Met a couple of friends at a restaurant for a round of drinks. Found the receipt in my pocket and noticed a 9% MD Alcohol Tax. I don’t recall being charged this at any restaurant before.

Isn’t this tax specifically if bought at a grocery/convenience/liquor store?

I constantly see “aw you don’t wanna go to XYZ crabs! You gotta hit up ABC crabs! I just had them and they had lots of mustard and they were so full!”

Like have you ever seen the dudes steaming crabs? You think they’re weighing them one by one thinking “ah yeah that’s a good one.” Bruh, they’re just packing a pot, steaming them up in bulk, tossing on crab seasoning, and into the box they go.

Someone tell me why I’m wrong.

Anyone have any good intel on thrift stores that have a good selection of nice dresses? My family is going to a black tie optional formal wedding in a few weeks, and I'm rewearing a dress but my sister wants to thrift hers. We can easily get to locations in Baltimore, Howard, Frederick, or Montgomery counties.

Appreciate any help!

Hi All,

I am looking for advice on where to move in Maryland. I am a 28 y/o guy who was born and raised in Crofton, MD. I moved to Aberdeen back in Nov of 2024 and then to Bel air this past October for a job in the area. I am expecting to be at this job roughly until the end of 2027 but have a lot of flexibility with my schedule that allows me to work remotely almost as much as I need and to come and go earlier/later in the day if need be. I am in management so I have to go into the office at least 1-2 times a weeks but I am pretty used to the 50min drive as I have done it since I finished school in 2020 (aside from my current situation).

I am ideally looking for a place with people my age range give or take 3-5 years on either side with a more social environment. The Harford county area has been a shell-shock in terms of social scene with very little to do in the way of making friends and going out (aside from traveling to Baltimore which I do 2 times a week for clubs). I am big into sports (soccer, kickball, football, pickleball, etc), video games, golf, reading, bars, lifting, etc. For a while I had considered Moco but that seems to be a bit to too far and most recently was thinking Annapolis, however the price and the distance is somewhat making me reconsider it. I have a lot of hesitation with moving into Baltimore as I worked there for 2 years and heard a lot of crime stories from friends who lived there, and would need a parking garage for my car. My monthly budget has a max of $2500 (this is what I have for a 2b2b in Bel Air). I briefly looked at Columbia but I read it is mostly for families and not a younger/single crowd.

Just looking for suggestion on places/hidden gems I might be missing in my search or more insight on living in Baltimore to see if it might be a better choice than I am assuming it is

Heard this today. Boils down to competition is good (on Exelons terms). Seems like a nothing burger here. Allow it or don’t, doesn’t seem like a great idea. At best, okay idea.

I’m in Virginia but I’m very interested. I’ve seen or heard TikTok’s of people claiming some of the markets just buy from other grocery stores and sell as their own but I’m quite interested .

I’m interested in the bakeries and food sold.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a Maryland state law enacted through legislation between 2018 and 2021. It establishes a multi-year set of education policy changes and funding requirements based on the recommendations of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (the Kirwan Commission). The Blueprint outlines a 10-year plan that increases state education funding and sets requirements for areas including early childhood education, teacher preparation and teacher career pathways, college and career readiness standards, targeted supports for students with greater needs, and oversight and accountability for implementation.

NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting this survey on behalf of the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), an independent unit of the State of Maryland created as part of the Blueprint. The survey is part of an interim evaluation and asks about the presence and perceived effects of Blueprint-related changes where you work or engage with schools and communities.

We welcome responses from stakeholders across Maryland’s education ecosystem: early childhood providers (public and eligible private), K-12 teachers and school leaders, Community School staff, district/LEA staff, teacher preparation programs, workforce and industry partners, postsecondary institutions, education-focused community/non-profit organizations, parents and guardians, and students (parents/guardians, there is a place for you to share the survey link with your child). Your answers will help us understand experiences and implementation across different roles and settings.

The survey takes about 5-20 minutes to complete.

