State Roundup: New Key Bridge design unveiled; OD fatalities in Maryland fall 38%; Moore to give State of State today

State Roundup: New Key Bridge design unveiled; OD fatalities in Maryland fall 38%; Moore to give State of State today

Gov. Wes Moore delivers remarks at a press conference to unveil the new design concept for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild. Governor's Office photo by Joe Andrucyk and Patrick Siebert.

SOARING CABLE-STAYED KEY BRIDGE DESIGN UNVEILED: Maryland leaders says the new Francis Scott Key Bridge will be a symbol of freedom, connecting people to opportunities and to one another. Those were the remarks of Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, a former transportation engineer, during a news conference on Tuesday. The new cable-stayed bridge will feature two lanes on each side, enhanced pier protection, and is designed to be wider and taller to accommodate larger vessels passing beneath it. Wambui Kamau/WYPR-FM.

  • Before construction of the new bridge can take place, the project must undergo final design and regulatory approvals. State officials plan to continue gathering community input on non-structural design elements. Marcus Dieterle/Baltimore Fishbowl.
  • The span will have two pylons with cables jutting out from the top, forming webs of support, towering more than 600 feet above the Patapsco River. That makes the structure significantly taller than the original steel truss bridge’s highest point of 358 feet and higher, even, than initially anticipated. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
  • When it is completed — the contractor predicts the bridge could open in fall 2028 — the bridge will restore a major roadway between Dundalk and Baltimore. The loss of the bridge disrupted supply chains, and shut down a toll road used by more than 30,000 vehicles a day, which collected $56 million in tolls a year. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.

FATAL ODs IN MARYLAND DROP BY 38%: Overdose deaths in Maryland fell “dramatically” last year, Gov. Wes Moore announced Tuesday. Preliminary data from the state show about 1,550 fatal overdoses were reported in 2024, a 38% decrease from the previous year, and the lowest number recorded since 2015. Alissa Zhu/The Baltimore Banner.

MOORE STATE OF STATE TODAY; LEADERS SEE TRUMP IMPACT TOP OF MIND: Gov. Wes Moore is slated to deliver his annual State of the State address Wednesday afternoon. Ahead of that speech, WYPR’s Rachel Baye spoke with state Senate President Bill Ferguson about the local impacts of the new Trump administration and what he hopes to hear from the governor. Rachel Baye/WYPR-FM.

  • Moore will deliver his third State of the State speech on Wednesday at a pivotal time for his leadership of the state. President Donald Trump has sown uncertainty and confusion across Maryland and the nation, canceling government programs and threatening to halt vital funding. On top of the Trump confusion, Moore has his own challenges close to home. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.

LAWMAKERS DERIDE RISING UTILITY BILLS: Maryland lawmakers have joined a growing call against escalating utility bills. Del. Elizabeth Embry, a Baltimore Democrat, recently introduced legislation to tackle Baltimore Gas and Electric’s rate hikes on natural gas. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.

WHAT THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON CHILD VICTIMS ACT MEANS: With a 4-3 vote, the Maryland Supreme Court deemed constitutional the Child Victims Act, lifting the deadline for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue the institutions that enabled their harm and clearing one last obstacle for adult survivors to take their claims to the courts. The ruling has implications for churches, schools and government agencies. Survivors and plaintiffs’ attorneys were celebrating the decision on Tuesday. What do you need to know? Tim Prudente/The Baltimore Banner.

CHILD CARE ADVOCATES FEAR ICE INTERFERENCE: Maryland child care leaders say immigration policies from the new Trump administration are spreading fear throughout a workforce that’s becoming increasingly more diverse. For over a decade, day care centers were protected from ICE interference under the “sensitive locations” umbrella that included schools and hospitals. But President Donald Trump removed those guardrails his first day in office. Bri Hatch/WYPR-FM.

STATE COLLEGES BRACE FOR 400 JOB LOSSES, OTHER CUTS: Maryland public universities are bracing for 400 potential job eliminations, among other cuts, to address Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed $111 million reduction to the University System of Maryland. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff/The Washington Post.

VAN HOLLEN PROTESTS TRUMP PICK FOR DEPT. OF ED: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, alongside advocates and labor union leaders, on Tuesday lambasted President Donald Trump’s sweeping education initiatives since he took office and his choice of Linda McMahon to lead the U.S. Education Department. Shauneen Miranda/Maryland Matters.

KATIE O’MALLEY CONTINUES FIGHT FOR WOMEN’s RIGHTS: As executive director the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, Katie Curran O’Malley has the task of guiding the 53-year-old organization through uncertain territory. Following the loss of Roe v. Wade and fresh from an executive order that called for the immediate halting of federal funding to nonprofits, the former first lady of Maryland and retired judge — like many nonprofit leaders — has been on edge. John John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.

FEDERAL WORKERS IN HOWARD VOICE CONCERN OVER THEIR FUTURES: Federal workers had a chance to share thoughts on the Trump administration’s buyout offer with Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. The public forum on Tuesday night was a chance for those workers to hear from other elected officials and provide them with resources. Khiree Stewart/WBAL-TV News.

BALTIMOREANS RALLY IN ANNAPOLIS FOR BETTER TRANSIT SYSTEM: Roughly 100 students and advocates gathered just steps from the State House on Tuesday afternoon with a simple message displayed on signs and reverberating through the air — Baltimore needs better transit. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.

BACKYARD CHICKENS IN MO CO TEST POSITIVE FOR BIRD FLU: The highly contagious bird flu has hit Montgomery County, where officials say a backyard flock of chickens tested positive for the virus, making it the first case of a homeowner’s birds having the virus in Maryland this year and bringing the number of cases in the D.C. region to 11. Dana Hedgpeth/The Washington Post.

MARYLAND CONGRESSPEOPLE PROTEST MUSK TAKEOVER OF USAID: Four Maryland lawmakers were among those turned away from the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters after protesting billionaire Elon Musk’s announcement that President Trump is closing the agency. To access the Reuters video report, click here. Staff/Reuters.

About The Author

Cynthia Prairie

[email protected]
https://www.chestertelegraph.org/

Contributing Editor Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor since 1979, when she began working at The Raleigh Times. Since then, she has worked for The Baltimore News American, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Prince George’s Journal and Baltimore County newspapers in the Patuxent Publishing chain, including overseeing The Jeffersonian when it was a two-day a week business publication. Cynthia has won numerous state awards, including the Maryland State Bar Association’s Gavel Award. Besides compiling and editing the daily State Roundup, she runs her own online newspaper, The Chester Telegraph. If you have additional questions or comments contact Cynthia at: [email protected]

1 Comment

  1. Gren whitman

    That proposed outer harbor bridge is not the “Key Bridge.”
    The “Key Bridge” was knocked into the water last March, and is no more.
    To quote the Pythons, “It has ceased to exist.”
    We might hope that its replacement would not again carry the named of an enslaver.
    The new span’s name could honor Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass, freedom fighters who honor our state.
    /S/ Gren Whitman
    Rock Hall MD
    443-691-9370

    Reply

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