release said.

After discovering the data breach, administrators began an investigation and worked to address the problem by making the employee remove the prompt, thread and document they put into the AI tool. Johns Hopkins said it reached out to the tool’s parent company, requesting it delete and correct the mistake.

It’s unclear if the employee responsible for the incident will face consequences, but the hospital system said it is reinforcing policy and training on authorized and unapproved tools.

Patients impacted did not begin learning about the misstep until last week, after Johns Hopkins concluded its internal review and began mailing letters to notify them.

Patients who faced information exposure were advised to enroll in 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring. The center also set up a call center to answer questions. That hotline can be reached at 1-833-931-7766.

The funeral at Open Bible Church ended just before 1:45 p.m., when a large group of people poured out onto the steps of the front entrance on the 3200 block of West Overlea Avenue.

Within minutes, the event spiraled into chaos, with dozens of people yelling on the church steps as gunshots cut through the air. Baltimore Police said officers found a 25-year-old man who had been shot and medics took him to a hospital.

The man’s condition and what led to the mayhem are unclear. Authorities’ investigation is ongoing.

Kevin English, pastor of Open Bible Church, said the service was not run through his organization. The hall of worship was rented to a family for the funeral. He was not there at the time of the shooting but arrived shortly after to find out what happened.

Neighbors recounted being drawn outside by what they described as a commotion.

Here’s the moment when all hell broke loose sending people running and screaming in different directions. pic.twitter.com/dL8s22jsc4

— Shayla Colon (@saacolon) October 25, 2026

Steve Stout said he stepped onto his porch when he saw what felt like 100 people congregating on the street yelling before they started pushing one another.

“Then we hear pop, pop, pop,” he said. “It sounded like gunshots.”

Seconds later, he said, a woman in distress walked briskly past hollering that she had just seen a man get shot.

Video footage from cameras in the neighborhood showed how the situation devolved within minutes. Once gunfire erupted, several people were seen running to the corner to aid the victim.

Some stuck around, pacing in a panic, while others ran away from the scene, cutting through nearby yards.

Timothy Scruggs, who lives across from the church, was in his driveway changing the oil in his pickup truck with his Shar Pei, Daisy, when the shots rang out. He called the dog inside and ran toward his backyard.

That’s when Scruggs said a man carrying a gun with what looked like an extended magazine on it came barreling toward him, trying to run through his yard.

“Get the f-- out of here. I’m not having any of this,” Scruggs said he yelled at the man before running inside to get his own pistol.

Footage that Scruggs shared with The Banner showed the moment when the man, holding what appears to be a gun in his right hand and wearing a light-colored shirt and dark pants, ran past his home toward the back of the church by Rosemont Avenue.

After police had taken control of the scene, some people slowly began to disperse while others stayed behind. Residents returning home from soccer games and errands arrived to taped-off streets and police moving up and down the area. Some weren’t immediately able to get back into their homes and had to go around the block to access them.

But by Sunday morning the neighborhood had returned to its normal quietness. The manic sounds of the previous day had been replaced with the hum of birds, ringing church bells and music from Open Bible Church.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Northeast District detectives at 410-396-2444 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.

The shooting happened around 12:45 a.m. at the bar inside Crackpot Seafood Restaurant in the 8100 block of Loch Raven Boulevard. A woman also was injured, according to Baltimore County Police.

A physical altercation broke out inside the bar, and a man pulled out a knife, police said. An armed security guard working at the bar fired a handgun, striking the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman who was inside the bar also was injured and is being treated at a hospital, police said.

The security guard remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. Police said the incident was isolated and there was no danger to the public.

The investigation is ongoing.

It was business as usual late Sunday morning for many at the strip mall where the restaurant is located as people flowed to and from the parking lot to nearby stores for groceries and shopping.

A man working in the smoke shop a couple of doors down said he heard an ambulance pull into the plaza around 1:20 a.m. but didn’t look outside to see what was going on.

It wasn’t until he left the store around 2 a.m. that he saw police cars in front of the Crackpot and people standing inside a taped-off perimeter.

This article has been updated.

Over his nine months as Ravens coach, Jesse Minter has often said there is no substitute for Lamar Jackson.

“There’s nobody I’d rather have as the quarterback of this team, this franchise,” he said in June.

Especially now. Especially with one of the NFL’s toughest stretches bearing down on them. But, with a high-ankle sprain sidelining Jackson for a third straight weekend, the Ravens (4-2) will again be without the league’s two-time Most Valuable Player for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) — and perhaps longer.

“I think having [Jackson] in there is a big deal,” rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane said Wednesday. “But, at the same time, we all want to win, and that’s with or without Lamar.”

The Ravens will need to be at their best over the season’s middle third. Their best, as Minter likes to say, has never been more needed. Five of their next six opponents — the Bengals, Buffalo Bills (Week 8), Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 9), Carolina Panthers (Week 11) and Houston Texans (Week 12) — are rated among the NFL’s nine best teams, according to FTN.

As the Ravens look to avoid their second-ever 0-2 start in AFC North play, here’s what to watch in their Week 7 matchup in Baltimore. All stats are courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, Pro Football Focus and the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, unless otherwise noted.

1. Jackson arrived in Baltimore in 2018. Joe Burrow arrived in Cincinnati in 2020. Over their six seasons together in the AFC North, they’ve added a handful of classic games to Ravens-Bengals lore. Just not as many as their stature might suggest.

Health has been the quarterbacks’ biggest hurdles. In the teams’ 13 meetings since 2020, including the playoffs, both Jackson and Burrow have started and finished just eight games. Here’s how injuries have gotten in the way:

• 2020: Burrow missed their second meeting while recovering from a season-ending knee injury.
• 2021: Jackson missed their second meeting while recovering from a season-ending ankle injury.
• 2022: Jackson missed their second regular-season meeting and their playoff matchup while recovering from a season-ending knee injury.
• 2023: Both quarterbacks started both games, but Burrow was knocked out of their second meeting with a season-ending wrist injury.

Jackson’s absence Sunday will mark the sixth game without both stars on the field.

2. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence has fortified the middle of the Bengals’ run defense. But the 350-pound behemoth hasn’t kept teams from running away from him.

Cincinnati leads the NFL in stuff rate on inside runs, stopping ball carriers at or behind the line of scrimmage on 28.3% of their attempts between the tackles. On outside runs, the Bengals’ stuff rate is a respectable 23.1%, good for 10th in the league — but opponents are still going more boom than bust. Cincinnati has allowed a league-worst 6.7 yards per carry on those outside runs, hampered by poor linebacker play and open-field tackling.

“When you look at teams being able to run up the middle, specifically, where he [Lawrence] obviously plays, he’s had a major impact,” Minter said Wednesday. “He’s had an impact as a pass rusher as well and played really well. I think there’s just ways you have to try to make him play different things, move him around and get him going different directions.”

The Ravens will test the edges Sunday. They’re second in the NFL in rushing yards on outside runs (399) and fourth in rushing average (6.3 yards), thriving with a mix of designed carries — most notably, outside-zone handoffs and end-arounds — and quarterback scrambles.

3. The Ravens didn’t have to worry about Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins last season. His concussion-related absences should’ve made stopping Ja’Marr Chase easier. They didn’t.

The All-Pro wideout had seven catches for 110 yards in a Week 13 win in Baltimore, then 10 catches for 132 yards in a Week 15 loss in Cincinnati. Those were just another day’s work for Chase. His 120.4 receiving yards per game against the Ravens are the most by any player against any opponent that they’ve have faced at least 10 times in NFL history.

“It’d be cool if I didn’t match up with him so much,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who’s often borne the brunt of Chase’s dominance, joked Thursday. “But he’s obviously one of the best in the game. Tee is right up there with him in the top 10 in this league. You know there will be plays made.”

Chase and Higgins have combined for just one 100-yard game this season. Their 712 total receiving yards rank only 12th among NFL receiver duos. But Burrow and the Bengals’ passing game have more than held their own. Despite a challenging early-season schedule, Cincinnati ranks seventh in both overall efficiency and success rate.

4. Outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson, a four-time Pro Bowl selection in five years with the Bengals, doesn’t want Sunday’s game to be about him.

“As a Christian, I forgive and, obviously, I move on,” Hendrickson said Thursday, the closest he’s come in Baltimore to acknowledging his unhappiness with Cincinnati’s reluctance to sign him to a long-term deal. “There were wonderful times that I had there. … There will be a time to reflect and all that stuff, but right now there’s an opponent in front of us.”

