PROGRESS SEEN BY RENTER ADVOCATES, BUT MORE CAN BE DONE: The 2024 session yielded a mixed bag of outcomes on renter-focused bills, as some measures were approved by both chambers and are in the process of being signed into law, while others were watered down or stalled in committees. But advocates say that even the unsuccessful bills got the conversation going and set up tenants for more success in future sessions and legislation. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
POLITICAL WORLD FOCUSED ON MARYLAND SENATE RACE: All of a of a sudden, the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Maryland — plus the prospect of a juicy general election featuring former Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is catnip to national pundits — is the most interesting story in U.S. politics. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
TRONE SELF-FUNDING HITS RECORD: David Trone’s latest self-donation to his campaign for U.S. Senate brings him closer to the all-time record for a self-funding Senate candidate: $63.57 million, set by now-Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott in his 2018 race. However, Scott’s funding covered both the primary and general election, while Trone has spent nearly that much in the primary alone. And Scott’s level of spending came in a state with a population well over three times that of Maryland. Louis Peck/MoCo 360.
BALTIMORE REMAINS IMPORTANT TO DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES: How crucial is Baltimore in deciding who statewide elections? Statewide candidates always make promises and pledges that they’ll work to help Baltimore thrive. It’s the state’s largest city and one of its economic centers, a community with both challenges and opportunities. But the Baltimore region also represents something crucial to candidates: It’s a significant source of votes, especially Democratic ones. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
EARLY VOTING SLOW IN MO CO: With early voting underway in Montgomery County, Board of Elections President David Naimon said Monday that turnout has been low so far. But he noted that means lines are short and voters should take advantage of having little to no wait time to cast their ballots. Ginny Bixby/MoCo 360.
SEN. CARDIN GIVE SUPPORT TO ELFRTH IN 3rd DISTRICT: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin is throwing his support behind state Sen. Sarah Elfreth’s campaign to represent Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District. Cardin visited Elfreth in Annapolis Monday as early in-person voting is underway and to tour some local buildings hardest hit by flooding. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
IN 6th DISTRICT, AN UNORTHODOX CANDIDATE RUNS: As a man who spent 13 years in prison on a drug charge, Altimont Wilks, now a Hagerstown businessowner, is one of the more unorthodox candidates seeking to replace U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-6th), who is running for U.S. Senate. That highly contested race includes state Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery), former Obama administration official Aswani Jain and former U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary April McClain Delaney. Nene Narh-Mensah/Maryland Matters.
DELANEY PUTS UP HALF OF LATEST FUNDING IN 6th DISTRICT RACE: Democratic candidate April McClain Delaney has brought in nearly $2 million since October, and is leading all candidates for the Maryland 6th District Congressional race. However, more than $1 million of that amount has come from McClain Delaney’s own pocket. Ginny Bixby/MoCo 360.
HEALTH OFFICIALS SEE BIRD FLU RISING, BUT LITTLE THREAT TO HUMANS: Health officials are increasingly concerned about the recent bird flu outbreak and its spread to mammals like cows and seals. Despite the disease infecting two people in the United States so far, Dr. Lena Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner and professor of public health at George Washington University, says the threat to humans at this point is low. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
SOME ADVOCATES WANT NEW NAME FOR FORMER KEY BRIDGE: Some advocates have demanded that part of the procwess of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge should include rethinking what the rebuilt bridge should be called. Originally known as the Outer Harbor Bridge, it was named after Key in 1976 before opening in 1977. While the bridge’s namesake is probably best known for writing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Key was also a slaveholder who found himself fighting both for and against Black freedom in his lifetime. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Sun.
- But the effort is being met with resistance from Republican lawmakers and local conservative groups, who see it as an effort to rewrite history. “I support keeping the current name, and will seek to require it as a condition of any federal funding,” wrote U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.). Rachel Hatzipanagos/The Washington Post.
CREWS NEAR FREEING DALI FROM KEY BRIDGE WRECKAGE: Salvage crews may be getting close to removing the collapsed portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that’s resting on top of a massive cargo ship in Baltimore. Crews are in the process of detailing what it will take to raise the section of the bridge that’s on top of the Dali, which caused the bridge to collapse in March after the collision. Kyle Cooper/WTOP-FM.
MOTHER PROTESTS CHEATING DETERMINATION ON CHILD’s WORK: An Anne Arundel County mother says her daughter is being unfairly accused of cheating. The school system says the tenth grader used artificial intelligence to help write a paper, but her mother says that’s not true. On Feb. 27, the school uploaded the student’s assignment to GPTZero, a website that promotes itself as “The trusted AI detector.” GPTZero determined the paper Davis’s daughter submitted had a 90% probability of being AI generated, meaning it was written by artificial intelligence instead of a human. Chris Pabst/WBFF-TV.
