Maryland drops to 36 on CNBC Top States for Business 2026 list, Virginia is #3

Maryland has become an even worse state to do business in over the last year, according to CNBC's Top States for Business 2026 list, which the cable TV business channel unveiled today. Moribund Maryland dropped four spots to #36 this year based on CNBC's criteria, which examine each state's infrastructure, economy, workforce, quality of life, cost of doing business, and technology and innovation. Virginia, by contrast, moved up to #3, and is perennially in the top 5 on this list.

Why is Maryland once again a bottom dweller, and sinking? The primary new factors are the state's IT tax, which has not only massively increased IT costs (including my own) for Maryland businesses, but has only increased the exodus of companies from the state. Maryland's highest profile infrastructure project, the Key Bridge replacement, has stalled out. That missing highway link not only remains a logistical nightmare for businesses large and small that relied on it, but only adds to Maryland's national notoriety as a state with inadequate infrastructure, and an ideological hostility to road construction. And after Maryland Governor Wes Moore and the state legislature used Zohran Mamdani slight-of-hand tactics to raid precious funds for a desperation one-year budget fix, S&P downgraded Maryland's long-term outstanding debt outlook from stable to negative.

Continuing to plague our state are our own elected officials. For another year, Montgomery County and Maryland officials failed to take any steps toward construction of the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing, which would give us the critically-needed direct access to Dulles International Airport that corporate executives demand (and currently get in Northern Virginia). In fact, our leaders proudly stand against the new bridge, which was supposed to have been constructed 50 years ago. Multiple highways planned to handle explosive housing growth that has already taken place over decades in Montgomery County not only remain unbuilt, but have been criminally removed from the master plan, a blatant dereliction of duty by our elected officials.

Electricity costs continue to skyrocket, again the direct result of actions by our elected officials. They forced the closure of 8 power plants statewide, and implemented clean power mandates. These buffoonish diktats brought us where we are now: not only unable to provide cheap and abundant energy for business, but unable to even provide sufficient electricity capacity to meet existing demand. This has required Maryland to import electricity at inflated boardwalk prices from out of state.

Maryland has only increased the tax burden on business, when our corporate tax rate was already not competitive for business. The Montgomery County Council not only implemented multiple tax hikes this year, including yet another property tax increase, but actually created new taxes amid an affordability crisis. And despite their minimum wage increases having been an utter catastrophe, ushering in the age of restaurants using touchscreens and fewer employees, the Marxist radicals on the Council are now poised to join the national bankruptcy movement that is calling for a $30 minimum wage. 

Yet another chance to change direction is quickly slipping through the fingers of MoCo and Maryland voters. Turnout in last month's primary election was humiliatingly small. The Banner, whose billionaire oligarch owner puts his news behind a paywall(!!) and is a well-known Democratic operative, actually posted a story on Facebook claiming Democratic Montgomery County Executive nominee Will Jawando "is expected to be sworn in as the next Montgomery County executive in December." In fact, The Banner wrote, Jawando "will almost certainly be sworn in as the next Montgomery County executive in December." 

The November general election hasn't even taken place, folks. This is classic voter suppression by The Banner: make voters feel hopeless. Why bother to vote when The Banner has told you the outcome is already known? "Democracy," right? At The Banner, democracy dies in a $50 million grant from the billionaire Democratic operative owner to run that propaganda outlet, which was warmly welcomed in Montgomery County by the very politicians who would fear a true journalistic examination of their true crimes and corruption. Fortunately, the Montgomery County and Maryland cartels don't control CNBC, and the results truly speak for themselves.

Dog vs. grass saga continues at Bethesda apartment tower

It's been a dog-eat-dog world for the grassy mounds that make up the green space on the promenade at the 8001 Woodmont apartment tower in Bethesda since the building opened. While many expected these grassy hills to be a park-like leisure space for adults and children, once residents started moving in, they quickly became a public restroom for neighborhood dogs, whose owners haven't always collected their canines' deposits. Along with the disgusting reality that the germs in the dog waste don't magically evaporate from the grass even if the solid material is picked up, the lush carpeted lawns became much less inviting to have your kids crawling around on, much less a spot for picnics or outdoor movie screenings.

