CARDIN, COLLEAGUE TO INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN SENATE BILL BACKING ISRAEL: Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), said Thursday that they will introduce a bipartisan resolution supporting Israel when the Senate returns next week. Risch, the ranking Republican on the foreign relations panel, said in a statement that “the devastating attacks against Israel are a reminder of why the United States unequivocally supports the people of Israel.” The senators’ measure is expected to pass the Senate by unanimous consent. Bridget Byrne of Capital News Service/Baltimore Post-Examiner
MOCO SCHOOLS’ REACTION TO HAMAS ATTACKS IS CALLED TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE: Montgomery County residents and area Jewish organizations this week blasted Montgomery County Public Schools and Superintendent Monifa McKnight over what they call delayed and “insufficient” statements on Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel. Jeffrey Lyles/MoCo360
FORMER BALTO. MAYORAL CANDIDATE IS RUNNING AGAIN: The race for Baltimore mayor got a bit more crowded Thursday with the announcement that past mayoral candidate Robert Wallace is once again entering the race. Wallace, who ran for mayor in 2020 as an independent, is entering the 2024 contest as a Democrat. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun
ANTISEMITIC, ANTI-LGBTQ+ HATE INCIDENTS SPIKED IN MOCO LAST YEAR: Spikes in antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ incidents contributed to a nearly 20% overall increase in hate incidents in the state in 2022, the Maryland State Police said in its recently released 2022 Hate Bias Report. For Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass (D-At-large), who is Jewish and openly gay, the increase isn’t a number but a daily reality. Courtney Cohn/McCo360
SIX MORE STATE LAWMAKERS IN MOCO BACK TRONE FOR U.S. SENATE: U.S. Rep. David Trone of Potomac said Wednesday that he has received the endorsement of six more members of the Montgomery County state legislative delegation in his bid for the 2024 Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). The latest endorsements mean that Trone has the support of 10 members of the county’s 35-person delegation in Annapolis – putting him slightly ahead of his chief rival, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. Louis Peck/MoCO360
JUDGE RULES HEMP BUSINESSES FORCED TO CLOSE LAST SUMMER MAY REOPEN: Some shuttered businesses that sold hemp-derived products in Maryland until a new state law took effect will soon be able to reopen under a preliminary injunction issued by a circuit court judge. Judge Brett R. Wilson on Thursday suspended enforcement of a portion of the state’s cannabis law that, this summer, forced CBD shops to stop selling products that contain intoxicating levels of THC derived from hemp. The law reserved that business only for the medical marijuana companies that are newly licensed to start selling to recreational users. Erin Cox & Kati Shepherd/The Washington Post
MOST BOOKS BANNED IN CARROLL CO. SCHOOLS HAVE FEMALE AUTHORS: Last month, Carroll County’s Board of Education temporarily removed 56 books from the district’s school libraries after complaints about inappropriate content. An analysis by Capital News Service found that a high proportion of the titles being reviewed were written by female, LGBTQIA+ and non-binary authors, and featured LGBTQIA+ characters and characters of color. Abbi Ross, Aya Hussein & Sarah Siock of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter
COMPANY THAT BUILT COSTLY BRIDGE IN BALTO. FILES MORE CLAIMS WITH CITY: Blame high water, old trolley tracks and a rarely used claim of “loss of productivity” as the price tag of the Harford Road Bridge continues to climb a year after it was opened to traffic. The latest batch of Extra Work Orders (EWOs) will boost the construction cost of the bridge over Herring Run in northeast Baltimore to 33% above its original sealed bid. The Brew has learned that the company has filed additional claims against the city under threat of legal action. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew
BALTO. WILL SPEND $5M IN U.S. FUNDS TO HELP CITY WORKERS RETURN TO THEIR OFFICES: Baltimore will spend $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act money in an effort to help city employees return to the office early next year, almost three years since many were asked to work remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Brandon Scott announced last month that city employees who have been working remotely will be asked to return to the office for at least three days a week. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun
MD. INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT SAYS SHE WANTS THE JOB LONG-TERM: Before Carey Wright begins her work as interim superintendent of Maryland’s public schools Oct. 23, she plans to meet with state Department of Education staff and members of the education community. Wright said she plans to apply for the long-term position. William J. Ford/Maryland Matters
LAWMAKERS IN 49 STATES URGE HIGH COURT TO PRESERVE ACCESS TO ABORTION PILL: A group of more than 600 Democratic legislators from 49 states have signed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court urging the justices to overturn an appellate court decision that would roll back access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used to safely terminate early pregnancies and treat miscarriages. Kelcie Moseley-Morris/Maryland Matters
MAN WHO ADVERTISED FAKE TRUMP DINNER GETS PROBATION FOR TAX EVASION: The Baltimore County man who ran a PAC and advertised a fake dinner with Donald Trump in 2016 is convicted of failure to file an individual income tax return and is sentenced to probation for tax evasion. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner
OPINION: CATCHING UP WITH ANDY HARRIS: U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, the conservative Republican from Cambridge who represents Maryland’s 1st District in Congress, has become someone to watch. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner
