State Roundup, June 22, 2016

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HIGH STAKES FOR FBI HQ: In the run-up to a final decision on where to build a new FBI headquarters, Govs. Larry Hogan and Terry McAuliffe have engaged in a high-stakes bidding war aimed at persuading federal officials to relocate the FBI’s 11,000 jobs to their states, raising the costs on a prize that both men view as a cornerstone of their economic agendas, Jonathan O’Connell reports in the Post. Hogan has committed to providing $317 million in state and local funds for road, transit and infrastructure improvements should the feds build the project in Greenbelt, or $255 million should they build it in Landover.

MO CO BALLOT PROBLEMS: A decision by Montgomery County to re-scan misplaced absentee ballots and recertify the April 26 primary election results without any public oversight, following advice from state election officials, is now raising concerns about how the process was handled. Voting advocates are concerned that Montgomery changed, then officially recertified election results for the primary without notifying all members of the local board responsible for certifying elections, or going through a public process, Glynis Kazanjian reports for MarylandReporter.com.

U.S. SENATE PANEL AIDS POT BIZ: As Maryland develops it medical marijuana licensing program, one problem persists. Businesses that sell marijuana complain that they have no place to secure their money. A recent Senate committee vote took a step toward addressing those concerns, approving an amendment that prohibits money from being used to prevent or penalize financial institutions that provide services to a manufacturer, producer or person in the marijuana business in states where it’s legal, writes Anamika Roy for the Daily Record.

REASONABLE PAROLING: In a column for the Sun, Dan Rodricks writes that he hopes Gov. Larry Hogan does accept the more reasonable approach of his Republican predecessor Bob Ehrlich and review those inmates who have been recommended for parole with an open mind, and not with the political bent of a Martin O’Malley.

CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION: Fern Shen of Baltimore Brew details what happens when a group of state workers find their working conditions deteriorating as their building begins to shift around them. Workers at a Baltimore City field office of the state’s Parole and Probation have been complaining of problems with their building for months.

gotts-court-garage

Gott’s Court Garage on Calvert Street in Annapolis. ParkAnnapolis photo.

DATA BREACHES AT ANNAPOLIS GARAGES: Malware was discovered on state capital parking garage servers that officials believe could have stolen credit and debit card information from transient parkers using Annapolis’ three garages. The breach is still under investigation, but officials believe it could have impacted anyone using those parking facilities between Dec. 23 and June 11. These servers handle payments for Noah Hillman, Gott’s Court and Knighton garages.

SCHUH ON TRUMP: Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh has mixed feelings about Donald Trump, though he says he supports many of the Republican presidential candidate’s policy proposals. Schuh, a Republican, declined to announce whether he would vote for Trump, the Republican party’s presumptive nominee, when questioned at a meeting of the Caucus of African American Leaders last week, writes Amanda Yeager in the Annapolis Capital.

‘BALANCE’ IN MO CO PAY NEGOTIATIONS: Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen, who led the effort this spring to trim previously negotiated pay raises from public employee union contracts, is proposing legislation to bring what she calls more “balance” to the county’s collective bargaining process, Bill Turque reports for the Post.

TUBMAN WON’T BE KICKED OFF BILL: U.S. Rep. Steve King has introduced an amendment in Congress that would prevent Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist and supporter of women’s suffrage who was born into slavery in Dorchester County, from replacing President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. William Petroski reports in the Des Moines Register that the House Rules Committee, however, agreed Tuesday night to deny floor consideration of the proposal, which would have prevented the Treasury Department from spending money to redesign paper currency or coins.

About The Author

Cynthia Prairie

cynthiaprairie@gmail.com
https://www.chestertelegraph.org/

Contributing Editor Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor since 1979, when she began working at The Raleigh Times. Since then, she has worked for The Baltimore News American, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Prince George’s Journal and Baltimore County newspapers in the Patuxent Publishing chain, including overseeing The Jeffersonian when it was a two-day a week business publication. Cynthia has won numerous state awards, including the Maryland State Bar Association’s Gavel Award. Besides compiling and editing the daily State Roundup, she runs her own online newspaper, The Chester Telegraph. If you have additional questions or comments contact Cynthia at: cynthiaprairie@gmail.com

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