CORRECTIONS DEPT TO FORGIVE $13M IN PAROLE DEBT: Gov. Wes Moore on Friday announced that the state corrections department is forgiving about $13 million in unpaid parole debts owed by more than 6,700 formerly incarcerated people. The move coincides with a new law that took effect at the beginning of the month, House Bill 531, which eliminates the $40 to $50 monthly “supervision fees” and associated drug-testing fees paid by people released on parole from Maryland prisons. Ben Conarck/The Baltimore Banner.
BIG OUTSIDE MONEY POURS INTO MARYLAND’s ALSOBROOKS-HOGAN RACE: In one TV ad, a serious-sounding woman talks about how Angela Alsobrooks “dodged” thousands of dollars’ worth of property tax payments. In another ad, another serious-sounding woman declares: “We can’t trust Larry Hogan on abortion.” These television ads and others — as well radio, web and social media video ads — are impossible to miss in Maryland’s hotly-contested U.S. Senate race between Democrat Alsobrooks and Republican Hogan. Outside groups are pouring millions of dollars into the Senate race. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
HOGAN, ALSOBROOKS NAVIGATE DIFFICULT MIDDLE EAST ISSUES: One year ago, the world was shocked when Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel in Gaza, killing hundreds, capturing hostages and launching an ongoing war. In the months since, the violence has escalated, causing tens of thousands more deaths, forcing millions to flee their homes, creating a humanitarian crisis and enveloping Lebanon, and soon possibly Iran. The scale of violence presents a complex policy challenge for the two candidates who hope to be Maryland’s next U.S. senator, Republican Larry Hogan and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
PARROTT-McCLAIN DELANEY FORUM ENDS IN ANGER: A forum for U.S. House candidates April McClain Delaney, a Democrat, and Republican Neil Parrott took a turn when Parrott began his closing statement accusing McClain Delaney of distributing mailers containing “lies” about him, and the audience erupting into a loud mix of cheers and boos. Parrott did not specify which mailers he was referencing, but the Maryland Democratic Party has been sending mailers attacking Parrott for his position on topics such as abortion and domestic violence. During the exchange, Parrott and McClain Delaney got in each other’s faces and pointed fingers at each other. Esther Frances/The Frederick News Post.
- Parrott was apparently referring to some of Delaney’s campaign ads and mailers, which spotlight Parrott’s votes in Annapolis on domestic violence legislation and other measures protecting women. Parrott was also smarting over a remark Delaney made in the closing minute of the first half of the forum. When answering a question about how she planned to make an impact during her first term in Congress, she pivoted and took extra time to say that Parrott espouses “extreme policies” and was considered the least effective legislator in Annapolis during his tenure — a remark that elicited boos from Parrott’s supporters. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
STATE LAWS TAKING EFFECT INCLUDE CRACKDOWN ON JUVENILE OFFENDERS: Hundreds of new laws take effect in October in Maryland, from increasing monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and banning live wild animal performances to a controversial juvenile justice law that expands the consequences for young offenders. One law, which alters regulatory requirements for the marketing and sale of electricity and gas, has already been challenged in court. Here are other laws that went into effect last week. Clara Longo de Freitas /The Baltimore Banner.
AUTOMATION THE NEXT HURDLE FOR DOCKWORKERS: As they picketed during a three-day strike, some U.S. dockworkers carried signs reading “Automation Hurts Families” and “Machines Don’t Feed Families.” The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at Gulf Coast and East Coast ports, including the Port of Baltimore, reached a deal Thursday to suspend the strike until Jan. 15 to provide time for further contract negotiations. But the picket signs forecast a looming issue — automation. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
WATER LINE BENEATH KEY BRIDGE COULD BE KEY TO CITY LAWSUIT: Several feet below the mudline of the Patapsco River, underneath the spot where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, lies a water main owned by the city of Baltimore. The pipe is 6 feet in diameter, runs parallel to the felled span and could be key to the city’s success in its lawsuit against the owner of the Dali cargo ship that knocked down the iconic structure on March 26. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE NEAR TO AWARDING NEW BWI CONCESSIONS CONTRACT: The state is moving closer to awarding a lucrative 20-year contract to run the concessions operations at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport — a year and a half after Gov. Wes Moore (D) pulled the plug on the initial procurement process, which was laden with controversy. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
TALBOT CONCERNED ABOUT PARTISANSHIP BREAKDOWN OF ELECTION JUDGES: After some Talbot County officials and residents raised concerns about the partisan breakdown of election judges, the Maryland State Board of Elections is telling voters that election judge affiliations will not bring about disenfranchisement at the polls in November. Discussion about the imbalance of election judge political party affiliations surfaced last week after Talbot County Council Member Dave Stepp raised it in a council meeting Sept. 24. Konner Metz/The Easton Star Democrat.
NAACP LEADER SKEPTICAL THAT BA CO CAN REACH AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOAL: Per a 2016 agreement reached with three county residents, a now-defunct nonprofit, and the local NAACP chapter, Baltimore County must create 1,000 affordable housing units to resolve a 2011 federal housing complaint that accused the county of adopting racist housing policies. Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. is confident the county will reach that goal, but others, like NAACP First Vice President Roland Patterson Jr., are skeptical, citing community resistance to similar, albeit larger, developments. Lia Russell/The Baltimore Sun.
BALTIMORE, STATE LEADERS RAMP UP EFFORTS TOWARD AFFORDABLE HOUSING: The major players in the $3 billion effort to acquire and repurpose thousands of vacant homes across the city met in a West Baltimore church Sunday afternoon. With the state pledging north of $75 million per year and the city pushing creative ways to buy up blight, the packed pews of Macedonia Baptist Church in the Upton neighborhood flickered with tension over the size of the task at hand and newfound optimism. Dillon Mullan/The Baltimore Sun.
SUIT CHALLENGES CITY POLICE POLICY ON PERSONAL CONTACTS: A federal judge ruled last week that a lawsuit challenging Baltimore Police’s firing of an employee based in part on its policy barring members from associating with persons of “questionable character” can move forward. According to attorneys for Djene Traore, who was fired in 2019, the policy is overly vague and a violation of federal rights around marriage. Darcy Costello/The Baltimore Sun.
WHAT’s THE DEAL ON CITY BALLOT QUESTION F? On Monday, the Maryland Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to Baltimore City Ballot Question F. It’s one of nine ballot measures city voters will have a chance to weigh in on and it’s at the center of quite a bit of controversy. What exactly is going on? Emily Hofstaedter and Ashley Sterner/WYPR-FM and Morning Edition.
BALTIMORE CITY EDUCATOR NAMED MARYLAND TEACHER OF YEAR: Kat Locke-Jones, a Baltimore City middle school teacher, won the title of Maryland Teacher of the Year at a gala Friday night celebrating the state’s seven finalists for the distinction Locke-Jones teaches English to seventh graders at Hampstead Hill Academy in Patterson Park and is known for her emphasis on student mental health. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
