Washington

Washington Co. delegation reflects on judge privacy, water study, vehicle fees

Published

7 months ago

May 2, 2024

Washington Co. delegation reflects on judge privacy, water study, vehicle fees

Del. William Valentine, R-Frederick/Washington, was the last of six Washington County state legislators to speak at a forum Wednesday hosted at Hagerstown Community College by the area’s chamber of commerce, but he summed up the recently concluded 90-day session deftly.

His list of three concluding items turned into four while thanking the staff (including an intern), which does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for members of the Maryland General Assembly.

Regarding Washington County, the second-year delegate referenced legislation that passed named after slain county Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, designed to shield judges’ personal information; he relayed fellow legislator’s compliments regarding the community’s Day in Annapolis, held at the state’s capital in January; and repeated a sentiment shared by several delegation members.

REVIEW: Transportation top issue
as Washington County comes to capital for ‘Day in Annapolis’

“Working with this delegation is second to none,” Valentine told the early morning crowd of several dozen people packed into two rooms in the college’s career programs building.

“It made me feel really good that you guys are working together,” said Hagerstown resident Mary Ann Keyser, during a concluding question-and-answer period. “For Washington County, we need to see more of that,” she said.

Regional water study bill falls short. Study receives some funding.

The chair of the Washington County delegation to the General Assembly, Del. William Wivell, R-Washington/Frederick, referenced successes like the legislation paying homage to Wilkinson and a new law with residency requirements for Washington County Board of Education members. He also acknowledged instances where the delegation fell short with proposals this year.

More: After attack on Maryland judge, bill brought to protect judiciary members, their families

“The one that we were not successful in establishing was the regional study on water and wastewater in the county,” said Wivell, alluding to an issue he brought up during the pre-legislative session forum held in the same room about six months earlier. “Hopefully, we can work together to get a similar bill to that in a future legislative session.”

Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington/Frederick, also brought up the water and wastewater issue, one where a Hagerstown/Washington County disagreement caused a bill that would have studied the area’s needs to be withdrawn during the latter part of the legislative session.

More: Key for Washington County community growth, state water bill turned off for this year

“We encourage the city and county and other municipalities to work together to hopefully be able to come to the table and come up with a study that’s hopefully amenable to all,” he said, while also noting an approved $250,000 operating grant to Hagerstown for a future study.

Increase in vehicle registration fees discussed. Education funding, too.

Critical to the budget at the state level are two topics — transportation and education — that delegation members discussed with the Chamber crowd.

Corderman alerted those on hand that fees for vehicle registrations, including for electric vehicles, are going to be going up. (In 2023, the Legislature backed a multi-year commission to study transportation funding to pay for roads and other projects as revenue from the gas tax declines as cars become more fuel-efficient and more electric vehicles are on the roads.)

He said the current typical vehicle registration fee is between $135 and $187, every two years.

“That is going to be about double here in about two or three years,” said Corderman, while also noting a surcharge of several hundred dollars on registrations for electric vehicles.

More: With days left in session, Maryland Senate and House leaders agree to budget deal.

According to reporting last month from Maryland Matters, cars weighing under 3,500 pounds will pay $92 more for the two-year registration, and cars over 5,000 pounds will pay an additional $151 every two years. (A Ford F150 pickup, for example, weighs about 5,000 pounds.)

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Administration responded to an inquiry regarding fees with a link to the legislation that includes the proposed schedule for specific vehicle weights and fees.

Del. Brooke Grossman, D-Washington, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the delegation’s sole Democrat, discussed a different aspect of the state’s budget: education.

“That budget that we passed this year funded the Blueprint for Maryland’s (Future) through 2027,” she said. “That included an additional $457 million to local government to help support and offset the cost.”

She also noted money in the budget for the state’s Child Care Scholarship program.

Bipartisan local initiative that became law lauded

Corderman and Grossman, who both represent Hagerstown while members of different political parties, also discussed working together on legislation to allow students at the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts to play on their local sports teams — a historic practice that had been discontinued around last year because of a law.

“We were told that bill was dead a variety of times, but we were able to work together and get that over (into law),” Corderman said. “The kids over at Barbara Ingram, if they choose to play athletics, can play back in their home communities.”

“That deserves applause,” an audience member said.

More: Funds shifted by MD for roads that received federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law cash

“You don’t get things done at the extremes. You get things done in the center,” Keyser explained in an interview after the forum. “That was a very positive, for the most part, presentation. They complemented one another, they worked together on bills. We need more of that, at all levels of government.”

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

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Washington

Commanders Aim to Bounce Back in Week 12, Players Eye Key Milestones

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Commanders Aim to Bounce Back in Week 12, Players Eye Key Milestones

The Washington Commanders return to Northwest Stadium for a high-stakes Week 12 rivalry clash against the Dallas Cowboys.

After back-to-back losses, the Commanders is not only seeking a much-needed win but also bragging rights in this storied division matchup. Several players also have their sights set on key milestones heading into Sunday’s game.

With a win, Washington would move to 8-4, marking their best start through 12 games since 1996. It would also solidify their dominance at home this season, improving to 5-1 at Northwest Stadium — their best home record through 12 games since 1992.

