U.S. AND RUSSIA COMPLETE HISTORIC PRISONER SWAP: The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free, the White House said. WBAL-TV/ Eric Tucker, Dasha Litvinova and Matthew Lee/Associated Press.
MDE HOLDS PUBLIC HEARING HELD BEFORE KEY BRIDGE DEMOLITION STARTS: The Maryland Department of the Environment held a public hearing Thursday along with the Maryland Transportation Authority regarding demolition work at the site of the Key Bridge collapse. The hearing and public commenting period are part of the MDE review process of an application, submitted by MTDA, to allow the demolition work. Tori Yorgey/WBAL-NEWS.
- The Maryland Transportation Authority is applying for permits to blow up what is left of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Residents in earshot are concerned about ongoing damage to their community’s infrastructure and homes. Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun.
GOP CALLS ON OLSZEWSKI TO RESIGN: The head of the Maryland Republican Party publicly called Thursday for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. to resign from office and withdraw from the race for the 2nd Congressional District, citing reporting from The Baltimore Sun. Liam Russell/Baltimore Sun
MOORE SAYS ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED TO SCHOOL BLUEPRINT: The multi-billion-dollar education spending plan that Maryland lawmakers overrode a veto to get through is underway, yet many leaders in jurisdictions across the state have raised concerns about footing the bill as Gov. Wes Moore signaled adjustments will have to be made. Mikenzie Frost, Fox45 in The Baltimore Sun
STATE TEACHERS UNION GETS NEW LEADERSHIP: The Maryland State Education Association is under new management. Beginning Thursday, the powerful teachers’ union has a new president, Paul Lemle, and a new vice president, Nikki Woodward. They replace Cheryl Bost, who had been union president for the past six years, and Theresa Mitchell Dudley, whom Lemle defeated in a statewide vote for the presidency earlier this year. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
70-MILE TRANSMISSION LINE QUESTIONED, NOT MANY ANSWERS: Many homeowners in Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll counties are worried that a New Jersey company’s plan to build a 70-mile transmission line through their land by 2027 is going to harm their property values. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS COULD BE GAINING FIREPOWER IN ANNAPOLIS: A small but vocal band of conservative Republicans in the Maryland House of Delegates are about to gain some firepower — which they hope to use to increase their visibility and influence in upcoming legislative sessions and, perhaps, on the campaign trail. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
LEADERS OF BLACK CATHOLIC CHURCH SEEK TO BUY BUILDING: Members of a predominantly Black Catholic church in East Baltimore have asked the Archdiocese of Baltimore for permission to buy the building — and keep their historic parish going — rather than have it shuttered as part of the archdiocese’s sweeping plan to consolidate its operations in the city. Jonathan M. Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.
HEAT RELATED ER VISITS AT SIX YEAR HIGH: Nearly 1,000 Marylanders have ended up in the emergency room for heat-related illnesses so far this summer and 14 people have died, as brutal temperatures lead to dangerous heat exhaustion, heat stroke and death. Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
A STEP FORWARD FOR PROPOSED WIND FARM TO BE SITUATED OFF O.C. COAST: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a final environmental impact statement this week on a proposed wind farm off the Delmarva coast, moving the 80,000-acre project one step closer to reality. Plans call for the almost 940-foot-tall turbines to be situated 11 miles off the coast of Ocean City at their closest point to the shore, and be connected to power substations near Indian River in Delaware for distribution. Maryland Matters Staff/Maryland Matters.
KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE: POLICE BODY CAM FOOTAGE RELEASED: The officers, bewildered after receiving the initial call for a water rescue, were looking at the scene millions would wake up to that morning — the main span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge had fallen into the Patapsco River. Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
BAY BRIDGE CLOSED FOR SIX MINUTES YESTERDAY: A 946-foot vessel named the Denebola lost “steerage” near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Thursday afternoon, prompting closure of the dual-span structure for approximately six minutes, according to the Coast Guard. The ship regained steering ability, safely transited under the bridge and moored south of Annapolis, awaiting Coast Guard inspection. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
AACPS STAFFING LEVELS BETTER THAN LAST YEAR: As the start of the school year approaches, Anne Arundel school leaders say the system is in a “great place” with staffing with fewer teacher vacancies than they had at this point last year and all bus driver positions filled. Brian Jeffries/The Baltimore Sun.
ISLAMIC GROUP DIRECTOR DIDN’T APPLY TO HATE CRIME COMMISSION: The director of a Muslim civil rights organization said she decided not to apply for a seat on a state hate crime commission months after lawmakers dropped her nonprofit group as a named representative. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
MD’S NEW LICENSE PLATES INCLUDE COASTAL BAYS: Inclusiveness is a growing priority in many parts of society… but how about an inclusive Bay license plate? Maryland’s well-known “Bay Plates”, which have featured a great blue heron or a crab over the years, has just been reworked to include not just the Chesapeake Bay, but the state’s Coastal Bays on the Atlantic side of the state. Bay Bulletin/Chesapeake Bay Magazine.
THOUSANDS OF SNAKEHEADS AND OTHER SPECIES CAUGHT BY CONOWINGO DAM FISH LIFT: Nearly 3,000 fish that don’t belong in Chesapeake Bay waters have been intercepted and turned into dinner, thanks to a team at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River. Conowingo Dam owner Constellation Energy operates a fish lift each spring that is designed to help migrating fish, like American shad, make it past the dam and to their spawning habitat upstream. Described as “a water-filled elevator”, the lift collects anadromous fish species during their spawning run and transports them to their traditional spawning areas in the upper Susquehanna. Meg Walburn Vivianoe/Chesapeake Bay Magazine.
GOV. MOORE BECOMES A Uof M TERRAPIN FOR A DAY: The University of Maryland football team had a surprise guest at the first day of fall training camp: Maryland’s own Gov. Wes Moore. Moore didn’t merely visit. He actually suited up in a Terrapins helmet, pads and uniform and participated in team drills Wednesday in College Park. Terik King/WTOP News Radio.
