🌱 Former County Director Violated Code + Redistricting Lawsuit

Welcome back, Catonsville! It's Friday, so let's get you started with everything you need to know going on today in town.

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First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and very cold. High: 25 Low: 13.

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Here are the top 3 stories today in Catonsville:

1. Baltimore County's Inspector General has found that Baltimore County's former director of permits, approvals, and inspections violated the county code. Former Director Arnold Jablon waived fees for the developer of the Owings Mills Metro Centre, resulting in millions of dollars lost for the County. The deal took place before current County Executive Johnny Olszewski took office in 2018. (WYPR.org)
2. Seven voters have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Baltimore County from moving forward with its new district maps. Current mapping plans call for two out of seven districts to represent populations where minorities make up the majority of voters, including a district surrounding Catonsville, Arbutus, and Halethorpe with a "majority nonwhite" population. However, only one district has been mapped with a majority Black vote, despite the County's Black population growing by over a quarter of a million people in the last decade. The Baltimore County Council has until the end of this month to adopt a new map. (WMAR Baltimore)
3. Catonsville native and American Idol finalist Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon will be performing tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 21, online and in-person at An Die Musik Live in Baltimore. Harmon will be playing alongside Ari and the Buffalo Kings, a Baltimore-based singer-songwriter group comprised of four local musicians. If you can't tune in live, a link to the recorded stream will remain active for registered participants through Jan. 27. (Baltimore Fish Bowl)

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Today in Catonsville:

• PTSA Red Cross Blood Drive At Catonsville Middle School (2:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• The countdown to Frederick Road Fridays is on! Stay tuned for updates and announcements about the 'Ville's summer music series from the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce. (Facebook)
• As a reminder, the filing and payment deadline for 2021 Maryland state individual income taxes has been extended by three months. (Facebook)
• The Baltimore County Arts Guild is currently accepting applications for the 2022 Arts & Drafts Festival. Applications received by today (Jan. 21) will receive priority consideration, and those received Jan. 22 through 31 will be reviewed on a rolling basis to fill any remaining artist exhibitor spaces. (Instagram)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right! I'll see you soon.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.