First, I was initially hesitant to support this bill — and for good reason. As a fiscal conservative, I raised concerns about its potential to add to the deficit. Those concerns were not just for show; I withheld support to ensure Maryland taxpayers wouldn’t be saddled with more Washington debt.
Because conservatives pushed back, major changes were secured before the final vote. Among the wins:
Stronger Medicaid integrity provisions were included to stop states from improperly paying benefits — including to illegal immigrants — while protecting care for truly needy Marylanders.
Green New Scam rollbacks, ensuring Maryland families and businesses aren’t burdened with radical energy mandates that drive up costs. This is especially essential as offshore wind adversely affects watermen, communities and constituents in my district.
Strengthening work requirements: The One Big Beautiful Bill strengthens common-sense work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving federal government assistance on the taxpayer dime — an important step toward restoring the dignity of work and ensuring taxpayer dollars aren’t used for those who choose not to work.
These changes are real, tangible victories for Marylanders who expect their representatives to fight for fiscal responsibility. The OBBB also contains wins that will make the lives of all Marylanders better:
No taxes on tips — more money in workers’ pockets
Maryland’s restaurant and hospitality workers work hard for every dollar they earn, and they shouldn’t have to share their tips with the IRS. Thanks to the OBBB, qualified tips are no longer taxed, putting more money directly into the hands of servers, bartenders and hotel staff across our state. This is especially meaningful for younger workers and single parents juggling multiple jobs just to make ends meet.
Relief for seniors — protecting retirement security
The bill also delivers meaningful tax relief for seniors, ensuring they keep more of their retirement income. At a time when many older Marylanders are living on fixed incomes while dealing with rising health care and energy costs, this is a major step forward. Seniors have spent their lives working and paying into the system; they deserve to keep more of what they’ve earned.
Tax relief for Americans
The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers real tax relief for hardworking middle-class Americans, putting more money back into the pockets of those who need it most.
No tax on overtime pay
The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers a major win for hardworking Americans by ensuring no tax on overtime pay. This means extra hours worked truly pay off, allowing workers to keep the money they earn when they put in the long hours to provide for their families.
Meanwhile, the media is busy telling a different story — painting the bill as some sort of attack on working families and suggesting conservatives “caved.” That’s simply false. No eligible Marylander is losing Medicaid coverage. No eligible person is losing SNAP benefits. Rural hospitals are not being “defunded.” And the Freedom Caucus didn’t “fold” — we fought, we negotiated and we secured major spending policy wins that would never have been in this bill without conservative leverage.
This is what responsible legislating looks like. We said “no” to reckless spending until the bill was improved. We worked with President Donald Trump and his team to make sure the final product delivered for taxpayers. And now, the One Big Beautiful Bill reflects conservative priorities Maryland families can feel good about — lower spending, stronger safeguards against waste and real accountability for Washington.
The bottom line is this: The One Big Beautiful Bill is a win for Maryland. It gives workers a break and provides real relief for seniors — all without raising taxes or adding new burdens on Maryland families.
The critics may keep shouting, but for Maryland’s seniors, service workers and hard-working taxpayers, the benefits of this bill will be felt every day — and that’s what really matters.
Andy Harris (X: @RepAndyHarrisMD) is a Republican representing Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives.
]]>According to a news release from the police department, 43-year-old Katrina M. Prieur of Upper Marlboro died a day after the crash due to the injuries she sustained in the collision.
Police said that around 6:15 p.m., officers arrived at the intersection of Mount Zion Marlboro Road and Main Street in Lothian for a crash involving a motorcycle.
According to the news release, investigators determined a 2012 Honda Accord was turning left onto Mount Zion Marlboro Road from Main Street when it was struck by Prieur, who was driving a 2009 Yamaha Star motorcycle west on Mount Zion Marlboro Road.
Police said Prieur struck the Honda’s driver’s side rear quarter panel, causing Prieur to be ejected from the motorcycle and land in the road.
The Honda was driven by a 20-year-old man from Bowie who was not injured in the accident, according to the news release.
Prieur was flown to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with life-threatening injuries. She died the following day, police said.
The department’s Crash Reconstruction Team is investigating the collision.
Have a news tip? Contact Maggie Trovato at mtrovato@baltsun.com, 443-890-0601 or on X @MaggieTrovato.
]]>Police responded to a reported shooting at 12:55 a.m. on June 30 in the 1100 block of East Preston Street. A 33-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds and taken to a hospital, police said.
The man was pronounced dead as a result of his gunshot wounds. Homicide detectives were notified on Saturday of the death and are asking anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2100.
Have a news tip? Contact Brendan Nordstrom at bnordstrom@baltsun.com or on X at @bnords03.
