Connect with us

Maryland

Maryland comptroller on taxes, a tax holiday and your unclaimed property – WTOP News

Published

on

Maryland comptroller on taxes, a tax holiday and your unclaimed property – WTOP News


Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman is excited about tax season, telling WTOP that during the first week of tax season taxpayers can find resource to help them file.

Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman is excited about tax season, telling WTOP during the first week of tax season that taxpayers can explore her office’s website and find resources to help them file on time.

As comptroller, Lierman is “the tax collector of Maryland — and also the tax refunder of Maryland,” a role she takes pride in.

She encouraged Marylanders to file their taxes online: “On average, we get out refunds within around three days for online filers, but it’s 17 days-plus if you file on paper.”

Advertisement

Taxpayers should explore the many tax credits they may qualify for, Lierman said.

“We have numerous state tax credits, including the earned income tax credit that is available to folks regardless of their status,” she said.

Unclaimed property day

In 2025, $4.2 billion in unclaimed property was returned to people nationwide.

“Unclaimed property is generally money that folks have not claimed for a certain number of years, and the institution that has it then remits it to us, and we hold it and try to reunite it with lost owners,” Lierman said.

In Maryland, the state’s unclaimed property system was updated in October to reduce wait times and make it easier for residents to reclaim their lost assets.

Advertisement

“That system will streamline the process of claiming your unclaimed property, and on the back end, for us to get it to you,” she said. “It will really streamline everything so we can get people their money more easily and more quickly.”

Tax free weekend

For anyone who’s been considering buying an energy-efficient appliance, Feb. 14-16 is the time to buy, at least in Maryland.

Lierman said that’s when anyone — you don’t have to be a Maryland resident — can buy a qualifying energy-efficient appliance and save money in the state.

“Because that is the weekend when you can save on that sales tax. We do not charge sales tax for Energy Star appliances,” she said. “So we always encourage people to consider, if they can, upgrading to those more energy efficient appliances that save you money every month.”

Normally, the taxes on washers, dryers, furnaces, boilers, full-size refrigerators and other qualifying appliances would come to 6% of the price of purchase.

Advertisement

Residents from out of state can purchase the appliances tax-free as well.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



Source link

Advertisement

Maryland

Inseparable Maryland couple of 70 years died holding hands after tragic car crash: ‘They were simply quite the pair’

Published

on

Inseparable Maryland couple of 70 years died holding hands after tragic car crash: ‘They were simply quite the pair’


A beloved Maryland couple who were married for 70 years died holding hands in their hospital beds after being taken off life support following a horrifying car crash last week.

Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts who wed in July 1955, died side-by-side Monday in a Baltimore hospital, six days after a car slammed into the side of their vehicle on Route 15 near their Thurmont home, according to their obituary and multiple reports.

Kenneth, 90, who was driving, and his 88-year-old wife were rushed to the hospital and placed on life support after suffering complications from the collision.

Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts who wed in July 1955, died side-by-side Monday in a Baltimore hospital. Stauffer Funeral Home

“I don’t think one could’ve lasted without the other,” their heartbroken friend, Nancy Echard, told Fox 5.

Advertisement

“That’s how tight they were. You always saw them together, no matter where you were.”

An employee at Thurmont Senior Center, where the couple were regulars who played bingo there twice a month, said they had just finished lunch and left about 15 minutes before the fatal crash.

Kenneth, 90, and Marilyn, 88, were taken off life support six days after a car slammed into the side of their vehicle. Thurmont Senior Center

The senior center posted a touching tribute to the late couple – parents of three, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents of six – hailing them as pillars of the community who were never seen without each other.

“To those of us here at the Senior Center, they were simply quite the pair,” Tuesday’s Facebook post said.

“You rarely saw one without the other, and that was no accident, they were two people who genuinely chose each other, every single day. In the end, even in their passing, they were not apart for long. They were a living reminder of what lasting love looks like, and we were blessed to witness it.”

Advertisement
The loving pair, devout churchgoers, regularly brought flowers to friends in nursing homes and were known for deeply cherishing their friends and large family. Facebook

The loving pair, devout churchgoers, regularly brought flowers to friends in nursing homes and were known for deeply cherishing their friends and large family, always uniting everyone for holidays, birthdays, and celebrations, their obituary said.

Marilyn devoted 25 years to chiropractic care before retiring in 2023, and Kenneth spent his life working in marketing.

Grief-stricken family members were comforted that the elderly couple died together and hope their love and legacy will live on.

“If there’s one thing we could share about my grandparents, it’s not only the 70 years they’ve had together and that they chose to be together every day and chose to go away together and leave this earth together,” their granddaughter Kristie Hopkins told the outlet.

“Their legacy is just how to be humans – be humble and kind and graceful to others and help strangers in need.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Maryland

Power restored to University of Maryland after campuswide outage

Published

on

Power restored to University of Maryland after campuswide outage


A campuswide power outage at the University of Maryland prompted crews to respond overnight, including dispatching staff to assist people stuck in elevators.

In an advisory, the university said Facilities Management staff were on site assessing the situation and that crews were being dispatched to individuals in elevators.

Just after 1:30 a.m, the university said power was in the process of being restored across campus and that most residence halls had power. The university said steam and hot water would continue to improve as full campus power restoration continued.

SEE ALSO | Iranians rally in DC for democracy and Iranian leadership back home

Advertisement

Pepco said that around midnight, it began receiving calls about an outage impacting the university. Pepco crews responded and determined Pepco equipment was not the source of the outage.

As of publication, university officials have not responded to 7News’ request for a comment.



Source link

Continue Reading

Maryland

Body pulled from river near Bladensburg Waterfront

Published

on

Body pulled from river near Bladensburg Waterfront


An investigation is underway after a body was spotted in the Anacostia River near the Bladensburg Waterfront in Maryland on Saturday.

The Prince George’s County Park Police confirmed on social media around 4:50 p.m. that officers responded to the area after reports of a dead person in the water.

Authorities said the investigation is in its early stages.

Officials have not released the identity of the person, and the cause of death has not yet been determined.

Advertisement
Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending