It looks as though mail-in ballots will be counted ahead of time rather than only after the polls close -- so there won't be a space for the Dan Cox gremlins to spread falsehoods about results while counting is still grinding on. See below. Applying the schools Blueprint is getting plenty of reviews but is moving forward. And more, new laws took effect Oct. 1 that direct your attention while driving, who's working remotely etc. All this is in News You Can Use.

Court Ruling: Mail-in ballots can be counted: Maryland elections officials can begin counting mail-in ballots as early as Saturday. The Court of Special Appeals denied Thursday Del. Dan Cox’s request for a stay of a lower court’s order allowing counting to begin. WYPR via Maryland Reporter

The state elections board predicts more than 1 million mail-in ballots will be submitted in Maryland in the general election. Bethesda Beat

The Baltimore Banner reports that mail-in ballots went out in the mail this past week to voters who’ve requested them in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Somerset and Worcester counties, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. They’ve also already been sent to military and overseas voters. This week’s schedule for mailing ballots to the remaining parts of the state:

• Today: Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Prince George’s counties.
• Tuesday: Baltimore City and St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico counties.
• Wednesday: Baltimore County.

Gov race widens, worm turns – as polls show a widening lead for the Democrat, Wes Moore, over the Trump-endorsed Dan Cox, the WaPo endorsed Moore over the weekend, after having endorsed Larry Hogan in two cycles over Black men running against him.

Pre-K, top teachers, math basics and college-credit courses are on table for schools

The Accountability and Implementation Board for Maryland’s ambitious Blueprint for school improvement got some proposed pathways to that goal from State school superintendent Mohammed Choudhury who offered “criteria for success” to implement the Blueprint. At a meeting last week Choudhury said the state would create benchmarks to measure and enhance student achievement. Those would include whether enough children are enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs, enough national board-certified teachers are working in low-performing schools, enough middle school students are enrolled in Algebra 1 and enough students are taking courses for which they can get college credit. The Board will consider adding the proposals to its upcoming report. Maryland Matters

But meanwhile… In the last academic school year, 9.1% of Maryland teachers left the profession altogether, according to the state department of education. Consequently, at the beginning of this year, county school systems across the state reported hundreds of teacher vacancies they needed to fill. Capital News Service (UMCP J-school)

Students, parents frustrated by unavailable funds from state plan

Families enrolled in a popular college savings plan will face additional delays in accessing their funds, the official in charge of Maryland’s “529” programs said on Thursday. Anthony Savia, the head of the Maryland Prepaid College Trust and the College Investment Plan, said his team has made “significant progress” in its efforts to fix an error in how interest for trust account holders is calculated. But he declined to commit to a “date certain” for resolving the issue completely. Maryland Matters

Who controls the remote in this household?

The local-government blog Route Fifty reports on a new study of remote work, where it happens and where it doesn’t. “Of the regions with the largest shares of remote workers last year, some may not come as a surprise. The Washington, D.C. area tops the list with 34% of its population working remotely, followed by San Francisco (33%) and Austin, Texas (32%).” Baltimore is just in the top 25 at 22 % but New York (!) is just above at 23%. The survey was based on Census Bureau American Community Survey figures for 2021.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin writes in the NYT last Tuesday that “It is essential to reject the myth that frustrated citizens have a Second Amendment right to raise arms against the government — an outrageous betrayal of our Constitution. … The Constitution treats insurrection and rebellion as political dangers, not protected rights. Article I gives Congress the power to “provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions.”

 Maryland’s Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has issued a “startling and sobering report, “Wasting Our Waterways,” that takes statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2020 and puts the health of Maryland’s waterways in the context of broader national environmental trends. Maryland Matters

New “move over” law going into effect: Starting Saturday, Maryland drivers will be required to slow down or move over when passing any stopped cars displaying warning signals, officials said. Violators will face a $110 fine and add a point to their driving record. Drivers in the state also will be required to use rear-facing seats for children under 2 years old. The Washington Times

Maryland is the eighth state to expand its Move Over Law to include all disabled vehicles. Previously, the Move Over Law applied only when approaching law enforcement vehicles, tow trucks, and emergency response vehicles and equipment. Conduit Street (MACo) via Maryland Reporter

New 227 area code coming to Maryland: Facing a shortage of new phone numbers to distribute in several Maryland counties, state officials have announced the upcoming rollout of a new area code — 227 — which will be used in areas currently assigned 240 and 301. Residents and businesses in Allegany, Charles, Garrett, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s and Washington counties fall into that category. Other impacted counties include Frederick, Howard, Carroll and Anne Arundel. The Baltimore Sun via Maryland Reporter