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Baltimore Police responded to the crash at 1:22 a.m. on the 800 block of North Carey Street. The passenger, a 26-year-old man, was trapped in a vehicle and extracted by the fire department. The passenger was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the vehicle left on foot, according to police. The car was not reported as stolen.
The Accident Investigation Unit responded to the scene and is investigating the crash.
Have a news tip? Contact Brendan Nordstrom at bnordstrom@baltsun.com or on X at @bnords03.
]]>Anne Arundel County Police responded to reports of shots fired along the B&A Trail in Glen Burnie around 5 a.m. Dan Guiliani, worried about his son’s whereabouts, arrived at the crime scene. “As soon as the detective rolled that blanket over man, I saw his shoulders, I saw his hair. And I knew,” he said.
According to charging documents obtained by the Capital Gazette, Johnny Guiliani and another person were walking along the trail when they were approached by several suspects in a stolen vehicle. Two individuals attempted to rob Guiliani, who fought back. “Johnny attacked the guy. Johnny knocked the guy on his ass,” said Dan Guiliani. Investigators say that is when Johnny was shot. “There’s where he died right there man,” he added.
Surveillance video and DNA evidence led investigators to 17-year-old Mactouko Ryan, who is charged with murder and other offenses as an adult. “My hope is they continue doing what they say they’re gonna do. They’re gonna try him as an adult,” said Dan Guiliani. However, Ryan’s attorney is seeking to move the case to juvenile court. “At that bail hearing they were requesting him to be moved to a juvenile facility and the judge said no,” Dan Guiliani said.
Police are still searching for at least three other suspects, whose ages are unknown. “My hope is uh, is uh that he’s held accountable for what he did, you know. And anybody else that was involved for that matter,” said Dan Guiliani.
Anne Arundel County Police confirmed the case remains active and ongoing.
Dan Guiliani cherishes the memory of his son, recalling a heartfelt conversation they had the night before Johnny’s death. “I was blessed. The night before he died I was able to sit with him for two hours and we had a very long conversation. Normal dad and son stuff,” he said. Remembering Johnny, he added, “Johnny was a good guy. He loved his family, loved his friends. Do anything for his friends.”
Have a news tip? Contact Vincent Hill at Vihill@sbgtv.com.
]]>Baltimore (47-58) has gone 4-6 to open the second half and is now 8 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League. As a result, the front office’s fire sale has begun, as general manager Mike Elias has already traded relievers Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto.
Ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, here’s the Orioles reset:
What was good?
Trading Tomoyuki Sugano makes a ton of sense. Whether a contending team wants him is the question.
Sugano was the Orioles’ best starting pitcher through his first 12 starts of his MLB career with a 3.04 ERA. But his ERA rose after each of his next seven starts as MLB hitters began to adjust to the 35-year-old’s pitch-to-contact repertoire. His 7.88 ERA severely diminished his trade value and potentially removed it entirely, especially considering the underlying metrics tell a concerning story for a pitcher who struggles to generate swings and misses.
However, Sugano’s outing Sunday against the Colorado Rockies was one of the best of his big league career, striking out an MLB-career-high eight batters across six innings of one-run ball while displaying a firmer-than-usual 94.5 mph fastball. He’s tossed a quality start in two of his past three outings after he also did so July 10 against the New York Mets.
“I’ve experienced good times and bad times, especially the past month,” Sugano said after Sunday’s win through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “June, I went through some struggles, but I can overcome that moving forward.”
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Sugano has spent the past few weeks working with Baltimore’s pitching coaches on adjustments that helped unlock some extra velocity and keep hitters off-balance. Does Mansolino think Sugano should be an attractive target for contending teams at the deadline?
“If they watch the last three starts, yeah, I’d take that,” Mansolino said. “I felt pretty good about it. If you watched that Mets start, I’d take him. In a heartbeat.”
Sugano is one of the most decorated pitchers in Japan history, but he wanted a new challenge and came over to MLB this offseason on a one-year, $13 million deal with the Orioles. Mansolino said Sugano has assimilated to a new country, a new league and a new clubhouse “very gracefully.”
“Players love him,” Mansolino said. “He is so well-liked in that room. The players mess around with him, he messes around with his teammates.”
What clubhouse will he be joking around in a week from now?
What wasn’t?
When Félix Bautista took the mound July 20 in Tampa, Florida, it was clear immediately that something was off.
The 6-foot-8 closer hasn’t fully regained the triple-digit velocity he consistently flashed before his elbow injury, but he’s been throwing high 90s mph for most of the past two months. But when he entered for the save versus the Rays, he was initially throwing 94 mph — a concerning number for someone who was averaging about 98 mph.
