GOV. MOORE ON THE BRONZE STAR HE NEVER RECEIVED: When Wes Moore ran for governor of Maryland in 2022, questions about whether he had claimed to have been awarded a Bronze Star for his Army service in Afghanistan hovered over his campaign. Reid J. Epstein/The New York Times.
- Gov. Wes Moore claimed in a 2006 document that he earned a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan, a medal that he never received, according to a report Thursday in The New York Times. Danielle J. Brown and William J. Ford/Maryland Matters.
- Gov. Wes Moore responded to a report from The New York Times on Thursday regarding his military record and the Bronze Star Medal he never received. Moore made the claim that he received the medal on an application for a White House fellowship in 2006, according to a copy of the document obtained by The New York Times. WBAL- News Radio
‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ FOUND IN 34 SCHOOL WATER FOUNTAINS: Bottled water has become a familiar sight in some schools in Maryland, where officials have found the drinking water tainted with lead, known to cause brain damage in children. Meredith Cohn/Baltimore Banner
CONTRACT AWARDED FOR KEY BRIDGE REPLACEMENT: Construction firm Kiewit is now responsible for designing the future replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge alongside the state’s transportation department, making the firm a key player in the years-long rebuild after one of the most impactful Maryland tragedies in decades. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE TAX CUT, BABY BONUS BALLOT QUESTIONS VIOLATED STATE CONSTITUTION: Two proposed ballot questions, one that would reduce Baltimore’s taxes and another that would offer payments to new city parents, were struck down Thursday by Maryland’s highest court, which found in separate rulings that both violated the state constitution. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
NEW RESCUE BOAT NEEDED FOR KEY BRIDGE RESPONSE: A volunteer fire department in Baltimore County says it needs $1.2 million for a new boat so it can continue responding to emergencies along the Chesapeake Bay. Kelsey Kushner/WJZ-TV News.
STATE AND PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATION PARTNER ON MATH AND TUTORING: The state and a private nonprofit are jointly investing $20 million to fund tutoring and math programs in schools in Baltimore City and Charles and Baltimore counties, the organizations announced Thursday. William J. Ford/Maryland Matters.
B’MORE TO GET HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS FROM OPIOD LITIGATION: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott outlined plans Thursday morning — including the creation of an advisory board and two new leadership roles in his office — for how the city will manage and determine how to spend money received from settlements with major opioid manufacturers and distributors. Angela Roberts/The Baltimore Sun.
- Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is setting up a robust governance structure to decide how the city will allocate the nearly quarter of a billion dollars it received in opioid settlements and hundreds of millions more that it will likely reap from further settlements. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
DATA CENTER CONFERENCE CAUGHT UP IN POWER LINE CONTROVERSY: Dozens of noisy protesters greeted the business leaders, elected officials, union members and other interested parties who were gathered at Frederick Community College Thursday for a conference on data centers in Maryland. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
CURTIS BAY COAL PIERS OPERATION TO CONTINUE WITH TENTATIVE PERMIT: The Maryland Department of the Environment has issued a draft of a permit that would allow CSX Transportation to continue operating a controversial coal terminal in Curtis Bay — but only if the railway giant agrees to make changes to the site that would reduce the amount of coal dust it generates. Jonathan M. Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.
NOW EIGHT LISTERIA CASES IN MD: You may want to think twice before unwrapping that deli meat in your fridge. A nationwide listeria outbreak is impacting Maryland with eight reported cases, according to the CDC. The CDC is advising families to not eat Boar’s Head products after they were contaminated with listeria. Alexus Davila/WJZ- TV NEWS.
ENROLLMENT DECLINES IN B’MORE WHILE SALARIES STAY HEFTY: Student enrollment in Baltimore City is steadily declining, but the school system is hiring more administrators who earn six-figure salaries. Chris Papst/FOX45 News.
HARFORD SCHOOL SYSTEM SEEKS COUNTY FUNDS FOR CONTAMINATED WELLS: Part of Harford County Public Schools’ upcoming capital budget request to the county will include money for remediation of PFAS-contaminated school wells. Most of Harford County’s public schools are supplied water from their wells. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.
MCPS TO TRACK SERIOUS INCIDENT REPORTING: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is looking to evaluate how serious incidents are reported after only 130 fights were reported in the 2023-2024 school year–a decrease from the year before but a number that doesn’t encompass all fights, according to MCPS staff. Ashlyn Campbell/MoCo360.
CATONSVILLE LIBRARY REOPENS AFTER $7 MILLION IMPROVEMENTS: After a year and a half of anticipation, Catonsville residents got their first glimpse of the newly renovated public library on Wednesday. The $7 m/illion renovation features dedicated children and teen spaces and the library’s first recording booths. The remodeled facility also has new sprinkler and electrical systems. Wambui Kamau/WYPR-FM.
BOTCHED FAFSA FORM SNARLED COLLEGE ENROLLMENT PLANS: After a long summer of technical glitches, most of America’s prospective college students finally applied for federal financial aid — an annual process upended by a redesign-gone-bad . The number of high school seniors who have completed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid is down 9% compared with this time last year, according to the National College Attainment Network. Associated Press/ WBAL- News Radio.
BWI AIRPORT IS SECOND LEAST RELIABLE IN THE COUNTRY: A recent review of federal transportation data by an analytics company found that BWI had a higher rate of delayed flights than almost any other airport in the country, behind only Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.
