AS SNAP BENEFITS STOP, STATE WON’T DIG INTO ITS COFFERS WITHOUT FEDERAL IOU: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. Adriana Gomez Licon/The Baltimore Banner.
- Gov. Wes Moore said Friday that, without an assurance that the federal government will pay the state back after the shutdown ends, he won’t tap state money to fund SNAP. More than 680,000 Marylanders — 1 in 9 state residents — rely on SNAP to help keep food on the table. Their average benefit is $180 per month. Pamela Wood and Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
34 DIE FROM HEAT-RELATED CAUSES; 2nd HIGHEST ON RECORD: Thirty-four people died from heat-related causes in Maryland during the late April to early October “heat season” this year, the second-highest number of heat-related deaths since records became publicly available in 2012. Of the 34. 24, or about 71%, were 65 or older. Six were between ages 45 and 64, two were 18 to 44 and two were under age 18. Nicole Pilsbury/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND WORKS TO REDUCE HOTEL STAYS IN CHILD WELFARE CASES: Whether in the wake of tragic events or to settle lawsuits that advocates have filed against child welfare agencies, Maryland and other states have been working to reduce the use of hotels and address what they say is their root cause — the lack of sufficient placements for youth with the most challenging needs. Jean Marbella/The Baltimore Sun.
$6M STATE AWARD TO NONPROFIT RAISES QUESTIONS: Maryland awarded more than $6 million in taxpayer funds to a nonprofit that has not filed a spending record since 2022, raising concerns among transparency experts who say government officials need to explain whether the organization is qualified to receive public funds. Patrick Hauf/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE SETTLES TWO UM WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION SUITS: The state of Maryland is set to pay nearly $500,000 to settle two workplace discrimination lawsuits brought against the University of Maryland, College Park. The settlement was approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works during its Wednesday meeting and includes roughly $67,000 to be received by the plaintiffs, while the rest of the settlement amount will go to the law office representing them. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.
OVERPOLICING OF BLACK DRIVERS REMAINS PROBLEM IN BALTIMORE COUNTY: For years, Black drivers have been far more likely to be stopped and ticketed by police in Baltimore County than white drivers. Elected officials and police leadership have been well aware of the racial disparities in traffic stops. Six years ago, they even vowed to study the issue and correct it. Instead, the disparities have remained entrenched. Ben Conarck and Greg Morton/The Baltimore Banner.
REVIEW SOUGHT AFTER AI SYSTEM MISTOOK BAG OF CHIPS FOR WEAPON: Baltimore County leaders are now calling for a review of A.I.-powered gun detection system that mistook a bag of chips for a weapon at Kenwood High School in Baltimore County last Monday. Police body camera footage shows law enforcement officers confronting the group of students. Caroline Foreback/WJZ-TV News.
STUDENT, STAFF INVOLVED IN T-SHIRT CONTROVERSY QUESTION HANDLING: A student and a staff member involved with the design of a Sherwood High School class of 2026 shirt that was retracted for evoking the N-word are questioning how Montgomery County Public Schools handled the situation, saying Thursday that the design’s resemblance to the racial slur wasn’t intentional. Ashlyn Campbell/Bethesda Today.
IS INNER HARBOR REDEVELOPMENT A CHANCE TO STEM ‘PISTACHIO TIDE?’ he milky green color that overwhelmed Baltimore’s harbor in late September was an ecological catastrophe unlike any local environmentalists recall. In the wake of this historic “pistachio” tide, experts have eyed the nearly $1 billion redevelopment plan for Harborplace as an opportunity to re-engineer the Inner Harbor against these environmental crises. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
PANEL OVERTURNS UNION ELECTION OVER IG’s SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: A union election will be overturned and rerun as a result of social media posts from Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming that interfered with the process, a judicial panel for the union ruled this week. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.
ROTATIONAL GRAZING CAPTURES ATTENTION OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS: The practice of rotational grazing was highlighted during a tour of Hedgeapple Farm in Carroll County on Thursday, one of several farm visits in the region led by the nonprofits Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Mobilize Frederick. The tour, focused on regenerative agriculture, attracted a combination of farmers, elected officials and environmentalists. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
VAN HOLLEN BILL BLOCKED; FEDERAL WORKERS REMAIN UNPAID: Friday was payday for federal workers, but paychecks did not go out for 1.4 million employees after Senate Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a compromise Thursday. Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen introduced legislation to ensure all federal workers are paid during the government shutdown, but Republicans blocked that bill from reaching a vote. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
ABREGO GARCIA COULD BE DEPORTED TO LIBERIA: The Trump administration Friday identified the West African nation of Liberia as the location for the removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, noting his deportation could come as soon as Oct. 31. In a Friday court filing in the District of Maryland, the Department of Justice argued that Liberia has give assurances that Abrego Garcia will not be harmed if he is deported there. They added that Abrego Garcia, who has a wife and family in Maryland, has not expressed fear of being removed to Liberia. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
When it comes to disparities in enforcement of laws, what are we to do? Let people go from certain demographics just to get some statistics on paper in line? Pick up more enforcement and ticketing of white drivers? No matter how you splice it, it all comes down to the individual police officers and their unconscious biases. What if people of certain demographics are more likely to break certain laws, maybe not, or maybe there is just more police in those neighborhoods resulting in more stops and tickets. There are a lot of reasons for why these numbers could be disproportionately higher and I’m really not sure if there is a solution to this and often the solution is just less enforcement of certain groups and that is not OK either. I have had many traffic tickets issued to me throughout my lifetime and almost every time I was breaking the law and that’s on me! Not the police officer doing his job. Chances are most of the people issued citations, committed the offense. There’s a solution to not wanting a ticket, follow the law.