Maryland is engaged in an unprecedented effort to redetermine eligibility for Medicaid — the public health insurance program for low-income people — for the first time in three years. Roughly 1.8 million Marylanders will have to complete paperwork to reenroll in Medicaid, a process that was paused during the pandemic to ensure access to health care. Over 100,000 people are receiving renewal notices each month over the course of a year.

Prince Georgians have had the option of stopping by the Regal movie theater when they finished their shopping at Bowie Town Center to see the summer blockbuster of their choice for well over a decade. However, Regal 14 shuttered its doors for good in late April, leaving behind memories of past viewings— from the Harry Potter to the Avengers series.

Approaching the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, Maryland lawmakers and advocates came together Tuesday to highlight provisions of the law aimed at reducing the costs of prescription drugs and providing incentives for renewable energy. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) spoke at a press conference hosted by the Maryland Health Care for All! coalition, a health policy advocacy group.

A recently released study said the wealth gap between nonwhite and white families has increased by $40,000 since the March on Washington took place on Aug. 28, 1963. The study was conducted by the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, an anti-poverty, policy, and advocacy organization based in New York City. The organization’s CEO, Jennifer Jones Austin, said the gap is disturbing, noting the observance of a day — July 23 — dedicated to African American women workers getting their fair share of pay.

 

Maryland’s current junior senator, Chris Van Hollen, was in Silver Spring on Tuesday morning to endorse Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic primary to join him in the U.S. Senate. The unusual move comes months before the candidate filing deadline in the race to succeed Sen. Ben Cardin (D), who announced in May that he would not seek reelection in 2024.

Donald Trump raises millions off the indictments against him by telling his MAGA peeps that he’s “the most persecuted person in American history.” It’s not true. Trump is being prosecuted for his behavior, not persecuted for his beliefs. And yet, people send money to the billionaire former president. I guess it’s good they can afford to do so despite what Republicans keep calling the “disastrous” Biden economy.

A new elementary school is set to open this month in my end of Annapolis. It’s a yellow brick road to better education, I suppose. This $39 million edifice replaces old Hillsmere Elementary, a red-brick monument to ideas about education that are fading away in Maryland. When it opened in 1967, students stayed put in their seats, facing straight ahead to chalkboards and teachers’ desks.

The Frederick County government has hired three contractors to evaluate what is now Hillcrest Park as a potential location for a new west side library branch. County and city officials announced the project during a joint press conference in July. The proposed location of the new library came as a shock to some Frederick residents, since the site was not presented as an option during previous community listening sessions.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks is attempting a feat: to become only the third Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. To do it, the Democrat must quickly raise money to help build statewide name recognition in a contest that includes a congressman who is self-funding his campaign — to the tune of $10 million so far, July finance reports show.