Veterans Day Schedule Changes, Maryland Verizon Workers Head To New Jersey, and The Supreme Court Agrees To Take Up MD's Law Allowing DNA Collection From People Arrested For Violent Crimes And Burglaries

Yesterday was Veterans Day - and today is the federal holiday honoring Veterans Day. Federal, state, and most local government offices are closed. Courts and banks are closed as well, but public schools are open. Public libraries are a mixed bag; they’re open in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County… but libraries are closed here in Baltimore City, as well as in Carroll, Frederick, Harford, and Howard counties. There's no regular trash or recycling pickup in Baltimore City or Harford County. But regular trash removal service goes on as usual in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, and Howard County. There's no regular mail delivery from the post office today, but express mail delivery is still going on. MARC trains and commuter buses are not operating today... but the Metro Subway, the Light Rail, and local MTA buses are running, and on regular schedules. And one last note - don't forget to feed the meters: Veterans Day is not a parking meter holiday. We thank the Baltimore Sun for help in compiling this list -- their list is available here.

The Supreme Court has agreed to review the Maryland law that allows police to collect DNA samples from people arrested for violent crimes or burglaries (via our wire service, the Baltimore Sun, and the Daily Record).

Dozens of skilled Verizon workers from Maryland are headed north to help with relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy. The workers plan to be in the area for at least three weeks, which means they'll miss out on Thanksgiving with their families (via our wire service and WJZ).

Baltimore police are rolling out a fleet of brand new cruisers, giving them a new and more effective tool when it comes to fighting crime. The new cars are part of a $2.3-million expenditure to begin replacing the system's aging fleet (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

On today's edition of Inside Maryland Politics, WYPR Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith talks to WYPR News Director, Joel McCord, about the future of the Republican Party in Maryland.

12 Baltimore City workers could lose their jobs, amid accusations that they stole and sold nearly $60-million dollars in scrap metal (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

Maryland's largest solar power facility is gearing up to go online next month. The 160-acre solar farm near the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown is expected to generate up to 20 megawatts of power per hour... and will produce enough electricity to power up to 5-thousand single-family homes a year (via the Daily Record). 

A group of students and Roman Catholic bishops worked together over the weekend to prepare over 30-thousand meals for West African orphans and battered women (via the Baltimore Sun).

A child star in "The Little Rascals" is finally getting a headstone, 76-years after his death. Norman "Chubby" Chaney died in 1936 at the age of 21, but his grave was unmarked because his mother could not afford a headstone. An online fundraising drive recently raised the money, and the headstone was unveiled Saturday by a small group at the Baltimore Cemetery (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun). 

And in sports: the Ravens trounced the Oakland Raders yesterday, beating them 55 to 20. In so doing, the Ravens set a team single game scoring record. The Ravens are now 7 and 2 overall, and 5 and zero at home. They'll take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming Sunday.