HOGAN VETOES ‘SANCTUARY STATE’ BILLS: Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed bills Wednesday that would have banned the state and local governments from helping with certain aspects of federal immigration enforcement, deriding the measures as “sanctuary state legislation,” Pamela Wood of the Sun reports.
- The bill bans local jails from being paid by the federal government to detain people on immigration matters in Maryland. The other measure the Republican vetoed would require state employees to deny inspection of records or use of facial recognition technology by any federal agency seeking to enforce immigration law unless provided with a valid warrant, Brian Witte reports for the AP.
- In a veto message, Hogan said local law enforcement “should fully cooperate with federal law enforcement — a principle I have consistently upheld throughout three federal administrations led by presidents from both political parties. Flawed legislation such as this sets a dangerous precedent regarding the state’s commitment to upholding the law and ensuring the safety of our citizens.” Danielle Gaines and Hannah Gaskill of Maryland Matters reports.
RESTAURANT ASSOC CHIEF CONCERNED OVER COMMODITY PRICE RISE: Restaurant Association of Maryland President and CEO Marshall Weston said Wednesday that one of the major long-term challenges facing the industry is the rise in the price of commodities and the concern that restaurants may have to charge customers more money for food and service. The threat looms when many of Maryland’s restaurants are struggling to get employees that were let go at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to come back to work, reports Bryan Renbaum for Maryland Reporter.
VAXX LOTTERIES WORRY GAMBLING ADDICTS: When Michael Aretz learned Maryland was launching a lottery to encourage people to get their coronavirus vaccinations, he felt frustrated, and a little hopeless. Aretz, a recovering gambling addict, had not placed a bet in nearly two years. People who struggle with gambling addictions or have problematic gambling habits say some states are not doing enough to consider how the incentive programs will impact people like them, reports Rachel Chason for the Post.
REPORT: TEACHER RECERTIFICATION PROCESS FLAWED: Elizabeth Shwe of Maryland Matters writes that according to a recent report Maryland spends up to $1 billion on teacher professional development every year, but there is little to no data showing that teachers improve in classrooms from such programs.
ALSOBROOKS TO SEEK RE-ELECTION: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) said Wednesday that she will not run for governor in 2022 and will instead seek another term running Maryland’s second-largest county, Rachel Chason of the Post reports.
CLAIMED PROPERTY: 1924 LIFE INSURANCE POLICY PAYS OFF: On June 16, 1924, Thomas Lazarick, nee Lazarczuk, a 35-year-old immigrant from Ukraine running a dry-goods store in Camden, N.J., bought an “Infantile Whole Life Policy” on his 11-month-old fifth child named Leonard. The policy cost 5 cents a week. Len Lazarick of Maryland Reporter writes about what happened to the policy and the child that it was taken out on.
OPINION: SEARCH FOR NEW SUPERINTENDENT ALREADY HANDICAPPED: The editorial board of the Sun points out that the glitch in state law that means that the next state schools superintendent can only be offered a three-year contract is a serious problem when it comes to finding a replacement for Karen Salmon. “The net result is that the state school board’s search for a new superintendent is already facing an uphill climb at a time when, according its executive recruitment consultant, there are more than the usual number of vacancies to fill for similar posts across the country.”
RUPPERSBERGER SEEKS AUDIT OF 6 BA CO POST OFFICES: U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger says he’s seen constituents in Dundalk emerging from post office visits carrying “entire shoeboxes of backlogged mail.” He says he’s heard complaints that perishable mail there is “being eaten by insects and rodents,” Jeff Barker reports for the Sun. He is asking the agency’s inspector general to conduct an audit of six Baltimore County post office locations that he says continue to face issues that are “disproportional both in volume of complaints and severity.”
MO CO SEEKS TO ADD MENTAL HEALTH AS VALID SCHOOL ABSENCE: Montgomery County leaders are taking steps to add mental health to the list of valid reasons to be absent from school, saying that the move is especially important after the inordinate toll of the pandemic, Donna St. George reports for the Post.
ELRICH ASKS RESIDENTS TO BE PATIENT AS MO CO REOPENS: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and county public health officials asked county residents to respect each other and be patient as the county is set to fully reopen Friday, Steve Bohnel of Bethesda Beat reports.
B’MORE GETS $29M IN HOMELESS HOUSING FUNDS: The federal government has sent about $29 million in reimbursement funding to cover Baltimore’s costs of housing more than 500 homeless residents in local hotels during the coronavirus pandemic, and city officials say they expect a total of $70 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Phil Davis of the Sun reports.
B’MORE SEEKS TO STEER GUN CASES TO FEDERAL COURT: Baltimore’s top law enforcement officials gathered Wednesday to announce that three more special prosecutors will bolster the ranks of Project Exile. The local effort, part of a national program, represents a partnership of the U.S. attorney’s office, federal agents, Baltimore police, prosecutors and Maryland’s attorney general to steer gun cases from state to federal court, Tim Prudente of the Sun reports.
BA CO SHIFTS VAXX EFFORTS TO NEIGHBORHOODS: Forty-four percent of Baltimore County’s residents are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The challenge now is to convince those who are hesitating to get the vaccine. Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Branch said the challenge now is convincing those people who are on the bubble to get the vaccine, John Lee reports for WYPR-FM.
PRINCE GEORGE’S TO LIFT MASK MANDATE: Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, Prince George’s County will lift its mandate to wear masks and face coverings in most public settings — a major step toward normalcy as the coronavirus metrics drop to levels not seen since the outset of the pandemic, William Ford reports for the Washington Informer.
FREDERICK LIFTS RESTRICTIONS ON LARGE GATHERINGS: Frederick County has lifted its final coronavirus restriction some 14 months into the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulation had placed constraints on large public gatherings, Jillian Atelsek of the Frederick News-Post reports.
SHARON BRACKETT, GENDER RIGHTS ADVOCATE, DIES: Sharon Brackett, a gender rights advocate and member of the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee who was also an engineer, died in her Locust Point home Monday. She was 59. Jacques Kelly of the Sun reports that her son, Steven Brackett, said she had “chronic illnesses that manifested themselves in cardiac arrest.”
