Three officers and a K-9 searched for the man in a wooded area after being called to the Annandale neighborhood about a domestic incident involving him and his wife.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis hasn’t publicly identified the man, who is expected to face charges including felony assault against a police officer and attempting to disarm a police officer.

A woman called 911 just before 10 a.m. about a fight with her husband inside their home in the 7000 block of Sutter Lane, telling the dispatcher he was threatening her and stabbing himself, according to Davis.

When police arrived, Davis said, the woman pointed at a man running from the home and told police it was her husband.

Police searched for him for 15 minutes and believed the man had gone into a heavily wooded area with two knives.

A 13-year veteran on the police force was walking in the wooded area when the suspect “abruptly emerged from a bush” and grabbed the officer’s gun, according to Davis.

The interaction was captured by multiple body worn cameras, and Davis said he’s watched the footage at least 50 times already.

“Our suspect takes his right hand, he grabs the firearm that the police officer had in his hand, and the top of the suspect’s hand was around the top barrel of that firearm, and the bottom of his hand was wrapped around the frame of that firearm,” Davis said.��

“It took the officer two hands to pull his firearm back from our suspect,” Davis said.

The officer fired three times, with one bullet grazing the man’s shoulder, as another officer simultaneously discharged his taser.

“There was no entry wound for the bullet, but it grazed what I believe is his upper right shoulder,” Davis said.

The man was taken to the hospital where he received stitches and treatment for non-life threatening injuries, Davis said, including several “superficial puncture wounds” to his leg from poking himself with the knife.

No officers were injured.

Davis said the man may face additional criminal charges related to threatening his wife and he’s known to the criminal justice system.

“Our suspect in this case, and I think it’s important for the community to know, has a significant domestic violence past in relationship with the wife, our 911 caller,” Davis said.

Police plan to release footage of the incident in the next 30 days, per the department’s policy. Both knives were recovered by police.

A map of the area is below.

�鶹����’s Anna-Lysa Gayle reported from the scene.

Source

Flames broke out inside a vacant townhouse near the corner of Resort Road and Legends Way in Ellicott City. The fire spread to a nearby townhome where four adults and three children lived, according to a from the Howard County Fire and EMS Department.

Multiple people called 911 about smoke in the neighborhood just before 7 a.m.

When firefighters arrived, they saw flames burning through the roof of the townhouse and started spraying water onto the exterior of the structure.

Firefighters brought the fire under control in about 30 minutes, but two firefighters suffered minor injuries while responding, .

Both were taken to the hospital. No one else was injured.

It’s not clear what caused the flames to ignite. The fire marshal is investigating the origin and cause of the fire.

�鶹����’s Jadon George contributed to this report.��

Source

Virginians are voting in an unusually timed August primary nominating candidates for congressional seats and local offices ahead of the high-stakes midterm election in November.

Early voting is underway ahead of the Aug. 4 primary, with nominations to the U.S. Senate and House as well as county and city board positions on the ballot.

Typically, Virginia’s summer primaries take place on the third Tuesday in June, but state lawmakers voted to delay the primary, amid a Democratic push to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps in favor of their party. It’s a battle that went before voters and the U.S. Supreme Court, and ultimately ended in a loss for Democratic redistricting.

Maps for August’s primary follow the boundaries approved in 2021, not the map proposed by Democrats.

The candidates who prevail in the summer primary will appear on the ballot in November’s midterm election, a contest that could shift the power of balance in Congress. Republicans hold a majority in both chambers.

Dates at a glance

• Early in-person voting: June 18 to Aug. 1 (Some offices may be closed for Juneteenth holiday)
• Deadline to register or update voter registration: July 24 (Passed)
• Deadline to��: July 24 (Passed)
• Primary Election Day: Tuesday, Aug. 4

In-person voting��

Voters can cast ballots early from now through Aug. 1 at designated polling locations. Check in with your general registrar’s office to find an early voting location or ballot drop box.

Primary Election Day is Aug. 4; polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for in-person voting.

To find out where to vote on the day of the primary election, visit the .

