Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, slammed former Maryland governor Larry Hogan on Sunday after he’d urged Americans to “respect” the verdict in the former president’s hush money trial. Hogan is running for a Senate seat in Maryland and represents one of the GOP’s best chances at taking back control of the chamber. Still, Lara Trump — who was recently named co-chair of the party, alongside Michael Whatley — said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Hogan “doesn’t deserve the respect” of any Republican for his comments.

Since the collapse of the Key Bridge and the closure of the Port of Baltimore, the Maryland Food Bank said it has seen a rise of families in need. “The general consensus is they’re seeing anywhere from 20% to 30% increase in the amount of demand,” said Maryland Food Bank President and CEO Carmen Del Guercio, speaking about Baltimore-area partners since the bridge collapse.

 

On Maryland’s path to becoming one of the country’s biggest targets for fraud aimed at benefits for lower-income residents, the problem looked, at first, like maybe it involved just a few thousand claims. But the theft went largely unchecked, and the claims, paid off by taxpayers, kept rising. By the time the state started a new reimbursement process in early 2023, what had been less than $1 million in benefits the state had to restore to victims of fraud quickly turned into $4.3 million over two years.

The Maryland Institute College of Art announced they’re permanently hiring Cecilia McCormick to lead the historic Baltimore school as its next president. McCormick had been serving since January in an interim role and was chosen to head the college after an extensive review process involving trustees, staff, faculty and students, according to a statement.

A fund managed by Baltimore immigrant affairs officials after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse has raised more than $800,000 for the families of victims and will remain open until the end of August, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Friday. The city’s fund, one of several collecting donations for the survivors and victims of the Key Bridge disaster, was originally slated to close Friday, but the mayor’s office said it planned to keep it open because of continued support.

A new Maryland law recently signed by Gov. Wes Moore aiming to crack down on exhibition driving or street racing is now in effect. Anyone participating in street racing in Maryland could face jail time and hefty fines. Street racing has caused chaos and death in Baltimore and beyond. In Maryland, the cost of showing off is now much higher. “It’s all about showing off and at other people’s risk and expense to life and health and business and peace,” said John Seng, Chair of Safe Roads Maryland, the group that lobbied for the bills.

WBAL’s Jayne Miller sits down with Lutherville Station Developer Mark Renbaum to discuss the proposed mixed-use, transit-oriented development adjacent to the light rail in Baltimore County. The developer also discusses a new state law championed by Governor Wes Moore and Housing Secretary Jake Day to address the housing shortage in Maryland.

Many recall the days when the Baltimore Harbor’s waters were murky, and residue from Allied Chemical’s chrome processing plant (at what is now Harbor Point) was a major public health concern. So it was a bit jaw-dropping to hear that the first public swimming event in the city’s harbor in decades sold out faster than you can walk from the National Aquarium to the Maryland Science Center.

Auto thefts involving Infiniti vehicles have more than quadrupled in Baltimore County since the beginning of the year, county police said in a warning to owners of the luxury car brand this week. Law enforcement officials called for “heightened vigilance” among drivers of the vehicles, made by Japanese car manufacturer Nissan, which authorities believe are being stripped for parts or used in illegal street rallies.

Maryland has about 70 dentists per 100,000 residents, according data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020, but that doesn’t mean that they are equally distributed across the state. State health officials and dental health advocates say that Baltimore and parts of the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland not only lack dentists, but have other barriers that make it difficult for residents to keep up with their oral health.