And Hendrickson might be the Ravens’ best hope of stopping Cincinnati. Or at least disrupting its star quarterback.

Burrow has averaged 2.57 seconds from snap to throw this season, the third-quickest time in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks. He’s thrown a pass in under 2.5 seconds on a league-high 57.1% of his attempts.

Burrow has been vulnerable against the blitz at times, but the Ravens would prefer to win with their four-man pass rush. And, with Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims nearly unbeatable in pass protection, the Ravens will need Hendrickson to win quickly against left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.

Hendrickson leads the Ravens with eight quick pressures (recorded in under 2.5 seconds) despite missing two games because of a finger injury that has limited him in other weeks. His average time to pressure is 2.75 seconds, a tick slower than his time in each of his three final years in Cincinnati.

5. Starting outside linebacker Tavius Robinson’s season-ending pectoral injury and starting safety Jaylinn Hawkins’ knee injury, which will sideline him Sunday, could have far-reaching effects on Minter’s defense.

Up front, the Ravens will rely more on rookie Zion Young, another hard-nosed, edge-setting presence. Mike Green, Ethan Burke and practice squad member Adisa Isaac could also see more snaps opposite Hendrickson.

Young, a second-round draft pick whom general manager Eric DeCosta considered a first-round talent, acknowledged Friday that he’s needed time adjusting to the speed of the NFL. His power-based pass rush plan made him one of the Southeastern Conference’s best edge rushers last season at Missouri, but Young has just three pressures in 53 pass rush snaps.

“I can be better,” Young said. “Now at this point, if you lean on power, you have to find counter rushes, so that’s the emphasis.”

The Ravens’ contingency plan at safety is less clear. They could move Kyle Hamilton, one of the NFL’s best slot defenders, to more of a full-time role next to Malaki Starks. The Ravens would then need to settle on a replacement nickel back and perhaps a dime back as well. Cornerbacks Keyon Martin and Chandler Rivers have earned snaps inside this season.

If the Ravens prefer to keep Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage, where he’s an impactful blitzer and run defender, Keondre Jackson could step into Hawkins’ role as a deep-lying safety. The special teams standout has played just one career defensive snap, and that came on a New Orleans Saints kneel-down at the end of their Week 2 win in Baltimore.

Safety K’Von Wallace has appeared in just two games this season, earning two defensive snaps and contributing primarily on special teams. But the 29-year-old’s experience (20 career starts) also makes him a candidate to replace Hawkins.

Some believed he lived in the woods at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park. Others thought he might be in the pathway behind the apartments near West Cold Spring Lane, or along the train tracks in Pigtown and Cherry Hill.

He was Baltimore’s boogeyman.

Sightings and lore about the Bunny Man have gripped generations, with various twists on the tale spreading from parts of Northern Virginia and D.C. to Maryland. Some say he was simply folklore, a tall tale to keep children behaving. To others, he was unseen, an ominous man worth fearing.

In Baltimore, stories of the Bunny Man are determined by a person’s age and where they grew up in the city. Today, people can go down more than a dozen TikTok rabbit holes about the Bunny Man. Some commenters rehash how they believe they escaped him at least once.

The way people have shared stories about the Bunny Man is a hallmark of folklore and how society tries to understand scary things, experts said.

“Life is so confusing. You make stories to make sense of it because that seems to give you some control,” said Mike Olmert, who taught in the Department of English at the University of Maryland, College Park for over 30 years.

The origins of the Bunny Man date back to 1970.

A few weeks before Halloween, an Air Force Academy cadet and his fiancee were sitting in his car across from his uncle’s property in Fairfax County, Virginia. They reported to police that a man who appeared to be wearing a white suit and long bunny ears approached their car, told them they were trespassing and threw a wooden-handled hatchet through the windshield.

Two weeks later, he reappeared, this time confronting a night watchman at a housing development, where he threatened to whack him with an axe. Both encounters were detailed in The Washington Post.

The news of these episodes spread widely, especially among children.

There were so many tales that in 1973, Patricia Johnson, a University of Maryland undergraduate, decided to study them for a folklore class. She questioned Prince George’s County high schoolers about their experiences with the Bunny Man. Johnson wanted to understand the power of this tale.

One student insisted that the Bunny Man chased little kids out of the park. Another heard that he mostly targeted people with the middle name Denise.

There were teenagers who assumed that he was in the woods in Palmer Park in Hyattsville cutting off the heads of animals. One student heard that kids ambushed the Bunny Man with chalkboard erasers in Landover after he allegedly entered school grounds.

Maybe a commenter on TikTok summed it up best: “The Bunny Man was everywhere, but nowhere at all.”

Of Johnson’s more than 40 interviews preserved in the Maryland Folklore collection, no two stories are the same. While some wrote him off as “a harmless creature harassed by society for no reason,” others recounted stories of him damaging property, hurting people and, in some instances, killing them, according to her findings.

In some cases, Johnson found that entire families changed habits and personal routines to avoid the Bunny Man.

They stayed in the house. They steered clear of sidewalks with clusters of bushes and trees. And older siblings were recruited to walk the littlest ones to and from church.

One local man, Reggie Graves, and his friends used to cut through the woods in Hanlon Park to get home from the former William H. Lemmel Middle School in the late 1980s. Graves and other middle schoolers in West Baltimore were already warned by older kids not to travel through the woods, especially when alone, because of the Bunny Man. One day, they spotted a man in the woods. Assuming it was him, they threw rocks and sticks at him. When he turned to chase them, they bolted out of the woods.

“We thought we had escaped the Bunny Man,” said Graves, now 52.

In the 1990s, Dominique Bagley and her friends would sometimes inch toward a certain tree line near the Bocek Recreation Center in East Baltimore. They heard from teens that the Bunny Man lurked there. Curiosity tempted them, but the moment anyone heard a rustle or crack among the trees, they scattered and ran.

“That part of the park was just forbidden,” said Bagley, 40.

In the 2000s, Terrod Roberts, 34, remembers running around Pigtown streets when he was as young as 5 years old. But by first grade, kids in the neighborhood started talking about the Bunny Man. It was said that he lived in the woods at Carroll Park. Roberts would only ever travel that way with bigger kids.

Though they came up in different generations, Graves, Bagley and Roberts all heard tales that took the story to a scarier level: that the Bunny Man molested, raped or even killed.

That thread of perversion may have been related to attacks and murders that occurred in West Baltimore in April 1968.

Over the span of about a week, police investigated two disturbing crimes. First, four boys were lured into the woods by a man who beat and molested them. Around the same time, four other boys disappeared entirely.

After a stakeout at Leakin Park, police arrested Reginald Oates, who was wandering there.

That’s when police started to find the bodies.

Several of the murder victims, ranging in age from 5 to 10, were sexually mutilated, according to The Baltimore Sun. Oates was carrying a paper bag containing parts of the victims’ bodies when he was arrested, according to reports.

Oates, who was 18 at the time, was found incompetent to stand trial and sent to Clifton T. Perkins State Hospital. According to the Maryland Department of Health, he is still under the care and custody of the state today.

To some growing up in West Baltimore at that time, the case and the Bunny Man became synonymous. In other parts of Baltimore, people had no clue about Oates or what he did.

In the last few decades, though, the Bunny Man’s sinister image has lost some of its power. People report that they started playing games, pretending random bystanders were the Bunny Man. The “Bunny Man Bridge” in Clifton, Virginia, near where he allegedly first appeared, has become a spot for curiosity seekers.

And when asked about him, the new generation of young people is confused.

They’ve never even heard of the Bunny Man.

The last several months have brought no shortage of great dining spots to the area. Here’s your guide to where to visit next.

Genki Wagyu Shabu House

870 Festival St., Rockville

There are almost too many good options on the menu at Genki Wagyu Shabu House, which offers all-you-can-eat Wagyu Japanese hot pot, sushi and more. Guests choose from one of three tiers on the menu: silver ($58 per person), gold ($78) and diamond ($98), which offer differing numbers of appetizers, seafood and qualities of Wagyu cuts. Silver sticks to American Wagyu, gold offers Australian Wagyu and diamond includes indulgent Japanese Wagyu. All cuts are great, but once you try the Japanese Wagyu, it’s hard to go back. Red latticework and faux roofs transport diners to a lantern-lit Japanese street. One note: Certain tables next to server and self-serve stations can get a little cramped.