As Week 12 approaches, here are the numbers to watch as players aim for historic milestones:

Nov 10, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates after a play against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

1

Tight end Zach Ertz needs one touchdown reception to tie Keith Jackson (49) for 16th all-time among tight ends in NFL history.

2

Linebacker Bobby Wagner needs 100 tackles in 2024 to become only the second player since 2000 to achieve 13 or more consecutive 100-tackle seasons, joining London Fletcher, who accomplished the feat 14 times from 2000-2013. Wagner currently has 66 tackles this season. He’s also closing in on another milestone, needing two interceptions to reach 15 for his career.

Tight end Zach Ertz is just two touchdown receptions away from reaching 50 in his career.

Running back Austin Ekeler needs two receptions to surpass Thurman Thomas (472) for 25th all-time in receptions by a running back.

Defensive tackle Daron Payne is 2.5 sacks shy of breaking into the top 10 for career sacks in Washington franchise history.

3

Frankie Luvu needs three sacks to reach 30 career sacks.

4

Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin is on the verge of several milestones. McLaurin needs 50 receptions and 900 receiving yards this season to become just the fourth player in NFL history to reach those marks in each of his first six seasons, joining Mike Evans, A.J. Green, and Randy Moss—a feat DK Metcalf is also chasing.

Additionally, McLaurin needs 75 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 to become the fourth player to hit those marks in five of his first six seasons, joining Torry Holt, Brandon Marshall, and Randy Moss.

McLaurin is also closing in on franchise history, needing four receptions to pass Chris Cooley (429) for fifth all-time in Washington history. He’s four touchdown receptions away from reaching 35 career touchdowns.

5

Linebacker Bobby Wagner is also nearing a milestone, needing five sacks to reach 40 for his career.

6

Austin Ekeler recently surpassed Arian Foster (8,873) for the second-most scrimmage yards by an undrafted running back in the common-draft era, trailing only Priest Holmes (11,134). Ekeler now has 8,916 career scrimmage yards and has his sights set on another milestone. With 471 career receptions, he is just 29 catches away from becoming the sixth running back in NFL history to record 500 receptions in his first eight seasons. This exclusive club includes Marshall Faulk (548), LaDainian Tomlinson (510), Christian McCaffrey (509 in seven seasons), Roger Craig (508), and Alvin Kamara (505 in seven seasons).

Meanwhile, tight end Zach Ertz continues to cement his place in NFL history. Despite Washington recent losses, Ertz became the sixth tight end in league history to reach 750 career receptions, joining legends like Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228), Antonio Gates (955), Travis Kelce (907 entering 2023), and Shannon Sharpe (815). Ertz currently has 752 career receptions.

7

While it may not happen this Sunday, Austin Ekeler is closing in on a historic milestone. He needs seven more touchdown receptions to surpass Marshall Faulk (36) for the most by a running back in the Super Bowl era. Ekeler currently has 30 career touchdown receptions.

9

Another milestone to keep an eye on—though it may not happen this week—is Zach Ertz approaching 8,000 career receiving yards. He is just 138 yards away from becoming the ninth tight end in NFL history to reach this milestone.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Washington

When does No. 1 Oregon football play Washington? Kickoff time set for Ducks vs. Huskies

Published

16 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

When does No. 1 Oregon football play Washington? Kickoff time set for Ducks vs. Huskies

The No. 1 Oregon football team will look to wrap its regular season with a perfect record against rival Washington next Saturday at home for senior night.

The Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) are the only unbeaten team left in the Big Ten and could get some revenge against the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 from Autzen Stadium.

The game will air on NBC.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning will be looking for his first win against the Huskies as head coach, having lost all three matchups in the last two seasons against UW.

The Washington team in 2024 is a far cry from what it was in 2022 and 2023, with first-year head coach Jedd Fisch replacing Kalen DeBoer (now at Alabama) and guiding Washington to a 6-5 record.

The Ducks have already qualified for the Big Ten Championship game, set to be played the following Saturday, Dec. 7.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

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Bellevue vs. Kennewick: Live score, updates of Washington high school football quarterfinals (11/23/2024)

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Bellevue vs. Kennewick: Live score, updates of Washington high school football quarterfinals (11/23/2024)

If there is one team that relishes the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with reigning Class 3A champion Bellevue, it is the Kennewick Lions.

They played the Wolverines tough, losing a close 2021 state championship game.

The two programs meet in a rematch at 3 p.m. Pacific time in a WIAA Class 3A quarterfinal game at Belleve High School. A live feed is available on NFHS Network (subscription only).

SBLive is tracking scores across the state of Washington through Week 12. Stay with us for the latest score and game updates from pregame to teardown. Refresh this post and scroll down for the latest.

PRE-GAME: BELLEVUE VS. KENNEWICK

FIRST QUARTER

Updates provided when play starts.

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About Bellevue

Key players— RB Max Jones, OL/DL Demetri Manning, RB/LB Ryken Moon, DL Johnny O’Connor, RB/DB Bryce Smith

About Kennewick

Key players— OL Jose Cadenas, RB Canaan Hays, DL Tanner Larson, LB Cooper Neer, RB Alex Roberts

* WEEK 12 WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PRIMER

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DOWNLOAD THE SBLIVE APP

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

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