$737M MAY GO TOWARD CUTTING BAY WATERSHED POLLUTION: As much as $737 million in proposed funding expected to be part of a budget reconciliation package being negotiated in Congress would be used toward reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including for agricultural conservation, Alex Argiris of Capital News Service reports in Maryland Reporter.
KIDS MAY BE ABLE TO GET VAXX STARTING FRIDAY: With federal signoff on the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 doses for kids ages 5 to 11, local health departments, doctor offices, pharmacies and schools in Maryland may begin getting shots into kids’ arms as soon as Friday, Meredith Cohn and Hallie Miller report for the Sun.
- Howard County Public School System Superintendent Michael Martirano announced Tuesday at a Board of Education meeting that the Howard County Health Department plans to hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics for children ages 5 to 11 at Howard Community College beginning Friday, Allana Haynes of the Howard County Times reports.
MD LAWMAKERS TO PUSH FOR PAID FAMILY LEAVE: Maryland lawmakers plan to sponsor a paid family leave measure next legislative session, now that President Biden’s effort to get a national version passed in his social safety net bill is in jeopardy, Rachel Baye of WYPR-FM reports.
HOGAN VOWS TO VETO, SUE OVER GERRYMANDERED MAPS: Gov. Larry Hogan vowed Tuesday to veto gerrymandered redistricting maps and even challenge them in court, Bryan Sears of the Daily Record reports. Hogan, speaking to a group of business leaders and students at a breakfast meeting at Goucher College, renewed his call for fairly drawn maps.
PROGRESSIVE SEEKS TO UNSEAT SEN. WALDSTREICHER: A community organizer and progressive activist who lives in Silver Spring announced this week that he plans to run against Sen. Jeffrey D. Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery) in the June 2022 Democratic primary, reports Josh Kurtz for Maryland Matters.
DEL. DUMAIS, 3 OTHERS TAPPED FOR MO CO JUDGESHIP: A high-ranking state lawmaker from Montgomery County has been named a judge, continuing a shuffling of lawmakers in the State House, Pamela Wood of the Sun reports. Del. Kathleen Dumais, a Democrat, was named to an upcoming vacancy on Montgomery’s Circuit Court by Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday.
- Also joining Dumais on the bench are Judge Carlos Acosta, Theresa Chernosky and Rachel McGuckian, reports Madeleine O’Neill for the Daily Record.
- Dumais’ appointment is the latest in a series of potentially transformative changes in the House of Delegates, Danielle Gaines writes for Maryland Matters.
HARFORD RESIDENTS WEIGH IN ON HEALTH OFFICER’s DISMISSAL: Public comment at Tuesday’s Harford County Council meeting lasted well after 11 p.m. with more than 60 speakers expressing a range of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the termination of the county health officer, Dr. David Bishai, late last month, Madison Bateman reports in the Aegis.
CELEBRATING 12 YEARS OF JOURNALISM: Twelve years ago this week, we launched MarylandReporter.com as the state’s first nonprofit news website covering state government and politics. Since the very first day, we have produced a daily State Roundup and a newsletter that has now gone out 3,000 times linking to coverage from around the state. We’ve also run another 4,500 original stories by our own staff and our news partners. We are asking you to help us celebrate our 12th birthday by donating during our major fundraising drive of the year – the NewsMatch program when every contribution up to $1,000 is matched by national foundations.
GOV CANDIDATE PROFILE: MICHAEL ROSENBAUM: In his work in the private sector, entrepreneur Michael Rosenbaum, a Democratic candidate for governor, has imagined himself as a turnaround artist of sorts — of people’s careers, Josh Kurtz writes for Maryland Matters. He founded a tech company and a health care company that specialize in hiring people who have been left behind by society and lifting them from poverty into the middle class. Now, he wants state government to do the same.
BA CO STATE OF EMERGENCY TO SUNSET TODAY: Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. will allow a local state of emergency to sunset Wednesday rather than ask the politically split Baltimore County Council to vote to extend it, Taylor DeVille of the Sun reports.
MO CO REMAP HOLDS 6 MINORITY-MAJORITY DISTRICTS: A special panel appointed by the Montgomery County Council has proposed a council map that makes six of the seven new districts minority-majority in the numbers of Hispanic, Asians and African American residents in each one. The Redistricting Commission said it considered the “historic growth” of the county’s racial and ethnic minorities in drawing the new political map, Ana Radelat and Steve Bohnel of Bethesda Beat report.
OPINION: FRANCHOT’s SQUISHY LEGACY AS COMPTROLLER: The biggest thing Peter Franchot has done as comptroller was to make the office about everything but being the comptroller, opines Brian Griffiths of the Duckpin blog. He adds that this legacy has spilled over to candidates Del. Brooke Lierman and Bowie Mayor Tim Adams.
BUCKLEY LEADS IN ANNAPOLIS MAYOR’s RACE: Mayor Gavin Buckley, two Democratic City Council incumbents and two Republican candidates took early leads in the Annapolis general election Tuesday, according to preliminary election results, Brooks DuBose and Dana Munro of the Capital Gazette report.
GAITHERSBURG MAYOR HOLDS ONTO SEAT: Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman is on his way to defeating challenger Stephen Escobar to win another term, according to unofficial results, Dan Schere of Bethesda Beat reports.
MT. AIRY GETS NEW MAYOR: Former Mount Airy Town Council member Larry Hushour will become mayor after he defeated challenger Pamela Reed in a special election Tuesday, Madison Bateman and Phil Davis report for the Carroll County Times.
- The town called the special election after Mayor Patrick Rockinberg died in August at the age of 58 due to complications of cancer. Three months earlier, 1,621 voters had turned out to elect him to serve his fourth term in the position. He beat out Hushour for the office by just four votes, Angela Roberts reports for the Frederick News-Post.
U.S. BILL WOULD KEEP SERVICE ACADEMY NOMINATIONS: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Anthony Brown have introduced legislation to secure the U.S. service academy nominations of states and congressional districts that lack representation in Congress due to the death, resignation or removal from office of a sitting member of Congress, Donovan Conaway reports for the Capital Gazette.