Agora

1 Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda

D.C. and Virginia restaurant Agora brings its upscale Eastern Mediterranean food to Bethesda, now connected to the Hyatt Regency. Highlights include an extensive list of inventive beverages (the house-made honey-thyme foam on the Karpuz mocktail, in particular), a lemony grilled branzino and a cheesy, spicy sucuklu pide flatbread with Turkish beef sausage and pesto.

Sense of Thai

5314 Zenith Overlook, Bethesda

Virginia favorite Sense of Thai arrives in Maryland, bringing its southern Thai flavors courtesy of executive chef and cofounder Porntipa Pattanamekar to a swanky restaurant in the new Westbard Square development. Name your favorite Thai dish — it’s expertly done here, including a creamy, nutty tofu panang curry, fragrant, basil-y ka pow fried rice and a decadent Chumphon pad thai with shrimp and jumbo lump crab. And don’t skip the desserts: The classic mango sticky rice, Thai tea crème brûlée and waffle with mango ice cream were all must-orders.

The Crab Trap

15211 Frederick Road, Rockville

The Crab Trap food truck offers perhaps the best meal you’ll ever eat in your car. Stationed in a crowded Exxon parking lot, chef and owner Matt Biscoe’s menu consists of jumbo lump Maryland crab cakes (a bit pricy for a food truck at $29, but up there with some of the best in the county), crab hush puppies (featuring extra crispy, sweet batter dunked in an Old Bay mayo), ears of street corn (sweet, salty, smoky and a little awkward to eat in the driver’s seat) and banana pudding (layers of silky pudding, vanilla wafers and brûléed banana slices).

Kitchen Social

203 Crown Park Ave., Gaithersburg

Ohio-based restaurant Kitchen Social makes its Maryland debut in Downtown Crown with elevated American comfort food that won’t burn quite as much of a hole in your wallet as some of its counterparts. Craft cocktails are strong and mocktails are carefully curated. The cheddar and scallion biscuits are a nonnegotiable starter, and it’s tough to go wrong amid the pizza, taco, sandwich and other entree options. (The pimento cheese burger and miso salmon were standouts, though.) Five drinks, one appetizer, four entrees and two desserts wound up costing $155 — which easily could have been $250 at similar restaurants in the area.

Bogotá Coffee House

115 N. Washington St., Rockville

Your new favorite remote working spot has arrived in downtown Rockville courtesy of Colombian shop Bogotá Coffee House. Husband and wife owners Carlos Eduardo Isaza and Marcela Serpa serve up coffee — including a lactose-free milk option — along with a flaky pastel de pollo (a Colombian-style puff pastry stuffed with shredded chicken), pandebono (yucca-based cheese bread) and almojábana (corn-based cheese bread) served in waffle form, topped with savory or sweet ingredients.

Project Suya

8777 First Ave. B, Silver Spring

Prince George’s County-based West African fast-casual spot Project Suya has arrived in Montgomery County, bringing heaping portions of suya (thinly sliced, smoky grilled meat), jollof rice, fried plantains and sweet hibiscus zobo drink.

Beer Trade Co. Cafe & Lounge

6860 Olney Laytonsville Road, Unit 1, Laytonsville

Originally conceptualized in Maryland, founder Chris Sanchez first opened Beer Trade in Florida more than a decade ago before returning home to Montgomery County. The “grab a beer and chill” motto is apt — customers take their pick from a wall of refrigerated and on-tap beers, including several nonalcoholic options, before grabbing Candy Land or Trouble from a stack of board games and sitting down inside or on the covered patio. Order menu items like buffalo wings and cheeseburgers with Old Bay fries from your server, and bring all your empty cans to the counter to pay when you’re finished.

Popup Bagels

7607 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda

The viral bagel chain known for its “grip, rip and dip” method opened its first Maryland location in Bethesda, with plans to continue expanding throughout the DMV. It’s a social media-tailored experience with an unorthodox but workable eating method — and not a sliced bagel sandwich to be found on the menu. Freshly-baked bagels with great sheen and a pleasing chew make PopUp a worthy addition to Bethesda’s high-standard bagel scene, and the chain’s inventive rotating cast of limited-edition schmears (this week’s specials include a chocolate chip pumpkin cream cheese and pumpkin butter) will bring me back.

Teas’n You

838 Rockville Pike Unit C, Rockville

A Tysons staple for almost a decade, Asian fusion cafe Teas’n You has expanded to Rockville with a sleek, Instagram-worthy design and beautiful, tasty treats to match. The bright purple ube tres leches box cake sells out early for a good reason, but a variety of eye-catching pastries, including pink strawberry cupcakes, blue Cookie Monster cookies and lime green pandan-filled doughnuts, are worth an order, too. In a savory mood? The cafe also offers crispy halal basil popcorn chicken and Taiwanese chicken sandwiches.

Wushiland

12266 Rockville Pike, Unit E, Rockville

Wushiland, a popular Taiwanese boba chain, has opened its first DMV location. The cafe offers an extensive menu of boba milk teas, macchiatos and fresh fruit teas. There are no food options, but the drinks, featuring quality tea and chewy mini or regular boba pearls, are plenty tasty enough to land Wushiland high on the list of Rockville’s ever-growing boba empire.

Shotted Coffee

7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda

Just off Montgomery Mall’s food court, the Virginia-founded, Saudi-inspired coffee chain lands its first Montgomery County location and second in Maryland. Beverage highlights include decadent pistachio, caramel and red velvet lattes, plus a fragrant spiced karak chai.

Sushi Masato

4914 Hampden Lane, Bethesda

A sleek dining room in the Shoppes of Bethesda center is now home to a family-owned Japanese restaurant with carefully curated omakase tasting menus and a la carte sushi options. Don’t skip dessert, including soft-serve and a delicate, creamy mango passionfruit crepe cake by pastry chef Amy Yu. The couple also plans to open The One Cake bakery next door soon with even more sweet options.

Annabel Lee Tavern

• 602 S. Clinton St.

If the Edgar Allan Poe memorabilia adorning the walls of Annabel Lee Tavern doesn’t get you in the mood for the season, this Canton mainstay’s newly released fall cocktail menu is sure to do the trick. Don’t miss the Goldbug: a hot, comforting concoction of spiced-rum-spiked apple cider with a showstopping, generous float of melted brown sugar butter. The drink goes down like liquid apple pie, while whiffs of sliced lemon and clove garnishes balance the sweeter flavors. As the weather begins to chill, this mug might become my new favorite way to warm up.

Mama Koko’s

• 100 E. 23rd St.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, the lights at Mama Koko’s dim, the candles are lit, and this Barclay cafe turns into a full-service restaurant and craft cocktail bar. It’s during evening service that you can order the Ghost Ride, featuring cognac and whiskey, cardamom orgeat, lime and Angostura bitters. Although the cocktail boasts a hefty 20.2% ABV according to the menu, it is a remarkably easy sipper, with cardamom and citrus flavors tasting perfumy rather than punchy. The best part? It comes clarified, making it just as translucent as a ghost. Points for adherence to theme.

Dutch Courage

• 2229 N. Charles St.

Just a couple of footsteps away from Mama Koko’s, Dutch Courage is slinging drinks from its just-dropped fall cocktail menu. The Simmering Orchard is a love letter to the Fuyu persimmon, a Japanese cultivar of the seasonal fruit that is particularly firm in texture with a mild, sweet flavor. A shrub made with persimmon and honey meets dry gin, calvados liqueur, lemon and tiki bitters for a drink that remains breezy, even with all of its complexities. Pro tip: alternate sips of this cocktail with small nibbles of its pickled persimmon garnish.

Southpaw

• 529 S. Bond St.

Southpaw’s critically acclaimed proprietor Doug Atwell tells me that, last year, guests begged to keep one particular seasonal cocktail on the menu long after the fall had ended: the Death Rattle. This year, it’s back with a vengeance, and we’re all better for it. The warming powers of mezcal and Szechuan amaro will hit you first, and fruity flavors of peach and lemon make for a lighter finish. This is the ideal order for bar-goers who are easing their way into the season, or for those looking for a vestige of brightness, and some serious spirit strength, as the days get darker.

Sugarvale

• 4 W. Madison St.