Bautista hasn’t pitched since. As he began to warm up Wednesday in Cleveland, Mansolino said the right-hander reported that “something didn’t feel right.” He was placed on the injured list the next day with shoulder discomfort, and the team has yet to provide additional details. This could be simply a minor injury and Bautista will be back shortly. But until that’s known, the concern level will always be high for a pitcher as important as Bautista.
What’s next?
The best team in baseball is coming to town.
Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in baseball. The red-hot Blue Jays (63-43) have won eight of their past 10 and 18 of their past 23 to decidedly move atop the AL East standings.
The O’s and Jays will play four games in three days with a doubleheader Tuesday because of a rainout in April. Zach Eflin will start Monday and Charlie Morton will take the ball for one of the games Tuesday in what could be both starters’ final outing in an Orioles uniform with the deadline looming.
On the farm
Samuel Basallo missed six games because of a minor oblique injury, but he proved he’s plenty healthy when he returned to the field Friday for Triple-A Norfolk.
Basallo went 5-for-5 on Friday with a homer and then hit a 107.8 mph single off the right field wall Sunday. The 20-year-old top prospect is hitting .280 with an impressive 1.009 OPS in Triple-A this season.
Mansolino said Saturday that the Orioles’ front office has a “plan in place” for the rest of Basallo’s campaign, which could include a promotion later this year. Only a select few in the organization are privy to those details, but the slugger’s performance is making it more difficult to envision this season ending without Basallo in the show.
Extra innings
• Coby Mayo has spent most of July on the bench, starting only three of the Orioles’ first 15 games of the month. During that time, the top prospect has been working on his swing and making changes, Mansolino said. It appears Mayo has narrowed his batting stance, remaining taller throughout his swing. Other changes include slightly opening his stance and lowering his back elbow. He’s started four of the past six games, going 4-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, four walks and zero strikeouts. “He’s making a real adjustment,” Mansolino said. “When you see guys make changes … it gives the coaching room a lot of excitement and a lot of belief.”
As Coby Mayo has spent most of July on the bench, he's been working on his swing & making changes.
It appears Mayo has narrowed his stance, remaining taller throughout his swing. He's also slightly opened his stance & lowered his back elbow.
Left is from May 31. Right is today. pic.twitter.com/GI0Rwy8xWx
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 27, 2025
• After Gunnar Henderson made two web-gem defensive plays Sunday, his skipper praised the shortstop’s improvements defensively — no matter what the metrics say. Last year, Henderson made an AL-worst 25 errors, but advanced metrics defensive runs saved (5) and outs above average (0) were more favorable. This year, Henderson has drastically cut down on the errors, making only seven in 91 games, but his DRS and OAA (entering Sunday) are both at minus-4. “There’s no way anybody in the room thinks he played a better shortstop last year than he did this year,” Mansolino said. “Man, you’ve got to watch the game, too. … This is one of the better versions of Gunnar we’ve ever seen at shortstop.”
• The deadline for MLB teams to sign their draft picks is Monday at 5 p.m. The Orioles have signed 20 of their 24 draftees, including all of their picks in the first 10 rounds. Junior college right-handers Daniel Lopez (12th round) and Brayan Orrantia (14th round), high school outfielder William Johnson (18th round) and JUCO shortstop Jimmy Anderson (19th round) have yet to sign.
• With Adley Rutschman and Keegan Akin expected to rejoin the Orioles on Monday, Ryan Mountcastle and Cade Povich might not be far behind. Mountcastle is crushing the ball on his minor league rehabilitation assignment, going 6-for-12 with four extra-base hits in three games last week for Norfolk. Povich, who tossed five innings of two-run ball Thursday, will start again for the Tides early this week, but the left-hander could be a top candidate to rejoin the rotation after the deadline.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>For a team expected to be a contender this season, much of the focus has been on which players the Orioles will be selling at the deadline. But with the Orioles already initiating two trades earlier this month (Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto), there’s even more focus on what types of prospects Baltimore could receive.
That’s difficult to determine, but recent history could provide some insight into what the Orioles should expect in return for their top trade chips. They have six players on expiring contracts who are most likely to be traded. While it’s almost impossible to find exact one-for-one comparisons, there are players with similar profiles or production levels that have been dealt at the deadline in recent years.
Here’s a look at trade comparisons since 2021 for each of those six Orioles players who could be dealt before Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline:
(Editor’s note: The following players were all sold while playing on expiring contracts, meaning they were set to become free agents in the upcoming offseason. All rankings are by MLB Pipeline.)
Ryan O’Hearn
2021: Royals trade OF Jorge Soler to Braves for RHP Kasey Kalich (No. 21 prospect)
Soler, who led the American League with 48 homers in 2019, struggled to begin the 2021 campaign but got hot in July, just in time to be traded. Kalich was in High-A at the time and is no longer in professional baseball.
