DALI REFLOATED, HEADED BACK TO PORT: The Dali is on the move, with tugboats slowly guiding the cargo ship back to the Port of Baltimore, 55 days after it struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The ship, tethered to at least five tugboats, became “buoyant” around 6:40 a.m., according to a post by the Coast Guard, and began moving about 20 minutes later. The 2.5-mile journey back to port was expected to take several hours. Jean Marbella and Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
- After sitting stuck in the Patapsco River following its March 26 crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the vessel is scheduled to leave its position at high tide around 5:24 Monday morning after being prepped for the journey to a local marine terminal around 2 a.m. The entire process to move the ship is estimated to take about 21 hours. Dana Munro/The Baltimore Sun.
- The process started Sunday with the release of some of the anchors and mooring lines on the ship. Tugboats will be on standby. Workers will offload some or all of the 1.25 million gallons of water pumped onto the Dali, to make up for the weight lost off the boat when parts of the bridge wreckage were removed with explosives last Monday. Brett Barrouquere/The Baltimore Banner.
HOGAN’s ABORTION PIVOT SURPRISES VOTERS, PUNDITS: Republican Senate nominee Larry Hogan’s pivot on abortion landed with a thunderclap in Maryland this week, with Democrats incredulous, Republican leaders largely indifferent and some voters warily embracing him anew. Erin Cox and Joe Heim/The Washington Post.
RASKIN: ‘FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH THE SUPREME COURT:’ U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Takoma Park addresses the issues surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court and originalism. Raskin is a Supreme Court scholar. This is an interesting 40 minute discussion on the Amicus podcast. Dahlia Lithwick/Slate.
PUBLIC NOTICE BILL EXPECTED TO GET MOORE’s VETO: An effort to end the publication of estate notices in newspapers around Maryland appears headed for a veto. House Bill 1258 proposes to end public notice advertising for estates. It’s a bill that has financial ramifications for newspapers across the state, which profit from the current requirement that public notices be published in newspapers of general circulation. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
NEW RAPE LAW TO DITCH ‘GOOD TIME’ CREDITS: Marylanders incarcerated for the crime of first-degree rape will no longer be able to get out of prison early on automatic “good time” credits. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed SB 1098 or the Pava LaPere Act into law during a bill signing in Annapolis on Thursday. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
NEXT STEP: REDUCE NUMBER OF TEENS CHARGED AS ADULTS: One of the bills Gov. Wes Moore signed Thursday makes several changes to the state’s juvenile justice system. The head of the state Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee says those changes were a necessary first step toward building the political will for what he hopes to do next year: reduce how many teens Maryland charges as adults. Rachel Baye/WYPR-FM.
CITY OVERREPORTS VOTES: Elections officials said Friday that some Baltimore City election day counts have declined because a “human error” caused workers to overreport the number of votes cast in the city by approximately 590 votes. Emily Sullivan/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: STATE MUST AID MIGRANT CHILDREN: The Baltimore Banner recently reported that more unaccompanied migrant children settle in Maryland, per capita, than in any other state. This did not surprise us. … Beyond Baltimore, high numbers of migrant children settle in Prince George’s County … Indeed, Latino children who migrated to the U.S. without a parent or guardian have been living in Maryland in significant numbers since 2015. It is time for the state’s response to evolve from a reactive, crisis response to an enduring, coordinated effort. Dr. Sarah Polk and Kiara Álvarez/The Baltimore Banner.
BRIAN GRIFFITHS SAYS GOODBYE TO POLITICS FOR NOW: My public journey in politics ends here, and it ends today. It has been a long time since I started down this road. Over a quarter of a century of activism. … The Duckpin, and Red Maryland before it, started as a passion project. And the passion is all gone. The fact that so many people choose to get their “facts” from Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sources is problematic enough. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
MOSBY BACK IN COURT THIS WEEK FOR SENTENCING: Marilyn Mosby will be back in court this week for sentencing, but that hasn’t stopped her or her supporters from going on a national media tour urging others to cosign a presidential pardon petition and donate money to the former top prosecutor of Baltimore City. Mikenzie Frost/WBFF-TV.
- During the past several weeks, Mosby has rallied support from high-profile media personalities, attorneys and civil rights organizations. She has also embarked on a national press tour, pushing for a pardon from President Joe Biden, which experts say seems unlikely to happen. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
PG SCHOOLS INVESTIGATE TEACHER AFTER VIRAL VIDEO IN CLASS: School officials in Prince George’s County, Maryland, are investigating a teacher after viral TikTok videos showed students unbraiding his hair and painting his nails in the classroom. In a statement to WTOP, Prince George’s County Public Schools said it has reassigned teacher Marquise White away from the classroom, pending the outcome of an investigation. José Umaña/WTOP-FM.
