WALLETHUB: MARYLAND RECOVERY RANKS NEAR BOTTOM: Maryland ranks near the bottom among states in terms of the pace of its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent study. The WalletHub study was released on Tuesday. Bryan Renbaum of Maryland Reporter said that the study found that Maryland is the state with the 10th slowest recovery from COVID-19. South Dakota has the fastest recovery of any state and Michigan has the slowest recovery of any state.
HBCU PRESIDENTS OUTLINE SPENDING PLANS: The presidents of Maryland’s four historically Black universities — Morgan State, Coppin State, Bowie State and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore — are crafting plans for the $577 million in extra funding coming from the state in the next decade. The money, they say, will pay for scholarships, help fund high-demand programs in STEM fields and free up financing for much-needed infrastructure repairs.
MARYLAND, LOCALS GRAPPLE WITH GETTING VAXX FOR ALL: Officials in the region are continuing to grapple with how to get more people vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, with those in Prince George’s County urging residents to take the shots and Gov. Larry Hogan announcing a new campaign to improve vaccine uptake rates at nursing homes, Rachel Chason and Ovetta Wiggins of the Washington Post report.
- In an ongoing push to improve vaccination rates, the state will now post data weekly on how many residents and staff at each nursing home in Maryland have received shots to protect against the coronavirus, Bryn Stole and Pamela Wood of the Sun report.
- Hogan also announced plans to expand a vaccine-confidence campaign to persuade nursing home staff to get the shots if they haven’t already and $12 million in funding to allow state hospital systems to expand mobile and community-based vaccination programs and improve existing ones, Greg Swatek reports for the Frederick News-Post.
- Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, worried that vaccination rates have dropped in his county, said he would direct more than $700,000 to community organizations to canvass neighborhoods with the lowest vaccination rates to try to convince people to get vaccinated, Joel McCord reports for WYPR-FM.
12- to 15-YEAR-OLDS NEXT ON VAXX LIST: Maryland is prepared to immediately expand COVID-19 vaccination eligibility for children ages 12 to 15 as soon as the state gets federal approval, which could happen as early as next week, Teresa McMinn reports for the Cumberland Times-News.
- Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday that about 455,000 Maryland adolescents will become eligible when the vaccine is approved for use in 12- to 15-year-olds, Madeleine O’Neill reports for the USA Today Network.
WHAT CENSUS DATA MEAN FOR MARYLAND: Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released the first numbers from the once-every-10-years count of Americans. The data helps determine representation in Congress and big shares of federal funding. But, report Alison Knezevich and Steve Early in the Sun, data from the 2020 census is not all released at once. They offer a user’s guide for what to expect from the 2020 census with what’s out, what we’re still waiting for, and what it means.
LAWMAKERS OFFER SOLUTIONS TO COLLECT $137M IN UNPAID TOLLS: Out-of-state drivers owe Maryland more than $137 million in unpaid tolls— and some state lawmakers say they have an idea for how to recoup the funds. Maryland, they say, should negotiate with other states to share information about drivers with outstanding toll bills, Luz Lazo of the Post reports.
STATE WORK GROUP TO JOIN PROBE OF ATTACK ON ASIAN-AMERICAN WOMEN: A 50-year-old man has been charged with beating two Asian American women with a cinder block inside a West Baltimore liquor store Sunday night in a vicious attack captured by the store’s surveillance cameras, reports Phil Davis in the Sun. Gov. Larry Hogan said the state’s new work group created to combat the rise of crimes against Asian Americans will investigate the incident alongside Maryland State Police.
- Robert Hur, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, is representing the victims through a new pro-bono initiative called the Alliance for Asian American Justice, WMAR-TV reports.
OPINION: STOP VICTIM BLAMING, NO RAPE VICTIM IS PERFECT: In a commentary for the Baltimore Sun, Amanda Rodriquez, former prosecutor and current executive director of a rape crisis center, writes about the myth of the perfect rape victim. “To be a perfect victim of sexual assault, human trafficking or intimate partner violence, you cannot also struggle with addiction, poverty or mental illness. To be a perfect victim, you cannot accept a drink, engage in commercial sex or walk alone at night. You cannot wear tight clothes or have a criminal record. You cannot be human.”
MO CO COUNCIL PONIES UP $500,000 FOR GLOBAL PANDEMIC CENTER: An ambitious push to create a “Global Pandemic Center” in suburban Maryland got a $500,000 boost Tuesday from the Montgomery County Council, which said the project could help drive the county’s post-pandemic economic recovery and foster resilience against the next major health crisis, Rebecca Tan reports for the Post.
- Connected DMV — a nonprofit that focuses on initiatives with government, private industry academia and community partners — is leading the effort to craft plans for the center. The nonprofit launched in early 2019 and focused on economic growth before the COVID-19 pandemic refocused its efforts, Brianna Adhikusuma of Bethesda Beat reports.
TOWSON TO REMEMBER BLACK TEEN LYNCHED IN 1885: This weekend, a marker is being put on the site in Towson where Howard Cooper, a Black teenager was lynched in 1885. He was dragged out of the Towson jail by dozens of masked men and hanged from a nearby sycamore tree, John Lee reports for WYPR-FM.
