WASHINGTON POST ENDORSES ALSOBROOKS: In editorial urging Democrats to vote for Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for U.S. Senate, the Washington Post highlights her record as a “fiscally responsible steward,” “champion of economic development,” and “deserves credit for her leadership on public safety.”
ALSOBROOKS’ SUCCESSOR ENDORSES TRONE FOR U.S. SENATE: U.S. Senate hopeful Angela Alsobrooks’ successor as Prince George’s County’s top prosecutor has endorsed her opponent, U.S. Rep. David Trone, as the congressman leads with about a month remaining before the Democratic primary. Aisha Braveboy took over as state’s attorney in 2019 after Alsobrooks was elected county executive, and Braveboy would be among the officials in consideration for Alsobrooks’ current job if her Senate campaign is successful. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun
BLUEPRINT BOARD OKS DEADLINE FOR FIVE STATE AGENCIES: Five state agencies that are key stakeholders in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future have less than two months to submit documents for implementing that education reform plan. The June 15 deadline was set Thursday by the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board, which oversees the $3.8 billion plan through 2032. William J. Ford/Maryland Matters
MORE THAN 100 CARGO SHIPS LOST POWER IN MD. SINCE 2010: Propulsion failures like those experienced by the Dali, which caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, are not uncommon in the Chesapeake Bay or Patapsco River. Since 2010, cargo vessels have lost engine power, electricity or steering in those waters at least 103 times, a Baltimore Banner review of Coast Guard records shows. Lee O. Sanderlin & Ryan Little/The Baltimore Banner
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BMORE COUNTY COUNCIL WANTS FINAL SAY ON PLANNING BOARD PICK: The Baltimore County Council is moving to wrest control of the planning board away from the county executive. Currently, eight of the board’s 15 members are appointed by the county executive with the County Council having no say in the matter. Council members are proposing that they be given the authority to approve or reject the executive’s picks. John Lee/WYPR-FM
OPINION: BMORE’S MAYORAL DEBATE WAS DISAPPOINTING: Wednesday’s night’s mayoral debate in Baltimore was really quite an unusual political debate. None of the questioners tried to stand out; none of them tried to confront the candidates with tough follow-up questions; none of the participants interrupted one another; and outside of Mayor Brandon Scott’s accusing ex-Mayor Sheila Dixon of lying and stealing in her first term, no one else got notably ugly. Richard E. Vatz, Ph.D./Baltimore Post-Examiner
ANOTHER BMORE MAYORAL DEBATE IS SCHEDULED: WJZ-TV, The Baltimore Banner and WYPR Radio are hosting a mayoral debate of Baltimore’s four leading Democratic candidates on April 30. Mayor Brandon Scott, former Mayor Sheila Dixon, former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah and businessman Bob Wallace are confirmed. WYPR’s Tom Hall, WJZ ’s Denise Koch and The Baltimore Banner’s Emily Sullivan will moderate the debate. Danyell Irby/WYPR-FM
BMORE’S MAYOR AND STATE’S ATTORNEY QUELL PUBLIC FEUD: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates publicly ended a feud in a joint statement sent Thursday night. The duo had been trading jabs in the media this month as Bates endorsed Scott’s chief challenger in his reelection campaign, former Mayor Sheila Dixon. Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun
ANALYSIS: 16 CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESSIONAL SEAT DEBATE: When 16 candidates for a congressional seat share a stage together, as happened in Annapolis Wednesday night, it’s hard not to think, as the old protest march slogan goes, “This is what democracy looks like.” When a couple of hundred people attend this event — even if most have already decided how they are going to vote — it’s hard not to think that this fragile political system, which Winston Churchill once described as “the worst form of government, except for all others,” might actually endure for a little while longer. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters