PROSECUTORS SLAM GENERAL ASSEMBLY OVER LAX JUVENILE CRIME LAWS: Putting partisan politics aside, local state’s attorneys across the state of Maryland are demanding immediate action on rising juvenile crime, mass shooting frequency and illegal firearm possession. In response to a series of questions Fox45 News sent to all Maryland state’s attorneys, those that responded believe their offices are handcuffed in their ability to keep the public safe. Gary Collins and Maxine Streicher/WBFF-FOX-45.
28,000 MARYLANDERS LOSE MEDICAID COVERAGE: As new data report some 28,000 low-income Marylanders have been disenrolled from Medicaid in June alone and are losing out on federal health coverage, state health officials are looking for ways to make the administrative process for redetermination easier to ensure eligible people do not lose coverage. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
TRANS PEOPLE INUNDATE SHELTER PROVIDER AFTER MOORE EXEC ORDER: Maryland is welcoming transgender individuals with open arms — but there’s nowhere to put them, a Baltimore nonprofit says that offers transitional housing for those in the TLGBQ community. On June 5, Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order to protect gender affirming health care in Maryland as legislation seeking to outlaw such care sweeps across the nation, mostly targeting minors. Since the signing, Baltimore Safe Haven has received over 7,000 phone calls, mostly from out of state, seeking housing in Baltimore. It usually receives 800 to 1,000 calls a month. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Sun.
ARUNDEL BACKS BAY SPAN THAT INCLUDES POSSIBLE BIKE-WALK OPTION: A third Chesapeake Bay Bridge span that includes options for other modes of transit, possibly bike and pedestrian traffic, has the support of officials in Anne Arundel County. The Maryland Transportation Authority is examining the potential for such access, along with other options, as part of an ongoing required study that could lead to a third span. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
SETTLEMENT FINALIZED OVER BAY POLLUTION FROM PENNSYLVANIA: A settlement agreement has been finalized in a lawsuit that alleged federal officials weren’t doing enough to stop Chesapeake Bay pollution originating in Pennsylvania. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental groups and state governments filed a notice in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, dismissing the 2020 lawsuit. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
FREDERICK BEGINS TO TACKLE LEGAL CANNABIS ISSUES: Frederick officials face difficult decisions as they try to determine how changes to Maryland’s laws on cannabis use affect a wide variety of city activities. “This is the start of a conversation. We don’t expect this to be the end of the conversation,” Mayor Michael O’Connor said at a workshop with the city’s aldermen Wednesday. Ryan Marshall/The Frederick News Post.
WA CO COMMISSIONERS MOVE INVESTMENTS FROM CHINA: Like many investors, the Washington County Commissioners periodically review where money invested for income to benefit funds for county retirees is going, and whether those investments are still prudent or should be tweaked a little. This week the commissioners tweaked China out of the county’s investment plans. Tamela Baker/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.
CONSTRUCTION STARTS FOR NEW HAGERSTOWN BALLPARK: There aren’t any home runs flying yet. But next spring, the cranes and construction workers will be gone. The 6.25-acre site in downtown Hagerstown will be changed into a ballpark with a capacity for about 3,000 fans. It will be a ballpark that reflects the history and traditions of this hard-working city of 43,000 people, according to planners. Jason Belt and Michael Levitsky of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
ARUNDEL SCHOOL BOARD VOTES DOWN FLAG BAN: The Anne Arundel County school board voted down a controversial proposal to ban flags that don’t “promote national, state, and local government pride” Wednesday afternoon after extensive discussion. Megan Loock/The Capital Gazette.
JAN. 6 DEFENDANT WHO THREATENED OBAMA, RASKIN HELD: Jan. 6 defendant Taylor Taranto, 51, will be held without bond until his trial for allegedly threatening former President Barack Obama near his Washington, D.C., home, a federal magistrate judge ruled. Taranto allegedly threatened the National Institute of Standards and Technology and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 8) in the days leading up to his arrest, according to court documents. Courtney Cohen and Em Espey/MoCo360.
DINOSAUR BONE UNEARTHED IN PRINCE GEORGE’S: Long before the Chesapeake Bay or I-95 corridor etched the land that would be Maryland, an enormous carnivorous dinosaur lived and died here. About 115 million years later, staff and volunteers at Prince George’s County’s Dinosaur Park say they have unearthed a tibia, or shin bone, belonging to that apex predator of the early Cretaceous Period. Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
