DANGEROUS MISSTEPS TRIPLE IN MARYLAND HOSPITALS OVER THREE YEARS: State data shows serious harm inside Maryland’s 62 hospitals more than tripled between 2019 and 2022 to 769 incidents that killed or injured patients, reaching the highest level since the state began collecting patient safety data in 2004. Safety experts say the historic rise of dangerous missteps, probably fueled by staffing shortages and the strain of the pandemic, may signal systemic failures. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
HIGHER ED PANEL DENIES TWO UNIVERSITIES DUPLICATE PROGRAMS: The Maryland Higher Education Commission denied approval to the Johns Hopkins University and Stevenson University for a Ph.D. program in physical therapy, which an advocacy group for historically Black colleges and universities said would have duplicated an existing program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Maryland HBCU Advocates said it was pleased with the commission’s decision. John John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
GUN RESTRICTIONS AMONG NEW LAWS GOING INTO EFFECT OCT. 1: Beginning Oct. 1, Marylanders will be able to take firearms fewer places than before. The bill restricting where people with concealed-carry permits may bring their weapons is one of more than 300 bills passed during the 2023 legislative session will go into effect Oct. 1. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
YOUNG PEOPLE CARRY GUNS ‘ON REGULAR BASIS:’ “Right now, we are seeing our young people throughout the state carry firearms on a regular basis,” said Baltimore City Schools Police Sergeant Clyde Boatwright. “It’s almost equivalent of how people used to carry pocketknives. Now people just arm themselves and decide they want to use it for robberies, carjackings, shootings.” Maxine Streicher/WBFF-TV News.
OPINION: GUN VIOLENCE IS DOWN; IT JUST DOESN’T FEEL LIKE IT IS: There is legitimate concern about the amount of violence in Baltimore and other parts of Maryland. There is also significant misinformation about that violence. Violent crime increased after the Covid pandemic. And while the actual increase was bad enough, the fear of violence was exasperated by constant coverage in the traditional press and social media. This is why as gun violence has fallen in Baltimore and throughout Maryland in the past year, many residents report that it does not feel like violence is down. Similarly, because youth violence gets even more attention, many people assume youth are the leading contributors to gun violence. But that is a myth. David Muhammad/Maryland Matters.
POLITICAL NOTES: SENATE RACE ACTION: In the race for the U.S. Senate, Prince George’s County Exec Angela Alsobrooks hit 100 political endorsers with the addition of U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey. Will Jawando is jumping on a report about Alsobrooks’ crime record as he works to position himself as the most progressive candidate in the Democratic primary. David Trone is out with another ad, highlighting the congressman’s work to promote reproductive care and abortion access. Meanwhile, Gov. Wes Moore is continuing his role on the national advisory board for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. Pamela Wood, Taylor DeVille and Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
- Ben Jealous, the 2018 Democratic nominee for governor and current head of the Sierra Club, urged U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th), who was there to deliver the keynote address and earlier this summer said he would not run for Senate, to change his mind. William Ford, Josh Kurtz and Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
$25M FROM FEDS TO AID LOCAL CLIMATE PROJECTS: Through a $25 million federally funded project called the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative led by Johns Hopkins researchers, residents and government agencies are hoping to use local projects to conduct meaningful urban climate science. In one such Baltimore City project, a married couple planted hundreds of trees and took out over 100 tons of concrete in the neighborhood over the past decade. Jasmine Vaughn-Hall/The Baltimore Banner.
CARDIN SET TO TAKE OVER COMMITTEE AS SEN. MENENDEZ FACES INDICTMENT: With New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez temporarily stepping aside as chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee following a federal indictment for conspiracy to commit bribery and other charges, Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin is next in line to chair the Foreign Relations Committee. Jennifer Shutt/Maryland Matters.
- Cardin announced in May that he will not seek reelection in 2024. An announcement is expected next week, according to officials who declined to be named while the transition is underway. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND OFFICIALS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT BLACK CAUCUS EVENT: Maryland politicians were among the thousands who headed to Washington, D.C., last week for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 52nd legislative conference. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th) hosted a panel discussion on how this summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action could effect Black-owned businesses. William Ford/The Baltimore Banner.
OPINION: SELF-SERVING HOGAN ALL OVER TV: Larry Hogan has become a frequent guest on television political talk shows in recent months, giving opinions about the upcoming Presidential election that are irrational, repetitive and self-serving.You can expect the former Maryland governor to continue this clown show because media elites find it amusing when a Republican attacks other Republicans and because Larry Hogan is happy to along out of self-interest. Jim Pettit/RedState.
STATE SCHOOL BUS GROUP URGES HOWARD CO. TO END CALI FIRM CONTRACT: The Maryland School Bus Contractors Association, which represents 3,000 school buses in 19 of the state’s 24 jurisdictions, is weighing in and calling on the county school system to terminate its contract with California-based company Zum Transportation that operates 210+ buses for the school system. Ciara Wells/WTOP-FM.
‘ANTI-SEMITIC SALUTE’ STIRS COMPLAINTS, PROBE AT MO CO SCHOOL: In a letter sent home to families Friday, Montgomery Blair High School’s principal said that a group of Maryland students allegedly performed an “anti-Semitic salute” together during a lunch period. Now, the school is working with Montgomery County police to investigate “the motivations behind this behavior and to prevent any future incidents.” Matt Kaufax/WTOP-FM.
- The school is conducting its own investigations to “understand the motivations behind this behavior and to prevent any future incidents,” Principal Renay Johnson said in the letter. Courtney Cohn/MoCo 360.
ROCKVILLE APOLOGIZES FOR SETTING CANDIDATE ORIENTATION ON ROSH HASHANAH: City of Rockville has apologized in a letter to the Jewish candidates and the Jewish community members for scheduling the candidate orientation on Rosh Hashanah. Elia Griffin/MoCo 360.
APP TO HELP PREVENT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS TESTED IN TALBOT: An AI company headquartered in St. Michaels has created an app to help prevent school shootings. The app is only being rolled out in Talbot County in grades 6 through 12 — at least for now. Maggie Trovato/The Easton Star Democrat.
BA CO SCHOOLS HALVES SPECIAL ED TEACHER VACANCIES: Serving the second-largest population of students with disabilities in the state, Baltimore County Public Schools cut special education teacher vacancies by nearly half this year. Sabrina LeBoeuf/The Baltimore Sun.
ANNAPOLIS SAYS NO TO HISTORIC HOME EVENT SPACE: The City of Annapolis has rejected plans from a group of investors who said they planned to turn the lower floors and outdoor areas of Ogle Hall into a historic home museum. The reason, according to the city’s director of Planning and Zoning, is that the group’s true intent appeared to be running a “social organization event space” out of the Colonial mansion, not interpreting the former home of three Maryland governors as a historic venue open to the public. Rebecca Ritzel/The Capital Gazette.
SILVER SPRING MAN CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE: Abraham Teklu Lemma, 50, of Silver Spring, who is a contract employee for the State and Justice departments, was charged with espionage, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release Thursday. Lemma, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ethiopia, has been accused of providing classified information to an official associated with Ethiopia’s intelligence service since August 2022. Staff/MoCo 360.
