Thiru Vignarajah was late to join the Democratic primary for Baltimore mayor, diving in after two other well-known candidates. But in just over two months, the four-time candidate for citywide office has jump-started his campaign, raising more money than his chief rivals, incumbent Mayor Brandon Scott and former Mayor Sheila Dixon — combined.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has announced the distribution of $3.6 million in pandemic relief funds to more than two dozen arts groups in the city, with a special emphasis on those that serve racial minorities and that historically have been under-represented. “Public dollars have too often gone to just the big names and big players in town,” Scott said in an April 16 news release about the Diversity in Arts grants funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Monday that the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring Metro stations will close June 1 and reopen Sept. 1 and the Takoma Metro station will close June 1 and reopen June 30 in order to allow for construction at the stations and the Purple Line.

By the end of June, health care providers in Maryland will lose nearly three-quarters of the funding they use to find and treat thousands of people with HIV. Advocates and providers say they had been warned there would be less money by the Maryland Department of Health, but were stunned at the size of the drop — from about $17.9 million this fiscal year to $5.3 million the next. The deep cuts are less than three months away.

Baltimore police are sharing more details after a new push to crack down on traffic violations. In an exclusive interview with WBAL Radio, Commissioner Richard Worley said BPD performed nearly 700 traffic stops this past weekend alone. Since implementing the increased focus on traffic enforcement on March 29, Worley said the department is averaging more than 200 traffic stops per day.

Roughly three weeks ahead of the 2024 primary election, more than 5,000 voters in Frederick County have already completed and returned mail-in ballots to the local board of elections with their choices for local and federal offices. The Frederick County Board of Elections began the mail-in ballot canvass for the primary election on Monday — eight business days before the start of early voting on May 2, per state law.

Seven members of the Baltimore City Council have endorsed Mayor Brandon Scott in his reelection bid, including council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton, a signal that some City Hall members will work their networks for the incumbent in the last few weeks of a competitive mayoral primary. Danielle McCray, Kristerfer Burnett, John Bullock, Ryan Dorsey, James Torrence, and Phylicia Porter also announced Tuesday their support for the mayor, who faces a tight primary vote on May 14.

Clearway Energy Group has closed on $174 million in construction financing and has begun construction on Dan’s Mountain, a 55 megawatt wind farm in western Allegany County, the company said. Dan’s Mountain is the first new onshore wind farm to be constructed in Maryland in nearly 10 years and is expected to increase the state’s wind energy generating capacity by nearly 30%.

Nationwide, crime is trending generally down, and that’s the case in Prince George’s County, Maryland, too — but not when it comes to violent crime, which county police said is up so far this year. At a Monday afternoon hearing, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz offered a quick rundown on where things stand after the first third of the year, as he went over the department’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year.

With Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) scheduled to sign more than 200 bills into law Thursday, the state’s leader continues to receive letters and verbal pleas to veto certain legislation the General Assembly approved this year. The House Republican Caucus has asked Moore to veto House Bill 947 – Gun Industry Accountability Act – which would give the Office of the Attorney General and the 24 local state’s attorneys authority to sue firearms manufacturers and gun dealers.