McGRATH: A CAPABLE LEADER SPINS OUT OF CONTROL: Roy McGrath was a capable leader, helping businesses make deals at a trade organization. Later, he became an adept government administrator executing contracts and making Maryland’s bureaucracy hum. But McGrath’s career arc took an unexpected turn as he rose through the state government ranks and became then-Gov. Larry Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020. McGrath was eventually accused of improper government spending, lack of accountability, secretly recorded meetings, falsified time cards and one fabricated memo. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
McGRATH MAY HAVE SHOT HIMSELF; FBI MAY HAVE USED CELLPHONE TO TRACK HIM: Roy C. McGrath, a top aide to Larry Hogan when he was Maryland’s governor, is believed to have shot himself following a traffic stop in Tennessee, the fatal end to a 21-day manhunt that began when the fugitive did not show up for his federal trial, according to a law enforcement document. Katie Mettler, Steve Thompson, Dan Morse, Erin Cox and Perry Stein/The Washington Post.
- In the days before Roy McGrath’s fatal encounter with federal agents, the FBI found a way to track the fugitive, according to McGrath’s attorney. The lawyer confirmed that several cell phones in McGrath’s possession may have also been used to ultimately pinpoint his location in Farragut, outside Knoxville. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
ATTY GEN REPORT ON CATHOLIC SEX ABUSE TO BE RELEASED TODAY: The long-anticipated 456-page grand jury report detailing allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in the Archdiocese of Baltimore is set to be released at 1 p.m. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
- The Maryland Attorney General’s Office will release a redacted version of its long-awaited report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, culminating four years of investigation and stirring hope among survivors that the public reckoning will help hold the church accountable. Lee O. Sanderlin and Jonathan M. Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.
DEL. BARNES TO LEAVE TO JOIN LOBBYING FIRM: Del. Darryl Barnes, the longest serving chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, will step down next week to become a partner in an Annapolis lobbying and government relations firm. The Prince George’s Democrat plans to leave his duties as a legislator April 15 and, on the same day, become a partner in Evans, Barnes & Associates. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
JAN GARDNER A FINALIST FOR BLUEPRINT BOARD: Former Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner is one of two finalists to serve on a state board that oversees the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The landmark education plan became law in 2021 and increases annual education funding by $3.8 billion over the next decade. Emmett Gartner/The Frederick News Post.
B’MORE COUNCIL GAINS A BIT MORE POWER: A weak City Council in Baltimore is a century-old tradition. Fed up with the machine politicians who controlled the council, state legislators voted in 1898 to rip budgeting power away from the body — leaving only the mayor the ability to both cut and add to the spending plan. Now the pendulum is finally swinging back — but just a little, via a charter amendment approved by voters in 2020. Baltimore City Council will be able to both add and remove items from the city budget this year. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
***BOARD OPENINGS FOR MONTGOMERY AND PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY RESIDENTS: The Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has openings for residents of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties on the ERS Board of Trustees; one vacancy for each county. The term of appointment is July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026. Anyone interested who is a resident of the county to which they want to represent must submit a Letter of Interest and resume of qualifications, received no later than close of business on April 7, 2023. Visit our website, https://www.mncppc.org/1644/Employees-Retirement-System, for a Board of Trustee Candidate Packet.***
WHILE TRUMP INDICTED, MARYLAND GOP HAD OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: While former Republican President Donald Trump was pleading not guilty to a 34 count indictment on Tuesday, some Republicans in the General Assembly were trying to avoid talking about it. “We have important things we have to finish here,” said Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County), a former House minority whip and senior leader of the conservative wing in the House GOP. “I don’t think the indictment will have any impact on the legislative debate here.” Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
ARUNDEL BILL TO MAKE ACCESSORY DWELLINGS EASIER TO BUILD: After weeks of debate and testimony, an Anne Arundel County bill to make it easier to create accessory dwelling units was passed unanimously by the County Council at Monday night’s meeting. The new law expands the kinds of lot sizes that can house accessory dwelling units, the kinds of spaces that may qualify as accessory units, and exempts homeowners creating these units from paying certain county fees. Dana Munro/The Capital Gazette.
EX-COLLEGE PARK MAYOR CHARGED WITH 80 COUNTS OF CHILD PORN POSSESSION: After his arrest in early March, a Prince George’s County grand jury chose to indict former College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn for 80 counts of possession and intent to distribute child pornography on March 29. He faces up to 360 years in prison, although he is expected to take a plea deal. Richard Elliot/The Washington Informer.
MARYLAND NATIVE TO HEADUP NEXT MANNED MOON MISSION: On board the International Space Station in 2014, Maryland-born astronaut Reid Wiseman kept Baltimore in mind, donning an Orioles jersey in orbit and sharing images of the Inner Harbor from far above Earth. Now, the Cockeysville native is heading back to space for an even more remarkable journey: the first manned mission to the moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
- Wiseman grew up “on the shores of the Loch Raven Reservoir” in the Springdale neighborhood, he said, graduating from Dulaney High School in 1993. He remembers spending a lot of time with his hero — his brother Bill, who was five years older. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
AG’s REPORT LEADS FAMILY TO SUE HARFORD POLICE: A report from the Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division on the shooting death last year by police of Harford County resident John Fauver showed that during a confrontation, the shotgun blasts that killed Fauver were fired by a deputy who moments earlier repeatedly had yelled to his partner that Fauver was wielding a cane, not a gun. In the wake of the report, the attorney representing Fauver’s family said he would be filing a civil suit against the officer who shot and killed Fauver, as well as the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. Jason Fontelieu/The Aegis.
