Baltimore approved a $1.6M contract with McAfee Election Services to staff the 2026 elections — an emergency, no‑bid deal officials say will be the last of its kind amid warehouse and reporting concerns.

House Bill 1418 would bar Maryland schools and contractors from hiring or keeping employees charged with certain serious crimes after local reporting exposed vetting gaps. Sponsors point to a state audit and Harford County cases as the rationale for a statewide fix.

Le Jardin Rosé Bistro & Cafe will close its Old Ellicott City Main Street location at the end of March. Owners have not disclosed where they plan to reopen.

The Baltimore Symphony will play Oregon Ridge on July 3–4, 2026, expanding its Fourth weekend programming with fireworks and community anthem auditions.

Baltimore County recorded its fewest violent crimes in five years in 2025, with homicides down sharply and clearance rates rising. Officials point to prevention and focused investigations.

Under Armour’s new multiyear deal with the Orioles will put Gunnar Henderson’s likeness on Camden Yards’ new scoreboard, name the kids home run porch and launch a military ‘Sunday Salute.’

An early‑morning apartment fire in North Baltimore sent at least two people to the hospital while neighbors said a mother and daughter jumped from a window to escape.

A 21-year-old Virginia man was taken into custody in Anne Arundel County after fleeing officers in a stolen Acura and being found with a handgun.

Local Safe Streets teams and Catholic Charities say mediation and services helped Sandtown mediate dozens of conflicts as Baltimore posts historic homicide declines.

An EF-0 tornado touched down near New Windsor on Monday, snapping trees and rolling an irrigation system across fields.

Eight people were hurt after a car struck an MTA bus on East Preston Street in Midtown; shock-trauma teams were called to treat critical patients.

Howard County police charged three Baltimore men in the Aug. 19, 2025 Merriweather District killing of a Salisbury man; two suspects are jailed and investigators say the attack appeared targeted.

A 16-year-old was arrested and released on electronic monitoring after police tied him to four Baltimore commercial burglaries from Nov. 9, 2025.