Voters who are 65 or older, or those with disabilities, have the option of voting curbside.

Voters need to bring along a valid ID. If you leave it behind, you can sign an ID confirmation statement or vote with a provisional ballot.

For a provisional ballot to be counted, you have until noon on Aug. 7 to bring a copy of your ID to the local electoral board or sign a confirmation statement.

������is available online.

Vote by mail

Ballots have to be postmarked by Aug. 4 and received by noon on Aug. 7 to be counted.

Outside of mailing those absentee ballots, voters can also bring them to a drop-off location. Check in with your for information about drop boxes and their locations.

The deadline for voters to was July 24.

Who’s on the ballot

U.S. House

Congressional District 7

Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg

Most congressional districts in Northern Virginia are considered to lean in favor of Democrats, but District 7 could be competitive come November, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Virginia’s 7th Congressional District includes part of Prince William County, as well as Stafford, Spotsylvania and Culpeper counties, and Fredericksburg City.

A handful of Republicans are running in the upcoming primary with hopes of challenging the incumbent Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman in the midterms.

Three Republicans are on the ballot in District 7: Doug Ollivant, Philip Harding and Rick Smithers.

Vindman was sworn in as District 7’s representative in the U.S. House in 2025, filling an open seat vacated by now Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who had left the Capitol to run for the governor’s office.

For much of the early 2000s and 2010s, District 7 was represented by Republicans — until Spanberger unseated Republican Rep. David Brad in 2018.

Congressional District 8

Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church

Three Democrats are challenging incumbent Rep. Don Beyer for his seat in Virginia’s 8^th Congressional District.

Lorena Thorne Bruner, Michael Christian Duffin and Mo Seifeldein are all slated to run against the longtime Democratic congressman in the primary.

Beyer has spent a decade in Congress after first being elected to serve District 8 in 2014. His constituents live in Arlington and parts of Fairfax County, as well as the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church.

Congressional District 10

Loudoun, Prince William, Fauquier, Fairfax, Manassas City, Manassas Park City

Republicans will nominate a candidate to face off against Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who was sworn into the U.S House in 2025 after serving in the Virginia General Assembly.

The candidates in the Republican primary include Anthony L. Suttles, Dave T. Beckwith, and Julie Anna Perry.

Subramanyam succeeded Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton, who opted out of running for reelection in 2024 due to health issues. His district includes Fauquier and Loudoun counties, parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

There won’t be a Republican or Democratic primary in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. Rep. James Walkinshaw won a special election last September to replace the late Gerry Connolly, who died in May after serving in the U.S. House since 2009.

Walkinshaw, a Democrat, represents parts of Fairfax County and Fairfax City.

Senate

Longtime Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is up for reelection in the fall, and a few Republicans are competing for a chance to go up against him.

Kim Farington, Bert K Mizusawa and David Earl Williams are vying for the support of Republican voters in the primary.

Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intel Committee, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, and prior to that served as Virginia’s governor.

Local offices

Arlington County Board

Two Democrats are challenging Matthew de Ferranti’s reelection bid to the Arlington County Board.

Ferranti is running against Julie E. Farnam and James A. DeVita for the Democratic nomination to the at-large board seat.

Source

Kaylee Hottle, 18, who played Jia in the film series, was riding as a passenger in a sedan when its 19-year-old driver crashed before 3 a.m. in Ijamsville,.

The sheriff’s office said the 1995 Honda Accord traveled off the right side of a two-lane road in the 11400 block of Windsor Road and struck a culvert.

The man driving the Accord was taken to the hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening and another passenger declined medical treatment, the sheriff’s office said.

Hottle, of Kyle, Texas, was taken to a trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead.

The sheriff’s office said excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the crash.

Hottle’s character communicated using American Sign Language in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” According to , she came from a family with multiple generations of deaf relatives.

Her father, Joshua Hottle, posted a 20-minute video to Facebook using ASL and wrote, “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”

Hottle was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin.

“Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time,” the .

The school is offering counseling to students and staff.

