Last week the Montgomery County Board of Education approved a plan for secondary regional programs that will split the county into six mini-districts and a proposal to move Wootton High School from Rockville to Gaithersburg. In Annapolis, MD Senate and House face off over a special election bill and a thwarted Congressional redistricting. And more. Music by A Shrewdness of Apes.

After Crossover Day in the Maryland General Assembly, the last day bills need to be passed by one chamber and moved to the other for regular consideration, Sunil Dasgupta talked with Delegate Marc Korman about what bills made the cut and what they mean. Music by Seth Kibel.

Montgomery County Board of Education to vote this week on regional programs to reorganize the school district into six mini-districts. We have a report from John F. Kennedy High School in east county. What is prevailing wage and why does it matter for school construction? Frederick County data center opponents report they have enough signatures for a ballot question to shrink the land area allowed for data center construction. And more. Music by A Shrewdness of Apes.

The dire budget situation in Maryland and seeming mismanagement at the agency has put the crosshairs on the state's Developmental Disabilities Administration, DDA, which supports about 20,000 Marylanders with everyday assistance like employment, at-home assistance to round the clock 1-on-1 help. Sunil Dasgupta spoke with Greg Snyder, vice-president of the Maryland Association of Community Services, about the cuts and their impact. Music by Seth Kibel.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich proposes tax and user fee hikes in his 2026-27 budget. We have the details. Pepco and Washington Gas rates are about to go up again. David Lapp, Maryland's utility consumer advocate, breaks it down. Baltimore County Delegate Sheila Ruth has proposed a bill to remove the 18-month provisional driver's license period for new drivers above the age of 18. Why? And more. Music by A Shrewdness of Apes.

The January 2026 snowstorm closed MCPS for 5 consecutive days. The school district is seeking new state law to exempt itself from the 180-day school year requirement. The move has broad support from local elected officials. But one voice of an MCPS parent and PTA activist stands out. Sunil Dasgupta talks with Evelyn Chung who says letting MCPS off the hook for the lost days defeats the school district's primary education mission, especially when the school district put itself in this position with poor decisions. Music by Seth Kibel.

An accidental revelation outs Amazon Web Services as the company behind a Calvert County datacenter NDA and residents are upset. In Frederick County, data center opponents are collecting signatures for a ballot referendum. Montgomery County rejects proposal for a data center task force. MCPS is piloting AI-based security camera monitoring in three high schools. Have you noticed the increased street garbage after the Snowcrete melt? We have a trash report from Washington DC. And more. Music by A Shrewdness of Apes.

Gino Renne is the longtime president of UFCW 1994 MCGEO, the county government employees union. Sunil Dasgupta talks with Gino Renne about the county's politics, history, the role of unions, and the challenges of economic development and rent stabilization. Music by Seth Kibel.

OPM is shuttering the CFC website. Data center wars heat up over new proposal for old coal power plant in Dickerson in Montgomery County MD. CCAN's Mike Tidwell spoke to the developer, Atmosphere. In West Virginia, state officials welcome an even bigger data center. WV Delegate Evan Hansen with what is known. As ICE appears to move its equipment fleet to Maryland, state Delegate Vaughn Stewart explains two bills that seek to curtail ICE jails. PTA leader Dan Silva of the Magruder High School Cluster on organizing families to push for Magruder's facility needs. And more. Music By A Shrewdness of Apes.

Sunil Dasgupta talks with UMBC Media Studies Professor Jason Loviglio about his new book, Empathy Machines: This American Life, Podcasting, and the Public Radio Structure of Feeling, about the sociology of public radio aesthetics and the podcasting that emanated from it, as well as the political economy of a medium that burst through the American consciousness and now searching for its evolution. Music by Seth Kibel.