By the fall of 2022, the building had posted signs begging people to keep their dogs off of the grassy mounds. More recently, fencing was finally put up around the mounds, giving the space a less than pleasant Little Falls Parkway Road Diet Bollards aesthetic. Now, however, all of the verdant grass has been torn out. In its place are scattered tufts of a less-luxurious grass species, and a lot of brown dirt. This has left the promenade temporarily competing with that weird spot at Westbard Square for the Roughest Public Space in Bethesda title.

For those keeping score, the dogs are currently winning.

Mystery DJ waking the neighbors in downtown Bethesda

There's a new disc jockey on the scene in downtown Bethesda, but not in a bar. This DJ can be heard spinning for about 15 minutes twice a day in the vicinity of Del Ray Avenue, near the Gallery Bethesda, Gallery Bethesda II, Triangle Towers, and The Palisades apartments. To the chagrin of nearby apartment dwellers, one of the near-daily sessions typically takes place between midnight and 4:00 AM. Residents disturbed by the loud music report that calling the Montgomery County police (who have a station directly across the street on Rugby Avenue) and the management of the Gallery II (where some believe the early morning bangers are eminating from) has so far failed to stop the turntables. This has been going on for about 3 weeks, they say.

Red Line shuttles begin using bus lanes in Bethesda as Metro stations close for summer

Bus-only lanes along MD 355 were activated early this morning between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights. The Bethesda, Medical Center, and Grosvenor Metro stations will be closed for major construction from today until September 6, 2026. Monday morning commuters at the Bethesda Metro station found no personnel from transit agency WMATA on-site to assist customers in locating the free shuttle buses that will be running between the shuttered stations for the next eight weeks. There was also a lack of signage. 

Adding to the confusion is that, unlike previous station closures in Bethesda, a hodgepodge of privately-owned charter buses is being employed as shuttles, instead of Metrobuses. And many of those buses had the name of the charter company displayed on the screen above the windshield, instead of the destination.

Demolition permits requested for properties on St. Elmo Ave. in Bethesda

The other shoes are starting to drop in the pending demolition of multiple buildings at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Over the weekend, a demolition permit request notice for the former Jewelry Exchange building was posted on the premises. Last night, identical demolition permit notices were posted outside of 4938 and 4940 St. Elmo. Head2Toe Health & Aesthetics had already vacated their space last December, moving to 7505 Democracy Boulevard. Bethesda Boxing & Kickboxing is currently in the process of moving across the street to 4927-A St. Elmo Avenue. Other structures due to be razed for a planned apartment tower on that corner include the buildings that previously housed Bethesda Florist and that currently house Old Georgetown Grille and Colonial Opticians.

Demolition permit requested for Jewelry Exchange in Bethesda

A demolition permit has been requested from Montgomery County for the former Jewelry Exchange building at 7747 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. The building is one of several adjacent properties that will be demolished in the near future to make way for - what else! - a new apartment tower. After twenty years and two million TV commercials, "THE JEWELRY EXCHANGE BETHESDA!!!" closed in the spring of 2022. Those "thousands of GIA diamonds" were cleared out long ago, and we'll see how soon the other properties move to the demolition phase.

Home burglarized in Kenwood

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at a home in the exclusive Kenwood neighborhood of Chevy Chase Thursday afternoon, July 2, 2026. The burglary was reported at a house in the 5200 block of Dorset Avenue at 5:09 PM. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the home. 

Montgomery County cooling centers open 11 AM to 7 PM on July 4

Montgomery County will be operating cooling centers open to the public who lack air conditioning on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, 2026. There are six cooling centers, and they will be open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Though, frankly, they should be open longer hours than that, given the lack of relief after dark or in the morning. Note that services and amenities typically available at these facilities may not be available while they are in use as cooling centers. I wish all my readers a great July 4th! Stay hydrated and stay safe!

July 4th sundae special at Max's Best Ice Cream in Bethesda

July 4th is going to be a hot one this year, with a forecasted high of 101° in Bethesda tomorrow. And there will be many a boom in the air, from thunderstorms and fireworks at Congressional Country Club and down in Washington, D.C. But you'll have a chance to cool off while staying in full 250-years-of-America celebration mode at Max's Best Ice Cream at 7770 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The ice cream parlor will be open from noon to 11:00 PM on July 4th, and they'll be featuring a special Red, White & Boom Sundae. The sundae features a blue frosted cupcake topped with Vanderwende's vanilla ice cream, strawberry and blue raspberry sauces, star spangled sprinkles, strawberry and blue raspberry Pop Rocks® and finished with a star lollipop.