It’s been years in the making, but soon, the Prince George’s County Police Department will begin building its own Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), which will be similar to the one that recently opened in D.C. Police in Prince George’s County, Maryland, already have a relationship with the District’s RTCC and help coordinate responses when criminal suspects trek back and forth across the D.C.-Maryland border.

Democratic candidates for the Maryland Congressional District 6 seat weren’t afraid to challenge each other and make jabs at campaign practices and policy views during a forum at Rocky Hill Middle School in Clarksburg on Sunday, marking the final weeks till the May 14 primary election. Top fundraiser April McClain Delaney, an attorney with a telecommunications policy background, was notably absent from the event, and Del. Joe Vogel (D-Dist. 17) took the opportunity to draw attention to her absence during his closing statement.

When Mayor Brandon Scott first proposed a goal of reducing Baltimore shootings by 15% per year, his staff “almost fainted” and others laughed, Scott recalled Monday. Midway through his five-year violence prevention plan, residents are beginning to see the fruits of that work, and those double-digit declines are becoming reality, Scott said at a news conference.

A new outlook for summer from the National Weather Service is a toasty one: Hotter-than-normal conditions are favored almost everywhere, except for a small portion of the northern Plains. The highest odds for a hot summer stretch from Texas into the Pacific Northwest, as well as much of the Northeast. This forecast sets the stage for bouts of record-challenging high temperatures throughout the nation and the possibility of the hottest summer ever observed.

A popular Rockville-based diner chain is moving up the Interstate 95 corridor with a new location in Baltimore County. Silver Diner will open its newest restaurant at 8123 Honeygo Blvd. at the Avenue at White Marsh on May 1. The diner will be the third Greater Baltimore location for the company, which hopes to expand further throughout the area and into Pennsylvania.

Two U.S. Supreme Court cases involving states with near total abortion bans could allow emergency rooms to refuse to provide emergency abortions even in the case of severe, life-threatening pregnancy complications. While pro-abortion rights advocates have sounded the alarm on what the case could mean for patients and providers living in states with restrictive abortion laws, the Supreme Court decision on the matter could also create complications for Marylanders if they need emergency abortion care.

 

The day after Iran attacked Israel, House Speaker Mike Johnson was on the phone with a man who suddenly held the keys to his legislative agenda and potentially his own future: House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. In a phone call that has not been previously reported, Johnson said he was ready to act on foreign aid, even though that would enrage Republicans who did not support additional assistance to Ukraine and could potentially cost him his job, a source familiar with the conversation told CNN.

It’s easy to feel powerless in today’s complex world, but we’re not. Among the most important tools available to us to make change in our city, our county, our state and our country is through the ballot box. The moment for Marylanders to exercise that right is nearly upon us. The presidential primary election in Maryland is Tuesday, May 14, and those registered (or planning to register) as members of either the Republican or Democratic parties who wish to cast a vote should prepare now.

As Maryland embarks on the journey of reopening and rebuilding in the aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, it’s imperative that we do not overlook agriculture, our state’s largest commercial industry. Agriculture contributes more than $8 billion to the state economy annually and puts about 350,000 Marylanders to work. The tragic incident at the bridge shocked us all, and our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones, and we applaud the heroic efforts of first responders.

Del. Robbyn Lewis (D-Baltimore City) has never been to a Democratic National Convention before. So when the call came for candidates interested in serving as delegates to this summer’s convention in Chicago, Lewis went to the State Board of Elections office and signed up to run in the May 14 Democratic primary as a delegate from the 7th congressional district pledged to President Biden.