BILL GIVING MD. THE AUTHORITY TO PROSECUTE POLICE BRUTALITY HEADS TO MOORE: The Maryland House of Delegates voted Thursday to give final approval to legislation that will authorize the state’s Attorney General’s Office to prosecute police for unjustly killing or seriously injuring civilians. Senate Bills 280, sponsored by Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith, passed on a vote of 99-37. Because it was not amended in the House chamber, it does not need final approval from the Senate before it is signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun
BIG HIKE IN SCHOOL SPENDING WILL STRAIN BALTIMORE BUDGET: A steep spike in state-mandated education funding will strain Baltimore’s budget for the coming year, limiting opportunities for new spending, the proposed budget unveiled by Mayor Brandon Scott on Thursday showed. The $4.4 billion spending plan includes $392.6 million in required education spending, more than 11% of the city’s $3.5 billion in operating expenses. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun
COMMENTARY: BLUREPRINT SPENDING NEEDS TO CHANGE: Carol Park of the Maryland Public Policy Institute says the increased BluePrint school spending is the wrong solution for post pandemic schools. Washington Examiner
EX-GUNPOWDER PARK MANAGER CONVICTED OF SEX ABUSE, ACQUITTED OF RAPE: A Baltimore County jury on Thursday convicted Michael J. Browning, the former longtime manager of Gunpowder Falls State Park, of a fourth-degree sexual offense but acquitted him on more serious charges of rape and assault in the case of two former employees. Jurors deliberated eight hours before returning the verdict. The longtime state parks official was accused of raping two young women who worked at the park, with whom he also had consensual sexual relationships. Julie Scharper/The Baltimore Banner
MOORE TO APPOINT DEL. BARVE TO PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION: Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Thursday evening confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in Annapolis: That he’s nominating Del. Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery) for a slot on the Maryland Public Service Commission. Barve, who has served in Annapolis since 1991 and been the chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee since 2015, will bring his expertise on climate and technology to an important if obscure regulatory body that will play an increasingly prominent role in the state’s efforts to combat climate change. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters
STATE SUES FLEISCHMANN’S OVER DISCHARGING VINEGAR INTO JONES FALLS: The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has now filed suit against Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company over pollution releases into Baltimore’s Jones Falls, citing hundreds of days of documented violations. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a federal complaint against Fleischmann’s filed earlier this week by Blue Water Baltimore, an environmental nonprofit. MDE charges the company with numerous acidic discharges into the stream, which runs through North Baltimore and discharges into the Inner Harbor near Harbor East. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew
HARFORD CO. SCHOOLS SHOWS DECLINES IN PROFICIENT AND ADVANCED TEST SCORES: A review of Harford County Public Schools’ academic performance at a recent Board of Education meeting highlighted scores on Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program tests in English Language Arts Literacy and mathematics in grades 3-8 and grade 10. In the 2021-2022 school year assessment, 51.7% of county students in grades 3 through 5 scored proficient or advanced on the MCAP compared to 44% of students in the state. In grades 6 through 8, 45.5% of students scored proficient or advanced, compared to 43.4% of students in the state; and 56.9% of Harford 10th graders scored proficient or advanced compared to 53% of students overall in the state. Katia Parks/The Aegis
PRINCE GEORGE’S CO. EDUCATORS SEEK DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH WITH NEXT CEO: With the next Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO expected to be named in June, officials in the district are hoping prospective candidates prioritize several issues facing the school system as it tries to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. After current CEO Monica Goldson announced her planned retirement in January, the school system launched its first CEO search since 2019. Akshaj Gaur/The Diamondback
***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.***
COMMENTARY: WHO ARE THE REAL CRIMINALS?: Drug dealers come in many forms. They include White college students, doctors that get kickbacks for prescribing certain drugs, and police officers who rob other drug dealers and sell those drugs. But the ones we tend to focus on are Black drug dealers in majority Black working-class communities. Criminalizing cannabis in a state that is about to legalize recreational use is a setup for weaponizing the criminal justice system against Black people in Maryland. Dayvon Love/The Afro
COMMENTARY: EVICTION CRISIS IN MoCo: Rents are skyrocketing across Montgomery County, where more than 3,000 evictions have been scheduled since summer 2021. An annual limit on rent increases, also known as rent stabilization, is an essential and immediate tool to curb the county’s current crisis of evictions, displacement, and homelessness. Council members have introduced two competing rent stabilization bills — one that meets the needs of our community and one that does not. Mara Greengrass, Ingrid Fichtenberg, Kush Kharod and Alex Vazquez/Maryland Matters
