Listen to this articleSTATE CITES EQUITY, INCLUSION TO SECURE FBI HQ IN PG COUNTY: As they build their case for bringing the proposed new FBI headquarters to Prince George’s County, state officials have added a new argument to their arsenal: that putting the campus there would help the federal government meet its equity and inclusion goals. And four of Maryland’s most powerful Black elected officials — U.S. Reps. Anthony Brown (D) and Kweisi Mfume (D), state House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) — laid out why they think one of two sites in Prince George’s County would be ideal for the proposed new FBI campus. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
B’MORE FAILS TO SPEND $8M IN STATE AID FOR CRIME WITNESSES, VICTIMS: Eight million dollars in state funding to help relocate witnesses and victims of crime in Baltimore over the past three years hasn’t been spent due to a bureaucratic standstill between the governor’s office and city prosecutors. Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Banner.
BA CO COUNCIL TO DEBATE CONTROVERSIAL WATERWAY PLAN: The Baltimore County Council at its Tuesday meeting is expected to debate a controversial proposal that would create broad exemptions from state waterway protection regulations for some waterfront business owners. The Maryland attorney general’s office this month advised there’s a “significant possibility” that the legislation would violate Maryland laws. Taylor DeVille/The Baltimore Banner.
POLITICAL NOTES: DELEGATES SEATS; MIZEUR ENDORSEMENT: After three days of manually recounting ballots in the Democratic primary for a House of Delegates seat in Prince George’s County, the top three vote-getters didn’t change. Heather Mizeur, the former state delegate who is seeking to oust Rep. Andy Harris, the lone Republican in the Maryland congressional delegation, has racked up an endorsement from the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund. Shareese Churchill, who has been a fixture in the Hogan administration, will begin a new gig right after Labor Day with State Treasurer Dereck Davis (D). William Ford and Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
CHINA TODAY: Maryland Reporter’s Len Lazarick is looking for a couple more participants to take a personal development course he is launching called China Today, based on his 30 years of dealing with China. This discussion group will meet at Howard Community College in Columbia where Lazarick teaches East Asian history. It starts Sept. 8 and meets for 4-6 p.m. for six Thursdays. Click here to sign up. It will examine the last 100 years of China-U.S. relations with a focus on China’s society, culture, economy, and politics. The class will discuss the current state of relations and the hot topic on China in the news. Tuition: $129 No class Sept. 15 & 29, Oct. 13 & 27, and Nov. 10.
ECONOMIST RETURNS TO HOGAN ADMIN: Ben Wu, the former president and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corp., recently announced he has returned to Gov. Larry Hogan’s office to serve as a special adviser on economic development. Steve Bohnel/Bethesda Beat.
COURT FINDS AGAINST ‘THIN BLUE LINE’ MASK: A criminal defendant’s constitutional right to an unbiased jury was inherently violated by the courtroom presence of a bailiff wearing a face mask emblazoned with the pro-police “thin blue line” flag during trial, a divided Maryland high court ruled Friday in overturning a man’s child abuse conviction. Steve Lash/The Daily Record.
DOG OWNERS CHALLENGE PG PIT BULL BAN: Several dog owners are challenging Prince George’s County’s ban on pit bulls in federal court with a proposed class-action lawsuit that claims the ban violates their due process rights under the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, accuses Prince George’s County of declaring some dogs pit bulls based on their appearance regardless of the dogs’ actual genetic makeup. Madeleine O’Neill/The Daily Record.
OPINION: THE COMPLEXITY OF PRO-LIFE, PRO-CHOICE: The question “Are you pro-life or pro-choice?” ignores the complicated decisions made by women all over the country. Most adult Americans understand that life is complex. We rationalize our decisions and tend to reject extremes. This is why most Americans do not favor completely banning abortions, nor do they favor late-term abortions. Yuripzy Morgan, Republican candidate for Congress for Maryland’s 3rd District/The Washington Post.
MONTGOMERY COUNCIL SLATED FOR ITS FIRST FEMALE MAJORITY: Sitting side-by-side at a long table in the Montgomery County Council office building last week, it was easy to see just how different the council’s new makeup could be, come December. Six Democratic women, all favored to prevail in November’s general election in the county where Democrats outnumber Republicans four-to-one, will likely establish the council’s first female majority since the 1980s. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND MAN GETS 4+ YEARS IN JAN. 6 ATTACK: Joshua Pruitt, a Maryland man affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, was sentenced on Monday to more than four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol, where he encountered Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer as his armed security detail led the New York Democrat to safety. Michael Kunzelman/The Associated Press.