2021: Nationals trade OF Kyle Schwarber to Red Sox for RHP Aldo Ramirez (No. 19)
Schwarber hit a whopping 16 home runs in June and had a .910 OPS in the first half — higher than O’Hearn’s .824 OPS — though Schwarber was on the injured list with a minor injury when he was traded. Ramirez, who was in Low-A when he was traded, is now pitching in Mexico.
2022: Yankees trade OF Joey Gallo to Dodgers for RHP Clayton Beeter (No. 15)
After a career year in 2021, Gallo’s first half with the Yankees in 2022 was disastrous. The Bronx Bombers cut bait on Gallo and received Beeter, a 23-year-old in Double-A. Beeter made his MLB debut in 2024 but is no longer ranked inside New York’s top 30 prospects list.
2022: Orioles trade 1B Trey Mancini in three-team deal with Rays and Astros for RHPs Seth Johnson (No. 6) and Chayce McDermott (No. 12)
Baltimore fans need little refresher on this trade. Mancini was an integral part of the rebuild-era Orioles, but he was controversially traded away at the 2022 deadline despite Baltimore being in playoff contention. Mancini struggled for the Astros down the stretch (but won a World Series), while Johnson (now with the Phillies) and McDermott (now the Orioles’ No. 10 prospect) appear to have questionable futures as relievers.
2023: Guardians trade 1B Josh Bell to Marlins for INF Kahlil Watson (No. 11)
Bell was a good player for years and a Silver Slugger the year before, but he posted just a .701 OPS for Cleveland in 2023. Watson, a former first-round pick, was in High-A at the time of the trade and is now in Triple-A at 22 years old.
2023: Nationals trade 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario to Cubs for INF Kevin Made (No. 14) and RHP DJ Herz (No. 16)
Candelario bounced back from a down 2022 season and posted an .823 OPS, similar to O’Hearn’s mark this season. Made has risen only one level in the two years since this trade, while Herz made his MLB debut in 2024 but is injured this season.
Takeaway: O’Hearn, the Orioles’ lone All-Star this season, will likely net the largest return of any player they trade at the deadline. While he’s slumped at the plate recently, his overall numbers, his consistent performance since 2023 and the recent history of trades for good-but-not-great sluggers all seem to point toward the Orioles receiving at least one, maybe two, prospects inside a contender’s top 30 list.
Zach Eflin
2023: Cardinals trade RHP Jack Flaherty to Orioles for INF César Prieto (No. 16), LHP Drew Rom (No. 18) and RHP Zack Showalter (not ranked)
Orioles fans also won’t need any reminders about this one — Mike Elias’ first deadline splash, and one that backfired. Flaherty struggled mightily with the Orioles and was moved to the bullpen after his solid first half with the Cardinals. Flaherty’s history presented intriguing upside for the Orioles, while Eflin, despite his poor numbers this season, also has history as a reliable starter on his side. Two years later, Prieto is still in Triple-A, Rom is injured and Showalter is a High-A reliever with command issues.
2024: Blue Jays trade RHP Yusei Kikuchi to Astros for RHP Jake Bloss (No. 9), Will Wagner (No. 13) and Joey Loperfido (NR)
Kikuchi posted a 4.75 ERA with the Blue Jays — not far off Eflin’s injury-impacted 5.78 ERA — and was coming off two successful seasons similar to Eflin’s 2023 and 2024 campaigns. However, Kikuchi was due for positive regression and was displaying better stuff than Eflin has for much of this season. Still, the Blue Jays received three MLB-ready prospects.
Takeaway: Eflin’s solid start Wednesday in his return from the IL was critical, and so will his outing Monday against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. If he can deliver another Eflin-esque performance, it might give a contender confidence to pay the required price to acquire the veteran right-hander. But if no team is willing to give Baltimore multiple top 30 prospects, it’s possible the front office elects to keep Eflin and ponder whether to extend him the qualifying offer, which he could accept to remain an Oriole in 2026 or decline and likely earn the organization an extra draft pick.
Cedric Mullins
N/A
Takeaway: There are no good comparisons for Mullins, at least not since 2021. It’s rare for center fielders to get traded at the deadline since most teams put a premium on the position. Corner outfielders, especially ones in platoons, are much more likely to be dealt. Kevin Kiermaier was traded from the Blue Jays to the Dodgers last year, but the elite defender had posted a paltry .546 OPS for Toronto. An everyday corner outfielder like Andrew Benintendi was traded from the Royals to the Yankees in 2022, earning Kansas City three pitching prospects, two of whom were ranked inside New York’s top 30. But Benintendi was an All-Star that season, while Mullins has slumped since his scorching-hot April and is no longer the defender he was a few years ago. Guessing what the return for Mullins will be is difficult given there are no comps. A player who was worth 15.6 wins above replacement by Baseball-Reference’s estimation from 2021 through 2024 is someone who should garner a large return. A center fielder with a .701 OPS this season might only net a low-level prospect. Perhaps the return for Mullins will fall somewhere in between those two.
