State corrections officials failed to ensure compliance with overtime policies and in some cases could not provide documentation for hours worked. The findings are part of a 27-page review of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services released by the Office of Legislative Audits. The review covers the period of April 1, 2018 to June 21, 2022. All the findings in the report occurred during Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s second term.
A common refrain from conservative media, angry taxpayers and some frustrated parents is that Baltimore City Public Schools spends more per student than almost anywhere — and has little to show for it. I, and countless teachers, educators and proud Baltimoreans have disputed this argument with facts that address the glaring inequality built into our education system. The school system uses a portion of its $1.2 billion annual budget to provide students and families with services that other parts of civil society have failed to provide.
Politics in the 6th Congressional District have been warped for a dozen years now because we’ve been represented by two multi-millionaires — first John Delaney, now David Trone — who were willing to spend their millions to bring home victory. Trone spent nearly $20 million in the 2018 race; he spent about $10 million in 2022. These guys were willing to do whatever was necessary to represent their constituents — except actually reside in the same district. (They both live in Potomac outside the 6th District’s boundaries.)
For those who might have missed the latest battleground in the culture war — the “Try That in a Small Town” country music video — the performer responsible for this mess is set to appear Thursday at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. That’s right: The amphitheater on the grounds of an estate that was once home to the Oakland Manor plantation, where Black people were enslaved, is set to host Jason Aldean, the singer who released “Try That” in May, but only recently saw it vault up the charts after Country Music Television banned the video version.
Emma Jagoz has started looking to the American South for farming inspiration. With increasing temperatures in the region, it’s hard for the owner of Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro to plant all of the same crops she used to. Instead, she’s incorporating crops that do well in hotter environments, like cucumbers bred to thrive in Georgia. “We’re sort of looking to growers who have already experienced extreme heat and disease pressure … and sort of borrowing tactics from other growers,” Jagoz said.
The plunging value of downtown Baltimore’s office market is a crisis that could spread throughout Maryland and impact suburban tax revenue in the coming years, the head of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation says. Michael L. Higgs, director of SDAT, says he has warned city and state leaders for a year of the mounting pressure on property owners and stakeholders in Maryland’s commercial real estate market.
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August of 2021, six families fled and ended up in Washington County. Now, a coalition of faith leaders and volunteers have teamed up to help these refugees adjust to life in the United States. More than 20 volunteers banded together to form the Refugee Welcome Network in January to provide resources to get the refugees back on their feet.
Calls to Maryland’s crisis hotline have increased 38% since the number was shortened last year from 10 digits to the easier-to-remember 988. States were required to adopt the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline last July in an effort to make it easier for people nationwide to access lifesaving help and services. Across the country, people can call or text the hotline and be connected with a mental health counselor in their area, who will listen, provide emotional support and, if needed, share resources for longer-term help.
Three Maryland lawmakers want to posthumously recognize Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cancer cells have been used for decades in research and paved the way for immense medical breakthroughs and disease treatments. Maryland’s U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D) and Ben Cardin (D) and Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-7th) have filed legislation to award Lacks the Congressional Gold Medal for her contributions to medicine, as her endlessly dividing cancer cells have led to breakthroughs in a multitude of medical discoveries in the treatment of many cancers, blood disorders, other diseases and HIV.
In his bid for the U.S. Senate, Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando (D-At Large) openly acknowledges his fellow Democratic opponents have more money. But he argues that will not matter. He went into the home turf of one of those opponents, Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), on Wednesday to unveil his first wave of endorsements from four local officials in her jurisdiction. At the same time, he declared himself the most progressive candidate in the wide-open race to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in 2024.