In Mount Vernon, Sugarvale is putting an autumnal twist on the ever-popular espresso martini. The Jackie-O starts with luxurious brown-butter-washed bourbon, which is then shaken with cold brew, cocoa-coffee liqueur, pecan pie orgeat and Angostura bitters. Buttery bourbon and strong coffee flavors are harmonious — who would have guessed? — and an already-nutty orgeat is fortified by the pecan. Espresso cocktails can fall anywhere on a vast spectrum of sweetness, and it’s hard to know if you’ll wind up with something that drinks like a boozy black coffee or a spiked frappuccino. This one leans on the bitter side, with just enough sweetness to get you reaching for another sip.

The Wurst

• 18 E. Cross St.

Head to the upper level of Crossbar Der Biergarten and slide open the door of what appears to be a walk-in fridge to find low-lit speakeasy The Wurst. New to its menu this season is the Fall Blossom, which, despite its robust, chest-burning flavor, is based in gin. Spiced simple syrup is undoubtedly a contributor to its toasty flavors, as are sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters. For those who gravitate toward simple, well-executed classic cocktails over those with more bells and whistles, this might be your gateway into falltime revelry.

The Bluebird Cocktail Room

• 3602 Hickory Ave.

At this swanky upper-level cocktail bar in Hampden, the Squash Sidecar reminds us that fall comforts don’t always have to feel familiar. This juicy drink is fashioned with apple brandy and local squash, sweetened with honey, and punched up with lemon and ginger. The result is undoubtedly a seasonal cocktail, but one with a tartness and vegetal quality that keeps it far lighter on the palate than many of the others on this list. It’s not the drink you should order to warm yourself up on a windy day, but if you’re hoping to experience seasonal ingredients at their finest, look no further.

Pink Flamingo

• 300 W. 30th St.

There is no shortage of pumpkin spiced coffee and tea drinks available to enjoy across Baltimore this season, but Remington’s Pink Flamingo is literally shaking things up with a spirited equivalent. The bourbon-based Miss Kalabaza, which includes spiced pumpkin on its long ingredient list, is made fragrant with chicory liqueur, allspice dram, ginger bitters and orange peel. Its flavor is strikingly similar to that of a pumpkin pie spice mix, but, unlike your standard autumnal cafe drink, it does not need to be served hot. The over-ice cocktail has more than enough bourbon to keep you cozy.

Jane Godiner is an award-winning food writer whose work has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, The Maryland Daily Record, Washingtonian, Arlington Magazine, The Post and Courier, TASTE and Chowhound.

Kyshawn George had 22 points and nine rebounds for Washington in the opener of a three-game road trip. Anthony Davis added 19 points, and Justin Champagnie had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

The Wizards played without AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the draft. The 19-year-old Dybantsa is day-to-day with a sprained left ankle, delaying his anticipated NBA debut.

Caleb Wilson had 30 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago in its home opener. It was the first double-double for the No. 4 selection in the draft, but he went 1-for-9 from 3-point range.

Forwards Noa Essengue and Patrick Williams were sidelined for Chicago, which was coming off a 132-125 win at Milwaukee on Friday. Essengue has a head contusion, and Williams is dealing with a groin injury.

The Bulls led by as many as 10 before they were outscored 40-20 in the third quarter. Young had seven points and five assists in the quarter, including a lob to Alex Sarr for a jam that gave the Wizards a 97-80 lead with 34 seconds remaining.

The Bulls went 12-for-43 from 3-point range. They are shooting 23% from deep in three games.

Chicago opened a 60-50 lead on Wilson’s fast-break dunk with 2:02 left in the first half, punctuating a 10-0 run. He grabbed a rebound and scored on a reverse jam with 56 seconds remaining, but Washington’s Tre Johnson made a 3-pointer in the final seconds to make it 62-57 at the break.

Up next

Wizards: At Charlotte on Monday night.

Bulls: At Boston on Monday night.

Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves for the Capitals.

Tuch opened the scoring for Washington when a pass bounced off Tage Thompson’s stick and into his own net. Dylan Strome scored 2:59 into the second period, then once more with 2:36 left in the period.

Tuch was acquired this summer by the Capitals from the Sabres via a sign-and-trade deal. He signed an eight-year, $84 million contract to bolster the Capitals’ offense.

Jack Quinn and Josh Doan scored for Buffalo to put the visitors up by two early. The Capitals turned up the pressure to gain the lead in the second period, only to have Noah Ostlund tie it once again 2:20 into the third period. The game remained tied through the remainder of the third period, despite multiple power play opportunities and scoring chances for both teams.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 30 saves for the Sabres.

The Capitals were coming off a loss to the previously winless Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. And, after a three-day break that allowed them to get Pierre Luc-Dubois and Justin Sourdif back into the forward lines, they looked far more complete against the Sabres.

Buffalo has lost three games in a row and has just three points in its last five games.

Up next

Sabres: At the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday

Capitals: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

The Mean Green had two other scores of over 50 yards via Tayven Jackson’s 53-yard pass to Justin Stevenson for a 42-25 lead in the third quarter and Jahiem White’s 59-yard sprint in the fourth for the game’s final points.

The Mean Green, coming in ranked in the top five nationally in passing, total and scoring offense, were edged in total yardage by Navy 506-477 and were penalized 80 yards to just 5 for the Midshipmen. But the big plays carried North Texas (5-2, 3-0 American) to its fourth straight win.

Stevenson finished with a career-high 209 yards receiving on eight catches with two TDs, including a 45-yard TD for the game’s first points. White had 174 yards rushing on 20 carries with two scores. Jackson was 17-of-23 passing for 305 yards, three TDs and one interception.

Jackson Gutierrez rushed for three touchdowns for Navy (2-5, 1-4), gaining 228 yards on 26 carries. He threw for 156 yards and another touchdown.

Up next

North Texas: Home against Florida Atlantic on Thursday.

Navy: Plays No. 4-ranked Notre Dame at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, next Saturday.

The closure will come after over a century of serving Baltimore County residents in need of flowers, plants and other gardening essentials.

“We have been honored to serve generations of families throughout Dundalk and the surrounding communities,” a Facebook post announcing the store’s closure said. “Your loyalty, friendship, and trust have meant more to us than words can express.”

The post has accumulated hundreds of comments, almost all expressing sadness at the news and recalling fond memories of what the store meant to its customers.

It’s the second family-owned business in Dundalk that’s stood for over 100 years to close this year. Herman’s Bakery closed in March after 103 years.

Sandy Sparks, 60, has lived in Dundalk her whole life. She stopped by Saturday, wanting to patronize the business where she’s shopped frequently while she still had the chance.

“I missed out on going to a couple of the other family-owned businesses at the last part of their time being open,” said Sparks, who used to work at Herman’s. “I didn’t want to miss out on coming here at least one more time.”

She was part of a steady trickle of customers Saturday afternoon. The store, on German Hill Road, was quiet but never empty.

The shelves still held colorful bouquets, but the big open indoor space was largely empty. The greenhouse in the back was bare. One man confirmed when the store would officially close with an employee.

Dundalk Florist was a go-to for Sparks for special occasions. She picked up flowers for friends in the hospital or for the spring alongside her mother.

“It will be an inconvenience to go to the bigger stores,” Sparks said. “I prefer to spend my money at a family-owned business, rather than a big chain store.”

For Dana Stahovic, it was her first job. Starting at age 16, Stahovic worked in the store for two years with her mother.

“Working at a florist exposes you to all the feelings, from happiness to sadness to love,” Stahovic told The Banner.

The closure is bittersweet, she said. Although she’s sad to see the store go, she’s happy it thrived for so long.

Staff members at the shop Saturday declined to talk about the closure, and ownership did not immediately return The Banner’s request for comment.

The florist will be running a closeout sale starting Monday, according to a sign in front of the store.

Sparks wonders what will replace it. She hopes it’s a Wawa but would prefer it didn’t change at all.

“It’s sad to see a lot of these places go,” she said.

So Nakase switched things up in the starting lineup, throwing out Prince George’s County native and former Maryland Terrapin Kaila Charles as one of the starting guards, along with Tiffany Hayes. Their energy helped get the Valkyries running smoothly again.

The gritty performance from Golden State helped steal a 67-62 win on the road against the Atlanta Dream to tie the Finals at 2-all. Their defense hassled the Dream for 18 turnovers, frustrated Atlanta star Angel Reese into a 2-for-12 shooting performance and managed to hold off a final rally in a loud, hostile arena.

It wasn’t special, the Valkyries insisted. It was just getting back to who they are.

