FATAL DRUG OVERDOSES CONTINUE TO DECLINE IN MARYLAND: Fatal overdoses in Maryland continued their downward trajectory, dropping 3% in 2023 to 2,503, according to data from the Maryland Office of Overdose Response. This trend is in contrast to the surge in the United States, which topped 112,000 overdoses in 12 months for the first time, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emma Tufo of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
CARROLL OFFICIALS BLAST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OVER ‘FENTANYL INACTION:’ Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees and State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker are criticizing the Maryland General Assembly for what they consider the legislature’s inaction on fentanyl during this year’s session. “The Maryland General Assembly failed to pass common-sense legislation to combat drug dealers poisoning people to death with drugs laced with fentanyl,” states a joint news release from the Republicans. Ethan Reese/The Carroll County Times.
COUNTIES CONCERNED WITH EDUCATION BLUEPRINT PLANS: You might think spending $16.6 billion more in state funds from 2024 through 2029 — and billions more after that — would be enough to give Maryland a world-class education system. But that’s not what many people at the state’s local school districts think. Olivia Borgula and Olivia Yasharoff of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
BODY OF 6th KEY BRIDGE VICTIM RECOVERED: Salvage crews have located the remains of the sixth and apparently final construction worker killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was struck by a ship and collapsed. The body was that of José Mynor López, 37, of Baltimore, officials supervising activity at the collapse site said in a statement Tuesday. Martin Weil/The Washington Post.
- Wilmer Lopez Orellana, an uncle of López, said in Spanish he had not heard about the recovery but that it would be “good news” that teams had found his nephew’s body. Orellana said the family hopes that López’s mother will bury him in Guatemala. He left behind four children. Dillon Mullan and Cassidy Jensen/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE EXPECTS TO TAP KEY BRIDGE BUILDER THIS SUMMER: It will be more than four years before a Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement again connects I-695 over the Baltimore harbor, but by this summer, the state is expected to identify its builder. During a two-hour virtual forum Tuesday, potential consultants, contractors and subcontractors asked questions of Maryland Transportation Authority officials regarding the new bridge, which is expected to cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion and be completed by the fall of 2028. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN SUBSTANCE FOR 3rd CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES: Voters wading through an ocean of TV ads and jumbo, glossy campaign mailers for the 22 candidates seeking to represent Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives won’t find stark policy differences. When it comes to women’s reproductive rights, protecting the Chesapeake Bay, strengthening the nation’s democracy and other key policy areas, there’s little to no room between most in the field. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
WHO ARE THE 8 OTHER DEMS RUNNING FOR SENATE? Tired of the skirmishing between the leading Democratic contenders for U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks? Looking for alternatives in the May 14 primary? Democratic voters do have other choices — eight to be exact. Who are they? Nene Narh-Mensah/Maryland Matters.
ALSOBROOKS SAYS SHE IS ON COURSE TO WIN: U.S. Senate hopeful Angela Alsobrooks received plenty of friendly responses as she spent the day in Howard County chatting with voters midway through the eight-day early voting period. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
GOV. MOORE PRAISES, BUT DOESN’T ENDORSE MAYOR SCOTT: Gov. Wes Moore strolled a Northeast Baltimore neighborhood with Mayor Brandon Scott on Tuesday, praising the mayor for his work to reduce crime but stopping short of an endorsement one week before the heated primary determining whether Scott will win another term. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE SUPREMES REMOVE JUDGE, CITE ‘EGREGIOUS’ BEHAVIOR: The Maryland Supreme Court removed Judge April T. Ademiluyi from the Prince George’s County bench this week, citing “egregious” behavior in violation of the state’s code of judicial conduct, an extreme and rare move for the state’s high court. Katie Mettler and Jasmine Hilton/The Washington Post.
FORMER APPELLATE JUDGE FISCHER DIES AT 92: Judge Robert F. “Bob” Fischer, who retired from the Appellate Court of Maryland, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease April 16 at a Naples, Fla., assisted living facility. The former Ellicott City and Grasonville resident was 92. Fred Rasmussen/The Baltimore Sun.
