The Maryland DREAM Act, Meningitis, and The Orioles In The American League Division Series

On November 6th, Marylanders will go to the polls and vote on Question 4 also known as The Maryland DREAM Act, one of this election’s referenda. It would allow students who are undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities. It requires that the students have gone to a Maryland high school for 3 years and graduated. It also requires that their parents or they themselves have filed tax returns for three years. And the students must earn 60 credits at a community college before going on to a four-year college or university. On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of students, teachers, and parents held the biggest rally yet for The DREAM Act. WYPR’s Mary Rose Madden brings us this report.

A third Maryland resident who received a steroid shot for back pain has been diagnosed with meningitis. This victim reportedly remains alive. As of 6am Monday, 91 cases have been confirmed in the US... nationwide, there have been 7 fatalities (via our wire service, the Centers for Disease control and Prevention, and the Baltimore Sun).

Baltimore Gas and Electric reportedly owes the city of Baltimore more than five-million dollars, and is looking into ways to collect (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

Hotel occupancy rates are higher in most of the state of Maryland, but Annapolis is a glaring exception -- a new report indicatesthat the number of people who stayed in Annapolis in the months of June, July and August was down at the lowest level since 2009 (via our wire service and the Capital Gazette).

The scourge of brown marmorated stink bugs is even worse this year than it was last; the USDA says that the pungent beatles' population is 60% higher in the Frederick County region than it was this time last year (via the Frederick News Post).

On today's edition of Inside Maryland Politics, WYPR Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith talks with WYPR reporter Karen Hosler about last week's presidential debate, and how visible Governor Martin O'Malley's been in the run-up to the presidential election.

In sports news this morning: After 14 years of frustration, the Baltimore Orioles are back in the playoffs. They opened the American League Division Series at home last night before a packed house of full-throated fans and WYPR’s Joel McCord -- who brings us this report. In the end, the O's lost yesterday's game to the Yankees 7-2. The second game of the best-of-five ALDS is tonight at Camden Yards, starting at 8:07pm.

In other sports news: the Ravens beat the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday, the score was 9 to 6.

Today is Columbus Day - a federal holiday, and a day of many schedule changes. An overview is below; you can find more here from the Baltimore Sun and here from the Maryland Transit Administration. 

Federal and state government offices are closed. Some local government offices are closed as well - including Baltimore City’s, Baltimore County’s, and Carroll County’s. But government offices are open in Anne Arundel, Frederick, Harford, and Howard Counties.

Public schools are open today, but courts and banks are closed... and there's no regular mail delivery from the post office today.

There's no regular trash or recycling pickup in Baltimore City - but trash removal service goes on as usual in most other jurisdictions.

MARC trains or commuter buses are not operating today... but the Metro Subway, the Light Rail and local MTA buses are running on regular schedules.

And don't forget to feed the meters: Columbus Day is not a parking meter holiday.