Frederick deputies have asked anyone who has information on the crash to call the sheriff’s office at 301-600-1046.

Below is the area where it happened.

Source

The man was identified as David Lawrence Jones, 52, of Silver Spring.

Dive teams from the Maryland Natural Resources police and Anne Arundel County Fire Department recovered his body late Monday afternoon.

Jones went missing Sunday afternoon after he jumped off a pontoon boat to go after a hat that had fallen in the water.

At the time he jumped in, Maryland Natural Resources police told �鶹���� the man was not wearing a life jacket. There were six other people on the boat with the man at the time of the incident.

Natural Resources Police, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, the Baltimore County Fire Department, the Maryland State Police Trooper 6 helicopter and the Coast Guard responded to the scene Sunday. They searched for the man until nightfall,��when it was too dark for divers to look in the water, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The search resumed early Monday morning, with officers shifting to a recovery operation, according to police.

Chesapeake Search Dogs were scanning the area where Jones went underwater. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department brought in multiple vessels, divers and unmanned aerial systems teams to help with the search. The area police department used side-scan sonar and aerial drones.

Jones’ body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

This is a developing story. Stay with �鶹���� for the latest.��

�鶹����’s José Umaña contributed to this report.��

Source

Part of Interstate 495 were closed between Interstate 66 and Route 50 as police investigated, according to �鶹����’s Traffic Center.

For about 30 minutes, all lanes of the Beltway were shut down near the crash.

Once police reopened a few of the main lanes and the express lanes, traffic was creeping by the crash site.

Few details about the crash are available but a program operated by area transportation authorities said it.

for the latest on roadway impacts.

�鶹����’s Dave Dildine contributed to this report.��

Source

The park service wrote a report on the possible effects of the proposed Triumphal Arch, which would be built within Memorial Circle, between the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and the Memorial Bridge.

Comments can be made on the now through July 30.

In its report, the park service looked into possible impacts of other changes in the area that would come alongside the arch, including plaza development, landscape changes, utilities, circulation modifications and construction staging.

Some those impacts would include lane closures during the construction of the arch and the installation of new traffic signals.

It’s the second time the park service has invited the public to comment on its report. An earlier public comment period was open last month.

President Donald Trump has pushed for a 250-foot Triumphal Arch to be built in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. But the idea has drawn criticism from some members of the public and preservationists.

Despite that pushback, the National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve preliminary site and building plans for arch last week, The Associated Press reports.

Source

A few more clouds may dot the sky, and an isolated late-day thunderstorm may pop up, but most neighborhoods will remain dry and hot. Highs will still reach the lower to mid-90s, with feels-like temperatures ranging from 100 to 105.

Much of the D.C. region is under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. with heat index values around 105 in the forecast, according to the National �鶹���� Service.

A code orange air quality alert is also in effect across the District, suburban Maryland, Northern Virginia and the Baltimore region. The alert means pollution levels could become unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults and people with asthma, heart disease or other respiratory conditions.

7News First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan said a large ridge of high pressure responsible for the intense heat is also carrying wildfire smoke south from Canada, leaving the region with hazy skies and reduced air quality.

“Anyone with asthma or respiratory issues should avoid or limit strenuous activity outdoors,” Whelan said. “Otherwise, probably want to do that just because it’s going to be so hot and humid. Afternoon highs get into the mid- to upper 90s.”

The National �鶹���� Service said smoke from fires in Quebec and Western Ontario will continue thickening across the region.

Thursday night will remain warm and humid before somewhat less humid air moves in Friday.

The smoke could become even more noticeable Friday as a thicker plume settles over the region, potentially further reducing visibility and worsening air quality. Additional air quality alerts may be needed. Temperatures will back off a few degrees but remain very hot, with highs in the middle to upper 90s

A cold front approaching Saturday will begin stirring the atmosphere and bring the weekend’s greatest threat of dangerous weather.

Saturday will feel “tropical,” Whelan said, with highs near 90 and scattered showers and thunderstorms developing. There could be damaging winds, large hail and isolated flash flooding, depending on how much instability develops during the day.

