HOGAN’S SPENDING BIG ON CRIME, URGES PASSAGE OF BILLS: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday berated the Democratic-controlled General Assembly for not passing his emergency crime measures as violence continues to surge in Baltimore and lawmakers move closer to the end of their 90-day session. Ovetta Wiggins/Washington Post
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- Calling Baltimore’s crime the number one issue for Marylanders, Gov. Larry Hogan announced with a supplemental budget that the state of Maryland plans to send millions to beef up a Baltimore Police Department warrant task force, pay for additional federal prosecutors to focus on gun crime in the city and send state troopers to take over traffic patrols on Interstate 83. Bryn Stole/The Baltimore Sun
- Hogan made the announcement as violent crime continues to bedevil Baltimore, the state’s largest city, where there have been more than 300 homicides in each of the last seven years. Brian Witte/AP in the Cumberland Times-News
- In the supplement, Hogan included $35 million for victim services providers. That money is intended to close a gap in federal funding under the Victim of Crime Act, or VOCA. Kate Ryan/WTOP
- He said $3.5 million of that will also go toward hiring additional prosecutors and staff for the United States Attorney’s office and $6.5 million will go toward efforts to get violent offenders off the streets. Callin Tansill-Suddath/WYPR
JUDGE ACCEPTS NEW BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCIL MAPS: A federal judge approved Baltimore County Council’s second attempt to redraw council district boundaries Thursday, but civil rights groups continued to insist the map doesn’t deliver a “level playing field” for Black voters. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun
- U.S. District Court Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby said at a status conference Thursday afternoon that the new map drawn by the Baltimore County Council is better than the one she struck down in February because it gives Black voters a chance to elect their candidate of choice. Bennett Leckrone/Maryland Matters
MOSBYS: CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION CAME FROM WIDOW, NOT DEAD GRANDFATHER: Nick and Marilyn Mosby say that Marilyn’s octogenarian grandmother wrote the checks that The Brew disclosed yesterday were listed in campaign reports as coming from Marilyn’s dead grandfather. Since they entered elective office, the Mosbys have recorded more than $8,000 in donations attributable to Marilyn Mosby’s grandparents. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew
- Meanwhile, analysts and attorneys raised questions about how Nick Mosby was able to get a $58,000 loan from the Harbor Bank of Maryland in April 2021, given the federal tax line on their property, federal investigation underway, and an apparent improper use of a power of attorney. Mikenzie Frost/WBFF
STATE ORDERS CITY WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT TO TAKE ACTION WITHIN 48 HOURS: Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles has ordered a Baltimore city-owned wastewater treatment plant to curb its discharges and get back in compliance within 48 hours. Elizabeth Shwe/Maryland Matters
COMMENTARY: BLACK PEOPLE HIT HARDEST BY WAR ON DRUGS: As the Maryland General Assembly considers legalizing recreational cannabis, we need a policy that explicitly repairs the harm that has been done to Black people as a result of the war on drugs. Dayvon Love/The Afro
JUDGES GETTING A RAISE: Maryland’s 320 judges will receive a $10,000 salary increase for each of the next four years beginning July 1 under a joint General Assembly resolution enacted this month. Steve Lash/The Daily Record
WATERMEN ASK FOR REGULATORY RELIEF FOR OYSTERS, CRABBING: Watermen in Dorchester County and elsewhere in Maryland discussed the regulatory uncertainty they face for oyster regulations and the upcoming crabbing season. Mike Detmer/The (Easton) Star Democrat
SENATE PRESIDENT ON GAS TAX, CRIME: Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson on Thursday gave a radio interview on a number of different topics including the 30-day gas tax holiday and crime. C4 and Bryan Nehman/WBAL AM
