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https://marylandreporter.com/2025/10/25/freedom-bank-wins-an-award-in-dubai/ - MarylandReporter.com.STATE OFFICIALS DEMAND TRANSPARENCY AS BUSINESSES GET BILLIONS IN TRUMP TARIFF REFUNDS: Maryland among states arguing that relief must extend to the consumers who ultimately paid tariffs passed on by businesses.Kevin Hardy/Maryland Matters.PROMINENT IMMIGRANT RIGHTS GROUP ENDORSES FERGUSON’S REELECTION BID: It was one of 143 endorsements released Wednesday by CASA in Action for Maryland congressional, state and county races.William J.Ford/Maryland Matters.KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE: DALI BUILDERS REJECT CLAIMS OF POWER FAILURES: The builders of the cargo ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge are pushing back against Maryland’s claims that they share responsibility for the collapse, arguing that the vessel’s owners and operators failed to properly maintain the ship in the decade after it left the shipyard.Maggie Trovato/The Baltimore Sun.FEDERAL JUDGE TO DECIDE FATE OF PROPOSED HO CO ICE FACILITY: The company that tried to renovate an Elkridge, Maryland, office building into a U.S.Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) facility made its case in federal court Thursday.Dennis Valera/CBS Baltimore.$12.2M SPENT ALREADY, NO BUILDING YET: HO CO CENTER COSTS CLIMBS TO $70M: Howard County Council members are questioning a new community center that’s partially taxpayer funded and has already spent $12.2 million in public funds, with no construction completed, as the project’s total cost has climbed by roughly $20 million in the last few years.Kiersten Hacker/The Baltimore Sun.SNIPER SHOOTINGS EXHIBIT RECALLS DMV’S 23 DAYS OF TERROR: The Death tarot card on view in a new exhibit on the 25th anniversary of the sniper shootings that terrorized/W Maryland, Washington and Virginia was found tacked to a tree near a Bowie middle school.It is smaller than an adult man’s palm and covered with grime.Mary Carole McCauley/The Baltimore Sun.LEAD PAINT FLAKES LEAD TO $2.2 MILLION SETTLEMENT: An incident that caused lead paint chips to rain down from a 1,000-foot broadcast tower onto homes, parks and daycare facilities in Baltimore has led to a $2.2 million settlement against a paint-removal contractor and the company that hired it.Jeremy Cox/The Bay Journal.MO CO UNIONS DEMAND INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION IN HR DEPARTMENT: Two unions representing Montgomery County government employees are demanding an independent state investigation into allegations of discrimination and other violations within the county’s human resources department.Ginny Bixby/ The Banner.UNITED HEALTHCARE ASKS FOR A HIKE IN SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS: UnitedHealthCare is proposing an average 7.9% premium spike for people using small market plans under the main company and three of its subsidiaries: Optum Choice, MAMSI Life and Health Insurance Company and UnitedHealthcare Mid-Atlantic.Scott Maucione/WYPR.PENSION BOARD SEEKS PUBLIC TRUSTEES: The Board of Trustees for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) is seeking two trustees, one each from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.Public Trustees serve a three-year term, from July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029.The Board holds fiduciary oversight of the ERS for the sole benefit of members and beneficiaries.County residents interested in serving must submit a statement of qualifications and resume, by 5:00 p.m.on May 27, 2026 to [email protected].For more information, contact [email protected] or (301) 454-1415 or visit us at ers.mncppc.org.MOCKED IN A RACIST VIDEO, DEL.CHAO WU DOESN’T REGRET PARTICIPATINGIN DEMOCRACY: State Del.Chao Wu knows politicians sometimes say the wrong thing, but he believes a worse mistake would be not participating in democracy at all.Still, Wu, who represents parts of Howard and Montgomery counties, didn’t expect to be catapulted into Maryland’s political spotlight this week.Lillian Reed/The Banner.COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE: MD LAYS OUT $42 MILLION INITIATIVE FOR EASTERN SHORE: The initiative, called “Roots for Resilience: Strong Roots for a Changing Landscape,” will direct $42.5 million in federal grant funding toward nature-based climate solutions across the region, including wetland restoration, living shorelines, tree planting and sustainable forest management.Lily Tierney/The Star Democrat.MOORE SIGNS CRACKDOWN LAWS ON SQUATTER PROBLEMS: Maryland Gov.Wes Moore signed two bills into law on Tuesday aimed at cracking down on the state’s squatter issues, including a bill that targets alleged online squatting rings and makes the manufacturing or possession of a fraudulent lease a felony.Gary Collins/Baltimore Sun.HOWARD IG DENIED ACCESS TO RECORDS: Howard County’s newly formed Office of the Inspector General — created to detect fraud, waste and abuse — has gone nearly five months without having direct access to county records.April Santana/Baltimore Sun PG CO PLANNING CHAIR DARRYL BARNES FACES SLEW OF MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS: The chair of the Prince George’s County Planning Board is facing allegations that he pushed the planning commission to hire his sister, promoted members of his business network for government contracts, and requested the commission purchase box seats at Capital One Arena.Jack Hogan/The Banner.MOORE SIGNS HIGH-RISE SPRINKLER LAW AFTER 2023 SILVER SPRING FATAL FIRE: Gov.Wes Moore signed a bill requiring sprinklers in certain renovated older high-rise apartments, a measure inspired by a deadly 2023 Silver Spring fire that killed 25-year-old Melanie Diaz.The victim’s family pushed for the change, saying it will help save lives.Jacqueline Kalil/Bethesda Today.COUNTY ORPHANS COURT JUDGE ORDERED REMOVED FOR MISCONDUCT: The Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities ordered the removal of a second Anne Arundel County Orphans’ Court judge on Wednesday, finding that Judge Vickie Gipson violated multiple provisions of the state’s judicial conduct code.Katharine Wilson/Baltimore Sun A.A.C.C.NAMES INTERIM PRESIDENT WHO GOT NO CONFIDENCE VOTE: Anne Arundel Community College Board of Trustees on Thursday named Tanya Millner as its new interim president, two months after faculty issued a no-confidence vote in her current role as provost and vice president of learning.Tanisha Bhat/Baltimore Sun