FEWER PRISONERS OVER 40 GET PAROLED: Data from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for fiscal years 2017-2021 reveals that the rate at which the parole commission grants release starts to sharply drop after people turn 40. Research, though, shows that individuals tend to grow out of committing crimes when they get older. That’s one of the key findings of a report released on Tuesday from the Justice Policy Institute, a national nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that offers solutions to problems in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
SENATOR SAYS CHANGES IN PROCUREMENT RULES SHOULD PREVENT PANDEMIC ERA PROBLEMS: The Senate co-chair of the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Evaluation Committee said changes to state procurement law will likely prevent future mishandling of emergency contracts, such as those during the recent COVID-19 pandemic identified in a recent report by the Office of Legislative Audits. Legislative Audits found that the Office of State Procurement skirted some record-keeping requirements and failed to provide timely notification on millions of dollars in contracts. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
DRUG PRICING BOARD TO REVISE PROPOSED REGS: Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board will issue revised proposed regulations meant to guide the panel’s work on making some medications more affordable, following criticisms and feedback during a public comment period, according to Andrew York, the board’s executive director. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
PEDESTRIAN WITH AR-15 TYPE RIFLE SEEKS ‘WELL-REGULATED’ MILITIA: The young man who has drawn national attention recently by taking walks through a Severn neighborhood with an AR-15-style rifle said Monday he is hoping to form a protective, political militia of “similar-minded” community members. Luke Parker/The Capital-Gazette.
MOORE MUM ON WHY HE LET CANNABIS ODOR BILL BECOME LAW WITHOUT HIS SIGNATURE: Gov. Wes Moore has declined to say why he didn’t sign off on prohibiting police from stopping and searching someone solely because of the smell of cannabis, which will be legal for recreational use beginning July 1. The bill, which will also prohibit stops and searches based solely on someone having cannabis — so long as it’s 1.5 ounces or less — or the presence of cash near cannabis without other signs of an intent to distribute, will become law without Moore’s signature. Jack Hogan/The Daily Record.
CANNABIS COMMISSION MOVING tO NEW OFFICE JULY 1: The Maryland Alcohol Tobacco and Cannabis Commission will be working out of a new office in Locust Point by July 1 as it works to police the black market for recreational cannabis. Matt Hooke/The Baltimore Business Journal.
JAKE WEISSMANN TO BE CONSIDERED FOR STATE ELECTIONS BOARD VACANCY: A former chief of staff to two Senate presidents will be considered to fill a vacancy on the Maryland State Board of Elections. The executive board of the Maryland Democratic Party is expected to bring up the nomination of Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann at a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting follows a letter from Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones that recommended Weissman for the vacancy. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
POLS HEAD OUT OF STATE FOR MARYLAND DEVELOPMENT EVENT: Official Baltimore City Council work was halted last Friday as President Nick Mosby, Vice President Sharon Green Middleton and Council committee chairs prepared to join Mayor Brandon Scott and other electeds, including Gov. Wes Moore, at the self-proclaimed “largest business development networking event in Maryland,” which happens to be 2,100 miles from BWI Airport. Mark Reutter/The Baltimore Brew.
WHO WAS IN THE STATE’s PREAKNESS TENT? Maryland taxpayers footed a $200,000 bill for state officials and politicians to socialize and network with business executives track-side at the 148th Preakness Stakes over the weekend. So who got to sip cocktails and watch the races in the state tent? Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
HERALD-MAIL BUILDING GOES TO AUCTION: What do you do with a former newspaper building? That’s the question in Hagerstown as the state prepares to sell the former Herald-Mail building in downtown Hagerstown. The building and its surrounding property, including a parking lot, were purchased to make way for an approximately $70 million baseball stadium. Al Tyler of Maryland Stadium Authority, which is overseeing the stadium construction, said previously it was determined the building would not have to be torn down. Now it is up for auction. Dave McMillion/The Hagerstown Herald-Mail.