Charlie Morton
2021: Nationals trade LHP Jon Lester to Cardinals for OF Lane Thomas
In the last season of Lester’s illustrious career, he posted a 5.02 ERA — similar to Morton’s 5.48 mark this year — but was still valued at the deadline because of his track record. Thomas struggled early in his MLB career, but he was a valuable player for the Nationals for four years.
2021: Rays trade LHP Rich Hill to Mets for RHP Tommy Hunter and C Matt Dyer (NR)
At 41 years old (the same age as Morton this year), Hill pitched to a 3.87 ERA with the Rays. Hunter, a former Oriole, was injured at the time of the trade, while Dyer was 23 years old in Low-A. Dyer never made it to the major leagues.
Takeaway: Neither of these comparisons is great for Morton considering how well he’s pitched since mid-May. Morton was awful through the first six weeks of this season, but he’s pitched to a 3.81 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate over his past 10 starts. The question for contending teams is how fearful they are of his age and his start of the season and whether they pay more because of Morton’s superb postseason resume. Morton is likely worth a player or prospect of moderate value, but it’s unlikely the Orioles receive a haul.
Tomoyuki Sugano
2021: Angels trade LHP Andrew Heaney to the Yankees for RHP Janson Junk (No. 27) and Elvis Peguero (NR)
Heaney, like Sugano could be, was seen as rotation depth for contending teams, not as a way to improve a starting corps. Heaney posted a 5.27 ERA with the Angels but struck out far more batters (28.2%) than Sugano has this year (15.2%). Junk and Peguero both debuted for the Angels in 2021 but are now with different organizations.
2021: Pirates trade LHP Tyler Anderson to Mariners for C Carter Bins (NR) and RHP Joaquin Tejada (NR)
Anderson pitched to a 4.35 ERA with the Pirates and was traded for two fliers who’ve yet to reach the majors.
2024: Pirates trade LHP Martín Pérez to Padres for RHP Ronaldys Jiménez (NR)
Pérez, a veteran with a 5.20 ERA, only netted Pittsburgh an 18-year-old in rookie ball.
Takeaway: It’s difficult to imagine a team offering anything other than a low-level prospect for Sugano. The 35-year-old’s ERA has fallen to 4.38 after a hot start, and the underlying metrics look even worse because of his difficulties generating swing and miss. Perhaps the only way to get a better prospect would be to pay for some of the remaining approximately $4 million on Sugano’s contract. Or the Orioles could just look to offload Sugano in hopes of using that money elsewhere in the future.
Seranthony Domínguez
2021: Cubs trade RHP Ryan Tepera to White Sox for LHP Bailey Horn (No. 23)
Tepera was in the midst of a career year with a 2.91 ERA for the Cubs when they dealt him across town for a High-A pitching prospect.
2021: Rockies trade RHP Mychal Givens to Reds for RHP Case Williams (No. 20) and RHP Noah Davis (No. 26)
Givens, a former Oriole, was a frequent trade chip at the deadline. After posting a 2.73 ERA with Colorado, he was traded for a pair of pitching prospects. Davis has struggled during his brief time in the majors, while Williams, who was 19 at the time of the trade, is no longer in professional baseball.
2024: Mariners trade RHP Ryne Stanek to Mets for OF Rhylan Thomas (No. 30)
Stanek was Seattle’s setup man in 2024, posting a 4.38 ERA and saving seven games before his trade to the Mets. Thomas made his MLB debut with the Mariners this season and is hitting .308 in Triple-A.
Takeaway: Domínguez might be one of the more underrated players the Orioles are shopping at the deadline. His 3.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP might suggest he’s a middle reliever, but since increasing his splitter usage, Domínguez has been one of the most dominant bullpen arms in the AL. Platoon-neutral relievers like Domínguez have transformed into often net significant value at the deadline. Last week, the Orioles traded Soto to the Mets for two pitching prospects, one of whom was ranked as New York’s No. 19 prospect. A similar (or better) return for Domínguez seems likely.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>“Baltimore is going through a reconstruction, or a revival,” Taho said. “There’s nothing like going down to Fed Hill, grabbing a beer with your buddies and being able to catch an Orioles game in the same day. I think that weekend getaway is perfect for any new grad, and they would love to work there for that reason.”
