STATE HEALTH DEPT SEES RISE IN MEDICAL MISTAKES: Maryland’s Department of Health has recorded the state’s fourth annual increase in reported medical errors. According to the Maryland Hospital Patient Safety Program’s annual report for the 2023 fiscal year, the continued rise in reports of adverse events — medical mistakes leading to complications in treatment — is an “after effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.” The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in the health care system, including staffing shortages, high patient acuity and supply chain disruptions, which continue to contribute to errors. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.
- The Department of Health partially attributes the overall increase in reported medical errors to “a positive shift in hospital safety culture,” which it says has made hospitals in the state more likely to voluntarily share poor outcomes and safety mishaps. However, the agency also acknowledges that the sustained increase over the past four years may reflect a real increase in preventable mistakes that hurt patients. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
MOORE SEEKS TO SPEED HOUSING CONSTRUCTION: Gov. Wes Moore’s executive order this month to “supercharge” housing development came with a succinct mission: Prioritize speed over everything. In a state that’s fallen behind its neighbors and the rest of the country in building homes, Moore’s order took multiple actions aimed at getting shovels in the ground faster and in more areas of Maryland. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
RETIRED MARYLAND GUARD CHIEF WORRIES ABOUT USE OF GUARD AS POLICE: Retired Maj. Gen. Linda Singh, who led Maryland’s National Guard deployment into Baltimore in 2015 after violent protests erupted following the death of Freddie Gray from injuries sustained while in police custody, said she’s worried about the president’s use of National Guard troops in American cities and his increasing threats to send them to Baltimore under what critics say is a pretense of helping to combat crime. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE APPEALS DENIAL OF FEMA AID; HARRIS SAYS FUND WASN’T WARRANTED: Gov. Wes Moore (D) has appealed FEMA’s denial of nearly $34 million in disaster relief to help Western Maryland areas recovering from a devastating flood earlier this year. Maryland’s sole Republican member of Congress said Moore should look to his own budget before appealing to the federal government for help. Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st) told Maryland Matters that the flooding is “a tragedy,” but said federal aid was not warranted in this instance. Bryan Sears and William Ford/Maryland Matters.
PUBLIC CRITICIZES BAY AGREEMENT AS WEAK: The reviews are in, and they’re not good: Commenters had stern words in the just-closed public comment period for the newly revised Chesapeake Bay agreement, a voluntary clean-up pact between the states that surround the nation’s largest estuary. In more than 1,000 comments from scientists, advocates, regular residents, current and former legislators and even a former Maryland governor, the Chesapeake Bay Program was told that the proposed terms of the plan are too weak, especially considering that the bay states failed to achieve all the goals in the previous agreement. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS ESSENTIAL: During periods of fiscal uncertainty, it can be tempting to view leadership development as optional rather than essential. As Maryland’s public institutions face tighter budgets, there is concern that training, mentorship, and succession planning may be among the first items considered for reduction. I encourage decision-makers to adopt a different perspective. Erin Moran/MarylandReporter.
ALSOBROOKS EXPECTS TO HEAR FROM FIRED CDC DIRECTOR: Democratic senators who oversee the Department of Health and Human Services, including Angela Alsobrooks, are eager to hear directly from Dr. Susan Monarez, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who President Donald Trump fired in August, less than a month after she was confirmed. Ben Mause/The Baltimore Sun.
30+ MARYLAND COLLEGE TEACHERS TARGETS OF TURNING POINT ‘WATCHLIST:’ More than 30 instructors at Maryland colleges appear on the Professor Watchlist, a project launched in 2016 by the conservative student group Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk, the slain MAGA influencer. The initiative publicly identifies professors it accuses of discriminating against conservative students. Todd Karpovich/The Baltimore Sun.
- After the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA was assassinated Wednesday, some of the professors he targeted worry for their own safety and feel anxious about the climate of distrust Kirk sowed among young people. “I feel less safe after Kirk’s murder,” said Nathan Connolly, a history professor at the Johns Hopkins University. “I think that his death, like his life, ripens murderous fruit.” Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
VAN HOLLEN BACKS MAMDANI, CONDEMNS POLITICAL VIOLENCE: Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveled to Iowa to deliver a message to hundreds of Democrats on Saturday: Democracy is in trouble, and so is their party. It’s up to them to fix it. Maryland’s senior senator was invited by Polk County Democrats to keynote their annual steak fry Saturday. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- Van Hollen also accused Democratic leaders who have not yet voiced their support for Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City of engaging in “spineless politics.” He also argued that the Democratic Party “is not going to fix itself” and that to shape its future, Democrats need to start winning key races in Virginia, Iowa and New Jersey and line up behind Mamdani in his contest this fall. Mariana Alfaro/The Washington Post.
- Hollen and Iowa congressional candidates took time Saturday at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry to condemn political violence in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in Utah. Robin Opsahl/Maryland Matters.
IN WAKE OF KIRK KILLING, PELOSI CONDEMNS POLITICAL VIOLENCE: Stomping a lilac stiletto, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Baltimore native who now represents portions of California, condemned political violence Friday following the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. “We have got to put an end to gun violence in our country,” Pelosi said during an event in Baltimore County. Pelosi was the subject of political violence when in 2022 a man broke into her San Francisco home looking for her and attacked her husband Paul with a hammer, seriously injuring him. Céilí Doyle/The Baltimore Banner.
PELOSI HONORS HOYER AT WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY LUNCH: Whenever Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) walks into a room, he’s usually greeted with hugs, handshakes, kisses on the cheek and gratitude for his more than 40 years in Congress. But one longtime colleague stood out when she offered those same accolades Friday during the congressman’s 23rd annual Women’s Equality Day Luncheon in College Park. “Thank all of you for being here and supporting Steny Hoyer over the years,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who grew up in Baltimore and now represents a district in California. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ANNAPOLIS PRIMARY TO USHER IN CHANGE IN CITY LEADERSHIP: Annapolis, the historic city of about 40,000 residents, is holding its primary election Tuesday, marking the beginning of a sea change in elected city leadership. Five of the City Council’s nine seats, including the mayor, will be occupied by new faces come January. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Banner.
PROTEST FOLLOWS ICE REMOVAL OF FOUR CRUISE WORKERS: About 35 people gathered outside the Carnival Cruise Line terminal in Baltimore today following a report that on Sept. 7 four hospitality workers were forcibly removed from a Carnival Cruise ship docked there. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
- The workers detained in Baltimore are among more than 100 Filipino seafarers working on cruise ships who have been deported since April, advocates said. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.