“I think we had the energy,” said Charles, who finished with five points and five rebounds. “We punched first, and we kind of dictated. … So, when they were trying to make their run, we didn’t fold, we didn’t put our heads down. We just continued to keep punching and keep punching.”

A series-leveling win was quite the blow for Golden State, a franchise in just its second season of existence. The series now boils down to which team can win two of the next three games — and the Valkyries play Game 5 and a potential Game 7 at Ballhalla, their vaunted home court environment.

Reese, a Baltimore County native who was named a second-team all-league selection Saturday, had sparked the Dream’s efforts in the series with three straight double-doubles, including at least 20 points in the second and third games. But, matched up with Golden State’s Kiah Stokes, Reese struggled profoundly for the first time in the Finals, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds and six turnovers.

Stokes helped shut down league MVP A’ja Wilson in the previous series, and for the first time in the Finals she got a handle on Reese, finishing with three blocks. When Stokes was out of the game, the Valkyries enforced a zone defense scheme that shrank the space around Reese and limited her touches. Atlanta shot 33% from the floor, 17% on 3-pointers and just 22-for-31 on free throws.

Reese blamed herself for her unsightly shooting day.

“I think I rushed a lot of my shots, and I didn’t take my time and finish around the basket like I’ve been doing in the last three games,” she said. “It happens. I’m looking forward to the next game, and I’ll just be better.”

Golden State led by as many at 16 points, carrying a sizable lead into the break. But there were a handful of moments that threatened to put the Dream back in the fight — none more than Rhyne Howard’s three-point play on a contested layup that pulled Atlanta within four points with 28.7 seconds remaining.

But the Valkyries remained just composed enough to hold on for the win, sealing it by forcing two rushed Dream shots and a turnover by Reese.

Charles is not as big a star as Reese, who followed in her footsteps with Prince George’s County’s Team Takeover AAU program and later the University of Maryland. But the 28-year-old guard led the Golden State starting lineup in plus-minus rating, with the Valkyries outscoring the Dream by 14 points in her 29 minutes. Her deflections and hustle plays helped set the tone for Golden State in a critical win.

“What Kaila was doing even early in the Finals was just bringing that energy,” Nakase said. “The best thing was we didn’t even miss a beat. So credit to Kai for stepping up.”

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been ruled out of Sunday’s AFC North showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals, the third straight game he’ll miss because of a high-ankle sprain.

Jackson was limited in his return to practice this week and was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. But he was downgraded Saturday afternoon, 20 hours before the Ravens’ deadline for activating players for Week 7, an indication he wasn’t close to ready in his recovery.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley will make his third straight start for Jackson, who hurt his ankle Oct. 4, in a Week 4 win over the Tennessee Titans. Huntley is 1-1 this season and 6-7 overall as a starter in his Ravens career. The Ravens (4-2) are coming off a 13-10 road loss to the Cleveland Browns in which they set season lows for points and total yards.

Jackson said after practice Friday that he was “headed in the right direction” but acknowledged he had concerns about his pain levels and mobility. High-ankle sprains typically take at least a month to recover from, though Jackson didn’t disclose how severe the sprain was.

“Just trying to move how I move,” said Jackson, one of the NFL’s most efficient quarterbacks in his four appearances this season. “If I can’t do that, I can’t help my team. I can’t put my team in a situation to win. I feel like I’m doing a disservice, if anything.”

Jackson’s absence comes at a costly juncture in this Ravens season. Five of the team’s next six opponents, including the Bengals (3-2), are ranked among the NFL’s nine best teams, according to FTN.

After Sunday, the Ravens will turn their focus to preparing Jackson for a potential Week 8 return against the Buffalo Bills.

“One thing I’ll say about Lamar is ... he’s super competitive and he wants to play,” coach Jesse Minter said Friday. “So, again, it’s going to be a decision based on how he feels, how effective he feels like he can be and how we feel like it looks. So that’s really what we’ll base our decision on.”

Huntley has started against Cincinnati just once in his career, a 2022 wild-card-round playoff loss. With Jackson sidelined by injury, he went 17-for-29 for 226 yards and two touchdowns but threw an interception and had a costly goal-line fumble that the Bengals returned for a touchdown.

He said Friday that he was preparing to play Sunday, regardless of Jackson’s chances of a return. And he knows the offense has to improve.

“We just have to,” Huntley said. “That’s what we are going to have to do to win. That’s what’s required, so we have to.”

Note

The Ravens placed outside linebacker Tavius Robinson on injured reserve after he suffered a season-ending pectoral injury Sunday in Cleveland. Practice squad offensive lineman Kyle Hergel was signed to the 53-man roster, while practice squad outside linebacker Adisa Isaac was elevated for Sunday’s game. The former third-round pick hasn’t played in a game since December 2024.

This article has been updated.

The best-of-seven series moves back to California on Monday for Game 5.

The Valkyries stymied Atlanta star Angel Reese, holding her to eight points. The Baltimore County native had dominated the previous two games, averaging 25.5 points and 14 rebounds in Dream victories. Reese struggled in Game 4, missing 10 of 12 shots, including a few layups in the fourth quarter, after having double-doubles in each of the first three games.

Tiffany Hayes was moved into the starting lineup Saturday and scored all of her 13 points in the second half as the Valkyries got their first victory since Game 1.

“We just had to have more fight, more grit and get back to us,” Hayes said in a TV interview after the game. “We still made a few mistakes, but at the end of the day we played hard and we came out with the win.”

Atlanta trimmed a 16-point halftime deficit to 61-55 midway through the fourth quarter, bringing fans in the sellout crowd of over 17,000 to their feet. Golden State answered with a 3-pointer by Veronica Burton to briefly silence them.

The Dream then scored seven of the next nine points, including a three-point play by Rhyne Howard with 28 seconds left to get within four at 66-62.

Burton then made the first of two free throws a second later ,and Atlanta couldn’t convert on the other end.

Howard finished with 19 points for Atlanta, which shot just 33.3% overall and 4-for-23 from 3-point range.

Golden State players had said between the 26-point Game 3 loss and Game 4 that they were confident they could win Saturday and just needed to be more physical and play harder. They showed that grit on both ends of the court.

Led by Kiah Stokes on defense, they challenged Atlanta shots and limited the Dream to few second-chance opportunities. Stokes finished with three blocks and now has a WNBA Finals record of 14 in the four games, surpassing the 12 by Brittney Griner and Sylvia Fowles.

On offense, they limited turnovers, which had led to easy points for Atlanta in its two victories. The Valkyries also crashed the offensive boards, rebounding their own misses to give themselves more chances to score. Stokes had eight offensive rebounds of her 16 total.

Coach Natalie Nakase also made a change in the starting lineup, Hayes and Kaila Charles for Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini. Although the Valkyries got off to a slow start again in the early-afternoon tipoff, with the Atlanta Hawks playing their home opener at night, when Thornton and Zandalasini entered the game they paid immediate dividends.

The two helped a key first-quarter run that gave Golden State its first lead since the third quarter of Game 2. Atlanta got within four at 24-20 on Reese’s basket — her lone one of the first half — but the Valkyries responded with an 18-6 run to close the half.

The 42-26 deficit at the break was the largest the Dream had faced all playoffs.

Atlanta had dominated the third quarter in the WNBA Finals, outscoring Golden State 60-35 in the first three games. The Valkyries wouldn’t let them do that in Game 4.

Members of the Hagerstown Fire Department arrived at an apartment in the unit block of Randolph Avenue around 4:50 p.m. when they encountered the man inside and requested police assistance, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

When officers set up a perimeter, the man ran out of the house toward them. Officers gave verbal commands and deployed Tasers before firing their service weapons, officials said.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two knives were recovered at the scene, officials said. No officers were injured.

The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division reviews fatal shootings involving police. The officers were wearing body cameras, and the office generally releases footage within 20 business days of an incident.

The office will release the names of the man and the officers involved within two business days, though that timeline can be extended.

A crowd of 15 to 20 protesters rallied outside the department’s downtown headquarters to mark a National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. It was among protests held in cities around the country, including Newark, Albuquerque and Minneapolis. The protest was peaceful until a few protesters began banging on the windows and door of the Bishop L. Robinson Sr. Police Administration Building, according to police.

At that point, additional officers responded, police said. At least one officer deployed mace, and two protesters were taken into custody. A large police presence, including multiple vehicles with flashing lights, remained as the rest of the group left.

Two people were charged with assault, disorderly conduct, failure to obey police and resisting/interfering with arrest, police said.

