BIDEN, HARRIS IN PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, touting their efforts to lower prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients, hosted their first joint appearance since Biden ended his reelection bid, a policy event that quickly took on the tone and feel of a campaign rally.Yasmeen Abutaleb and Cleve R. Wootson Jr./The Washington Post
- Five takeaways from Biden, Harris visit. They picked Prince George’s County for their first public appearance together since the president ended his re-election bid. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- Here’s C-Span’s full coverage of the event in Prince George’s County .
MPOX DECLARED GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY: The World Health Organization this week declared mpox a global health emergency. While Maryland health officials encourage people to remain vigilant, they have not issued health advisories related to the virus. Maryland reported its last positive case of mpox, formerly referred to as monkeypox, about a month ago. Penelope Blackwell/The Baltimore Banner.
SEVEN-ROUTE FERRY SYSTEM COULD BOLSTER TOURISM: A ferry system connecting communities along the Chesapeake Bay is feasible, according to a new study released by a consortium championing the idea. The release of the study Thursday is the next step in an effort that began in 2022.. Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CONSIDER AI FOR CYBER SECURITY: As state and local governments grapple with a shifting digital and computer landscape in the form of artificial intelligence, counties have an “obligation” to learn how to incorporate artificial intelligence into cybersecurity efforts, officials said. Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
TRACKING WHERE AND WHEN BIG SHIPS HAVE TROUBLE IN MD WATERS: Since the Dali cargo ship lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, on March 26, at least seven more incidents have occurred where a large vessel experienced a loss or reduction of propulsion, power, steering or maneuverability in Maryland waters. Annie Jennemann/The Baltimore Sun.
NO BROAD BASED TAX INCREASES EXPECTED: Ongoing budget pressures — and how to address them — have been top of mind for leaders gathered in Ocean City this week for the annual Maryland Association of Counties summer conference. But the leader of the Maryland Senate said he is unlikely to consider broad-based tax increases to address looming budget deficits. Bryan P. Sears, William J. Ford and Elijah Pittman/Maryland Matters.
OSPREY REPRODUCTION PROBLEMS FOUND AROUND CHESAPEAKE BAY: Perched on a nest atop a green navigation marker in Harris Creek, the osprey glared, spread its wings and started hopping as a boatload of people drew near. “That’s a pretty big nestling standing up,” said Barnett Rattner, a veteran scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Eastern Ecological Science Center. “Last week, there were two.” Timothy B. Wheeler/Chesapeak Bay Journal.
$250 ANNUAL INCREASE FOR BGE CUSTOMERS: Electric customers in Baltimore Gas and Electric’s area can expect average increases of $21 per month, or about $250 a year, on their bills starting next June, on top of previously announced rate hikes and transmission line costs, a state agency that represents ratepayers is warning. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
NEW OFFSHORE WIND AREA EAST OF O.C. WILL BE LEASED TO NORWEGIAN CO: Another company is set to lease an offshore wind area off Maryland’s coast after winning a federal auction Wednesday. Equinor, a Norwegian energy firm, was provisionally awarded the lease Wednesday to an area in the Atlantic Ocean, alongside northern Ocean City and the Delaware beaches, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which ran the auction. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
WICOMICO CO GETS $21 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS FROM MD DEPT.: The Aug. 13 visit to Wicomico County was the 14th stop of Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Day’s statewide “Day Trip,” a series of events in which he and members of his staff meet with business owners, local officials and residents to listen to the needs of each community in the state he visits. Richard Caines/Daily State News.
CONTENTIOUS LUTHERVILLE LAND COULD BE DEVELOPED UNDER NEW PLAN: For years, developer Mark Renbaum has argued with skeptical Baltimore County residents that building new apartments alongside office, retail and green space at Lutherville Station would give new life to one of Maryland’s most divisive, and consequential, pieces of land. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
BALTIMORE’S LAWSUIT AGAINST OPIOID COMPANIES CAN PROCEED TO TRIAL: Baltimore’s lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors over the overdose crisis that has killed people at rates higher than in any other major American city can go to trial, a judge ruled Thursday. Dylan Segelbaum, Alissa Zhu and Nick Thieme/The Baltimore Banner.
NEW 911 SYSTEM BREAKS LANGUAGE BARRIERS ON SHORE: The 911 centers for all nine of Maryland’s Eastern Shore counties and Convey911 have joined forces to eliminate language barriers in emergency communications. With Convey911’s language translation and communication platform named ConveyCommunicator, the Eastern Shore now provides all residents and visitors with access to emergency and non-emergency assistance, regardless of their spoken language. Dorchester County Communications Division/Salisbury Independent.
MORE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION ON BAY CLEANUP CALLED FOR BY FEDS & STATES: A leading regional environmental group is using the federal government’s latest study on the health of the Chesapeake Bay to push for more aggressive action in 2025 and beyond. The EPA has already acknowledged that many of the states in the Bay watershed, including Maryland, are going to fall short of their targeted goals by the 2025 deadlines prescribed in a 2010 agreement with the federal government. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
AACO SCHOOLS UP PENALTIES FOR LATE ASSIGNMENTS, CHRONIC ABSENCES: Anne Arundel County Public Schools are changing parts of the grading process for the coming academic year, Superintendent Mark Bedell said Thursday. The changes are designed to increase student responsibility and provide more time for teachers to focus on instruction, he said in a statement. Brian Jeffries/The Baltimore Sun.