Baltimore has made a name for itself as a city for young graduates to become financially stable, enjoy a lively social scene and find housing within their budget, while holding a position in their field of study, whether it be tech, health care or cybersecurity.
Recent college graduates have an easier time finding jobs in Baltimore than in most other U.S. metropolitan cities, according to a new study from ADP ranking cities by three characteristics: annual wages, hiring rates and affordability based on anonymized payroll data of more than 140,000 people aged 20-29 at more than 27,000 U.S. employers from January 2019 to April 2025.
Baltimore, including Columbia and Towson, ranked No. 3 on a list of best U.S. cities for recent college graduates to find jobs. For recent college graduates looking for a job, Baltimore offers an annual wage estimate of $52,267 and a hiring rate of 3.5%. The top city, Raleigh, North Carolina, had an annual wage estimate of $55,580 and a hiring rate of 4.2%.
Kimberly Clark, executive vice president of Baltimore Development Corporation, attributes Baltimore’s higher-than-average hire rate to the area’s strong college town network, with the Johns Hopkins University, , University of Baltimore and Morgan State University being located in and around the city.
ADP credited Baltimore’s high hiring rate and annual wage estimate to Hopkins, both the university and hospital, and the University of Maryland Medical System for providing jobs in science, engineering, health care, technology and mathematics as well as research opportunities for recent graduates.
In ADP’s similar study on the college graduate job market from last year, analyzing the same data from January 2019 to April 2024, Baltimore ranked No. 2, with a higher annual wage estimate of $52,000 and a lower hiring rate of 3.4%.
Taho works for Capital One as a cyber technical associate near Towson. Originally from Prince George’s County, he previously worked for Textron Systems, a technology company specializing in defense and space near Towson, after he graduated. Textron offered him the job before he officially received his diploma from Maryland.
He cited big players in the aerospace, tech and defense industries in and around Baltimore, like Northrop Grumman in Linthicum Heights and Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, as a “no-brainer” choices for anyone looking to work in the tech industry. Baltimore is already building on its reputation as a tech hub, seeking $70 million in funding last year.
“There are core sectors in the industry that Baltimore is a hub for that make it very attractive for recent up-and-coming professionals,” he said. “I wanted to stay close to home and get the chance to work for at least a well-known organization while not having to relocate.”
The entertainment, restaurants and nightlife that Baltimore provides also play an important role in attracting college graduates from other states and encouraging local graduates to stay, Clark said.
“Young people love Baltimore because there is so much to do here,” Clark said. “The lifestyle is what Baltimore has to offer. There’s lots to do. They can see concerts every Thursday at the First Thursday festival and then go play kickball with a Volo group after work.”
Nicole Marano, vice president of student success for the University of Baltimore, said many of University of Baltimore’s graduates stay for the lifestyle Baltimore has to offer, such as the nightlife in Fells Point, the variety of restaurants across the city and numerous music festivals, and end up working for the university. Students also feel comfort living near Hopkins for its career opportunities and its medical pedigree in case they are injured or sick.
“Students like the city’s size and, that there are so many opportunities for higher education and the benefits of having access to world-class medical institutions,” Marano said.
Graduates are hired to work in student admissions and build their administrative skills while encouraging others to learn and work in Baltimore. Other University of Baltimore students segue from the undergraduate and graduate law programs into the School of Law, going on to practice in the area.
“Oftentimes [graduates] like the vibrancy of the city, particularly Midtown because of the different restaurants, nightlife and that neighborhood feel you get near Mount Vernon,” Marano said. “Graduates from our school tend to end up in particular programs scattered across the institution in admission and institutional advancement in particular.”
Erick Rivadeneria, a University of Maryland 2025 graduate, moved to Arlington, Virginia, to work at Privia Health as a growth strategy and analytics coordinator. Also from Prince George’s County, Rivadeneria chose to move to Virginia because the job with Privia appealed more to him than one offered to him in Maryland, partially because of its salary.
“It was less so of a want to move to Virginia and more so that those were how the options leveled out for me,” Rivadeneria said. “There are different elements that come into that, such as income and where I could see my career going with this position.”
Although he is confident in the route he chose as a first-generation college graduate working in health care, Rivadeneria said the cost of living in Arlington is much higher than what he was used to in Maryland. According to the ADP study, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC metroplex has a higher annual wage estimate than the Baltimore metroplex but less affordability and a lower hiring rate.
As someone who frequently visited Baltimore growing up, Taho said he didn’t let the city’s history of a high homicide rate, which has dropped within the last year, deter him.
“It’s true that in certain pockets, you can make a wrong turn and end up in a sketchy neighborhood,” Taho said. “That’s changing.”