Police said they were aware of the demonstration in advance. It was promoted on social media by Justice for Donnell Rochester, an Instagram account run by the family of an 18-year-old who was shot and killed by Baltimore Police after a traffic stop in 2022.

Rochester’s mother, Danielle Brown, wasn’t able to attend the protest, despite remaining active in organizing protest efforts around her son’s death.

City officials in January 2023 declined to press charges against the officers who fired at Rochester, saying they acted in self-defense after he drove in the direction of an officer. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division released a lengthy report the same month, noting that the officer had been trained to avoid getting in the path of a vehicle and that it’s almost never effective to shoot at a moving car.

Banner reporter Darreonna Davis contributed to this story.

This article has been updated.

Prince George’s County Police responded to the scene around 11:30 p.m. and pronounced the woman dead, according to police.

The driver of the striking car remained on the scene and is cooperating with investigators.

The crash occurred on the 8800 block of Greenbelt Road, which is close to the Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center.

Police said additional details will be made available by Monday.

It’s at least the 61st fatal crash in Prince George’s County this year, according to data from Maryland’s Department of Transportation.

Halloween candy sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared to the same period last year, according to NielsenIQ, a market research firm. Nielsen also noted an 11.7% decline in candy sales in mid-September, erasing the preseason gains that Halloween candy enjoyed the previous two years.

Chris Costagli, a vice president and food thought leader at NielsenIQ, said high gas prices have worsened Americans’ concerns about affordability, and that’s dampening demand for Halloween treats. As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. was $4.29, up nearly 40% from the prior year.

“I think what you’re seeing now is a consumer that’s spending so much additional money on fuel and housing and clothing and food,” Costagli said. “Some of the decisions they’re making about Halloween candy, it’s not necessarily because, ‘I notice it’s more expensive than last year,’ it’s, ‘I can’t afford it this year because I’ve paid so much more for so many other things. I just don’t have the financial means to buy it this year.’”

Small bags of candy were the only sizes seeing sales growth through mid-October, Costagli noted. Large and extra-large bags were seeing the biggest declines.

U.S. candy prices have been climbing faster than the rate of inflation for several years. As of September, candy and gum prices were up 44% over a five-year period, according to government data. Prices for all food eaten at home rose 22.5% in the same period.

This week, discount grocer Aldi was advertising a 135-piece variety pack of Mars Inc. chocolate bars – including Milky Way, Trix and Snickers – for $19.87. That’s almost the same price consumers paid for a 250-piece variety pack five years ago.

Cocoa prices are the main culprit. Global cocoa prices reached a record high of $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025 because of poor weather in West Africa – which supplies 70% of the world’s chocolate – and speculative trading in the cocoa futures market, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cocoa prices had been falling steadily since then, and hit $3,241 per metric ton in March. But they began climbing again in the spring as the Iran war disrupted Africa’s fertilizer supplies. The El Niño weather pattern is also expected to hurt production, with hot, dry conditions expected through February.

But Costagli noted that even in cases where prices are lower than last year, consumer demand is muted. The average price of non-chocolate Halloween candies, like gummies and lollipops, was $6.08 per pound in the nine weeks ending Oct. 17, which was about 3% lower than last year, according to Nielsen data. But that didn’t lead to a bump in sales.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, a global executive vice president and food industry adviser for the market research company Circana, said one way U.S. consumers have been handling higher grocery prices is by making smaller and more frequent trips to the supermarket and buying products right before they intend to use them. That makes her wonder if shoppers are waiting until closer to Halloween to buy candy this year.

“People are very intentional and thoughtful about what they want to consume, not just for holidays, but in general,” she said. “I do believe we will still see softness overall with candy, but I don’t think Halloween is doomed.”

The National Confectioners Association, a trade group that represents candy makers like Mars, Smarties Candy Co. and Ferrara Candy Co., said it remains optimistic about Halloween sales.

“We are just now entering the peak period for Halloween and consumer enthusiasm remains incredibly strong,” the group said Friday in a statement.

“Financial scams are on the rise, and older residents are afraid to pick up a call or open an email to avoid being a victim,” the bill’s sponsor, council member Kate Stewart, said in a Tuesday press release.

In February, an investigation by police departments across the state revealed that Marylanders have lost more than $6 million to call center schemes, in which scammers convince victims to give up their money through bank and wire transfers, cryptocurrency exchanges or gold bars.

The law, named the Financial Exploitation Protection Act, prohibits the use of deception, intimidation or undue influence to obtain money, property or services from an individual who is at least 68 years old or a vulnerable adult. It also defines the term “vulnerable adult” as an adult who lacks the physical or mental capacity to provide for their daily needs.

Scams are already illegal in the county. But the new law empowers the county’s Office of Consumer Protection to operate a voluntary mediation program to help scam victims recover losses.

The legislation is supported by SEEC, a local organization supporting adults with disabilities.

“We believe that people with disabilities have the right to live lives of their choosing in their community, directing their decisions with independence and authority,” said Karen Lee, CEO of SEEC. “We also recognize that those with [intellectual and developmental] disabilities are more likely to fall victim to financial abuse.”

Inspector general report finds issues at recreation department

The county Office of the Inspector General found deficiencies in the Department of Recreation’s background check practices and financial controls during a recent audit.

According to the report, the inspector general’s office found that the department paid more than $5.8 million in invoices without adequate supporting documentation and violated the county’s purchasing card policy.

The OIG also discovered that the department has not implemented formal policies and procedures for conducting criminal background investigations, despite legal requirements and earlier OIG recommendations.

In response to the findings, the county’s Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno said the county will ensure that the department addresses these issues.

Kisha Davis named president of American Academy of Family Physicians

Dr. Kisha Davis, Montgomery County’s chief health officer, was named president of American Academy of Family Physicians on Wednesday. In the role, Davis will represent 124,500 family physicians, residents and medical students nationwide, according to the organization’s press release.

“I’ve always valued having a foot in both the policy and clinical worlds,” Davis said. “Everyone deserves a family physician — someone who knows about diabetes and depression, the medical history and the story behind it.”

As Montgomery County’s chief health officer since 2022, Davis has led public health initiatives and helped inform county officials on health issues.

But serious questions are emerging about the accuracy of her story.

Her husband filed for an annulment this month, accusing her of fabricating a cancer diagnosis.

A podcast that dropped this week alleges that Thomas, a 34-year-old Howard County resident known as Lexi, created an elaborate ruse to convince her family, friends and many supporters that she was undergoing experimental treatments.

Gavin Hannan alleges that he learned last year that his wife “did not, and never did, have cancer,” according to the annulment filing. “The doctors that Defendant [Thomas] claimed had saved her life, and treated her for years, have no record of her ever being a patient.”

Hannan first learned of the allegations against his wife in August 2025 when he was contacted by an investigative reporter, according to court documents.

That reporter, Nancy Moscatiello, is the co-creator of a podcast about Thomas, “The Lexi Con,” which released its first episodes Monday. Moscatiello and collaborator Scott Eldridge also created “Scamanda,” a podcast and documentary delving into allegations that a West Coast woman faked cancer.

Howard County Police spokesperson Lori Boone said in an email that police were aware of the allegations against Thomas and were “looking into them.”

Thomas did not immediately reply to an email sent to the address on her social media page or to a phone message left at her parents’ home. No attorney is listed for her in court records. Hannan also did not reply to a request for comment directed to his attorneys.

In a phone interview, Moscatiello and Eldridge said they spent three years investigating Thomas’ case. A tipster contacted them about Thomas after the release of “Scamanda.”

“It’s a story of betrayal. It goes deep into a marriage, into a family,” Eldridge said of the allegations against Thomas.

The podcast creators said they made many attempts to contact Thomas but never received a reply. People who identify themselves as Thomas’ sister, brother-in-law and former friends allege years of deception in the podcast’s first two episodes.

Moscatiello said they anticipate releasing at least five more podcast episodes, as well as several debriefings, and continue to receive new tips about Thomas.

“The trail of destruction is far deeper than anyone realizes,” she said.

In a blog and social media posts, Thomas chronicled a yearslong battle with cancer, detailing the uncertainty and anxiety of dealing with cancer as a young adult. But the podcast alleges that it was a lie.

The annulment filing makes similar allegations.

According to court records, when Thomas and Hannan met in 2017, she said she suffered from a rare blood cancer and was the sole survivor of a clinical trial in which 21 others had died.

