RANKED-CHOICE VOTE ADVOCATE CITES FIVE MARYLAND PRIMARIES AS FLAWED: A national organization advocating for wider use of ranked-choice voting is pointing to recent Maryland primaries to bolster its argument that it’s preferable to have candidates who win outright majorities rather than those who win elections with a fraction of the vote. The group FairVote issued an analysis Friday showing that so far this year, 49 candidates have won statewide congressional primaries across the country with less than 50% of the vote. Five of those races were in Maryland. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
NEW WEBSITE KEYS IN ON KEY BRIDGE REBUILDING: In the months after the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, state and federal officials maintained a website that posted regular updates of the response to the catastrophe. Now, state officials are directing the public to a new site: Key Bridge Rebuild. That shift reflects the larger movement away from the removal and reclamation operations that consumed the weeks and months after the collapse, and toward the fast-tracked rebuilding of the bridge. State and federal officials said that is proceeding at a steady pace. Elijah Pittman/Maryland Matters.
CARROLL, ARUNDEL SEWAGE-TO-WATER PROJECTS PLANNED: Facing a limited supply of drinking water, Carroll County’s Westminster plans to draw from a surprising source — its own sewage. This winter, the city of 20,000 will begin constructing a new building at its wastewater treatment plant, where already-treated wastewater will be purified with an array of special membranes and UV light, and sent into the city’s drinking water reservoir — rather than discharged into a creek. A second Maryland water reuse project could come in Anne Arundel County, which is studying injecting purified wastewater into its groundwater aquifer, its principal source of fresh water. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
UM SYSTEM SIGNS MULTICAMPUS AFSCME CONTRACT FOR 5,700: The University System of Maryland signed a multicampus contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on Friday that will standardize labor benefits for workers at nine campuses in Maryland. The contract and memorandum of understanding cover approximately 5,700 non-faculty university employees for the next three years. That’s about 95% of the unionized workers at the nine campuses, according to a statement from both parties. Elijah Pittman/Maryland Matters.
- “It shouldn’t be that somebody at one school has designated water when it’s 100 degrees outside, but yet on the Eastern Shore, you may not,” said Quiana Tilghman, director of student outreach and leadership development at University of Maryland Eastern Shore. “This makes sure that everybody gets the same equal, equitable and fair treatment.” Bri Hatch/WYPR-FM.
MARYLAND MAKES BIGGER PUSH FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL VACCINES: The state Department of Health each fall encourages parents and caregivers to make sure their children are up-to-date on their back-to-school vaccinations. This year, fueled by a $1.8 million grant from the CDC, the push is even stronger, with a campaign featuring videos starring State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright, Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott and other providers. Angela Roberts/The Baltimore Sun.
HOGAN VS. ALSOBROOKS: HOW WOULD THEY VOTE ON THE ISSUES? In Maryland’s race for the U.S. Senate, much of the focus has been on how the winning candidate — either Democrat Angela Alsobrooks or Republican Larry Hogan — could tip the balance of power to their party. When it comes down to individual votes on specific bills, how would each candidate vote? What would it look like to have a Sen. Alsobrooks or Sen. Hogan representing Maryland? Here’s a breakdown of 10 key issues and what the two candidates are saying about their positions, from abortion to Baltimore’s Red Line and gun control. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
COLUMN: REFORMING OF U.S. SUPREME COURT COULD LEARN FROM MARYLAND: Before dismissing President Biden’s proposals for reforming the Supreme Court as useless, as some already have, it might be wise to consider what Maryland did to instill and keep public confidence in the judiciary. For this we set the Wayback Machine to the mid-1960s, when there was a movement to change the way Maryland dealt with judges accused of incompetence or considered in some way disabled. Dan Rodricks/The Baltimore Sun.
OLSZEWSKI’s RELATIONSHIP WITH FIREFIGHTER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In the wake of The Brew’s reporting – including the secret $83,675 payment to firefighter Philip Tirabassi engineered by top staffers for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski – connections between the two are under scrutiny, including old posts on social media. Mark Reutter and Fern Shen/The Baltimore Brew.
EDITORIAL: BRING IN THE IG FOR OLSZEWSKI-TIRABASSI PROBE: In our opinion, investigating the Olszewski-Tirabassi situation is a job that cries out for Kelly Madigan, the veteran prosecutor who has served as Baltimore County’s inspector general since the post was created four years ago. The whole point of the IG’s office is to sniff out cases of public corruption, waste, fraud and abuse in county government. Did the firefighter get a sweetheart deal? Has the county been paying big bucks to keep it secret because they are legally obligated to do so in personnel matters or to protect the county executive? Editorial Board/The Baltimore Sun.
CARROLL PARENT APPEALS EXCLUSION FAMILY BOOKS: Wendy Novak, a Carroll County Public Schools parent, sent an appeal to the Maryland State Board of Education this week regarding the Carroll Board of Education’s decision to exclude two books about different kinds of families from the prekindergarten and kindergarten curriculum. Lizzy Alspach/The Carroll County Times.
LOVED ONES OF BALLERINA HELD IN RUSSIA HOPE FOR HER RETURN SOON: An American citizen with Maryland ties remains detained in Russia and was not part of Thursday’s historic prisoner swap, a multinational deal that set two dozen people free — the largest in post-Soviet history. Ksenia Karelina was charged with treason for a $51 Venmo donation to an American-based humanitarian group helping Ukrainians who have suffered in the war. Those close to her in Baltimore County are keeping hope alive that she will one day be free. Mike Hellgren/WJZ-TV News.
B’MORE DPW WORKER DIES ON JOB: A Baltimore City Department of Public Works crew member died Friday after having a medical emergency while riding with his crew in a truck. The worker, Ronald Silver II, experienced “a medical situation that required immediate assistance,” according to a statement from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Acting Department of Public Works Director Khalil Zaied. Stancil McNair has been with DPW a decade and since he joined, employees have been talking about unsafe working conditions and poor supervisors, he said. Two years ago, McNair said he had a stroke while on the job. Dana Munro and Angela Roberts/The Baltimore Sun.
- Baltimore City’s Health Department issued a Code-Red heat alert Friday as “real feel” temperatures swelled upwards of 105 degrees. At first Silver was coherent enough to ask for water, which a homeowner gave him to drink and then poured on him in an attempt to alleviate his symptoms. A few minutes later, Silver passed out. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
Ranked-choice voting promotes fairer elections by ensuring majority support for winners. It’s encouraging to see states considering this system to enhance democratic representation.