PRINCE GEORGE’S RESIDENTS SKEPTICAL OF CANNABIS SHOPS: While Prince George’s residents overwhelmingly voted for legalization, proposed rules are dusting up old associations with marijuana and invigorating an enduring debate about how to safeguard a reputation of prestige while meeting the growing needs of the county. Even as entrepreneurs and state officials make the case that retail sales could help lift communities here, in one of Maryland’s hardest-hit counties during the War on Drugs, many residents remain unmoved. Lateshia Beachum/The Washington Post.
WEATHER STATION NETWORK TO GROW IN MARYLAND: By late fall 2024, state officials expect that more than 70 new weather stations – slim metal towers part of the Maryland Mesonet — will be operational around the state, complete with rain and snow gauges, barometers, thermometers, soil monitors and wind vanes. Officials say they will sharpen weather forecasts and emergency alerts and provide key climate data for researchers, meteorologists and the public. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
ELRICH ENDORSES ALSOBROOKS FOR U.S. SENATE: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced on Sunday the endorsement from her Montgomery County counterpart, Marc Elrich, in her bid for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Baltimore). Louis Peck/MoCo 360.
DAN COX ANNOUNCES RUN FOR U.S. HOUSE IN SIXTH DISTRICT: Former state delegate and GOP gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox announced he is running for Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District in a Facebook video on Monday. “We must choose to put our families and freedom first,” Cox said in the video, filmed with his wife, Valerie Cox, at their Frederick County home. Ginny Bixby/MoCo 360.
- Cox said he is concerned about high inflation and national debt, “hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world … illegally crossing our southern border,” and the “weaponized” criminal justice system, an apparent reference to former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles. Danielle Gaines and William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ANTI-MUSLIM HATE INCIDENTS RISE IN MARYLAND: A report released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations has found a surge in anti-Muslim hate bias incidents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23. Broken down by state, Maryland saw more than triple the number of incidents in that time span than in the whole month of September. Emily Hofstaedtler/WYPR-FM.
MOORE TOUTS ULMAN TO HEAD STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Gov. Wes Moore has recommended former Howard County Executive Ken Ulman to lead the Maryland Democratic Party as its new chair. Ulman, who served as Howard’s top elected official from 2006 to 2014 and now leads a consulting group focused on economic development, has “a reputation for a leadership style that blends innovation and common sense,” Moore said in a letter to party members Monday. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- Ulman, 49, served one term on the Howard County Council before running for county executive. He served eight years in the position before mounting an unsuccessful primary run for lieutenant governor. That year he joined then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown as his running mate in an ill-fated campaign against Republican Larry Hogan. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- The position of Maryland Democratic Party chair is open following the decision of Yvette Lewis to step down this fall. Lewis led the party for the last four years as Democrats reclaimed the governor’s mansion and raised record sums of money. She also was party chair from 2011 through 2015. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
FAA TO ALTER BWI FLIGHTS PATTERNS TO EASE NOISE: The Federal Aviation Administration is working to implement changes to flight patterns to ease residential noise pollution from airplane traffic at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. Dana Munro/The Capital Gazette.
NEW DISABILITY RIGHTS DIRECTOR HAS LONG HISTORY WITH ORGANIZATION: For her 30-year career, Meghan Marsh has called one organization home: Disability Rights Maryland, a Baltimore-based nonprofit that advocates for the civil and legal rights of people with disabilities statewide. Marsh has worn several hats as a legal advocate, attorney, communications manager, deputy director and interim executive director. In September, DRM’s board selected Marsh as executive director after a nationwide search. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE BOARD REJECTS EARLY VOTING SITE, CITING DISENFRANCHISEMENT: One western Maryland County will have to go back to the drawing board after the State Board of Elections rejected one of three proposed early voting sites. Washington County elections officials hoped to open an early voting center in Hancock for the 2024 election. That location was rejected by the Maryland State Board of Elections over concerns that the site would disenfranchise voters of color. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
B’MORE SEEKS TO ESTABLISH POLICE DEPT IN CHARTER: The Baltimore City Council introduced a proposed charter amendment Thursday that would create a structure for the city’s police department within the city charter in hopes of finalizing the transition from state to local control. The amendment, which would require approval of city voters in the form of a ballot question in 2024, would establish the powers of the city’s police commissioner as well as the powers and duties of the department as a whole. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
AFTER PERDUE WORKERS SAY NO TO UNION, UNION FILES COMPLAINT: Following a September vote by Perdue AgriBusiness workers not to unionize, the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 27 Union has lodged a litany of allegations against the company. Kristian Jaime/The Salisbury Dail Times.
If they criminalize marijuana again then they should do at the same time alcohol because that is also can be a gateway drug. There are more problems with alcohol these days then anybody can dream of compared to you cannabis smoking