HARFORD GOV’T EMAIL CONTROVERSY CONCERNS COUNCILS AROUND STATE: An intra-party row over emails in Harford County has the leaders of county councils around the state considering what limits can be placed on access to legislative branch communications. Many said few, if any, protections are in place to prevent a county executive from a sneak and peek review of council emails. Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly and senior executive staff members are the subject of a complaint to the Office of the State Prosecutor for accessing the emails of at least one councilmember and other officials. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
UPTICK IN COVID CASES: Maryland and many other parts of the country are experiencing a slight, but significant increase in Covid-19 cases – the first since the federal government ended the public health emergency in May. In contrast to previous summer upticks, this one, experts say, does not necessarily herald a winter surge and there is no immediate cause for alarm. Laura Fay/Baltimore Brew.
NOTED DOCTOR CONVICTED OF COVID-TESTING RELATED MEDICAID FRAUD: A prominent Maryland doctor who promoted early access to Covid-19 testing during the coronavirus pandemic, and was once awarded a citation for his work by then-Gov. Larry Hogan, was convicted in federal court of health care fraud. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
- The Arnold physician is now facing a maximum prison stay of 10 years and will be sentenced in November, according to the U.S. Justice Department. He is the first doctor convicted by trial for falsely billing insurance companies for Covid-19 testing. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
***Learn about China Today: Maryland Reporter’s Len Lazarick will again be offering a six-session seminar on China Today and how it got that way at Howard Community College. Lazarick began his involvement with China and its journalists 30 years ago and teaches East Asian history at the college. Click here to learn more and register for the course.***
BLUE RIBBON TRANSIT PANEL TO MEET; DEM U.S. SENATE CANDIDATES FORUM: A new blue ribbon commission is scheduled to begin a series of hearings that could change how the state prioritizes and pays for transportation projects. The 31-member Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs is set to hold its first meeting on Aug. 24 in Annapolis. Maryland voters interested in hearing the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate can travel to Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg on Sept. 30. Bryan Sears and William Ford/Maryland Matters.
CARROLL SCHOOLS TO RECONSIDER FUND-RAISING EFFORTS: Revisions to the Carroll County Public Schools policy concerning school-based fundraising are on the agenda for the Board of Education’s monthly meeting Wednesday night. The policy has not been revised since 2015, and any changes will be subject to feedback from the school board and the public. Thomas Goodwin Smith/The Carroll County Times.
FIREARMS SELLER SEEKS TRIAL SEPARATE FROM SHERIFF JENKINS: The attorney for a local firearms business owner likened his client on Tuesday to a fly being swatted from all sides, in an argument that pushed for separate trials for businessman Robert Krop and Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins. Clara Niel/The Frederick News Post.
GENERAL’s PLANE CRASHED JUST AFTER TAKE OFF: Army Maj. Gen. Anthony Wayne Potts had spoken with an aircraft mechanic while preparing a single-engine plane to fly last month, moments before it took off and plunged into a Harford County field, investigators wrote in a new report on the fatal crash. Dan Belson/The Aegis.
