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State Roundup, August 17, 2017

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Gov. Hogan calls President Trump’s blaming of both sides for Charlottesville violence “a terrible mistake;” meanwhile, the State House Trust votes to remove statue of chief justice Taney; Baltimore Mayor Pugh expresses frustration with predecessor over not resolving Confederate statue issue under her watch; Hogan asks school system to come to Annapolis to explain construction funding requests; costs of running for State House are on the rise, Common Cause study finds; and Montgomery minimum wage-job loss survey is flawed, survey company says.

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State Roundup, August 16, 2017

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Baltimore City removes four Confederate statues overnight; Gov. Hogan calls for removing Taney statue at State House; Warren Deschenaux, for decades the go-to budget guru in the Department of Legislative Services, to retire on Dec. 1; acting Health Secretary Schrader defends pace of moving mentally ill criminal defendants into treatment; Gov. Hogan OK’d state participation on Trump voter fraud panel; Rep. Hoyer says Republican congressmen also see need for new FBI HQ; and Ben Jealous arrested at immigration rights demonstration.

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State Roundup, August 15, 2017

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Charlottesville violence spurs Maryland to once again look at its Confederate statues as calls rise to remove Taney statue at State House and Baltimore City, Howard County mull removal of theirs as well; eight medical marijuana growers get final OK to begin growing; meanwhile marijuana panel’s chief asks panel to extend deadline for companies approval on a case-by-case basis; Under Armour’s Plank quits President Trump’s business panel over slow response to call out racists over Charlotteville violence as Sen. Hough tweets his criticism; and Johns enters race for House of Delegates to see more women in office.

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State Roundup, August 14, 2017

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Maryland politicians, communities stand in solidarity against racism after deadly weekend in Charlottesville, Va.; Maryland’s medical marijuana growers must be operational today to meet deadline; watermen, scientists, pols debate oyster harvesting in sanctuaries; Gov. Hogan wants tougher stance against violent offenders in Baltimore City; gubernatorial candidate Vignarajah defends record, gets blasted by anonymous fellow Democrats; and Montgomery County’s District 1 council race gets crowded.

State Roundup, August 11, 2017

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As state tackles opioid crisis, two physicians indicted on charges they illegally prescribed sedatives and painkillers; two health insurers remain in state ACA exchange while only one will serve much of Maryland; Republican delegates ask Atty. Gen. Frosh to recuse himself from defending redistricting plan, citing role in Democratic Senate leadership; Gov. Hogan tours State Center with Mayor Pugh, casts doubt on current project moving forward; Hogan orders midge eradication; and Baltimore County considers body cams for off-duty uniformed officers.

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State Roundup, August 10, 2017

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St. Mary’s County charges eight suspected drug dealers with second-degree murder as Gov. Hogan calls on state’s attorneys to crack down on heroin dealers to help fight rising overdoses; Sen. Hershey begins crafting “right to work” legislation for counties to buy into; Vignarajah, former policy aide for Michelle Obama, announces for governor; Bethesda Beat finds that Vignarajah voted in D.C. While registered in Maryland; attorney Sara Love to seek Del. Frick’s seat; Trone wine business markets in 6th District community 25 miles from nearest store; and College Park council delays vote on allowing noncitizens to vote.

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State Roundup, August 9, 2017

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Gov. Hogan announces plans to test dredge Conowingo Dam sediment to see if large-scale dredging would help the Chesapeake Bay; environmentalists protest 3.5 miles of TransCanada pipeline slated for Maryland and under the Potomac; Sen. Brochin urges change to Baltimore County Police body-cam policy for off-duty uniformed officers on second jobs; Attorney General Frosh heads group of attorneys general opposing binding-arbitration clauses in nursing care contracts; presidential candidate Delaney ties technology innovations to job growth; and Annapolis mayoral candidate Astle criticizes Mayor Pantelides policy on city’s social media accounts.

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State Roundup, Aug. 8, 2017

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MGM casino revenue boosts statewide take by 33.6% in year-to-year comparison, but without it, revenues fell; court OKs request for expedited briefing schedule in Purple Line lawsuit; like Maryland overall, Montgomery County sees rise in fentanyl deaths; Montgomery County minimum wage/jobs study criticized; consumer watchdog group opposes Sinclair Broadcasting purchase of Tribune TV stations; and David Trone says he will fund-raise in race for Congress.

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State Roundup, Aug. 7, 2017

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The number of overdose deaths soars 37% in first three months, with fentanyl to blame in most; state and local labs lack enough digital-savvy manpower to examine computer, phone, tablet evidence in a timely manner; despite being 54% of the state population, few women hold positions of political power in governments; two profiles of Gov. Larry Hogan show sides to the man: The Un-Trump Republican and his Conservative Side; Montgomery lawmakers pushing the $15 minimum wage say study was crafted to produce negative results; Tim Maloney, lawyer to Senate President Miller, sees no problem in defending state secretaries suing Treasurer Kopp; Maryland politicians come out against Justice Dept. threat against Baltimore City; and Annapolis mayor nixes national political postings from city’s social media accounts.

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State Roundup, Aug. 4, 2017

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Acting Secretaries Schrader, Peters sue state Treasurer Kopp for salaries while Gov. Hogan “absolutely” supports suit; regulators ask medical marijuana companies if they have ties to those who graded their applications; Gov. Hogan asks FAA to mitigate airplane noise after flight paths altered; U.S. Rep. Delaney talks about his decision to run for president; U.S. Atty. Gen. Sessions tells Baltimore City to enforce Trump administration immigration stand at state-run jail if it wants federal crime-fighting aid as Mayor Pugh says state will send millions of dollars to help city and state Senate panel to hold hearing on Baltimore violence; judge overturns Montgomery County’s ban on cosmetic pesticides; Del. Kramer to run for state Senate seat held by Richard Manno, who is running for Congress; Del. Morales to seek re-election; and scientists concerned about Trump directive opening mid-Atlantic to gas, oil exploration.