Cynthia Prairie

State Roundup, October 1, 2019

Legislative audit of State Police finds discrepancies in hundreds of handgun serial numbers, concerns over financial practices; as lung illnesses, deaths continue, state urged to test vaping cartridges; Baltimore City, Gaithersburg joins suit against Trump administration over curbs on issuing green cards; Del. Luedtke pushes for 12th early voting site in Montgomery; after medical procedure, U.S. Rep. Cummings to return to Capitol Hill in two weeks; Baltimore County considers suing Monsanto over PCB contamination; Carroll County losing its dairy farms; opioid deaths in Frederick are down; “for now” judge dismisses as a “verbose complaint” a civil rights lawsuit alleging UMBC, county police and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office improperly handled sexual assault investigations; and UMd’s Diamondback newspaper to end print edition in March.

State Roundup, September 30, 2019

From increasing age for cigarette and vaping product purchases to banning bumpstocks, hundreds of new laws go into effect Tuesday; businesses are also bracing themselves for minimum wage hike to $11 in 2020; Maryland senators, regional colleagues pushing for federal aid for the Chesapeake Bay; Atty Gen Frosh joins nationwide suit to protect Endangered Species Act; Baltimore city official grill Transportation Secty Rahn on local project funding cuts; Twitter suspends delegate’s account, reinstates it after outcry; organization acts as advocates to cut student suspensions; Metro board revises ethics policy; with Trump impeachment inquiry set to begin, a look back at another Republican named Hogan who defied a president, sealing his own fate; Maryland GOP uses impeachment probe to raise funds; presidential hopeful Booker joins GM picket line in White Marsh; and Montgomery County Exec Elrich considers mandating solar for all new homes.

State Roundup, September 26, 2019

Drug treatment advocates continue to push for sites where addicts can use drugs safely, connect to programs; for previous exonerees, Maryland found ways to compensate for time behind bars; Dems tap Carl Jackson and Cathi Forbes to replace Dels. Bromwell and Lafferty; in extremely rare sighting, researchers witness dolphin birth – in Chesapeake Bay; Attorney General Frosh joins lawsuit to protect wildlife from rollbacks of Trump administration; District Court judge, cited for abusive behavior, retires from bench; new Dem PAC takes in both shores of the Potomac; U.S. Rep. Harris says “no collusion” in Trump Ukraine call; Washington County to get new elections board HQ; and about 500 have signed up to speak at Howard County school redistricting hearings.

State Roundup, September 25, 2019

most Maryland congressional reps back impeachment inquiry; U.S. Senate panel boosts funding for federal Chesapeake Bay programs; state panel concerned with lack of information on Maryland push on Census; Maryland Public Policy Institute says 2018 poll shows Marylanders leery of new education spending; following killing at Frederick fair, Del. Cox wants to add to hate crime law; former Veep Biden, Sen. Warren lead for Dem nomination in Maryland poll; U.S. Rep. Cummings demands Ukraine documents from Trump White House; Howard Exec Ball spent $3,700 on tagged swag; and Baltimore County educators propose pre-Labor Day start for 2020-21 school year.

State Roundup, September 24, 2019

BSO, musicians end labor dispute; a federal judge has thrown out a challenge to Maryland’s ban on conversion therapy for minors; Washington County leaders say Goucher poll contending Marylanders are for tax hikes for schools doesn’t reflect their residents’ views; growing number of Marylanders agree that climate change is based in human action; Goucher poll also finds that Marylanders like socialism more than they like Trump’s job performance; state throws Montgomery’s Corridor Cities Transitway plans into doubt; Frederick County gets federal grant for 38 more firefighters; and Howard County desegregation plan to get public airing.

State Roundup, September 23, 2019

Goucher poll finds 74% of Marylanders are willing to pay more taxes for improved public education, but 77% have no idea what the Kirwan Commission education spending plan is; a Kirwan spending workgroup reverses commission’s trend of openness; Attorney General Frosh questions Purdue Pharma-Sackler family actions on lawsuits; Maryland colleges tackle vaping trend; business leaders see latest problem in workforce development is competition for talent; unemployment rate remains under 4%; 24th county for Maryland is proposed and it’s all in D.C.; BSO, musicians reach tentative accord; and Washington County organization to study impact of taxing short-term rentals.

State Roundup, September 19, 2019

Gov. Hogan launches process to pay millions of dollars to five men wrongly convicted, imprisoned; within minutes of touting competition in bidding process, Hogan defends no-bid contract extension; while Maryland farmers fight climate change on a day-to-day basis, state program hopes to help them see the long view; state vows to fight President Trump order nixing its say over auto emissions standards; survey finds fewer commuters are driving solo; Hogan pushes Attorney General Frosh to take up more Baltimore City criminal cases; Prince George’s State’s Attorney Braveboy to end cash bail requests; Annapolis campaign consultant pleads guilty to wire fraud; and Washington County see influx of meth cases.

State Roundup, September 18, 2019

Audit finds that the Maryland Department of Commerce failed to verify that companies given taxpayer-funded incentives actually created jobs; in the first six months of the year, opioid deaths in Maryland fell; 10 candidates on list for opening on Maryland’s Court of Appeals; Howard County residents protest proposed desegregation plans; Baltimore’s police commish tells state panel that no internal probe into Gun Trace Task Force corruption has begun; Baltimore mayor invites plaintiffs with grievances against police to speak to spending panel; and Montgomery County introduces ambitious racial equity bill.

State Roundup, September 17, 2019

Maryland’s congressional Democrats ask Ag Secty Perdue to rescind rule that they say could yank 50,000 in state from food stamps; state census panel stymied by lack of planning; Gov. Hogan to lead infrastructure, economic mission to Australia; U.S. Rep. Brown touts gaming industry as important to state education, economy; BGE says Howard council member’s Ellicott City plan could harm its service to the area; Montgomery County seeks to restrict youth access to e-cigarettes with bill to restrict location of vape shops; and Montgomery finds itself lagging in fulfillment of climate change promises.

State Roundup, September 16, 2019

Gov. Hogan pledges State Police copter crews for Baltimore crime-fighting efforts; cocaine-related deaths have skyrocketed since 2015; state’s Lynching Truth and Reconciliation panels begin tour of Maryland; state approves more than $23 million in funding to bring air conditioning to more than 15 additional schools in Baltimore County and city; Montgomery’s public campaign financing program said to be a model for rest of state; as probe of Metro and its former chairman to kick off, Maryland closer to releasing its portion of funding; as President Trump pulls funds from military projects for border wall, replacement child care facility in Prince George’s imperiled; Maryland winemakers see impact of climate change; and Howard councilwoman pushes plans for Ellicott City flood mitigation.

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