Maryland lawmakers are about to pass a bill they say will attack juvenile crime and improve public safety, but their top changes, which add strict penalties for 10- to 12-year-olds, may affect only a few dozen kids a year, state data shows. Some lawmakers have warned all along that the revisions aimed at young children accused of stealing cars and carrying handguns would reach a small number.

Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year would add officers to the city’s police force, put a million dollars toward upgrading and replacing sidewalks in the city, and increase the city’s efforts in sustainability and workforce development. O’Connor’s proposed $223 million fiscal 2025 budget was released Monday, including a $152 million general fund.

 

The owner of the ship that toppled Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is seeking to cap the amount of damages the company can be forced to pay for the disaster at $43 million. The Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. filed a “limitation of liability” action in federal court Monday, invoking a little-known statute used in maritime law.

A Montgomery County judge deemed Maryland’s Child Victims Act unconstitutional Monday in a child sex abuse lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Washington, prompting a swift promise of yet another appeal related to the landmark law. Circuit Judge Jeannie E. Cho’s ruling diverged from those of her colleagues in Harford and Prince George’s counties, who found the law constitutional.

United Way of Central Maryland on Friday announced a fund to support efforts in eviction prevention, food access, and other mid- and long-term needs of those affected by the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse The “Bridging the Gap Fund” is being built to anticipate the wide-ranging impacts of the disaster, as the Key Bridge connected jobs, commerce and more travel along the Eastern Seaboard. (Image Source: United Way of Central Maryland FB Page)

U.S. Rep. David Trone has a slight edge over Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic primary race for Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat, a closely contested matchup whose winner will advance to a similarly competitive general election, according to a new survey from Goucher College Poll and The Baltimore Banner.

UPS will become the primary air cargo provider for the United States Postal Service. The Atlanta shipping company said Monday that it had received an air cargo contract from the U.S. Postal Service that significantly expands an existing partnership between the two. UPS will move the majority of air cargo in the U.S. for the postal service following a transition period, according to UPS.

 

Just a few weeks before he was elected governor, Wes Moore participated in an online fundraiser with Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former presidential candidate, senator, secretary of state and first lady of the nation and the state of Arkansas. The moderator asked Clinton — who has spent decades working in or adjacent to government — to give advice to the man who everyone in attendance expected to become Maryland’s 63rd governor.

Northern High School had never had a career counselor. Not until Christian Wargo walked through its doors. In September, Wargo became the Calvert County high school’s first career advisor as a part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-billion dollar legislative plan to improve education across the state. Now, every school district across the state is hiring career counselors like Wargo to help students navigate a pressing question: What do they want to do when they grow up?

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge will hurt Maryland businesses and disrupt income for thousands of workers who rely on the Port of Baltimore for the foreseeable future. Maryland politicians are working to provide relief. When we had the pandemic, the port was open,” Senate President Bill Ferguson said Friday. “This the first time in recent memory where the public and private terminals and all of the businesses associated with it are closed.”