The overall health of the Chesapeake Bay improved to a “C+” on the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s annual report card. The “moderate” score is the bay’s highest grade since 2002. Of the 15 regions of the Chesapeake, 11 showed “improved” scores and five regions showed “significant improving trends,” according to UMCES.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sharply criticized pharmacy benefit managers, saying in a scathing 71-page report that “these powerful middlemen may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies.” The regulator’s study signals a significant ramping up of its scrutiny of benefit managers under the agency’s chair, Lina Khan.

Baltimore has received the $45 million that pharmaceutical company Allergan agreed to pay as part of the city’s lawsuit over the opioid epidemic, but officials have not yet said how they plan to use the bulk of the money, or who will be making those decisions. The Department of Finance is processing the settlement, the mayor’s spokesperson Bryan Doherty said in an email. More information will be announced soon, he said.

Maryland is counting on private child care providers to take part as the state expands its pre-K program — but many providers don’t plan on becoming involved. In a spring survey of the state’s child care providers conducted by the Local News Network, only 12.9% of respondents said they plan to or were already involved in the pre-K program created under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s expansive education reform plan.

 

The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is being met with stiff opposition. An informational meeting was held Tuesday on a proposal to build a 500,000-volt transmission line through three counties, but nearly all of those attending did not like anything they heard. Anger, worry and frustration dominated emotions. Residents said they don’t like any of the proposed routes, and they are upset about a lack of notice, but most importantly, they are worried about the impact the project will have on their lives and livelihood.

I may be new to politics, but I’m not new to budgets. Before running for governor, I ran both a small business and a large organization. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that when you keep spending more money but your company doesn’t grow, your business model is broken. When I took office 18 months ago, our team realized that Maryland’s business model was broken, and we needed to move.

There were too many times during the last school year that simply transporting kids to Prince George’s County Public Schools turned into a fiasco. Buses were late, if they even showed up, and so many routes were essentially vacant because the county didn’t have enough bus drivers on staff. This fall, a series of moves the county put into place during the spring are going to make a positive impact, according to school leaders who briefed the Prince George’s County Council on Monday.

Former Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight, who resigned amid the Maryland school system’s handling of accusations of bullying and sexual harassment, has a new gig. She will become the University of Maryland’s inaugural dean’s fellow and superintendent in residence, the university announced this week. The new position is in effect starting Aug. 23.

Target will no longer accept personal checks from shoppers as of July 15, another sign of how a once ubiquitous payment method is going the way of outmoded objects like floppy disks and the Rolodex. The Minneapolis-based discounter confirmed the move in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, citing “extremely low volumes” of customers who still write checks.

A grassroots organization that advocates for education equity in Maryland could soon be in a jurisdiction near you to talk about the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan. The staff with Strong Schools Maryland has already visited four counties this summer – Dorchester, Anne Arundel, Garrett and Prince George’s – to talk about the Blueprint plan with residents at local events.