State Roundup: Pedestrian, bicyclist input sought on road safety improvements; loan program for laid off federal workers criticized; state benefits application streamlined

State Roundup: Pedestrian, bicyclist input sought on road safety improvements; loan program for laid off federal workers criticized; state benefits application streamlined

The state is seeking input from the public on 150 stretches of road it has tagged as difficult for bicyclists, pedestrians and people in wheelchairs. Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay

STATE IDs DANGEROUS ROADS AND WANTS YOUR INPUT FOR IMPROVEMENTS: Using traffic and crash analyses, state officials have identified nearly 150 stretches of roadway across Maryland that they want to make safer for vulnerable road users, including dozens in the Baltimore region, and are asking for feedback from those who use them. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.

LOAN PROGRAM TO LAID OFF FEDERAL WORKERS CALLED TOO SMALL: About 60 former federal workers have applied for a one-time $700 loan that Gov. Wes Moore announced last month  — an offer intended to soften the blow for those losing jobs during President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the federal government. Moore pulled $5 million from the state’s Catastrophic Events Account to create the Federal Emergency Loan Program, enough to offer loans to about 7,100. But with the state expected to lose more than 11,000 civilian federal jobs, thousands will be left without access to that safety net — and to some, the net was far too small in the first place. Jonathan Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.

STATE UNVEILS STREAMLINED BENEFITS APPLICATION: State officials on Tuesday unveiled a new app that they said will mean fewer trips to a government office, less paperwork and an overall better and faster way to get help from the state for people applying for public benefits. Lauren Lifke/Maryland Matters.

  • State officials have upgraded the application website, now simply called “Maryland Benefits” and available at marylandbenefits.gov. The goal, officials said Tuesday, is to remove barriers to getting aid. The new website is intuitive, fast and eliminates the need for people to repeatedly share their personal and financial information with authorities, they said. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.

B’MORE SCHOOLS MAY HAVE TO PLUG $11M HOLE FROM FED CUTS: President Donald Trump’s Education Department could stall years of progress in Baltimore City schools after the federal government withheld over $6 billion in funding from state education agencies across the nation, according to a 25-state lawsuit Maryland joined Monday. Organizations serving the state’s neediest kids have been scrambling to figure out how to keep summer and after-school programs running following the funding freeze earlier this month, which includes over $110 million in Maryland. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.

7 SCHOOL DISTRICTS GET STATE E-BUS GRANTS: The Maryland Energy Administration has announced more than $12 million in grant funds to add electric school buses and charging infrastructure in seven local school districts. Baltimore, Howard, Kent, Frederick, Prince George’s and Washington counties were awarded funding. Kiersten Hacker/The Baltimore Sun.

BALTIMORE COUNTY LACKS PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS. WHY? In the county where Michael Phelps grew up, there’s no public pool. Baltimore County has nearly 850,000 residents and dozens of pools — but they’re all private, at country clubs or apartment buildings or gyms, and they often charge hefty fees. The city of Baltimore has invested millions of dollars in several state-of-the-art swimming pools — all free. But Baltimore County has no plans to construct any, save for a “splash park” in Owings Mills. Why? Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.

BALTIMOREANS PUSH POLICE OVER OFFICER-INVOLVED DEATHS: The members of the Baltimore City Council’s Public Safety Committee convened to take on the broad topic of police accountability. A separate but related discussion of a recent spate of police-involved deaths was supposed to wait for a hearing that’s been called but not scheduled. But for the dozens of members of the public who crowded the council’s chambers and spilled out of balconies and even into the street in front of City Hall, there was no time to wait. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.

***CHINA TODAY: Maryland Reporter’s Len Lazarick is leading a short seminar on China at Community College of Baltimore County’s Owings Mills campus on four Wednesday’s 10:30-12:30 Aug. 13-Sept. 3. Based on Len’s 30 years dealing with China and Chinese journalists, the seminar is designed for people who know little about China or may have been to China and would like to learn more. It examines the last 150 years of China-U.S. relations, Chinese society, culture, economy and politics. To register, click on https://javawebapp.ccbcmd.edu/QuickReg/Register.jsp?frc=CE Questions? Email [email protected]***

MARYLAND’s TOMATO FARMERS WELCOME TARIFFS ON MEXICO: George Zahradka, a third-generation farm owner in Essex, mostly sells directly from his farm stand or to nearby restaurants. With new tariffs on tomatoes from Mexico being imposed during Maryland’s tomato season, he’s hopeful that more people will make the switch to local produce. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.

17 IMMIGRATION JUDGES PURGED, INCLUDING IN MARYLAND: Seventeen immigration court judges across 10 states including Maryland have been fired in recent days, according to the union that represents them, as the Trump administration pushes forward with its mass deportations of immigrants in the country. Rebecca Santana/The Associated Press.

FORMER HAVRE DE GRACE CITY COUNCILMAN JOE KOCHENDERFER DIES AT 91: Former Havre de Grace City Council member Joseph Kochenderfer has died. Kochenderfer, 91, served several terms on the City Council: 1990-1998, 2000-2002 and 2007-2009. In a social media post Monday, Havre de Grace Mayor William Martin described Kochenderfer as a humble man who was known for his integrity and commitment to public service. Shaela Foster/The Aegis.

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]

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