MEDICAL GROUPS BACK ARUNDEL LAW REQUIRING SUICIDE PREVENTION INFO WITH GUN SALES: A host of medical organizations have filed a brief in support of an Anne Arundel County law that requires informational literature regarding suicide prevention and conflict de-escalation be included during the sales of firearms as the policy is challenged in a federal appeals court. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
DATA SHORTAGE COMPLICATES HOME MEDICAL CARE CRISIS: A lack of data is complicating efforts to understand and address chronic home medical care and services workforce shortages in Maryland. “It might surprise you that there is almost no publicly available data about the workers that do it,” said David Rodwin, a Public Justice Center attorney, adding that the Commission to Study the Healthcare Workforce Crisis in Maryland created by the General Assembly last year recently released its interim report. George Berkheimer/The Business Monthly.
BPW OK’s FUNDS FOR LEGION BRIDGE WIDENING: The Board of Public Works voted Wednesday to approve $150 million in contracts that could one day lead to a widening of the American Legion Bridge that carries the Capital Beltway over the Potomac River. Bryan Sears and Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
PRINCE GEORGE’S SCHOOLS DOWN 213 BUS DRIVERS: While the fresh school year for Prince George’s County Public Schools has commenced for students and staff, issues with bus service have unfortunately persisted. The school system revealed it is understaffed by 213 bus drivers and 217 bus routes don’t have assigned drivers. A special needs student had to wait for hours at the bus stop, before her mother took her to school herself. Richard Elliott/The Washington Informer.
FREDERICK CITY BEGINS TO CRAFT LEGISLATIVE WISH LIST: As the city of Frederick work on its wish list for the 2024 legislative session in Annapolis, the options include money for a downtown hotel and the city’s baseball stadium, funds for bus shelters and beautifying the perimeter of Fort Detrick. Ryan Marshall/The Frederick News Post.
SPRINGSTEEN CANCELS O’s PERFORMANCE ON MEDICAL ADVICE: Bruce Springsteen announced late Wednesday that he and the E Street Band would be postponing all scheduled performances for the month of September, including a show set for Saturday night at Oriole Park, on medical advice. Earlier this week, the Maryland Stadium Authority board agreed to allow the Orioles to keep all of the profits from the nearly sold-out event. Michelle Deal-Zimmerman/The Baltimore Sun.
SHEILA DIXON ANNOUNCES RUN FOR B’MORE MAYOR: For the third time since she left office amid scandal in 2010, former Mayor Sheila Dixon will once again be a candidate for Baltimore’s top job. Dixon made the news at the end of the op-ed in The Sun, following an apology for the crimes that forced her from office. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
- The declaration would make Dixon the second major candidate to enter the race and set up a rematch with Mayor Brandon Scott, who entered office in 2020 after narrowly besting Dixon in the Democratic primary. In deep-blue Baltimore, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 10 to 1, a victory in the May 14 primary election is as good as winning in November. Emily Sullivan/The Baltimore Banner.
OPINION: GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE TO SERVE BALTIMORE: I recognize that for some of you it may be impossible to overlook my prior mistakes. I am writing today to ask that you open your hearts and minds to give me the opportunity to demonstrate my commitment to Baltimore City and my passion for ensuring it thrives. Sheila Dixon/The Baltimore Sun.
BA CO AGREES TO SETTLE SEX HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS WITHIN FIRE DEPT: Baltimore County will enter into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle a sexual harassment complaint against the Baltimore County Fire Department. Under the agreement, the fire department would overhaul its sexual harassment investigation procedures and submit new policies for approval by the Justice Department. The county also would pay out $275,000 to 11 female employees to settle a case before the federal EEOC alleging they were sexually harassed by a fellow employee and subjected to a hostile work environment. Lia Russell/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE POLICE TO BEGIN MONITORING ‘PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS:’ The Baltimore Police Department has the city spending board’s unanimous approval to ink a three-year, $2.5 million contract with a Chicago-based policing analytics firm for a data monitoring system that will keep tabs on “potentially problematic behaviors” by officers. The so-called “early intervention system” is one of many requirements of the 2017 federal consent decree that the Police Department has yet to fulfill. Ben Conarck and Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
TU INTENDS TO SUBMIT REWORKED DOCTORAL PROGRAM: Towson University intends to submit a reworked proposal for a doctoral program in business analytics even though advocates for historically Black colleges expressed concern that the initial plan would have duplicated one at Morgan State University. John John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
ALIGNED DATA SEEKS PSC REHEARING: Aligned Data Centers has requested a rehearing on a certificate exemption, claiming the Maryland Public Service Commission made factual and legal errors that will delay development on Quantum Loophole’s planned data center campus. Gabrielle Lewis/The Frederick News Post.
