As Maryland’s top Democratic leaders continue to assess legislation to tweak the state’s juvenile justice system, all or portions of other juvenile-related bills could be incorporated in the bigger legislative package backed by the governor and key committee chairs. Sen. Cory V. McCray (D-Baltimore City) wants the state Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to report all shootings that involve juveniles who are under the department’s supervision.

The Baltimore County Council this week agreed to spend more than $280,000 in COVID relief money on an 18-month equity assessment of county government that council members had questioned just one week earlier. Sevetra Peoples-Brown, Baltimore County’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, told the council the equity assessment will establish a baseline on how the county is doing and where it can improve equitable decision making.

As sports stadiums built in the 1990s show their age, many professional sports teams are looking for new facilities — and public money to pay for them. “We are just in the heating up phase of the next stadium construction wave,” said J.C. Bradbury, a Kennesaw State University economics professor who has researched the issue. “That’s part of the reason why you’re seeing a lot more stadiums happen.”

 

State lawmakers in search of money for Maryland’s network of trauma hospitals may connect cause and effect — taxing firearms dealers on the guns, firearm accessories and bullets they sell. Maryland is one of a handful of states with pending legislation that would draw funds from gun industry revenue, mirroring an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition California passed last year.

Despite their name, ghost guns are very much real and solid, and sightings of them are common and verifiable. Not exactly legal, and not exactly illegal, they have quickly entered our state’s and our nation’s debate on gun violence and gun control. They are a particular problem in Baltimore and the subject of a recent legal settlement. Because they are easy to procure, they often find their way into the hands of teenagers who are too young to purchase firearms legally.

Other developers failed at restoring the old Carlton Apartments, a Reservoir Hill corner landmark that seemed to defy an easy redemption. You wouldn’t know its tortured past today, however. This grand, circa 1900, Roman brick, V-shaped home to 12 new units is an example of what good intentions and hard work can accomplish. Enter Alex Aaron, a developer born in Northern Virginia and a Howard University graduate.

 

The seventh CIAA tournament was held at Morgan State’s Hurt Gymnasium. It did not return until 2022 — 70 years later — at what was then Royal Farms Arena downtown. The event, which drew more than 35,000 attendees each of the last two years, returns to CFG Arena this week. The women’s tournament will begin at 7 p.m. Monday with the Southern Division No. 7 seed, Winston-Salem State, taking on Northern Division No. 6 seed Bowie State in the opening round.

Maryland is seeing an outbreak of measles cases, mirroring a trend across the country that health officials are concerned could rise even further. The number of measles cases continues to rise in the U.S. and around the world. Globally, cases rose 79% from 2022 to 2023. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 20 cases of measles as of Feb. 15. All of last year, there were 58 cases of measles. If the trend continues, the CDC projects a 175% increase in measles cases this year.

 

A fine increase proposed for citations issued by speed cameras in highway work zones could bring tens of millions of dollars more in collections by the state. The proposed increases are part of an effort to drive down the number of accidents in highway work zones. “The purpose is to change driver behavior, not to collect revenue from drivers,” said Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D), who testified Thursday in favor of the bill before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Maryland has the highest median household income and a vibrant economy, yet poverty is painful and deadly for many in this wealthy state. Thirty-eight percent of Maryland households are not able to meet basic human needs of food, housing, transportation and health care, and 12% of Maryland’s children live in deep poverty. We are failing to meet the needs of residents and we are not prepared to sustain a future that looks different than our past injustice.