MOORE ADMIN URGES CAUTION AS HIGH HEAT, HUMIDITY OVERTAKE REGION: Gov. Wes Moore declared a State of Preparedness on Tuesday ahead of extreme heat expected to hit the state and persist through the holiday weekend. Marylanders can expect “very hot and humid conditions” that will spark “extreme heat risk,” especially to vulnerable people, including children and older adults, the governor’s office said in a press release. The State of Preparedness is expected to last from July 1-5. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
PJM GETS GREEN LIGHT TO USE BACKUP GENERATORS DURING HEAT WAVE: The nation’s largest electricity grid — which includes Maryland, Washington, D.C, and a dozen other states — received a green light from the Trump administration on Tuesday to require data centers and other large customers to turn on backup generators during this week’s heatwave. The order allows PJM Interconnection to tap into diesel back-up generators, battery arrays and more as a “last resort” to prevent power shut-offs. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
HUNDREDS OF BILLS BECOME LAW TODAY; WHICH ONES WILL IMPACT YOU? Hundreds of bills passed by Maryland lawmakers earlier this year will become law come July 1. From legislation surrounding housing and higher education to vaccines and phones in schools, here are some that may affect you. Clara Longo de Freitas/The Baltimore Banner.
- County and municipal taxes and fees could rise as a ripple effect of a new law that takes effect Wednesday. The law creates a task force that will look at potential changes to the revenue those local governments bring in to fund operations. It is one of hundreds of laws the Maryland legislature passed earlier this year. Staff/Maryland Matters.
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT INDEPENDENCE OF STATE GAMING AGENCY: Maryland gaming regulators urged federal officials last year to crack down on sports prediction markets using a letter drafted by casino lobbyists, according to public records. The records raise questions about the independence of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, which is responsible for regulating the state’s gambling industry but relied on language written by the industry’s chief lobbying organization before sending an official policy position to federal regulators. Patrick Hauf/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: MARYLAND LAWMAKER’s HISTORIC JOURNEY UNFOLDS IN MEMOIR: Every political leader has their own journey and public story, mixing the personal and political. Del. Lily Qi’s journey has been especially long and arduous — and is utterly unique. Now, just in time for America’s 250th birthday, the Montgomery County Democrat is out with a remarkable book that is part autobiography and part political memoir, and is also a meditation on the parallel tracks the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China have been on for the past half century, from a perspective that very few people possess. Qi, in 2018, became the first native of Communist China to be elected to a state legislature in the United States. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
SOME OF BA CO COUNCIL’s FIERCEST CRITICS COULD JOIN ITS RANKS: One took to the podium and called the council members “sissies.” Another has regularly blasted them for giving developers favors. A third writes a running commentary on Facebook of their antics, calling them “the Real Househusbands of Towson.” Come January, some of the Baltimore County Council’s fiercest critics are likely to join their ranks. They include the council’s first Black women; its youngest-ever members; its most progressive candidates and its most proudly MAGA ones. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
20,000 BALLOTS STILL TO BE COUNTED IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY: One week out from the June 23 gubernatorial primary election, Montgomery County election workers have yet to process more than 15,000 remaining mail-in and roughly 5,000 provisional ballots. In some contested County Council races, just a few hundred ballots could make the difference in determining who wins the Democratic nomination. In others, candidates have a clear path toward election in November. Here’s a look at where the voter counts stand. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
US REP HARRIS BACKS RESOLUTION TO ELIMINATE VOTERS IN SENATE PICKS: U.S. Rep. Andy Harris is backing a resolution that would eliminate the 17th Amendment — making it so that U.S. senators are decided by the state legislature and not the voters. An Eastern Shore congressman, Harris is one of nine Republicans cosponsoring the two-sentence resolution, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. Luke Parker/The Baltimore Sun.
MONTGOMERY MINIMUM WAGE WORKERS TO GET A PAY HIKE: Minimum wage workers in Montgomery County will be getting a pay raise beginning on July 1. How much more minimum wage earners get depends on how big the company they work for is. Workers at small businesses — those with 10 or fewer employees — will get an additional 45 cents per hour, rising to $15.95 an hour. Ian Crawford/Bethesda Today.
ARUNDEL EXTENDS NOTICE OF EVICTIONS: An Anne Arundel County Council bill requiring landlords to give residents two weeks’ notice before scheduling repossession of a property during the eviction process takes effect Wednesday. The bill passed unanimously on March 3. Sanya Wason/The Capital Gazette.
NEW BA CO SCHOOLS CHIEF AMONG HIGHEST PAID IN STATE: William “Bill” Heiser, Baltimore County’s new superintendent, will be among the highest-paid superintendents in the state with a $329,000 base salary, according to his recently released contract. A lot of what’s in Heiser’s contract is similar to his predecessor’s. But there’s a slight difference in the salary and the residency requirement. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
PROPERTY DONATIONS TO BALTIMORE CITY RISE: Baltimore is trying to reduce the number of vacant homes in the city by enticing owners to hand them over in exchange for being cleared of municipal taxes and liens, as well as legal liabilities and maintenance charges. That way, private owners have less sway over the city’s future. City officials eased the property transfer rules in January and since then, officials have seen the number of donor applications double. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
