CENSUS 2020: MARYLAND’s POPULATION GROWING OLDER: The population of Maryland and the United States is skewing older, new 2020 census data shows. Maryland’s median age of 38.8 — the same as the national median — is eight-tenths of a year higher than it was in 2010. The figures come from 2020 census data released Thursday. Annie Jennemann and Lilly Price/The Baltimore Sun.
GUN-TOTING MILITIA ADVOCATE CONDEMNED FOR INCITING FEAR: Political and civil rights leaders gathered in Severn Wednesday to condemn the young man whose neighborhood walks with a semiautomatic rifle have garnered national attention. Together, they called for his armed demonstrations to stop, saying they’re inciting fear in the community, and suggested his actions may inspire further gun control regulation next year. “Every session, we work together to try to figure out what we can do with respect to public safety,” said Del. Sandy Bartlett, the Maryland City Democrat who represents the neighborhood where the 20-year-old lives. Luke Parker/The Capital Gazette.
ATTY GEN BROWN JOINS IN CALL FOR FEDERAL CRACKDOWN ON TRANQ: Attorney General Anthony Brown, Maryland’s top lawyer, is joining a list of 39 state attorneys general in advocating Congress to crack down on the drug xylazine, which is showing up in illicit drugs and contributing to a spike in overdoses and other health issues. The drug is commonly referred to as Tranq and is known for causing flesh wounds at the injection site. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
130 INMATES STILL AWAIT MOVE TO STATE HOSPITALS: Bryan Mroz, acting deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Health – Healthcare Systems, says there is still a backlog of inmates that are required by court order to be transferred from county detention facilities into the state’s hospital system. That number is around 130, down from 161. In the meantime, local facilities continue to shoulder the financial cost of holding individuals with severe psychiatric needs longer than 10 days, when the state is intended to be the recipient of these patients. Sarah Sample/Conduit Street.
MO CO PARENTS SEEK OPT-OUT ON LGBTQ+ SCHOOL MATERIALS: Three families filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday morning demanding the courts block Montgomery County Public Schools from using LGBTQ+ inclusive materials without allowing parents the choice to opt their students out. Em Espey/MoCo 360.
FORMER BA CO POL EXPECTED TO PLEAD GUILTY IN CAMPAIGN THEFT: The fate of a once high-flying Baltimore County political operative should be partly settled today in a Towson courtroom. Chris McCollum, 52, was charged in February by State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III with felony theft, embezzlement and perjury involving two campaign committee accounts he controlled. McCollum is expected to plead guilty this morning. McCollum faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a minimum of probation without judgment with no jail time. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
REDACTED CHURCH ABUSERS CONTINUE TO BE REVEALED: The Maryland attorney general’s recent report on child sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore includes allegations against 156 church figures over the past 80 years. Officials redacted the names of Nos. 147-156 under an order from the courts. These 10 anonymous church figures were presumed alive and not widely known to have been accused of wrongdoing. Tim Prudente/The Baltimore Banner.
- An Episcopal minister is on leave from his Allegany County church after being listed as one of 10 abusers whose names were redacted from a Maryland attorney general’s report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. Lee O. Sanderlin and Maya Lora/The Baltimore Sun.
- Another accused Catholic whose name was redadacted from the Maryland Attorney General’s office report on sexual abuse of children within the Archdiocese of Baltimore has been identified. Jessica Calefati, Tim Prudente and Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: STATE MAKES BIOMARKER TESTING MORE AVAILABLE: Biomarker testing opened the door to cancer treatments that have dramatically extended my life and improved the quality of my life immensely. And with the recent passage of House Bill 1217/Senate Bill 805, thousands more Marylanders will have access to the lifeline of biomarker testing.With Gov. Wes Moore’s recent signature on this law, many private insurers and Medicaid will now be required to cover biomarker testing for patients who need it. Sydney Barned/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: COLLEGE PROMISE CUTS BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY: Baltimore County is one of just a few jurisdictions in our state that offers a local College Promise program to reduce barriers to opportunity. This investment has been an unbridled success. We have grown it nearly tenfold during the past four years. But these scholarships have excluded part-time or noncredit workforce training programs — preventing the majority of CCBC students from accessing them. John Olszewski Jr. and Sandra L. Kurtinitis/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO SCHOOL ADMIN UNION JOINS FEDERAL GROUP: The Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals recently announced that it has joined the American Federation of School Administrators, meaning all three MCPS employee unions now enjoy support and resources stemming from national ties. Em Espey/MoCo 360.