Thomas told Hannan she had developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma from the treatment and was taking part in a clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health, the records allege.

She claimed that the clinical trial prevented friends or family from accompanying patients during treatment, according to the filing. Thomas would leave home for several days each month, purportedly to take part in the trial, the filing alleges.

Thomas claimed that more than 80 doctors, including former Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci, were part of her care team, according to court documents.

The filing also alleges that Thomas posted doctored photos she had “stolen from other patients on the internet” on social media and that she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through fundraisers for her “alleged medical bills.”

When asked to explain her actions, Thomas “claimed to be suicidal and required hospitalization,” Hannan asserts in the filing. Thomas later said she suffered from “conversion delusion disorder” — which is not a medical diagnosis — the documents allege.

Thomas’ cancer blog, Romans 8:28, has been taken down, but portions are still available through the Wayback Machine internet archive. The title references a Bible verse that states, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.”

In an entry from Thanksgiving Day 2014, Thomas details kidney damage and weighs options for her next round of chemotherapy while thanking supporters.

“I am so lucky to have so many people who love and care about me, and who will do anything they can to make this journey at all easier for me,” she writes. “I have so many people who put me before themselves anytime I need them.”

Thomas’ Facebook fashion page, Life Styled by Lexi, is still accessible, although it has not been updated since 2022. Posts include photos of Thomas modeling fashions, with the hashtag #AmazonAffiliate, which indicates that the poster receives a small commission on sales.

Other posts are meditations on living with cancer. “Unplanned evenings spent in the hospital are one of my least favorite things- but the way the light overtook the darkness last night reminded me that there is always light to be found,” she wrote in one.

In the annulment filing, Hannan states that the couple maintained separate finances, per Thomas’ request. He requests that the title of the southern Howard County home the couple purchased for $640,000 in 2022 be transferred to him or that the home be sold and the proceeds be split evenly.

Hannan also requests that the court issue a divorce if it does not approve an annulment.

“The woman that Plaintiff believed he married simply did not exist,” the filing states.

They will be among a select group of players on a lacrosse field in Maryland this week, hoping to make their individual cases to be Olympians in 2028.

Friday through Sunday, the Atlas Cup, an international competition, will be held at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks. Fans will get a look at “sixes,” the lacrosse format to be played at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Lacrosse is an official Olympic event for the first time since the 1908 London Olympics. Current and former college players who might not have previously pictured being an Olympian now can.

“If you’re ultimately ever given the opportunity to try to even go to the Olympics, you got to take it,” said former Maryland lacrosse player Kori Edmondson, who is also working to become a member of the Secret Service.

“My life’s lining up at this historic time,” said Anna Brandt, a former Hereford High School standout who’s studying for the LSAT. “What a privilege that is. So I feel like I need to just go after it and [put] my best foot forward.”

This week, the United States’ sixes teams participated in their second fall training camp ahead of games against the men’s and women’s teams from Canada, Ireland and the Haudenosaunee Nationals this weekend.

The Atlas Cup is the second of three international sixes events this year. The final event is the Lexus Global Lacrosse Games in December in Springfield, Virginia. The first was the Pan-American Sixes Championships in Ontario, where both American teams eked out one-point wins over Canada in October to take home gold medals.

Winning the event, and advancing to the world championships next October, automatically qualified the United States for the Olympics as the host nation. Four more nations will punch their tickets to the Olympics through the world championships.

The sixth and final Olympic team will be determined at a qualifying event in March 2028.

This week, the best lacrosse players in America altered their schedules to attend training. University of North Carolina junior midfielder Kate Levy, who attended McDonogh School, is missing three days of classes. Her professors understand.

“You throw the buzzword ‘Olympics’ in there, and they’re like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome!’” Levy said.

Many of the American Olympic hopefuls have fond memories of watching the Olympics. Sydni Black, a former Patriot League Attacker of the Year at Loyola, said watching Michael Phelps and the “Fab Five” gymnasts headlined by Gabby Douglass in 2012 sparked her desire to be an elite athlete.

Joey Spallina watched this year’s U.S.-Canada men’s hockey final with some of his Canadian roommates. Now he could have the opportunity to be on that same platform.

“Just to be in a position where you can do that, go play at probably the pinnacle of the sport, it’s unreal,” said Spallina, who plays for the Premier Lacrosse League’s Maryland Whipsnakes and also runs lacrosse camps and clinics.

The version of the game on display this weekend will look different from the “field lacrosse” discipline many are accustomed to in NCAA play.

Sixes, created in 2018, features five players and a goalie, while college lacrosse features 10 players for men and 12 for women. The field for sixes is smaller. Games are four eight-minute quarters, and the shot clock is just 30 seconds; in NCAA lacrosse, teams have an 80-second shot clock.

Faceoffs take place only at the start of each quarter and overtime. Following a score, goalies retrieve the ball and make an outlet pass to their teammates to resume play.

Many players likened it to pickup basketball — the game is quicker, with more fast breaks. Players are required to play both ends of the field. There’s less specialization of positions (there are no defenders with long poles or faceoff specialists). That means some have to make adjustments.

For Spallina, that means getting the ball out of his stick quicker. For Black, an attacker, she’s been incorporating defensive footwork into her training. For Levy, she thinks about transition defense and being one step ahead of her opponent.

Lindsey Munday, the women’s sixes coach and former USC lacrosse coach, said it is a “different game” and players and coaches have to be adaptable, making adjustments and learning after each game.

Andy Shay, the men’s sixes coach, cosigned, adding it’s been a lot of “trial and error” for his staff as they watch film and bounce ideas off each other. He’s happy with the progress they’ve made. As for the new format, the Yale head coach is a fan.

“It’s kind of the purest version of the sport, in my opinion,” Shay said. “A lot of people don’t agree, and that’s fine. But I happen to really like it. And, talking to these guys, they love playing it.”

In the coming months, both coaches will be faced with tough decisions as they whittle a talented pool of athletes to an 11-player roster. The players know that, too. They expressed gratitude for simply having an opportunity.

Their hope is that, by introducing the game globally, it’ll create more interest in the sport.

Brandt went to high school 6 miles north of Team USA’s practice facility and remembers when it was being built. She works out at the facility now. And she’s inspired by how much the sport has grown.

She and her family used to watch the Olympics, flipping between channels to view sports they’d never seen before. It’s that exact phenomenon that makes her excited to imagine how much the game could expand.

“It is really exciting for the younger generation, because now they’re in a spot where lacrosse is on TV and they do see a future,” Brandt said. “It might be the first time someone’s seeing it, which is so important. That’s sometimes more important than acquiring a fan who kind of knows what it is, just getting new eyes on it. I think the Olympics is the perfect stage to do that.”

But Reese can see when an opponent is matching her energy on the glass — and it’s even easier to recognize when it’s a familiar face.

Golden State guard Kaila Charles, a Prince George’s County native who played for the Terrapins women’s basketball team from 2016-20, is one of the Valkyries’ fiercest, most physical competitors, a scrappy rotational player off the bench who has helped Golden State match up with Reese’s Atlanta Dream with pure physicality.

Reese is the bigger star, but there was a time when Charles’ footsteps helped guide her path.

“She was actually one of the reasons I committed to Maryland — her and A.T. [Alyssa Thomas],” Reese said of Charles. “Being able to see how hard they played in college but also being able to see her [Charles] stick and being able to do the things that she’s done … it’s really good to see a DMV player being able to be here and be in this moment.”

Charles was one of the first stars of Team Takeover in the Nike Girls Elite Youth Basketball League program, a Prince George’s County AAU squad that went on to win its first national title with Reese as its star. Their common ground in DMV basketball explains how Reese and Charles, despite playing different positions, both play a physical style that feels instantly recognizable to the people who watched them grow up.

Team Takeover program director Ron James has relished seeing two of his former protégées face off on the WNBA’s biggest stage. It’s the first time the team has had two former players competing against each other in the Finals — and James isn’t surprised it is these two.

“They’re not gonna back down from anybody,” he said, “not even each other.”

While Reese has long seemed destined for stardom, Charles was a late bloomer. James saw her as a ninth grader, then unknown on the national circuit, but her competitiveness jumped at him immediately. In practice, she rarely lost a sprint. On defense, she refused to cede an inch.

As a seventh grader, Charles set a goal to be a WNBA player. By the end of her senior year at Riverdale Baptist, she was a McDonald’s All-American, a highly touted recruit for the Terps and well on her way to that goal.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, one of Reese’s teammates on the Dream, was roommates with freshman-year Charles. Even then, Charles could impact games on a level most players could not.

