WHAT IMPACT WILL HARRIS HAVE ON REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM IN MARYLAND? Advocates from both sides of the abortion debate say Vice President Kamala Harris’ sudden emergence as the Democratic presidential nominee has breathed new life into what has been a low-key battle for reproductive freedom in Maryland. The question is whether voters will feel the same on Election Day. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
‘MODEST’ SAVINGS EXPECTED FROM STATE EMPLOYEE DRUG CONTRACT: An effort to save the state hundreds of millions in employee prescription costs will yield only “modest amounts” for the foreseeable future, Maryland Budget Secretary Helene Grady said Wednesday. Her comments came at a Board of Public Works meeting at which the three-member board unanimously approved a contract that will pay San Diego-based MedImpact Healthcare Systems more than $1.3 billion to administer pharmacy benefits for state employees, retirees and welfare benefits plans. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: AIB NEEDS TO HOLD GOVERNOR, LAWMAKERS ACCOUNTABLE: The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board has done a remarkably praiseworthy job of fulfilling its mandate to hold state and local educators accountable for carrying out the sweeping demands of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Do you know who the AIB is not holding accountable? The governor and General Assembly, although it has the power and duty to do so. Kalman Hettleman/Maryland Matters.
CITY POLICY ON OPIOID CRISIS: SILENCE: For years, Baltimore’s leaders gave overdoses little public attention, even as the death rate swelled to unprecedented levels. But then the City Council was about to hold four hearings — planned after The New York Times and The Baltimore Banner reported that the overdose rate here was far higher than in any other major American city. But hours before the first hearing, the council president abruptly canceled the session, at the request of Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration. Adam Willis and Alissa Zhu/The Baltimore Banner.
‘CLEAN ENERGY’ BATTERY MANUFACTURER GETS FEDERAL, STATE GRANTS: Maryland’s clean-energy future — and maybe the clean-energy future of the U.S. and the entire world — is being developed in a lab in Beltsville, using battery technology that was developed just down the road at the University of Maryland. ION Storage Systems recently won a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to scale up its technology. And Gov. Wes Moore (D) said the state was kicking in another $1 million, while the Maryland Technology Development Corp., the state’s venture capital agency for technology, would provide another $1.5 million. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
MDE, ST. MARY’s UTILITY REACH SETTLEMENT OVER SEWAGE SPILLS: The Maryland Department of the Environment has reached a settlement agreement with a St. Mary’s County utility after repeated sewage spills over several years. In 2021, one sewage spill from the system, operated by the county’s Metropolitan Commission, contaminated oysters that sickened more than 20 people in Virginia. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
BA CO COUNCIL PLANS FOR OLSZEWSKI REPLACEMENT: Johnny Olszewski is still Baltimore County Executive. But the County Council is laying plans to name an interim executive, should Olszewski get elected to Congress. Olszewski is favored to win his congressional race against Republican Kim Klacik in November. If that happens, there will be two years left in his second term and the County Council is required by the county charter to pick the successor. “There’s no rulebook on how you do this,” said Democratic Councilman Mike Ertel. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
FIRE AT JEWISH MUSEUM PROBED BY ATF, CITY FIRE: A fire that was set in front of the Jewish Museum of Maryland in Baltimore on Sunday night is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Baltimore City Fire Department’s Fire Investigation Bureau and the Baltimore City Police Department. Kiersten Hacker/The Baltimore Sun.
SCOTT PROMISES TO ADDRESS BULLYING AT DPW: On Wednesday, five days after a Baltimore city sanitation worker died of heatstroke and a day after labor unions and city councilmen held a news conference to demand changes to DPW’s “toxic culture,” Mayor Brandon Scott acknowledged something has to change with the beleaguered agency. A culture of bullying, hazing and intimidation has existed for “far too long” in the department, Scott said, and he promised his administration would punish those proliferating it. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
PSC SETS HEARING ON WESTMINSTER SOLAR FARM: The Maryland Public Service Commission has scheduled a public hearing on a proposal to build a solar farm on agricultural land in Westminster. The state commission will hold an online hearing at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 before Public Utility Law Judge Christine L. Burke, for a proposal from Bear Branch Solar LLC, to construct a 4-megawatt solar farm on 65 acres north of Westminster. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
PG VOTERS PICK IVEY, RIKER TO RUN FOR VACANT COUNCIL SEAT: Prince George’s County voters appear to have selected District 5 council member Jolene Ivey (D) and Michael Riker (R) to face off for the vacant at-large council seat, according to unofficial results. More than 18,000 people cast their votes, picking from a crowded field of Democrats and Republicans who were vying to fill the position left open by the departure of former council member Mel Franklin (D). Lateshia Beachum/The Washington Post.
Harris’s candidacy amplifies Maryland’s commitment to reproductive freedom, highlighting the state’s proactive stance on crucial social issues. However, the anticipated savings from the state employee drug contract appear to be more modest than expected.