Conditions improve somewhat Sunday, with partly cloudy skies, temperatures around 90 and only a stray storm possible.

Relief arrives next week when afternoon highs are expected to fall into the 80s.

Until then, Whelan urged residents to take the heat seriously, limit strenuous outdoor activity and use extra caution if they are sensitive to wildfire smoke.

• Listen to �鶹���� online��and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.
• Current traffic conditions
• �鶹���� forecast
• Closings and Delays
• Sign up for �鶹���� email alerts
• Get custom alerts with the �鶹���� app for�������Ի��������DzԱ��

Forecast

THURSDAY EVENING:
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8PM
Hazy/smoky sun, hot. Isolated PM storm chance
Temperatures: 90s to 80s
Winds: West 5-10 mph

THURSDAY NIGHT:
Hazy, smokey skies
Lows: 70-78
Winds: Light

FRIDAY:
Haze and smoke
Highs: 90-95
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph

SATURDAY:
Partly sunny. Strong storms possible
Highs: 90-95
Winds: Southeast 5-10 mph

SUNDAY:
Partly cloudy. Isolated storms
Highs: 88-93
Winds: West 5-10 mph

Current Conditions

Source

“When you factor in the humidity, which is very high, we’ve got feels-like temperatures, the heat index values, anywhere from 102 to 105 degrees,” said 7News First Alert Meteorologist Mark Peña.

That summer heat is expected to hold through the evening and temperatures are back near 100 Thursday and Friday.

The National �鶹���� Service issued a heat advisory for the D.C. area until 8 p.m. Wednesday as heat index values could be 105 to 109 degrees.

According to the weather service, heat index values hit 106 at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

There is also a code orange air quality alert in effect Wednesday and Thursday for ground level ozone with some wildfire smoke in the upper levels of the atmosphere, according to 7News First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan.

“That big ridge of high pressure that’s bringing us the heat is also transporting some of that wildfire smoke to the upper levels of the atmosphere, so creating kind of that milky-looking sky,” Whelan said.

Temperatures are expected to fall into the 80s Wednesday evening and into the mid 70s overnight.

“We’re going to do it all over again on your Thursday, temperatures back in the lower 100s, with feels-like temperatures again anywhere from 102 to 105,” Peña said.

Friday will be hot and humid, but not as extreme as the prior days. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s.

DC region responses to the heat

As a result of the extremely hot weather, local officials are responding with caution.

In the District, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the city will be under an extreme heat alert starting Wednesday through Saturday. It’s recommended to avoid arduous activity outdoors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In Virginia, Fairfax County Public Schools is canceling all outdoor activities, such as recess and extracurricular activities from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

To stay safe during the heat, it’s strongly recommended that you drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated, wear light clothing and stay indoors as much as possible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes, which is about a quart every hour.

�鶹���� has a list of all the cooling centers in the D.C. region.

• Listen to �鶹���� online��and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.
• Current traffic conditions
• �鶹���� forecast
• Closings and Delays
• Sign up for �鶹���� email alerts
• Get custom alerts with the �鶹���� app for�������Ի��������DzԱ��

Forecast

WEDNESDAY EVENING: Hazy, hot and humid
Temperatures: 90s to 80s
Winds: West 5-10 mph

OVERNIGHT: Hazy and muggy
Lows: 75-82
Winds: Light

THURSDAY: WEATHER ALERT
Partly cloudy and very hot with isolated afternoon storm chance
Highs: 97-101
Winds: West 5-10 mph

FRIDAY: Partly cloudy and hot
Highs: 95-99
Winds: Northwest 5-10 mph

SATURDAY: Storms possible
Highs: 90-95
Winds: Southeast 5-10 mph

SUNDAY: Scattered showers and storms
Highs: 88-93
Winds: West 5-10 mph

Current Conditions

Source

U.S. Capitol Police said 67-year-old Wendell Royster pulled up to the North Barricade entrance to the Capitol and stopped to talk to the officer just before 11:30 a.m.

