DALI LEAVES MARYLAND WATERS: Traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was temporarily suspended late Monday morning as the Dali — a cargo ship that collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading to its collapse nearly three months ago — made its journey to port in Norfolk, Va. Joshua Barlow/WTOP-FM.
- The ship first passed through the Fort McHenry Channel, below where the Key Bridge once stood. She then sailed underneath the Chesapeake Bay Bridge a few hours later, as a crowd of people watched from Sandy Point State Park. Elizabeth Worthington/WMAR-TV News.
- Only four of the 21 crew members who were on the ship when it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 joined the Dali’s replacement crew Monday as it headed for the Port of Virginia, according to Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for the ship’s operator, Synergy Marine. Michael Laris/The Washington Post.
- To prepare for the Dali’s departure, the U.S. Coast Guard established a temporary 500-yard safety zone for portions of the Chesapeake Bay, Thimble Shoal Channel, the Norfolk Harbor and Elizabeth River as a precaution to protect personnel, vessels and the marine environment from potential hazards. All vessels and people were forbidden from entering the zone without authorization from the captain of the port. Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
CONTRACTORS FOR BRIDGE REBUILD SUBMIT PROPOSALS: On the day the container ship Dali left Baltimore for the first time since it knocked down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the four-year process to rebuild the structure took another key step. Teams interested in building the next bridge submitted their proposals — due Monday at 4 p.m. — to the Maryland Transportation Authority. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
MD REPUBLICANS CALL ON GOV. MOORE TO ACT ON IMMIGRATION ISSUES: While the immigration debate continues on a federal level, several Republican lawmakers in Maryland are calling on Gov. Wes Moore to take more action addressing immigration issues, following the arrest in the Rachel Morin case. Jessica Babb/WBFF-TV News.
VP HARRIS IN COLLEGE PARK FOR ABORTION RIGHTS, CAMPAIGN RALLY: Vice President Kamala Harris (D) stood in Ritchie Coliseum at the University of Maryland, College Park underneath a blue banner that said “Trust WOMEN” in large white text. Just underneath, in significantly smaller text, was a disclaimer: “Paid for by Biden for President.” At the Monday campaign event doubling as an abortion rights rally, supporters held hundreds of “Biden-Harris” or “reproductive freedom” signs. In the upcoming general election, Democrats insist their candidates, not Republicans, will ensure that Marylanders and voters across the United States have access to abortion care. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
POLL SHOWS ALSOBROOKS WITH 11 POINT LEAD OVER HOGAN: As the election season charges toward the November general, a new poll out Monday shows Angela Alsobrooks ahead of Larry Hogan by double digits, 45% to 34%. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- The poll, conducted by the North Carolina firm Public Policy Polling, surveyed 635 registered voters last Wednesday and Thursday. It had a 3.9-point margin of error. PPP is generally hired by Democrats, but does not poll for them exclusively. The firm did not immediately respond Monday to a question about who had commissioned the Maryland poll. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
MOORE CAMPAIGN MANAGER NOW RUNS ANTI-HOGAN PAC: Ned Miller, Gov. Wes Moore’s former campaign manager who spent the last year and a half as a senior adviser and director of engagement to the governor, has left the administration to help run a new super PAC that aims to defeat former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in the U.S. Senate election. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: HOGAN DOESN’T UNDERSTAND HOW CAPITOL HILL WORKS: If Larry Hogan believes that acting as an “independent-minded” Republican in Congress will somehow magically fix a quarter-century of political gridlock in that city, he clearly doesn’t understand Capitol Hill. And more than that, he clearly doesn’t understand what Marylanders want from their next senator. K. Ward Cummings/Maryland Reporter.
BOYD RUTHERFORD’s LIFE AFTER ANNAPOLIS: After serving two terms as Maryland’s lieutenant governor and as a loyal partner to Larry Hogan, Boyd K. Rutherford is on break from public service – and is using his legal and business expertise to help companies navigate government contracting as a partner with the Columbia-based firm of Davis, Agnor, Rappaport and Skalny. David Nitkin/Baltimore Fishbowl.
BOOSTING SMALL BUSINESSES IN MONDAWMIN: An area of Baltimore city once known for its large homes and revered for its design, Mondawmin is today known for being located in one of Baltimore’s most disenfranchised areas. Among its challenges is a lack of stability for small businesses. Equipped with a Metro station right outside its mall, and Coppin State University and Baltimore City Community College campuses nearby, Greater Mondawmin has the components necessary to create a stable environment for local businesses. Shaun Chornobroff of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
B’MORE COUNCILMAN SEEKS TO RAISE TIPPED WORKER WAGE: Tipped workers in Maryland currently earn an hourly wage of $3.63. Baltimore City Councilman John Bullock (D-09) has introduced legislation aimed at eliminating this subminimum wage for servers. The ordinance proposes a gradual pay increase over the next five years. It would match the full minimum wage, with tips on top as a bonus, instead of a subsidy. Wambui Kamau/WYPR-FM.
- Starting on July 1, 2025, the minimum wage would bump to $6 and increase another $2 each year until 2029, at which point employers would be barred from deducting any tip credit from the state-minimum $15 hourly wage. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
