Bria Overs

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

Aworker reclassification policy revivedfrom President Donald Trump’s first administration could stripsomecivil serviceprotections from federal workers andlead to the firing of thousands of employeesat the Social Security Administration.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

Spring’s weddings, graduations and Mother’s Day normally keep florists busy — but it’s not business as usual as the Trump administration implements a 10% tariff on flower‑exporting countries. Most of America’s favorite flowers, including bulbs for U.S. growers, come from abroad, forcing consumersand producers to make tough choices between getting the flowers they want and staying within their budget, said Tasha Lee, florist and owner of Tasha Flowers, a Baltimore-based floral designer.

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

Five new Black-owned businesses were welcomed into Baltimore’s downtown on Friday, the latest group in an initiative by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimoreto reinvigorate the city’s strugglingcentral business district. The announcement comes as some fear that such programs could cease to exist as the Trump Administration seeks to stomp out diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Bria Overs

The utility regulation legislation that state lawmakers passed on the final day of the General Assembly session is “a massive victory” for Marylanders, consumer advocates said. Amid months of outrage over unexpectedly high natural gas and electric bills stemming from increases in supply and delivery rates and colder winter weather, utility customers and elected officials called for legislative action. The Next Generation Energy Act tackles some of those issues. If signed by Gov.

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Julie Scharper |Bria Overs

Joyce Evans received an alarming letter two days before Christmas 2023. The Social Security Administration had declared her dead. The letter touched off a bureaucratic nightmare for Evans, then 88, a retired federal worker from Anne Arundel County. Her pension was terminated. Her health insurance benefits were cut off. Her home was listed for short sale. Even her water was turned off. Seven months after she descended into this Kafkaesque situation, Evans was dead.