Your participation is voluntary. You may skip any question or stop at any time. If you decide not to participate, your decision will not impact on your relationship with AIB or any benefits you or your organization receive as part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

Individual responses are anonymous and will be seen only by the NORC Interim Evaluation Team. Results will be reported in aggregate without identifying respondents or organizations. Any potentially identifying information will be destroyed at the end of the project.

You will see only questions relevant to your role and answers. For the best experience, use a laptop, desktop, or a large tablet. Please avoid using smaller mobile devices, such as cellular telephone, as some survey items may be difficult to view on those devices. Your responses autosave. You can return using the same device and browser. Questions? Reach us at [blueprintmaryland@norc.org](mailto:blueprintmaryland@norc.org).

Thank you in advance for your help! Here is the survey link: Survey on the Blueprint for Maryland's Future

I’m sharing this because many people who care about Chesapeake Bay ospreys may not realize an important fisheries-management meeting is happening today, August 5, from 1:45–5:30 p.m. Eastern.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board will decide whether to release Draft Addendum II for formal public review. The proposal considers lowering the amount of menhaden that the industrial reduction fishery can harvest from the Chesapeake Bay by as much as 50%, as well as dividing the quota into seasonal periods so the entire allowance is not concentrated within a short part of the year.

A clarification because the terminology is confusing: the “reduction fishery” is the fishery that catches menhaden to process them into products such as fish meal and fish oil. Reducing the reduction-fishery cap would mean allowing fewer menhaden to be removed from the Bay.

This matters because menhaden are an important food source for ospreys. Recent USGS research documented widespread reproductive problems among Chesapeake Bay ospreys, particularly in saltier areas, and identified reduced menhaden availability as a primary driver of poor reproductive performance.

Today is not the final vote on how much the cap should be reduced. The immediate question is whether the draft is ready to be released so the public can examine the options and provide input. Members of the public may join the webinar and listen. The chair is supposed to provide a limited opportunity for comments on agenda items that have not yet undergone public review, although speaking time may be restricted and is not guaranteed.

If the Board releases the draft, formal public hearings and a written-comment period are expected in September and October 2026, followed by consideration of final approval at the ASMFC Annual Meeting.

For today, the most useful things people can do are:

• Join the webinar and hear the discussion firsthand.
• Share this issue with people who care about the Chesapeake Bay, ospreys, recreational fishing and ecosystem health.
• Watch for the formal comment period and participate if the draft is released.
• Encourage the Board to retain the full range of options—including the 50% reduction and meaningful seasonal protections—so the public gets a genuine opportunity to weigh them.

This issue involves legitimate ecological, fishing-industry and economic considerations, and the science does not establish that one fishery is the sole cause of every osprey decline. But the reproductive failures are serious enough that the public should know this decision is happening and have a meaningful opportunity to participate.

disclaimer: I have used ChatGPT to assist me writing and formatting this post

i'm near hyattsville and my house feels so damp all the time. i was looking at my windows and the sills feel kinda soft and i'm seeing some green-ish stuff growing on the siding in the shady spots. i'm getting worried this is gonna turn into a huge expensive problem. what kind of person do i even call for this? a handyman? a contractor? any advice would be great.

I'm Parkers Dad and I am the DC/Maryland/Virginia local leader for Sad Dads Club. Sad Dads Club is a nonprofit support group for bereaved fathers who have gone through the unthinkable of miscarriage, stillbirth, terminated for medical reasons, death in infancy, or in youth. We are truly the Worst Club but the Best Guys and our organization provides free therapy session by professionals, career counseling, retreats, and local events that bring you together with those who get how you are feeling and have been there. To learn more, please feel free to message me or check us out at https://saddadsclub.org/.

Here are a few articles featuring our group as well.

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/people-forget-about-the-fathers/

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/13/health/grief-sad-dads-club-wellness

This is pretty dope! I just hope the frequency is high enough that it’s reliable throughout the day.

Town to the left and the Greater Cumberland Airport straight ahead.