After rattling off many of the entertaining reasons to stay in Baltimore like going to Ravens games, grabbing a beer with friends in Federal Hill before catching an Orioles game and visiting the Inner Harbor, Taho said he chose to stick to the Baltimore area when looking for a job due to its variety of fields related to his major, information science.
“The cost of living was a huge factor,” he said. “You can rent a decent house in Baltimore for under $2,000. If you find that in New York, LA or even D.C., there’s a catch. I can come out here, make $80,000 a year and live comfortably as a single new grad right out of school able to pay all of my loans and still have a little bit of fun.”
Another boon for recent graduates is the cost of living in Baltimore compared with when he looked at bigger cities like New York. The ADP study highlighted New York as having high wages with a low hiring rate and a low rate of affordability.
Have a news tip? Contact Chevall Pryce at cpryce@baltsun.com.
]]>One side says the move will put low-income people at risk of losing their housing in an already tough market. While another says capping the program will actually improve the rental market for everyone, incentivizing landlords to lower rent.
Carol Ott is the tenant advocacy director of the Economic Action Maryland Fund, a nonprofit organization that advocates for economic and housing justice for lower-income communities. She predicted this policy would be “disastrous” for their clients, around 10% of whom receive some kind of housing assistance. In her opinion, cost-cutting measures weren’t the point of this new policy, she said.
“It’s not about saving money; it’s not about taxpayer dollars — none of that,” she said. “It’s about being cruel.”
But Norbert Michel, vice president and director for the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, which is part of the Libertarian think tank Cato Institute, said the proposed limit would help decrease the cost of rent overall.
“If the government says, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it, we’ll pay for all of your housing,’ and it always does that, then that’s taking a big chunk of market incentives out, and it becomes less affordable in the end,” he said.
More than 50,000 Maryland households utilize the federal housing voucher program, also known as Section 8. The program, funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides rental subsidies to people with disabilities or low incomes. Participants pay at least 30% of their adjusted monthly income, and the housing agency covers the difference.
The cap is part of President Donald Trump’s 2026 fiscal year budget, which has not been voted upon yet by Congress, and is still being worked on in committee. If passed, the cap, as part of the budget, will go into effect Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year.
Housing prices in Maryland, while less costly than in states like New York, California or Florida, hasn’t been static. In Maryland, the average rental price rose 20.5% between 2019 to 2024, according to a Sun analysis of the Apartment List rent estimates monthly report.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development responded to a request for comment by The Baltimore Sun by sending links to previous X posts from Sec. Scott Turner and a recent New York Times opinion essay.
“Compassionate common sense says those who are able to work, should work,” wrote Sec. Turner in a post. “Allowing generations of able-bodied Americans to remain on welfare is not compassionate to them, nor is it fair to the American taxpayer.”
“We can’t disincentivize work and allow able-bodied Americans to settle for welfare benefits,” read one post. “One Big Beautiful Bill work requirements that lift Americans out of dependency and toward a life of self-sustainability,” read another.
Pros and cons of housing vouchers
The majority of those eligible for these services are already unable to receive help because there isn’t enough funding on the federal level, said Daniel Teles, a principal research associate in the housing and communities division at the nonpartisan Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.,-based think tank that conducts social and economic policy research.
Only one in every four low-income households eligible for federal housing services actually gets benefits because the demand is larger than the supply, according to a 2021 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C. -based nonpartisan research and policy institute.
Yet a 2015 study published in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy found that there wasn’t any significant effect on market rents after the last voucher expansion in the early 2000s.
Still, Teles said he saw some pros and cons to the proposed time limit. On one hand, it would allow housing agencies to cycle through their years-long waitlists more quickly and provide momentary relief in the short term for more individuals, he said.
However, those exiting the voucher program would still not be able to afford their current rental because their income would not be able to match the unsubsidized price, he said.
Landlords must meet the long list of eligibility criteria before they receive tenants, but the benefit they can receive is the guaranteed payments from the housing authority. With the time limits, they could experience higher turnover costs and missed payments from tenants that can discourage them from renting to voucher holders in the future, Teles said.
The time limit could help improve the nation’s rental market, said Cato Institute’s Michel, as landlords enjoying the subsidies will now have to compete with the rest of the market. These landlords would have to lower the prices to attract tenants, dropping rental prices overall, he said.
When the government steps in to cover the rent, it takes away the competitive pressure that landlords would feel to lower prices, Michel said, and as a result, these subsidies artificially inflate rental costs.
“If somebody had rental assistance and now they don’t have rental assistance, that is going to make it more difficult for them,” Michel said. “But the flip side is that the landlord can’t charge as much anymore, so you have to take your pick.”