That’s when the Capitol Police officer saw the handgun and ordered the driver to put his hands up. Officers surrounded the SUV and Royster was arrested within two minutes of approaching the barricade.

Weapons are not allowed on the Capitol grounds. Royster was driving a rented Ford Bronco at the time of his arrest and a dog was inside the SUV, according to a news release from police.

Royster has been charged with carrying a pistol without a license and permit.

“Royster was not on record with the USCP,” the police department wrote in a . “Currently, there does not appear to be a nexus to the Congress.”

The incident led to a significant police response and investigators initially asked people to avoid the area just off Constitution Avenue on the Senate side of the Capitol.

Police told �鶹���� no one was hurt. Officers gave the dog food and water until animal control came to pick up the animal.

�鶹����’s Mitchell Miller contributed to this report.

Source

On Monday afternoon, Fairfax County police identified Chisen Jameson, 60, as the woman who was shot in the 12000 block of Washington Brice Road.

Her husband, 64-year-old Leland Jameson, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Officers were first called to the Jamesons’ home at around 10:20 p.m., according to Fairfax County police. A 911 call taker could “hear sounds consistent with a disturbance before the line disconnected,” according to a news release. Another 911 call was made roughly 20 minutes later.

Police said they found Chisen inside. She had gunshot wounds in her upper body and died at the scene.

Leland is being held on no bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

“The investigation is ongoing, but we do have a suspect detained, and there are no outstanding parties,” Deputy Chief Brendan Hooke said at a news conference Monday.

Investigators said they’re still processing evidence and conducting interviews.��Police have asked anyone with information to contact the department by phone at 866-411-8477 and.

A map of the area where the shooting happened is below:

Source

At one point, the National �鶹���� Service issued a tornado warning for parts of St. Mary’s and Charles counties after a waterspout was spotted offshore near the Wicomico River.

Torrential rain created delays for afternoon commuters with ponding on some roadways and low visibility, �鶹���� Traffic’s Dave Dildine reported.

Afternoon and early evening thunderstorms dropped buckets of rain on the D.C. area, flooding some spots, and blew through with gusty winds that could knock out power.

“Rainfall rates of two to three inches per hour, so obviously visibilities are low,” �鶹���� Meteorologist Mike Stinneford reported at 4:30 p.m. “We’re still seeing a lot of heavy storms all the way back into West Virginia, and that’s all got to come through the area.”

Some of the storms carried in hail the size of quarters, according to the National �鶹���� Service.

The D.C. region was under a flood watch from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday. The weather service said urban areas along Interstate 95, which have seen heavy rainfall this week, were at the highest risk.

Dildine reported ponding and instances of flooding on major commuter routes, including the Beltway and I-270, during Thursday evening’s commute.

The chance for storms diminished by 7 p.m., when the weather service canceled its severe thunderstorm watch for most of the D.C. area.

“Lingering showers and storms will draw to a close this evening, a little bit of patchy fog overnight,” said 7News First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin.

• Listen to �鶹���� online��and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.
• Current traffic conditions
• �鶹���� forecast
• Closings and Delays
• Sign up for �鶹���� email alerts
• Get custom alerts with the �鶹���� app for�������Ի��������DzԱ��

Outside of the storms, Thursday was warm with highs around 85 to 90 and high humidity.

Friday afternoon could bring another round of storms. Periods of sunshine are expected to break through over the weekend.

Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT:
Becoming partly cloudy. Areas of patchy fog
Lows: 68-75
Winds: West 5 mph

FRIDAY:
Partly cloudy. Scattered showers, storms possible
Highs: near 90
Winds: West 5-10 mph

SATURDAY:
Scattered PM storms
Highs: 78-85
Winds: North 5-10 mph

SUNDAY:
Partly cloudy
Highs: 83-88
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph

Power Outage Map

Current Conditions

Source

The adjustments come Thursday as some riders have been waiting in long lines to board the temporary shuttle buses.

The closure between the North Bethesda and Friendship Heights stations began this week and will last until Sept. 7. In the meantime, Metro is running shuttle buses to fill the gap.

