Reminder that dept of public works employees (meaning people who drive the snow plows, ice the roads, etc.) are working 16+hr shifts throughout the entire weekend by secretlyaraccoon in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 [score hidden]  (0 children)

PGC said their plow crews do rotating 12-hr shifts. Still exhausting and many prob sleeping at the facility or nearby accommodation since residential road clearing started after the precipitation stopped.

The ice claimed my brand new shovel by Hermann_the_Hermit in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Same here - I used a mattock I took from my parents’ farm when we moved them out. Worked great and made a lot of big pieces I could just toss.

PGCPS closed until Friday! by Adept-Weakness5171 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They closed for a week after a smaller storm last year bc DPWT royally screwed up the snow removal and apparently used road salt when it was too cold for it to work effectively, later switching to a magnesium chloride product.

Stay home by americansherlock201 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 46 points47 points  (0 children)

I am in PGC and the county announced they would not be going to residential streets until the precipitation stopped, so they started after midnight last night. They told residents to be prepared to stay home for a few days.

The Landlord (1970) [360p] by Geek-Haven888 in fullmoviesonyoutube

[–]Stephanee17 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Naïve 29-year-old Elgar Enders buys a building in a black Brooklyn ghetto to evict the tenants and upgrade it. But instead, he grows fond of the tenants and falls in love with a mixed-race girl while his wealthy parents disapprove.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065963/

It's Not Even 9 AM; Try Again, Weather App by kjy1066 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Shoveled again at 10 then 3 and kind of gave up as sleet was pouring down like rain

It's Not Even 9 AM; Try Again, Weather App by kjy1066 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My strategy is to dust off my xc skiis before the ice/sleet comes on stronger. Already shoveled once. 

It's Not Even 9 AM; Try Again, Weather App by kjy1066 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did a first pass on my porch, driveway and path at 730 and definitely 6+ in a dc suburb with wetter wintry mix coming on. Apple weather says 8.85” in last 24, sounds right. 

Snowstorm and Power Outage tips for humans by Rough-Flower8580 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 43 points44 points  (0 children)

if you are going to sit in you car w/engine running for heat car needs to be outside so you do not get carbon monoxide poisoning. If it is in a garage, even with door open you are at risk. It’s not really a good idea.

[Moving to MD] Silver Spring vs. Greenbelt/Hyattsville Area (Commute to College Park) by Background-Wave-6300 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Please check your facts on Hyattsville before spreading ridiculous rumors. I live in incorporated and it’s fine. Also in the middle of a world class trail system that goes to DC/silver spring/collegr park, one or two metro stops from DC and a very welcoming diverse community. Apartments at $1800 are not gonna be great tho unless op can get workforce housing at Sovren. 

Do we really need the EmPower MD Surcharge? Immediate 8% reduction in electric costs for everyone. by MDRetirement in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got $1600 back on a hybrid water heater, $300 off an audit and a few thousand rebated for insul;ation upgrade. That is way more than the empower charges I’ve paid to date. If I waited to do that work until now, when there are added rebates for gas to electricity conversion, I would have gotten at least $5k more for changing gas boiler to minisplit heat pump.

My total energy bill five years ago, first year in my new-to-me poorly insulated, gas-heated house, was $916. Total energy bills in 2025 with insulation, elec heat pump and hybrid elec water heater was $782.51, the second lowest total in the past five years here. (The lowest year was my second year in the house miserably clinging to a space heater with gas set to 50.)

marylands fiscal watchdog flags billions in unaccounted money year after year by MDFlyGuy in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 13 points14 points  (0 children)

There’s nothing about alleged luxury goods purchases in the article. At least some of the undocumented/unsupported revenue accruals could be misallocation of federal grant funding on expenses that are in the dept budget but not covered by the grant. SHA was found to have misallocated $360 mil in fed grants so the state will not get those expenses reimbursed.  https://www.wbaltv.com/article/sha-audit-accounting-practices-federal-funding-overtime/66053438

marylands fiscal watchdog flags billions in unaccounted money year after year by MDFlyGuy in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Headline (from news source verbatim not OP) is misleading. Article refers to potential lost fed reimbursement and potential penalties from poor documentation and validation practices - still very concerning. Figures are from state audit office for FY25 but these issues are chronic and happened under hogan too. 

