OFFICIALS DISCUSS SOLUTIONS TO CHANGING OPIOID CRISIS: Maryland state officials, county officers and non-profit organizers gathered in Ocean City on Wednesday to discuss the policy solutions and tactics to face the ever-evolving opioid crisis, as one of many forum discussions that will occur at the annual Maryland Association of Counties summer conference. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
NEW B’MORE BUS ROUTE OPENS WAY TO RED LINE: A new bus route is the first moving step of Baltimore’s reimagined Red Line. The Quicklink 40 was initially mentioned in June as part of Gov. Wes Moore’s plan to resurrect the once-cancelled project to connect East and West Baltimore. “The new route is intended to provide expanded travel options for riders as plans take shape for the relaunched Red Line transit route,” the Maryland Department of Transportation said in a news release Wednesday. Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND LAWMAKERS TOUT INFLATION REDUCTION ACT DRUG PROVISIONS: Approaching the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, Maryland lawmakers and advocates came together Tuesday to highlight provisions of the law aimed at reducing the costs of prescription drugs and providing incentives for renewable energy. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
EX-LAWMAKERS PINSKY, BARVE POISED TO HAVE IMPACT ON CLIMATE POLICY: After lengthy careers in the legislature that ended earlier this year — Paul Pinsky, 73, was the longest-serving state senator at the time of his departure, and Kumar Barve, 64, was tied for the second longest-serving delegate when he left — both are poised to continue to have a huge impact on Maryland energy and climate policy. Pinsky is now director of the Maryland Energy Administration, and Barve is a new commissioner on the Maryland Public Service Commission. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
OPINION: JAWANDO THE SPOILER IN FIVE PARTS: Virtually all of my sources see the U.S. Senate race as between Angela Alsobrooks and David Trone. But we would be foolish to dismiss the potential impact of Will Jawando. He may not get elected, but his candidacy may have a different effect: Jawando could deprive Alsobrooks of the votes she needs to win, thereby delivering victory to Trone. Adam Pagnucco/Montgomery Perspective.
OPINION: JAWANDO THE SPOILER? NOT SO FAST. Adam Pagnucco, the estimable political analyst, examined the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in a five-part series on his Montgomery Perspective website that he called “Jawando the Spoiler.” Pagnucco’s theory is that the candidacy of Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando could derail the bid of Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, one of the two frontrunners in the Senate primary along with deep-pocketed U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-6th). I think he makes a few assumptions that are out of date and don’t entirely align with what’s happening on the ground. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
PUBLIC CALLS FOR WICOMICO COUNCIL MEMBERS TO RESIGN: Tempers flared Tuesday as the Wicomico County Council held its first public meeting since being sued by County Executive Julie Giordano (R) earlier this month for blocking two of her high-profile nominations and stripping funding for three positions in her administration. Some angry members of the public called for members of the council to resign — and one referred to council members as “an old boys’ club” seeking to block the priorities of the new county executive out of spite. That isn’t too far from Giordano’s own interpretation. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
CARROLL ASSESSING BROADBAND ACCESS: Carroll County government officials are asking residents and businesses in the county to answer a survey about access to broadband internet connections. Information collected in the Carroll County Residential Broadband Survey will help officials identify areas in the county where broadband infrastructure does not exist or where internet service does not meet the minimum speed suggested by the Federal Communications Commission for “appropriate service.” Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
PG SCHOOLS CYBERATTACK AFFECT 2.5% OF USERS: About 4,500 users were impacted by a cyberattack on Prince George’s County Public Schools that was detected early Monday, according to the school district. The attack affected about 2.5 percent of the school system’s 180,000 users and it primarily impacted staff accounts. Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.
JENKINS CO-DEFENDANT DISPUTES SHERIFF’s CONTENTION ON GUN NOTIFICATION: Local machine gun business owner Robert Krop on Wednesday continued to dispute statements from Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, his co-defendant in a federal gun conspiracy case, that Krop never notified Jenkins when machine guns arrived at his shooting range. Under federal law, firearms dealers can import machine guns if a law enforcement agency is interested in a demonstration of them or in buying them. Clara Niel/The Frederick News Post.
