TEACHER VACANCIES PLAGUE B’MORE REGION: As the beginning of the school year approaches, the Baltimore region is facing a high number of teacher vacancies. A presentation at Tuesday’s Maryland State Department of Education board meeting described nearly 2,000 teacher vacancies statewide as of September 2021. Individual school systems such as Baltimore City and Prince George’s County are still reporting high numbers of vacancies as the 2022-23 school year approaches. Caitlyn Freeman and Sabrina LeBoeuf/The Baltimore Sun.
TOP DEMS PLEDGE UNITY AT RALLY: At a two-and-a-half hour unity rally in downtown Silver Spring, top Democratic officials from around the state pledged to get behind gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore and his running mate Aruna Miller, attorney general candidate Anthony Brown and comptroller candidate Brooke Lierman. They also promised that they will not take any race for granted. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
ELRICH RETAKES LEAD BY 120 VOTES: Incumbent Marc Elrich regained the lead over challenger David Blair in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County executive after the eighth day of canvassing, according to results released Monday night by the State Board of Elections. The results showed that Elrich is ahead of Blair by 120 votes, erasing the slim lead of 21 votes. Staff/Bethesda Beat.
HOGAN BLASTS PEROUTKA FOR 9/11 CONSPIRACIES: The 9/11 conspiracy theories advocated by the Republican Party’s nominee for state attorney general have drawn a swift rebuke from Gov. Larry Hogan. Hogan pulled no punches in rejecting the theories presented by nominee Michael Peroutka. The outgoing governor’s comments on social media highlight the widening divide between Hogan and some candidates in his own party. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record.
OPINION: FIRE IN THE BELLY WINS: On its face, the GOP primary race between Dan Cox and Kelly Schulz was simply a proxy war between Donald Trump and Larry Hogan, a pitstop on the way to the general for Schulz. Or so said the conventional wisdom. But if past is prologue, and you scrolled their electoral history, you could have bet it would be Cox in a rout. Don Murphy/MarylandReporter.com.
OPINION: CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS: Now that the primary election has largely ended, it’s time for the General Assembly to act swiftly to protect abortion access. We must work proactively to protect Marylanders from the dangerous and draconian whims of the unelected Supreme Court. The General Assembly must rise to the occasion and call a special session to immediately. Lily M. Bolourian/Maryland Matters.
MO CO SCHOOL DISCRIMINATION SUIT DISMISSED: A lawsuit alleging Maryland’s largest school district discriminated against its Asian American students after it changed its magnet program admissions process has been dismissed by a federal judge. Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.
- In a memorandum Friday, federal District Court Judge Paula Xinis wrote “no facts give rise to the inference that the Pandemic Plan was implemented with discriminatory intent.” Caitlynn Peetz/Bethesda Beat.
OPINION: JOHNNY O’s IMAGE IS TARNISHING: Events over the past year threaten to permanently tarnish the reputation of Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. It began with his ham-handed attempt to neutralize the effectiveness of the county’s Inspector General. Now, evidence is mounting that his administration routinely gives favored treatment to politically connected builders and developers and allows campaign contributions to influence policy decisions, despite his denials. David Plymyer/Baltimore Brew.
ACTING WICOMICO EXEC LOSES PRIMARY: Acting Wicomico County Executive John D. Psota — appointed on an interim basis to fill the position following the July 2020 death of County Executive Robert “Bob” Culver — has fallen short in his bid to win election to a full term in the job. Louis Peck/Maryland Matters.
FREDERICK ELECTIONS CERTIFIED: Frederick County election officials on Monday certified the results of the July 19 primary, starting a three-day clock for the County Council president to request a recount in the race she lost by three votes. Jill Atelsek/The Frederick News Post.
HAYNES VS SHELLENBERGER IN GENERAL: Now that Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger has won the close Democratic primary race, he faces his first Republican opponent in the general election in 12 years. His Republican challenger, James Haynes, is a 72-year-old retired lawyer and a former assistant attorney general of Maryland. He said he plans to run an active, thought-provoking campaign. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
11 VOTES OF SEPARATION: The votes from the Republican primary for the Harford County Council’s District D seat will be recounted as a result of a mere 11-vote margin between the top two candidates. Jason Fontelieu/The Aegis.
NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Sam Cogen will lead the sheriff’s office in Baltimore City after a narrow win against 36-year incumbent John Anderson. Cogen, a former sheriff’s office employee, wrote that, “Our next step is to form a transition team focused on reorganization and modernization, which will enable us to implement best practices from the moment we take office.” There is no Republican challenger in the general election race in November. Kristen Mosbrucker/WYPR-FM.
MOSBY’s FINANCES TO BE ON FULL DISPLAY: The personal finances of Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby will be on full display at her federal trial next month, with prosecutors previewing that they will present an FBI accountant and IRS agents who will walk jurors through hundreds of pages of the outgoing top prosecutor’s bank and credit card statements. Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Banner.