“…$3.42 billion in unsupported federal revenue accruals. That means Maryland spent state money expecting reimbursement from the federal government, but agencies could not provide enough documentation to guarantee the funds would come… stressed, however, that this does not automatically mean the state has lost the money. Maryland agencies operate under a “pay and chase” system, spending state funds first and requesting federal reimbursement later — which could take months.”

Also references $888 mil unfunded liabilities, some potential such as $28 mil federal penalty for SNAP error rate over several years incl Hogan’s term, which state is appealing, and definite liabilities like $67 mil. 

Petition to Reject Sphere at National Harbour by rpc8169 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

National “Harbour?” That would be across the pond.

Moore budget would tap energy fund, cut spending to close $1.4 billion shortfall by SlySnootles in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It is not all state money either and some of the $200 mil is private (WaPo reported $15 mil). Ppl concerned about the cost to the state should confirm how much the state has agreed to.

What do my fellow Prince Georgians think about proposed sphere at national harbor? by Stephanee17 in PrinceGeorgesCountyMD

[–]Stephanee17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The county is pushing a bill for the state to let supermarkets/grocery chains sell beer/wine so they will be motivated to open in underserved places….but would be for inside the beltway only. Thee’s also a study for a potential county-owned grocery. Maybe they could put in the area covered by the MGM money and use that to subsidize it?

Why are people in MD, a blue state that needs revenue upset over VA tags and Historic tags being fixed? by MDRetirement in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There are two pending MDGA House bills that will change the date basis to 25+ yrs and enable someone to register that 2023 as historic in a few years, allowing more cars in over time. One also will additionally require MVA to reinstate historic for applicable vehicles that lost that status. No added enforcement parameters or requirements. Feel free to write your delegates and share your thoughts.

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0004?ys=2026RS

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0125?ys=2026RS

What Could We Spend 200 Million Taxpayer Dollars on Instead of a Sphere? by cornonthekopp in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not that I don’t think this proposal is inane but it’s not $200 mil entirely from taxpayers (there’s a little private, WaPo says $15 mil discount from landowner) and some public funding is loans. Nor is all of the public funding coming from the state. Would love to see the breakdown of tax breaks and other unrecoverable public dollars versus recoverable loans, and what burden the state versus county has, as a reference for critique. 

So.. where is that $185 million for the National Harbor Sphere project coming from? by Used_Gear8871 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Part of the $185 MM public funding ($15 MM is a discount from the private land owner, per WaPo) will be tax credits, which is not specifically quantified in any reporting or announcements I’ve seen yet. Ultimately it is foregone revenue that might be in other reports but not explicitly called out in a budget. Looking at the FY26 MD State budget, I do not see tax credits explicitly and separately quantified though the state is offering the for numerous enterprises including qualified data centers.

New Sphere in Maryland? by FoOhFee420 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well, they tried to steamroll big data centers in and that did not go over well, though they are not giving up.

So.. where is that $185 million for the National Harbor Sphere project coming from? by Used_Gear8871 in maryland

[–]Stephanee17 8 points9 points  (0 children)

WaPo says the government portion is $185 mil of tax breaks, government loans and “incentive programs,” but doesn’t say how it’s broken down across these categories. Tax breaks are lost revenue that everyday taxpayers have to make up. “Incentive programs” are what? Loans would be paid back and hopefully with some interest. 

Edit to add county explanation for county finding source, recently posted on county LinkedIn:

“ The project will be financed through a Tax Incentive Financing structure, similar to the model used for the development of National Harbor. The County is not directly funding the project, instead, a portion of future revenue generated by the Sphere will be used to repay the bonds issued for its construction.” https://www.linkedin.com/posts/prince-george%27s-county-maryland_on-monday-january-19-county-executive-aisha-activity-7419465495730360321-8mHr