FIVE YEARS AFTER CAPITAL GAZETTE KILLINGS, GUN DEATHS MOUNT: Ceremonies and events will mark the day that five journalists were killed at the Capital Gazette five years ago today. Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith have also become part of an ever-growing list of Americans killed in mass shootings — 808 across 159 separate shootings since the newsroom attack. Of those shootings, 38 occurred in public places, leaving 274 dead. Luke Parker/The Capital Gazette.
LAWMAKERS HOPE THEY AVOIDED OTHER STATES’ CANNABIS MISTAKES: Maryland may be later than many other states in legalizing cannabis, but those who wrote the state’s laws hope they’ve avoided the problems that have plagued other states: Lack of product, lack of diversity in the industry, and taxes so high that people kept buying on the black market. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
WHAT TO EXPECT ONCE CANNABIS IS LEGAL: A green fog won’t build above Maryland’s streets on July 1. Swarms of people won’t grip joints or bongs on public sidewalks, nor will they be enveloped in pungent smoke. For many, it will just be a Saturday. But the date will mark a historical and pivotal occasion. Cannabis, long ostracized from public society and formally categorized alongside drugs such as heroin, will be legal in Maryland for the first time in modern history. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
- As Maryland’s legalization of recreational cannabis approaches on July 1, many people may be looking to use the drug for the first time. Cannabis experts explain what beginners should know before they try it. Gabrielle Lewis/The Frederick News Post.
PARENTS RALLY AGAINST MO CO LACK OF OPT-OUT ON LGBTQ+ BOOKS: undreds of parents demonstrated outside the Montgomery County Board of Education’s meeting Tuesday demanding that Maryland’s largest school district allow them to shield their children from books and lessons that contain LGBTQ+ characters. The crowd was filled largely with Muslim and Ethiopian Orthodox parents, who say the school system is violating their religious rights protected under the First Amendment by not providing an opt-out. Three families are suing the board. Nicole Asbury and Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
POLITICAL NOTES: PARROTT, EVANS, GLASSMAN AND MORE: Former state Del. Neil C. Parrott (R-Washington) is hoping that the third time is the charm as he creates an exploratory committee for another bid for Congress in the 6th District. The owners of the Preakness, Pimlico and Laurel Racetracks added another big hitter to their Annapolis lobbying arsenal – Gerry Evans. A former Harford County executive and state senator is joining the ranks of the lobbying corps. The Maryland Municipal League recognized two Montgomery County lawmakers with lifetime awards at the league’s annual conference. Bryan Sears, Josh Kurtz and Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
CHOUDHURY SAYS HE INTENDS TO KEEP SUPER JOB: State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury said he intends to stay in the role, and he gained a show of support from the Maryland State Board of Education president during the board’s Tuesday meeting. Sabrina LeBoeuf/The Baltimore Sun.
3 STREET NAMES IN COLUMBIA TO HONOR BLACK POET LAUREATE: Hundreds of Columbia’s often odd and unusual street names are drawn from the works of famous American authors and poets – mostly the works of old, dead white men. On Thursday, the Howard Hughes Corp., the successor developer of Columbia, announced it would name three of downtown’s newest streets from the poetry of Lucille Clifton, a Black woman and the late poet laureate of Maryland who actually lived in Columbia. Len Lazarick/Maryland Reporter.
JUDGE REJECTS PRETRIAL MOTIONS IN FREDERICK GUN CASE: A federal judge on Tuesday soundly rejected more than a dozen pretrial motions from Robert Krop, the Frederick County businessman who is facing charges alongside Sheriff Chuck Jenkins for allegedly conspiring and making false statements to acquire machine guns. Krop’s attorney, former Maryland delegate and gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox, filed with the court 107 pages containing 19 motions last month. He asked the court to dismiss all charges against his client and attacked the prosecution for what he argued was a factually inaccurate case. Jillian Atelsek/The Frederick News Post.
FORMER CATHOLIC HIGH COACH DENIES ABUSE: A former Mount Saint Joseph High School wrestling coach testified Tuesday that he never sexually abused a high school wrestler who has accused him of rape, and called himself the teen’s surrogate father. Cassidy Jensen/The Baltimore Sun.
- For more than five and a half hours, Neil Adleberg recounted everything from his upbringing in Baltimore County to his involvement in the wrestling community, which he said earned him the nickname, “The Godfather of Maryland Wrestling.” He repeatedly denied that he sexually abused the young man. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
LAUREL’s FORMER TOP COP SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR ARSONS: The former Laurel police chief accused in a string of arsons around Maryland was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the fires he set in Howard County. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Sun.
- His targets — from former police colleagues to his chiropractor to his stepson — where known to him, and he had worked up grievances against them, investigators asserted. Dan Morse/The Washington Post.
- A jury in March convicted the 71-year-old Ellicott City man on eight counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of arson for setting a string of fires across six counties. Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
