Delusions, paranoia, poor judgment, grandiose thinking — all are symptoms of what behavioral experts define as thought disorders. It does not take a psychiatrist to make a diagnosis on Capitol Hill, where, fresh from their extended reckless behavior over leadership, the House GOP finds itself scrambling to find some way to keep the federal government open past the end of this week.

U.S. House Democrats held a Monday roundtable forum on changing U.S. gun laws following a recent mass shooting in Maine, where 18 people were killed. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) invited witnesses to discuss gun violence solutions, and said that the gun industry lobby, the National Rifle Association and Republicans push back against gun reform.

The state is advancing its American Legion Bridge and 270 Corridor Program–a project aimed at improving traffic congestion and transit in the region and replacing the American Legion Bridge–and Monday the Maryland Department of Transportation is hosting its first open house to gather public feedback on the project.

 

Flanked by members of President Joe Biden’s administration, Gov. Wes Moore on Monday announced Baltimore’s commitment to its designation as one of the nation’s five Workforce Hubs through investments in career and technical education and training for local workers. An initiative of the Biden administration, Workforce Hubs are cities focused on providing people who have historically had less economic opportunity, like women and people of color, with training and services to help them access well-paying union jobs.

If you received an auto insurance renewal notice in July with higher rates, you weren’t alone. Car owners across Maryland saw their premiums soar. Rates in the state are going up, in part, because of a surge in car thefts. National data shows half a million vehicles were reported stolen in the first half of the year — a 2% increase compared to the first half of 2022. In Baltimore, the number of vehicles stolen this year has tripled to rates not seen since the mid-’90s.

Delegate Malcolm Ruff (D) is a West Baltimore Delegate sworn in by Governor Wes Moore in July of 2023 and serving on the powerful Appropriations Committee. Ruff is a seasoned civil rights attorney working with Murphy, Falcon & Murphy in the prized One South Street building located in burgeoning Downtown Baltimore.

Back-to-school vaccine clinics got off to a rocky start in some Maryland counties this year after the state health department did not renew a statewide contract with a Baltimore-based nonprofit that supports such immunization efforts. Without the help of nurses from the Maryland Partnership for Prevention or PrepMod, the nonprofit’s scheduling and vaccine documentation software, at least three county public school systems did not hold their usual flu vaccination clinics.

Despite a state transportation trust fund that is currently stretched thin, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson late last week was upbeat on prospects that the 2024 session of the state’s General Assembly would provide additional aid to help head off possibly sharp cuts in services by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

After months of delay, a pair of bills that would require — and incentivize — developers to build more affordable housing units will be presented before the full Baltimore City Council Tuesday, and could be called for a vote. The bills are part of a package of what’s known as inclusionary housing legislation because they would require all new developments exceeding a certain size and value to reserve a portion of units for people earning below the Baltimore-area median income. Another bill would allow developers to apply for a property tax credit.

Over the last five months, Baltimore has held mayoral events and press conferences without a deaf interpreter, upsetting organizations representing the deaf and hard of hearing who say Mayor Brandon Scott is violating of provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The critics say the Scott administration’s use of interpreters has stopped completely, in recent weeks.