EAST COAST DOCKWORKERS LAUNCH STRIKE: Tens of thousands of dockworkers launched a strike at ports along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, stranding stacks of shipping containers on docks and idling ships outside harbors in a threat to the economy just five weeks before the election. A small group of longshoremen teeming with energy tapped their signs together in a parking lot by the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal near midnight. Ian Duncan, David J. Lynch and Dana Munro/The Washington Post.
- The strike shuts down operations at the Port of Baltimore just months after federal and state agencies managed to reopen the facility that had been closed by the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge into the Patapsco River, blocking shipping channels in and out of marine terminals there. Steve Crane/Maryland Matters.
- More than 100 people picketed along Broening Highway outside the marine terminals at the Port of Baltimore, calling for higher wages and to stop automation at the ports. They wore neon yellow and orange work vests and held signs saying “Machines don’t feed families” and “No work without a fair contract.” Giacomo Bologna and Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE POLICE TO ISSUE POLICY GOVERNING FACIAL RECOGNITION: The Maryland State Police plans to release a statewide policy Tuesday that would govern how law enforcement agencies across the state use facial recognition technology. A state law passed earlier this year that limited law enforcement use of the technology required the state police to create a model policy for other Maryland police departments, a guideline that some advocates hope will further limit facial recognition’s use as a policing tool. Cassidy Jensen/The Baltimore Sun.
SURVEY: CRIME, DRUGS TOP LIST OF ISSUES IMPORTANT TO CENTRAL MARYLAND: Crime and drugs are the most important issues facing the region, according to 41% of central Maryland residents, while another 35% think the economy and the job market should be the top concern of state and local governments. Those are among the findings of “The Pulse,” a wide-ranging survey of residents of Baltimore City and six surrounding counties, the first of what its sponsors hope will become an annual report gauging the attitude and perspectives in the region. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
ONE WOMAN’s FIGHT FOR AID IN DYING BILL IN MARYLAND: Baltimore resident Diane Kraus, who for years has been fighting cancer, has used her spare energy as an activist for a highly contentious cause with many names: physician-assisted suicide, physician-assisted death, assisted euthanasia, the right to die, death with dignity, medical aid in dying, end of life care. Even the terminology is debated, with each phrase evoking a different telling of the same story that ends with someone choosing to die on their own terms. Hugo Kugiya/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND STRUGGLES TO GET SUPPORT TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE: Though Sweden and Maryland are both aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, Maryland officials are noticing a stark contrast between the two when it comes to getting residents to support efforts to combat climate change. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
INDUSTRY POLL SAYS MOST WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR TRANSIT UPGRADES: Most Marylanders say they support improvements to roads and transit systems in the state and may be willing to pay more, according to a poll released by a coalition of transportation industry groups. The poll released Tuesday by Together for Transportation Funding comes amid the ongoing debate over how the state should modernize the way it pays for transportation projects, and whether roads or transit should be the priority. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
FREE SPEECH VS SAFETY: UM STUDENTS, CAMPUS COPS TESTIFY DURING HEARING: A pro-Palestinian student group on Monday urged a federal judge to compel the University of Maryland at College Park to allow it to move forward with an Oct. 7 interfaith vigil to mourn people killed in Gaza during the ongoing war. Ellie Silverman/The Washington Post.
- The UM police chief testified that he recommended canceling the event after receiving threats against the group hosting the event. Providing security for students and staff on campus “was a risk I was not comfortable with,” he said. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
HARBORPLACE DEVELOPERS FILE BRIEFS AHEAD OF SUPREME COURT RULING: Attorneys for Baltimore and Harborplace developer MCB Real Estate have filed memos detailing their opposition to a lower court ruling that would block state officials from counting votes for a ballot question needed to redevelop the Inner Harbor. The filings come ahead of a hearing on the issue before the Supreme Court of Maryland slated for Oct. 7. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
FUTURE FUNDING IN QUESTION FOR PAY HIKE FOR CARROLL EMPLOYEES: A 4.5% raise for Carroll County employees this fiscal year could create a financial headache once officials begin budget negotiations for next year. The money for the salary increases, totaling $4.9 million, came from the county’s surplus, and is considered one-time funding, meaning the Board of Carroll County Commissioners will have to find another funding source in fiscal 2026 to keep the raises going. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
