POLL: HARRIS LEADS; MOORE GETS HIGH APPROVAL RATING: Statewide, if the election for president were held today, according to the latest Gonzales Poll, 56% of Maryland voters would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, 35% would vote for former president Donald Trump, with 9% undecided. The party split is as expected: 84% of Democrats support the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket, while 80% of Republicans support the Donald Trump/JD Vance ticket. Patrick Gonzales/MarylandReporter.com.
- More than six in 10 voters in a new Maryland poll said they approve of the job being done by Gov. Wes Moore (D). The survey, released Tuesday morning by Annapolis-based Gonzales Research & Media, is the first time Moore has edged over 60% — a rating held by his predecessor Larry Hogan (R) for the majority of his two terms. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- More Maryland Democrats — 82% — have a positive view of Moore’s job performance than in a February poll, and he won over more Republicans. Fewer Republicans, 48%, disapproved of how he’s fulfilling his duties, down from 57% who disapproved just months ago. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE TO PAUSE A TOP TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Worcester County officials are scrambling for options — and money — after learning that state transportation officials are pausing a top transportation priority — the widening of Route 90 and the replacement of its two bridges. Worcester is just one of the counties given tough news in the weeks leading up to today’s release of an updated draft of the Consolidated Transportation Plan, the state’s six-year transportation plan. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND ONE OF 10 STATES TO PUT ABORTION ON THE BALLOT: After legal fights, counter-campaigns and bureaucratic wrangling all year long, as things stand today, abortion questions in 10 states – including Maryland – are heading to ballots in November. In March 2023, the Democratic-controlled legislature voted in favor of a referendum that put the “Right to Reproductive Freedom Act” before voters this fall. Abortion is broadly legal in Maryland. Question 1 would reify the right to “reproductive freedom,” including the right to make “decisions to prevent, continue, or end” a pregnancy. Elisha Brown/Maryland Matters.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MOORE’s MILITARY RECORD: Gov. Wes Moore’s military record is under renewed scrutiny, after it was revealed that he incorrectly claimed a commendation he had not received on a fellowship application long before he entered politics. Here’s what’s known about the controversy and how the Democratic governor has handled it. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS CAUTIOUS, INTERESTED IN AI: As artificial intelligence rushes to the mainstream, local governments and engineers have already found some efficiencies. Still, due to questions about what the software ultimately does with the information that’s inputted, Maryland officials say they are approaching the emerging technology with extreme caution. Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun.
ALSOBROOKS, HOGAN ON SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES, ABORTION: Former governor and GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan said he supports a proposal by former President Donald Trump to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. Hogan’s Democratic opponent, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks addressed Social Security taxation by emphasizing in a phone interview that she believes wealthy individuals should have to pay the FICA tax, which is a federal payroll tax deducted from each paycheck that is used to fund both Social Security and Medicare. Bryan Renbaum/The Baltimore Post Examiner.
JOHN BOLTON PAC ATTACKS ANGELA ALSOBROOKS IN NEW AD: The ad looks like any political TV attack ad: Gray, grainy images. Big, bold words that convey negative information. Pictures of scary, rogue international leaders. The ad targets Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. It’s paid for by the John Bolton PAC, the political action committee of John Bolton, former President Donald Trump’s one-time national security adviser, and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under former President George W. Bush. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
36 SCHOOLS, DAYCARES FOUND WITH HIGH PFAS LEVELS: In December, Maryland environmental officials began testing drinking water in a set of schools and daycare centers served by wells for harmful PFAS compounds. So far, out of 188 schools and daycares tested, officials have identified 36 with levels of PFAS chemicals that exceed federal limits, spurring distributions of bottled water as students return to the classroom for a new school year. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
HARFORD SCHOOLS TO SEEK COUNTY FUNDS TO REMEDIATE PFAS: Part of Harford County Public Schools’ upcoming capital budget request to the county will include money for remediation of PFAS-contaminated school wells, according to Manager of Communications Jillian Lader. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.
KEY BRIDGE STEEL, CONCRETE GETS RECYCLED: Sometime in August, dump trucks delivered the final load of Patapsco River mud, dredged from the sea bed during the cleanup of the Key Bridge collapse, to the Kinsley landfill in Deptford Township, N.J., about 15 miles outside Philadelphia. Paul Hankins, the director of salvage operations for the U.S. Navy’s SupSalv, which coordinated the cleanup, said about 50,000 tons of material was removed. All of it was repurposed and put to good use. The steel was recycled, as was the concrete once the rebar was separated from it. Hugo Kugiya/The Baltimore Banner.
NAVY DAIRY FARM SOLAR PROJECT GENERATES OPPOSITION: The Navy’s plan to develop a renewable energy project at the former Naval Academy Dairy Farm in Gambrills isn’t the only energy project in Maryland generating controversy. While the Navy is just beginning the process of seeking renewable energy ideas, such as solar panels, for the 857-acre dairy farm in an effort to meet federally mandated carbon-free electricity goals, other energy projects across the state are prompting outcry. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE SUPREMES REINSTATE SYED CONVICTION: In yet another reversal to the case, the Maryland Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, ordering a new judge to review the evidence that brought about the freedom of the subject of the hit podcast “Serial.” The state’s high court found, in a 4-3 decision, that Baltimore prosecutors and a judge violated the rights of Young Lee, the brother of Hae Min Lee. Tim Prudente, Justin Fenton and Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
- The majority ruling said Syed’s convictions should be reinstated and the case sent back to the circuit court for a new hearing. It marks the latest twist in a long and closely watched legal drama that has surrounded Syed since his murder conviction in 2000 over the death of his ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, in Baltimore. Omari Daniels and Tom Jackman/The Washington Post.
- Syed will remain free while his case returns to Baltimore Circuit Court. Cassidy Jensen and Alex Mann/The Baltimore Sun.
OPINION: FACULTY ORGANIZE UNIONS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES: The vote-counting in Annapolis Aug. 7 was an exercise in small-d democracy. The staff of Maryland’s Public Employees Relations Board were tallying the votes for a union of adjunct faculty at Howard Community College. The union, Service Employees International Union Local 500, won in a landslide, 135-9. I know a lot about this because I was on the HCC organizing committee for SEIU. I’ve been teaching East Asian history at HCC for five years. Some adjuncts actually depend on their college pay, and teach several classes at multiple schools. While Howard Community College enjoys an excellent reputation in many areas, its adjunct pay has lagged behind its neighbors. Len Lazarick of MarylandReporter.com/Business Monthly.
PRINCE GEORGE’S MAN SENTENCED FOR MISUSE OF COVID FUNDS: A Prince George’s County man, who sometimes worked as a pastor improperly used coronavirus relief funds to purchase a Tesla and personal property, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Rudolph Brooks, 48, was charged in 2021 and authorities said he obtained more than $3.5 million in CARES Act Payroll Protection Program loans. Brooks surrendered his passport shortly after being charged, court records show. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on Aug. 27 of this year, according to court records. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
