MOORE TALKS OF REFINING BLUEPRINT AMID BUDGET WOES: Though committed to its implementation, Gov. Wes Moore said Saturday that adjustments may be needed to effectively enact the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform policy in light of the state’s fiscal woes. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
- Even as he offered full-throated support for implementation of the Blueprint , Moore provided few details in his speech to the Maryland Association of Counties on the decisions ahead or how the sweeping education reform plan should be refined. “But if there’s one thing that legislative history has taught us, it’s this: Laws of enormous potential must always be refined after they are passed,” Moore said. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- “I want to be clear: The next leg of this mission to address our fiscal challenges, it will be harder than the last one,” Moore said. “And, right now, everything is on the table.” Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND NEWBIES, HEAVY-HITTERS AT HARRIS CONVO IN CHICAGO: One-hundred thirty-eight Maryland delegates and political officials have come to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this week, looking to build on the surging energy in the party generated by the candidacies of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are among the group’s most prominent political figures. Other Marylanders are making their debuts as delegates to the DNC. Emily R. Condon, James Matheson, Caley Fox Shannon, Daniel Stein and Katharine Wilson of Capital News Service/Maryland Matters.
- Preliminary events for the Marylanders included a Sunday evening welcome reception at an Irish pub around the corner from their hotel. Some of the lucky delegates were also able to hit an Italian-American Democrats reception at a highly rated Italian restaurant in town earlier in the day (Maryland state Sen. Jim Rosapepe is a vice president of the group, and Brenda Lucchi, of Bowie, is the executive director). Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- Ifechukwudelu “Deli” Okafor, 27, of Baltimore, is eager to experience a party convention for the first time and watch Harris’ acceptance speech Thursday at Chicago’s United Center in which the vice president will seek to deepen her connection with voters. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
SINCE DALI, AT LEAST 7 SHIPS IN MARYLAND WATERS HAVE HAD POWER PROBLEMS: In the months since the 100,000-plus-ton Dali cargo ship decimated the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six men, after losing power, there have been other instances of ships experiencing trouble in Maryland waters. No ship has had a complete loss of power, but in Maryland waters since March 26 there have been at least seven instances of ships experiencing a loss or reduction of power or steering, according to the Coast Guard. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
CONGRESS NEARS AGREEMENT ON KEY BRIDGE FUNDING, CARDIN SAYS: Congress is inching closer to fully funding the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin told Maryland Association of Counties summer conference attendees Friday. “We’re on our way to get that legislation passed,” said Cardin, a Democrat, at the Ocean City conference. “We’re on our way to get the funding necessary.” Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
AT FINAL MACo AS ELECTED OFFICIAL, CARDIN HEAPED WITH PRAISE: After decades of public service, pushing for policies he thought would help the state of Maryland and its people along the way, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) led his last Maryland Association of Counties town hall as a member of Congress Friday. He listened to the concerns of state officials and advocates interspersed with praise for his service. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
OFFICIALS SEEKS EFFORTS TO REDUCE HIGHWAY DEATHS: State and local officials Friday called for continued efforts to reduce highway fatalities in the state, which are on pace to exceed 550 this year. There were 621 fatalities on Maryland roads and highways in 2023. So far this year, 351 people have died on state roads and highways — a 6% decrease compared to the same time a year ago. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
AG BROWN PRAISES STATE’S ATTORNEYS FOR ALLOWING RESEARCH: Attorney General Anthony Brown commended elected prosecutors Friday for opening up their case data to researchers. Prosecutors in Montgomery, Charles and Frederick counties and Baltimore City have initiated grant-funded case transparency projects allowing criminal justice researchers to analyze their case data for racial disparities in prosecutions. “Marylanders should be proud to see these state’s attorneys leading from the front,” the Democrat said. “Their actions are both innovative and courageous.” Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
$42M STATE HOUSE RENO NEARS COMPLETION – ON BUDGET: Standing on the balcony that encircles the dome of the Maryland State House, Mark Schneidman can spot seven buildings in Annapolis that he has worked on throughout his career as a project manager — eight if you include the State House. Schneidman oversees the Maryland Department of General Services Office of Design and Construction’s $42 million restoration of the Maryland State House, including the building facade, grounds and Old Treasury Building. Roughly 300 people worked directly on the project, and it is expected to be completed without going over budget. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
FAMILY OF LATE DPW WORKER QUESTIONS TIMING OF MAYOR’s ANNOUNCEMENT: Hours before a scheduled press conference today outside City Hall by family members of a Baltimore sanitation worker who died of heat stroke, Mayor Brandon Scott announced the hiring of a high-priced D.C. law firm to conduct a review of city practices “specifically as they pertain to heat safety.” The attorney who organized the event for loved ones to share memories of Ronald Silver II, who collapsed and died on the job in sweltering heat, called the mayor’s announcement suspect and its timing an attempt to distract the public from the role that the Department of Public Works may have played in the tragedy. Fern Shen/The Baltimore Brew.
B’MORE, CARDINAL HEALTH REACH $152.5M DEAL ON OPIOID SUIT: The City of Baltimore reached a $152.5 million settlement with Cardinal Health to resolve ongoing opioid litigation, Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s office announced Friday. This latest settlement brings the total recoveries so far for Baltimore to $242.5 million in its opioid litigation settlements. The deal with Cardinal Health resolves the city’s claims against them related to their role in the worst opioid epidemic in the nation. They will pay the entire amount this year. Aliza Worthington/Baltimore Fishbowl.
HOWARD SCHOOLS WORK TO AVOID 2023 BUS CRISIS: Howard County Public School System officials do not want a repeat of last year’s bus fiasco in which bus routes changed at the last minute, drivers did not show and 20 routes were canceled, leaving 2,400 students stranded. They say they’ve done “significant work” to understand what happened last August and stop it from happening again. Among the promises: no last-minute route changes and no out-of-state drivers making wrong turns. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
NEW REAL ESTATE RULES EXPECTED TO HIT BUYERS HARD: For more than a century, when someone wanted to buy a home all they had to do was walk into a real estate office and ask the agent to start showing them properties. That agent was paid by the seller if a deal went through. All that changed Saturday. As part the settlement of a lawsuit brought by home sellers, the National Association of Realtors agreed that sellers’ agents will no longer share the commission with buyers’ agents for a successful sale. Now, buyers have to agree upfront to pay their agents independent of the seller. It’s a change that agents said they have spent months preparing for. But that doesn’t mean they’re crazy about it. Elijah Pittman/Maryland Matters.
