State Roundup, July 26, 2016

MARYLANDERS TAKE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Maryland, a state often overlooked in national politics, had an outsized role on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, John Fritze reports for the Sun.

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  Maryland U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings speaking last night to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

  Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake gaveled in the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday — taking over for the Democratic Party chairwoman who relinquished the role amid a scandal over internal party emails, John Fritze and Luke Broadwater of the Sun report.

• Fern Shen of Baltimore Brew writes that SRB’s forgetting to actually bring down the gavel until someone reminded her has been turned into a gif, yes one that keeps on giffing.
• Three prominent Marylanders — former NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous, Rep. Elijah Cummings, and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer — each preached party unity as featured speakers on the first night of the Democratic National Convention Monday, reports CNS’s Theresa Lo for MarylandReporter.com.
• Nearly six months after he placed a distant third in the Iowa caucuses and then all but disappeared from public view, Martin O’Malley is re-emerging on the national stage here as Democrats gather to nominate Hillary Clinton for president. He is scheduled to take the stage on Wednesday, John Fritze of the Sun reports.
• Here’s video of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings’ speech, from WBAL-TV.
• Here’s video of U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer’s speech, also from WBAL-TV.

SANDERS’ MD SUPPORTERS BACK CLINTON: Bernie Sanders’ supporters in the Maryland delegation at the Democratic National Convention are following his lead in endorsing Hillary Clinton, even in the aftermath of leaked emails implicating high-level party officials in trying to influence the primary process in her favor, Hannah Klarner of CNS writes in MarylandReporter.com. A series of leaked emails relating to Maryland are embedded in the article.

NEW DEM CHAIR WANTED: Several Maryland Democrats said Monday that they agreed with Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s decision to step down as the chairwoman of the Democratic Party, arguing it would blunt the controversy surrounding the party’s leaked internal emails, John Fritze writes in the Sun.

DRUG TREATMENT: Nonviolent drug offenders in Maryland will have a chance to stay home and take recovery classes instead of going to jail under a pilot program funded by Gov. Larry Hogan, Fenit Nirappil reports in the Post. The governor’s office on Monday announced it was providing the Washington County Sheriff’s Office $540,000 to open the state’s first adult day reporting center.

• As opioid addiction rises, public health advocates in Maryland are calling for more treatment where many addicts end up: in jails and prisons. Meredith Cohn of the Sun reports that in Maryland, only Baltimore and a few counties offer any treatment in their jails. The state-run jail in Baltimore offers only detoxification. The state offers some counseling in its prisons and continues detox for 21 days. But advocates and treatment professionals say it’s not enough to keep addicts off the drugs over the long term.

***Seeking motivated individuals to proctor assessment sessions with 4th- and 8th-grade students in schools for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Must be available to work January 30 –March 10, 2017. Paid training, paid time and mileage reimbursement for local driving, and weekly paychecks. This is a part-time, temporary position. To apply, visit our website at www.westat.com/CAREERS and select “Search Field Positions.” Search for your state, find the NAEP Assessment Administrator position, and select the “apply to job” button. For more information email NAEPrecruit@westat.com or call 1-888-237-8036.***

CLEANER AIR BOOST BAY HEALTH: Researchers with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have found a surprising explanation for the improved water quality in the Chesapeake Bay: cleaner air. Professor Keith Eshleman in the center’s Frostburg office said in a statement Tuesday that his team found nearly universal improvement in water quality since 1986 across the Upper Potomac River Basin, according to an AP report at WTOP-AM. The area includes parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

HOGAN TO GET NEW COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF: Gov. Larry Hogan’s top communications aide will leave the administration to return to his job in the private sector, Erin Cox reports in the Sun. Communications Director Matthew A. Clark has led Hogan’s public relations staff since the governor was inaugurated. Deputy communications director Douglass V. Mayer will take over for Clark in mid-August.

AFTER OFFICER’S DEATH, HOOTERS TO CLOSE: A Hooters restaurant in Rockville will surrender its liquor license and close rather than fight for the right to stay in business in the wake of the death of Montgomery County police officer Noah Leotta, who was killed by a driver who had been drinking at the restaurant.  After Leotta’s death, his family, local police leaders and anti-drunken driving advocates pushed for changes in state law that require more drivers who fail breath-alcohol tests to install and use an ignition interlock system—which requires a driver to blow into a breathalyzer before starting a vehicle. Gov. Larry Hogan signed Noah’s Law, in May, reports Andrew Metcalf for Bethesda Beat.

FREDERICK MULLS MOVING TANEY BUST: The push to remove a bust of Roger Brooke Taney from outside Frederick City Hall is advancing after considerable delays, Nancy Lavin reports for the Frederick News Post. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday will review in a workshop session an application to remove both the Taney bust and one of Gov. Thomas Johnson from outside City Hall. A vote is scheduled for the commission’s Aug. 11 meeting, according to a report by Lisa Mroszczyk Murphy, a city historic preservation planner.