Metro relocated some of the shuttles and added parking for customers who are taking shuttles at the Friendship Heights station.

Metro said local shuttle boarding would be moved to Bus Bay K, which is the current stop for the C83 and D96 buses on Wisconsin Avenue.

Both C83 and D96 will be relocated to the bus shelter located on Western Avenue near Wisconsin Avenue, according to Metro.

Express shuttle boarding will continue to be held in the 5300 block of Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest D.C.

About 100 parking spaces were added at Metro’s Western Division Bus Garage, near the former Lord & Taylor. That parking is only available during hours when Metro is running, drivers who park overnight could be towed.

The shutdown will allow Metro to build a new mezzanine at the Bethesda Station to connect it with the future Purple Line. There are also plans to make improvements to the railway and other stations.

Source

Janey Sears, of D.C., pushed a man in his 50s to make investments, secretly pocketed the funds into a personal account and then blew through his money, spending $55,000 on a new sedan and gambling away $100,000 at casinos.

A jury in Montgomery County Circuit Court found Sears guilty of theft scheme over $100,000, securities fraud and misappropriation of funds by a fiduciary on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Montgomery County State’s Attorney Office.

Sears connected with the man, a federal worker, on a dating website in September 2019, according to prosecutors. She told the man she was a Harvard graduate who owned a D.C.-based transportation logistics company.

The first time the pair met up in person, Sears suggested she stay at the victim’s home in Silver Spring to make it easier for her to go to a meeting in Baltimore the next morning.

A couple of months later, the man agreed to let her move into the home in November 2019.

Sears talked the man into some home improvement projects and suggested he get a home equity line of credit to help pay for them. With Sears’ encouragement, he secured a $150,000 loan in May 2020.

In August 2021, Sears convinced the man to join an “investment pool” for Pfizer stock. According to prosecutors, she promised he’s made enough to be “financially independent” and told him this type of investment was normally reserved for wealthy people, like herself.

The man passed money to Sears on a monthly basis from August 2021 to May 2023, under the false belief she was making investments on his behalf. Instead, prosecutors said Sears put all of those checks, wire transfers and cash into her personal accounts.

Prosecutors laid out the payments to the jury in a flow chart, which included a transaction to purchase a 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia in 2021. She told the victim the new car came from her father.

Another chart shows Sears��gambled about $113,000 at MGM Casino and Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, as well as Ocean Resort Casino in New Jersey.

The jury deliberated for an hour and fifteen minutes before returning its guilty verdict Tuesday.��Sears is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 28; she faces up to 23 years in prison.

“The defendant groomed the victim, gaining his trust, and deceived him into believing she was acting in his best interest,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a news release. “We are grateful that the jury saw through the defendant’s web of lies and that justice will be served.”

Source

Maryland is expanding benefits offered through the state’s energy assistance programs, a move aimed at lowering utility bills as energy costs strain some households, according to a Thursday news release from Gov. Wes Moore’s office.

Low-income households are expected to see the largest savings.

Marylanders could see up to a 32% increase in their benefits through the Department of Human Services Office of Home Energy Programs’ energy assistance program.

“In our region and across the country, the rising cost of energy has gotten out of control,” Moore said in a news release. “But no family should have to choose between paying their utility bill and putting food on the table.”

The revised benefit structure launched this week was created to offset up to 55% of annual heating costs and up to 47% of electric bills for Marylanders in need.

Factors like household size, utility consumption and finances will impact the amount of assistance a home receives. According to the state’s Department of Human Services office, households that are considered low-income will get the largest bump in support.

The state’s Office of Home Energy Programs is also issuing $48 million in supplemental grants to help Marylanders cover their electric bills through the end of September. Those grants will be automatically applied to people who received benefits from the Electric Universal Service Program in the 2026 fiscal year.

Households that receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Cash Assistance will be automatically connected to the energy assistance programs.

A new law passed by the Maryland General Assembly this year to the Electric Universal Service Program to include Marylanders who don’t qualify for federal benefits to help with energy costs.

Source