“She was just one of those players that like, you felt her every time she was on the court,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “Whether that was rebounding, whether that was deflections, whether that was hitting shots — whatever you needed her to do, you always felt her presence.”

Charles is one of six Maryland players to finish as one of the program’s top-10 scorers and rebounders, and she had 135 career starts to tie Thomas’ program record.

It felt like the capstone to her career was going to be special. When she was a senior, the No. 4 Terps won 17 straight games, including the Big Ten tournament.

Then the pandemic happened.

Terps coach Brenda Frese swears to this day that Maryland would have been back in the Final Four that year with Charles as the team’s All-America star. “It was tragic,” Frese said.

Under the cloud of the pandemic, everything seemed tougher. Charles was drafted by the Connecticut Sun but was cut in 2022 after two nondescript years. It was painful, but unfortunately Charles would get used to the feeling. She has been waived four more times.

She played European stints in Hungary and Italy, succeeding in foreign arenas but never losing sight of returning to the WNBA.

“I did learn a lot, and I fed off of the different teams, learned from the different coaches and, yeah, I wouldn’t be here without that experience,” Charles said.

It took until 2025 for Charles to find a team that was looking for her skill set and experience. She joined the expansion Valkyries on a hardship contract and then signed another deal that brought her on for the rest of the season.

In April, she signed a multiyear contract with Golden State, bringing her much-sought stability.

“Every day that I got to be able to get up and go to work, like, I was just really happy and appreciative,” Charles said. “But, for that to turn into us having a good playoff run and not being in the Finals, it’s just amazing to look back and see how it was going. Everything all added up for this one moment.”

The Valkyries’ home crowd, Ballhalla, is renowned for sellouts and ear-splitting volume. Charles returns that in kind with ferocious defense and energy in ways that show up outside the box score.

Maryland has four former players in the Finals, including Reese (who transferred to LSU), Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones (who is injured) on the Atlanta roster.

But Frese derives special pleasure from seeing Charles playing big minutes in the Finals, finally getting her due. Charles hit a 3-pointer in Game 1 that had Frese screaming in her living room.

“I’m not surprised; that’s who she was — unsung but a winner,” Frese said. “We’re seeing why she’s been so valuable on every team. She just wants to win. She’s not gonna take a night off; she’s not gonna take a possession off. She’s a huge piece of who the Valkyries are.”

Marylanders are no stranger to the Finals — five former Terps played in the 2019 series — but this one has felt special. Thomas, the wife of Atlanta star DeWanna Bonner, has sat courtside as a fan, dapping up Reese during Game 3. Walker-Kimbrough said Thomas has sometimes offered observations and tips to the Dream after games.

Ultimately, there will be a Maryland winner in these Finals. Charles and Reese know the players who want to be like them are watching. They hope they’re inspired.

“The journey don’t have to be straight, you know?” Charles said. “We still made it here, because we had that mentality — that dog that you get when you’re raised in PG County. So it’s just a matter of just continuing to believe in yourself, work hard and then just trust your journey.”

The Bengals were 1.5-point favorites as of Friday, according to DraftKings.

Trust issues

Kyle Goon, columnist (3-3): I already have as many incorrect game picks as I had all last year, which (to me) says something about the fluctuations of this Ravens team. The rushing attack, the offensive line, the secondary and the pass rush have all wavered week by week, and Lamar Jackson’s injury obviously casts a shadow over the Ravens’ prospects for the season. Six games in, we really just don’t know who this team is.

Without certainty under center, I’m leaning toward another loss. I think Jackson feels pressure to return after the team lost a winnable AFC North game, but even if he’s back, I’d expect rust. Add to that a retooled offensive line, with Cam Jurgens trying to settle in with a new group, and a defensive front that loses a valuable contributor in Tavius Robinson, and Baltimore has big questions at key spots. The Bengals aren’t perfect, but their offense is well oiled with Joe Burrowt and, if it is a shootout, I’m worried about the Ravens’ chances.

Bengals 31, Ravens 24

Trey brings fire and brimstone

Giana Han, reporter (3-3): It was always going to be hard to predict this outcome because it’s an AFC North game (see: last week). But not knowing whether Lamar Jackson will play makes it even harder. My biggest question is if coordinator Declan Doyle will spark the offense again, regardless of the quarterback. The Bengals’ run defense is a good place to start rolling with Cam Jurgens at center. Cincinnati allows 5 yards per carry, and if Derrick Henry gets going, it doesn’t matter how well Tyler Huntley passes the ball.

The Bengals present a dangerous matchup for this Ravens defense. Joe Burrow is the best quarterback it has faced by a long shot, and his wide receivers have given this secondary trouble through the years. The secondary has been leaky this year, but perhaps outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson (a former Bengal) will be mad enough to get after Burrow and keep him from finding his deep targets. I’m guessing the Ravens don’t lose twice in a row, but I’m also guessing it will be another imperfect performance.

Ravens 30, Bengals 27

High-ankle sprain, low confidence

Jonas Shaffer, reporter (4-2): High-ankle sprains are no joke. Most NFL players dealing with the injury need at least a month to feel like themselves again. And few players are as important as Lamar Jackson, who is less than three weeks removed from a sprain he called “very, very, very, very, very painful.”

Even if Jackson plays Sunday, is it fair to expect him to look significantly better than a healthy Tyler Huntley? This Bengals defense isn’t as talented as the Browns defense the Ravens struggled with last week, but it’s no pushover. And this Bengals offense is far more impressive than Cleveland’s. The Ravens will need a resurgent running game, a needle-moving home crowd and contributions from their replacements for Tavius Robinson and Jaylinn Hawkins on defense to avoid an 0-2 start in AFC North play.

Bengals 24, Ravens 17

A suboptimal matchup

Childs Walker, contributor (2-4): The Ravens are well equipped to attack a Cincinnati defense that struggles to defend perimeter runs. Look for a few productive carries from Zay Flowers, in addition to the usual work from Derrick Henry. A healthy Lamar Jackson would make that attack exponentially more potent, not just with his own running ability but with the attention he commands, the play-action threat he presents. Instead, the Ravens will either depend on a still-recovering Jackson or Tyler Huntley. They’ll do so behind an offensive line that remains in flux, with Cam Jurgens stepping in at center and left tackle Ronnie Stanley also hurting. It’s a suboptimal recipe for a vital AFC North matchup.

Even if Jesse Minter cooks up a decent plan to disrupt Joe Burrow and his corners don’t get torched by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — an iffy proposition given the Ravens’ track record against No. 1 receivers — it’s hard to imagine the Bengals not improving on their pitiful offensive performance in Cincinnati last December. The Ravens will need to approach 30 points to outscore them, and that feels like a difficult ask given Jackson’s uncertain status and all the troubles we saw during a tepid performance against the Browns.

Bengals 27, Ravens 20

Pound the rock

Brandon Weigel, editor (3-3): No trio has tormented the Ravens like Cincinnati’s group of quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Head coach Jesse Minter didn’t have answers for them when he last faced the Bengals in 2024 as defensive coordinator for the Chargers. Burrow threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns, with Chase hauling in two and Higgins getting the other.

The good news for the Ravens is the Bengals have trouble with the ground game — they can’t run it on offense (414 yards, 3.6 yards per carry) and can’t stop it with their rebuilt defense (5 yards per carry, an NFL-worst seven runs of 20-plus yards allowed).

With Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens set to make his Baltimore debut, Declan Doyle and the offense should do everything in their power to establish a dominant rushing attack, which was lacking against Cleveland. That has the added benefit of keeping the ball out of the hands of Burrow, Chase and Higgins.

Ravens 24, Bengals 21

Guest pick

Ben Baby, ESPN: A lot of this outcome will hinge on Lamar Jackson, who is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL. But over the years Tyler “Snoop” Huntley has shown the ability to push better Bengals teams to the brink (see: wild-card weekend 2022). With the expectation that Jackson plays against Cincinnati, the Ravens feel like the right pick. Not only have they done well recently (six wins in the last eight regular-season contests), but Baltimore demolished the Bengals in Cincinnati in the last meeting.

Between a Bengals offense still trying to find its footing and a defense that gives up far too many big runs, this feels like the type of game that Baltimore should win and extend its dominance in this AFC North matchup.

Ravens 27, Bengals 20