MOORE VETOES THREE BILLS: The work of the 2023 legislative session came to a close Friday when Gov. Wes Moore vetoed three bills and decided which others he will allow to go into effect without his signature, including the repeal of a law formerly used against the LGBTQ community. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
- Only one of the governor’s three vetoes actually sends a piece of legislation back to the drawing board; the other two were versions of bills he had previously signed, meaning “it is not necessary for me to sign” the companion legislation, Moore said in veto messages to legislative leaders. Josh Kurtz and Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
BPW OKs COMPENSATION FOR WRONGFULLY CONVICTION MAN: The Maryland Board of Public Works approved financial compensation for another wrongly convicted individual Wednesday, marking the 20th such award since the passage of a law regulating the process. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
‘VISIONARY’ CHOUDHURY CRITICIZED FOR MANAGEMENT STYLE: In nearly two years as Maryland’s top education leader, Mohammed Choudhury has been praised as a “brilliant” leader with an analytical mind who can find policy solutions that are creative and well thought out. Still, Choudhury is facing criticism for what some consider a brusque management style that is driving away experienced staff members; alienating legislators; and causing conflict with a board that shares responsibility for directing state aid to education. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
FEDERAL DEFAULT COULD BRING LONG-TERM PAIN TO MARYLANDERS: Thousands of Marylanders could be out of a paycheck or other benefits if federal leaders fail to reach an agreement to increase the nation’s debt ceiling. With roughly two weeks left before the so-called X Date, lawmakers from both parties are negotiating to avoid defaulting on debt payments. Economists and state leaders warn of unpleasant short-term effects that could become painful long-term if negotiations stall. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
OPINION: STATE DEMS FAILS TO ADDRESS CRIME ISSUE: The biggest disappointment from the 2023 legislative session was the lack of support by the Democratic majority in Annapolis — despite their stated concerns about gun violence — refused to act on legislation that would implement real, hard jail time for repeat violent criminals who use guns to hurt people. State Sen. Justin Ready/The Carroll County Times.
POLITICAL BRIEFS: TRONE DROPS NEW AD; REPUBLICANS ON CRIME: U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-6th) released his second 60-second video Thursday, with a narrator summarizing the three-term congressman’s background and plan for the U.S. Senate. It’s part of a seven-figure ad buy scheduled to air throughout the state. Seven Republican legislators have sent a letter to Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott (D) and Police Commissioner Michael S. Harrison urging them to do more to decrease auto thefts and carjackings in the city. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
FACT-CHECKING CHURCH ON SEX-ABUSE STATEMENTS: Archdiocese of Baltimore officials, particularly Archbishop William Lori, have responded in recent weeks to a report by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church with interviews, an FAQ and messages to parishioners across Central and Western Maryland. But by fact-checking their statements, readers can see just how true they are. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Sun.
ADDRESSING YOUTH VIOLENCE IN B’MORE: A Baltimore town hall event brought Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison together with other community leaders to discuss youth violence. But the panel did not feature any youth speakers. Baltimore City College sophomore Lillian Greene demanded action from the adults that moves the blame away from youth. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
- This year as juvenile violence spikes in the city no one is more intimately familiar with the pain and suffering of children than those doctors on the front lines. Maxine Streicher/WBFF-TV.
The 2023 winter survey of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs found that the population of juvenile crabs remained below average for the fourth year in a row. Bay Journal photo by Dave Harp
CRAB POPULATION UP, BUT NOT ENOUGH: The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population has recovered somewhat from last year’s low ebb, new data show, but not enough to dispel worries about the future of the region’s most valuable commercial fishery and most popular recreational fishery. Timothy Wheeler and Jeremy Cox of The Bay Journal/Marylandreporter.com.
JUDGE UPHOLDS ZONING BOARD APPROVAL OF CREMATORIUM: CORRECTION: Revising a story summary, Baltimore Brew now says: Acknowledging that a crematorium is “functionally a type of incinerator,” the Baltimore Circuit Court nevertheless rules in favor of Vaughn Greene Funeral Services. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
BIDEN ADMIN NAMES B’MORE ONE OF FIVE ‘WORKFORCE HUBS:’ Baltimore is one of five U. S. cities that have been named “Workforce Hubs,” under a new federal initiative aimed at matching more Americans with “good jobs and careers.” The program is part of an effort by the Biden administration to ensure that all Americans can access the jobs created by its “Investing in America” agenda, designed to jumpstart the economy as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s scheduled to start this summer. Ed Gunts/Baltimore Fishbowl.
DURING PREAKNESS, MOORE, OTHER VOW TO SUPPORT RACING: For his first Preakness as governor but as no stranger to Baltimore’s premier horse racing event, Gov. Wes Moore donned a light blue and gray plaid jacket, khakis and a hat striped with the state colors as he vowed to support the future of Maryland’s beleaguered but still-cherished sport. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- “I want this to be the last Preakness where there is uncertainty about what the future of Pimlico and horse racing in Maryland is,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat. His words echoed others. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE CALLS ON GRADS TO SERVE, BLASTS BOOK BANS: Wes Moore delivered his first commencement speech as governor at Coppin State University’s 2023 graduation ceremony Friday. Moore referenced the “journalists, elected officials, nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs” who graduated from Coppin. “When you receive your diploma, you won’t just be getting a piece of paper with your name on it; you will have earned membership within a pantheon of graduates who’ve used what they’ve learned to make the world a better place,” Moore said. Emily Venezky/WTOP-FM.
- Moore stepped into national political issues Sunday, using a graduation speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta to blast conservative attempts at book banning and curriculum restrictions. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
MAN LEGALLY CARRYING AR-15-STYLE GUN SCARES NEIGHBORS: The man stood in a red Make America Great Again baseball cap pointing his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle toward the sidewalk in an Anne Arundel neighborhood. An elementary school student ran home crying. Parents were terrified. Neighbors called the police.Carrying his AR-15-style rifle along neighborhood sidewalks is legal, even in a state with some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Ellie Silverman, Nicole Asbury, Timothy Bella and Ovetta Wiggins/The Washington Post.