Bottom line, he said: “If you want to make housing more affordable, you can’t keep subsidizing.”
Daraius Irani is the chief economist for the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University. While he agreed that the federal housing subsidies do lead to higher rents, he said that the housing supply shortage in Maryland plays a larger role within the state. Ultimately, he said, he believes that the vouchers do more good than harm.
“Many individuals who are in these programs are working adults, but the housing costs in some places mean that if they didn’t have Section 8, they’d have to pay fifty percent or more of their income towards housing,” Irani said.
More administrative burdens for housing agencies
In Maryland, the cap could have a significant impact on the population, some of the state’s housing experts said.
The Howard County Housing Commission reopened its waitlist for its federal voucher program after 12 years in 2023 for a month, said its Executive Director Peter Engel. But of the 16,000 applications received, only 3,500 randomly selected received vouchers, he said, before they had to close the waitlist.
“It makes me feel extremely sad for the thousands of people in our county, much less millions of people in the country, who will be hurt by this,” Engel said. “It makes me feel a little hopeless for the future of the country, because we know that that sort of instability hurts kids, makes them do worse in school, makes their prospects for the future worse, and therefore hurts us all as a country going forward.”
In Prince George’s and Howard counties, officials said the voucher time limits will create a burden on the administrative level for housing agencies around the state.
The Housing Authority of Prince George’s County would have increased costs and logistical challenges in enforcing rental time limits and identifying new eligible homes to rent on the program, said Alexis Revis-Yeoman, public information officer for the Prince George’s Department of Housing and Community Development.
The time limit also could force evictions for households that could still be financially struggling — which could have a major impact on the budget resources of all county services, Revis-Yeoman said.
Several of Maryland’s elected leaders spoke out against the two-year cap, urging the Trump administration to rethink its decision, citing rising rental costs and an uncertain economy.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, called the cap an example of the White House’s lack of connection with the middle class.
“It is clear this Administration does not care about working class Americans and is more focused on giving tax breaks to billionaires,” Alsobrooks said in a statement provided to The Sun.
“Now is not the time to impose arbitrary restrictions on critical resources that help families afford their homes,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, in a statement to The Sun. “Instead, we should work to increase access to affordable housing and good-paying jobs in order to help more Americans achieve financial stability.”
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]]>Epping Forest, Inc., the organization that administers the Epping Forest special community benefit district, an added fee on top of taxes collected by Anne Arundel County for reasons agreed upon by the district, wants to take out a loan to pay for the upgrade.
Both sides presented their cases to the Anne Arundel County Council on July 21, and at that meeting, Epping Forest President Stacy Korbelak said a vote held in the neighborhood ended 115 for the marina and 64 against.
Later, resident Delia Deschaine said there are more than 400 properties in the neighborhood and the vote does not necessarily represent its will. Mitch Glazier, another resident, later said it was one of the highest voting turnouts the neighborhood has ever had. According to the Epping Forest website, there are “nearly 300” homes in the special community benefit district.
Korbelak, when contacted, declined to comment on the grounds of pending legal action against the neighborhood, though as of Friday afternoon no such case appears in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search.
To pay for the enhancement, the neighborhood corporation would have to take out a loan for $1.5 million and pay it off with equal amounts from each household over 10 years. Due to amortization, the neighborhood would be responsible for roughly $500,000 over that period, while the other $1 million is meant to be offset by marina boat slip fees.
Jeff Stockdale, who spoke at the meeting, said SCBD funding should be put toward fixing the neighborhood’s water supply — a wellwater system in disrepair operated by volunteers. Stockdale also said the new marina would extend nearly 140 feet into the river, potentially blocking the view of the private beach.
“The SCBD is meant to support shared community services. It’s not to subsidize luxury recreational infrastructure for a few, but if this bill passes, one-third of our annual SCBD budget will be tied up repaying this loan,” Stockdale said. “We are facing real infrastructure needs.”
Stockdale was one of a few people who spoke out against the project at the meeting.
“I appreciate all the concerns that were raised, but they were also raised within the community, within the process that was established. And at the end of the day, a vote was taken, and that vote ended up being two to one,” Glazier said at the meeting.
“The Boat Club has gone to large lengths to explain their program, their vision for the marina, and I think that there is a very small, few disgruntled people that don’t like the way the vote went, and they’re engaging in shenanigans and lawfare to try and delay, derail and kill this project, and I think it’s shameful,” said Denise Peterson, another resident.
District 6 councilmember Lisa Rodvien, who represents the neighborhood, called for the vote to be pushed to a meeting on Sept. 2 so she can review the situation. The postponement passed, with only District 2’s Allison Pickard dissenting and saying delaying the vote would harm the project.
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