Maryland

Peak Fall Foliage is Here For Most of Maryland

By MCS Staff

Per the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Blink and you might miss it. Peak fall color that is. Some reports out of western Maryland this week describe past peak conditions, and foresters and park rangers in other regions of the state also report rapid changes, with tree canopies transforming from mostly green to brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red often in as little as 48 hours.

Watershed Forester Bob Schwartz reports from along South Mountain in western Frederick County this week: “We were around peak prior to the rainfall over the weekend, which caused a lot of leaf-drop and pushed the mountainsides from vibrant yellows to mottled colors in a matter of days. However, there is plenty of burnished gold and blue sky left to see, particularly in the mountain coves or other sheltered areas that experienced less direct impact from the storms. Hopefully the return to cooler weather means we get an elongated end of season color flush.”

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Governor Wes Moore Announces $4 Million Federal Grant To Expand Training Opportunities for Dislocated Workers and Returning Citizens

By Patrick Herron

Per the State of Maryland: “Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Maryland Department of Labor has secured $4 million through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy, and Training Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grants program. The funding will be used to connect nearly 350 Marylanders to careers in fast-growing industries and strengthen Maryland’s talent pipeline in Western Maryland, Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties, and Baltimore City.

“More access to quality jobs and training opens doors to economic opportunity and prosperity,” said Gov. Moore. “Through this grant, we will continue to build a more equitable, more competitive, and more innovative economy for all Marylanders.”

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Take 5 Oil Change is Looking to Open First DMV Location

By MCS Staff

Take 5, which was founded as Rapid Oil Change in Louisiana in the 80s, is looking to open its first DC Metro Area location at 1470 Rockville Pike in Rockville. According to a report in Maryland Newsletters, Core Property Capital (the developer) has recently acquired a Take 5 franchise for Maryland, Delaware, DC and New Jersey that it wants to bring to the Pike location. 1470 Rockville Pike was previously home to a BB&T bank and is located across from the recently closed Miller’s Ale House.

Take 5 offers quick oil changes, minor repairs and other maintenance services. It has recently spread across the United States from Virginia to Texas, with 60+ locations and more in the way. Per the report, Core Property Capital hasn’t submitted plans yet, but has held its pre-submission meeting. We’ll provide updates as the situation progresses. Take 5 currently has a location in Bel Air, MD, and multiple locations in Virginia (outside of Northern Va.). Photo below shows the space as it currently looks, courtesy of Google Maps.

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The 300 Most Populated Cities in Maryland

By MCS Staff

Maryland is the eighth-smallest state by land area, and its population of 6,177,224 ranks it the 18th-most populous state and the fifth-most densely populated. Below you’ll see a list of the 300 highest populated cities/areas/census designated places in the state, using data from the United States Census Bureau:

The table above displays the most recent population estimates data for all cities/areas where data are available from the following datasets:

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Six Flags and Kings Dominion Operators to Merge

By Patrick Herron

Cedar Fair (owner of Kings Dominion) and Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, announced today that the two companies will be merging.  The combined company will operate a portfolio of 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and 9 resort properties across 17 states in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. According to a press release, “the combined company, with a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $8 billion based on both companies’ debt and equity values as of October 31, 2023, will be a leading amusement park operator in the highly competitive leisure space with an expanded and diversified footprint, a more robust operating model and a strong revenue and cash flow generation profile.” The merger is expected to close in the first half of 2024

(more…)

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Maryland Attorney General Co-Leads Coalition in Multistate Amicus Brief Supporting Safety and Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Youth in Schools

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: “Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, co-led a coalition of 19 Attorneys General in filing an amicus brief supporting a Maryland local board of education’s efforts to create a safe and supportive environment for LGTBQ+ children and all students. The Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBE) is facing a challenge to its policy that incorporates LGBTQ+-inclusive books into its language arts curriculum without allowing students to opt out. In the amicus brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Attorneys General reiterate the importance of providing safe and inclusive school environments for all children, and explain that policies such as MCBE’s do not raise constitutional or other concerns.

“Our schools play a fundamental role in shaping the minds and hearts of the next generation, and it’s our duty to ensure that every child feels safe, supported, and valued,” said Attorney General Brown. “Educational policies that promote respect for LGBTQ+ people will help build a more equitable future for all children.”

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Raising Cane’s to Open in Columbia on November 7th

By MCS Staff

Raising Cane’s started its expansion into the D.C. metropolitan region when its first area restaurant opened last December in Sterling, VA (45545 Dulles Eastern Plaza). The first Maryland location opened in Towson in January 2023 and both stores featured lines out the door for months on several days of the week. A Waldorf Location opened in May, a Westminster location opened in July, and a Gambrills locations opened in September to make four for the state. Now, the fifth and closest location to Montgomery County will open at 9071 Snowden River Pkwy in Columbia on Tuesday, November 7th.

We previously reported that Raising Cane’s aims to open 14 stores in the next year, stretching from suburban Baltimore to the Richmond area, and now the chain has announced 15+ locations for Maryland alone. A Forestville restaurant, at 3270 Donnell Drive (Prince George’s County) is set to open on December 5th, which will be a closer location for many. None of the other Maryland locations have been announced yet, and we are awaiting word on if Montgomery County will be included in the openings.

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Maryland Native to Wrestle Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship on Saturday

By MCS Staff

Before he was LA Knight, one of the hottest superstars in professional wrestling today, Shaun Ricker was a kid growing up in Hagerstown, Maryland. He graduated from North Hagerstown High School (class of 2000), where he was in the band and ran track, but always dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler. On Saturday, he has his biggest match ever– taking on WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.

Though he appears to be outspoken now, as his LA Knight persona has been compared to a modern-day version of Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock, Ricker remembers how different he was when he was growing up in Hagerstown. “I was a very shy kid, but I always wanted to be a performer. I was that kid that was so shy when I was at my grandma’s house, I would whisper in my mom or dad’s ear, ‘Could you ask her for a cookie?’ Those hand mixers, when I was a kid, I thought the metal mixer part looked like a microphone so I would take those, stand behind a door and I would sing and dance. I figured if I was behind a door, nobody would see me, nobody could hear me. It was like I was invisible.” he said in a since-archived interview with the Ottawa Citizen.

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