KITTLEMAN SEEKS TO RECLAIM HO CO EXEC SEAT: Former Republican Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman announced Sunday he will be running for executive again, seeking a rematch with Democrat Calvin Ball who beat incumbent Kittleman in 2018 by 8,000 votes (52.8%), reports Len Lazarick for Maryland Reporter. In a five-minute video, Kittleman said, “These last few years we have seen our community go in the wrong direction. We’re more divided, we’re more taxed and more worried about our shared future.”
- In the video he also touted a record of “accessibility, accountability and equity” as qualifications for the position, Lillian Reed of the Sun reports.
HOGAN ADMIN PAYS LAWFIRM $383,000 TO DEFEND ON JOBLESS BENEFITS ACTION: Maryland is paying nearly $383,000 to Venable LLP, a high-powered Baltimore-based law firm hired to defend Gov. Larry Hogan’s failed attempt to halt enhanced federal unemployment benefits for residents, according to invoices made public Friday, Ovetta Wiggins of the Post reports.
MO CO POLICE FAILED TO KEEP TRAFFIC STOP RECORDS: The Montgomery County Police Department did not adequately collect and record information on “an unknown number” of traffic stops for 14 years, potentially violating state law, an independent oversight body says in a new report, Rebecca Tan of the Post is reporting.
GETTY TO REPLACE CHIEF JUDGE BARBERA UNTIL HE RETIRES NEXT SPRING: Gov. Larry Hogan has chosen a short-term replacement for the chief judge of Maryland’s highest court, selecting Joseph Getty — who must retire next spring — while directing his staff to look for Getty’s eventual replacement, Justin Fenton reports in the Sun.
- Getty, already a judge on the Court of Appeals, will succeed Mary Ellen Barbera in the top post on Sept. 11. Barbera is set to retire Sept. 10, when she will reach the state’s mandatory judicial retirement age of 70, Steve Lash reports in the Daily Record. “I’m honored by the faith and confidence Gov. Hogan has placed in me,” Getty said Friday afternoon.
CONVERSATION WITH GOVERNOR HOPEFUL JOHN KING: As the state begins to implement the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reforms, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John King laid out his own education plan this week, which he says “goes from cradle to career,” Elizabeth Shwe writes in Maryland Matters’ continuing series of interviews with gubernatorial hopefuls.
1,000 NEW COVID CASES, 14 DEATHS: Summer is coming to an end and with it, hopes of getting covid under control. While COVID cases continue to climb, many Labor Day travelers are returning home from their final trip of the summer. Here in Maryland over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths were reported Monday. The statewide positivity rate remains just below 5%. Gov. Larry Hogan touted the state’s vaccination efforts on Meet the Press Sunday, Amy Kawata of WJZ-TV reports.
CRIMINAL CHARGES IN SCHOOL GRADE SCANDAL? The fallout continues after Baltimore City Schools released the results of its internal investigation into Augusta Fells Savage, a west Baltimore high school caught in a major scandal. Now, many are asking whether any laws were broken and if anyone could be criminally charged, Chris Papst reports for WBFF-TV.
***Transformation to the Grid of the Future: Regulators are implementing directives to transform the grid for the future. What impacts can ratepayers and consumers expect to result from FERC Order 2222 and the Maryland Order PC 44 process? This FREE webinar on September 14th examines the deployment of distributed resource markets for load balancing and reliability, and kicks off the Maryland Clean Energy Center’s Connecting to the Energy Economy Speaker Series.***
FAA: LASERS IN MARYLAND TARGETED AIRCRAFT 500+ TIMES IN 10 YEARS: There were 534 reports of lasers being pointed at planes in Maryland between 2010 and 2020, according to federal data released last week, Bennett Leckrone reports for Maryland Matters. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense. There were 57,835 incidents of lasers being aimed at aircraft across the United States and territories in that 10-year period, according to the Federal Aviation Administration report.
ARUNDEL POLICE PROBE NOOSE ON LYNCHING MEMORIAL: Anne Arundel County police are asking the public for information after a piece of twine in the shape of a noose was found Sunday hanging beneath a historical marker memorializing lynching victims, Lillian Reed reports in the Sun.
CAMERA SPARKED CAROLINE JUDGE’s ABSENCE: The prolonged absence from the bench of Caroline County’s only circuit court judge was sparked by a discovery of a camera in the bathroom of a hunting lodge by a boy the judge had taken there on a trip, according to the boy’s parents, Justin Fenton of the Sun reports. Judge Jonathan Newell, who was the county’s top prosecutor for 13 years, has been on an unexplained paid leave of absence since July 26, with police keeping details under wraps.
PG OFFERS EMPLOYERS HIRING BONUSES: In the hopes of helping its residents recover economically from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince George’s County’s economic development agency is giving companies incentives to hire the county’s residents to the tune of up to $15,000 per employee, Johanna Alonso of the Daily Record reports.
MO CO SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE MORE STRICT COVID GUIDELINES: Montgomery County Public Schools on Friday announced more restrictive quarantine guidelines for unvaccinated students possibly exposed to COVID-19, Caitlynn Peetz reports for Bethesda Beat. Critics on social media Friday expressed fear that the policy would lead to unnecessary time out of classrooms for children who already missed 18 months of in-person lessons.
CARROLL SCHOOLS STAFFING IMPROVES: Carroll County Public Schools is in a better staffing position for Wednesday’s start to school year compared to this time last year. However, a few vacancies remain as the first day of school approaches, Kristen Griffith reports in the Carroll County Times.
CARROLL OFFICIAL HOPEFUL OVER SUMMER SCHOOL RECOVERY PROGRAM: After a year with lower than usual academic grades, a Carroll County schools official said the system’s summer recovery program gives him hope the upcoming year, which starts Wednesday, will be better, reports Kristen Griffith of the Carroll County Times.
ANNAPOLIS TO ADDRESS IMPACT OF TORNADO: A town hall meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday in Annapolis to help residents and businesses impacted by a tornado that ripped through the area earlier this month as part of Tropical Depression Ida, Mary Carole McCauley of the Sun reports.
TU STUDENT SHOT AT CAMPUS PARTY: A Towson University student and two other people were shot during a party that drew hundreds of people early Saturday morning on the Baltimore County campus, police and school officials said, reports Alex Mann for the Sun.
- One of the three people injured in a shooting on Towson University’s campus has been released from the hospital, police said Sunday, as officials continue to investigate the incident, Christine Condon of the Sun reports.
- Towson University is stepping up patrols after a triple shooting early Saturday left a student and two others hospitalized. Video has emerged, showing a peaceful but very large gathering of about 500 people around 2 a.m. in Freedom Square in the heart of the university’s academic buildings. Parents who saw the video on social media question how the gathering went unnoticed, David Collins of WBAL-TV reports.
