Dozens of residents packed Montgomery County Council chambers Tuesday afternoon to voice their concerns about potential tax increases and share their priorities for the fiscal year 2024 county budget during a public hearing. So many residents attended the hearing–many holding signs–that seats were filled and some people stood along walls, supporting testimony.

Frederick County Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Jenkins pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal criminal charges related to what prosecutors said was a scheme to illegally acquire machine guns using official police documents. As a condition of his pretrial release, Jenkins was ordered to surrender his service weapon. He still remains leader of the agency, though a spokesperson could not be reached for comment about his service status.

 

 

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins is due in federal court on Wednesday to answer to an indictment accusing him of conspiring and making false statements to illegally acquire machine guns for a local gun range owner. Immediately after his initial appearance, the sheriff should turn over day-to-day operations to someone else in the sheriff’s office and take administrative leave until the case is resolved.

In deciding to set aside a proposal to ban the sale and use of gasoline powered leaf blowers, the Montgomery County Council is jeopardizing the health of its citizens and especially its lawn care workers, many of whom are people of color. The Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee voted for the proposal, but the full Council has tabled it, which means the proposal is on hold.

It is time for Baltimore to put one of its prime assets — vacant properties — in the bank. Yes, our vacant properties are an asset. They are land, which Malcolm X called the “basis of freedom, justice and equality.” A land bank authority for the city would accelerate the pace of community investment and move communities closer to the kind of progress Malcolm X had in mind.

It is poignant that, as we mark the 55-year anniversary of the landmark Fair Housing Act, creating the government’s duty to affirmatively further fair housing, and as the Biden administration seeks to strengthen this mandate, the City of Baltimore demonstrates a continuing failure to give this obligation the weight it deserves. This act requires that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and any recipient of federal funds through HUD must not only not discriminate but they must take “meaningful actions to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed new tailpipe emissions limits that could require as much as 67% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2032 to be all-electric, representing the country’s most aggressive climate regulations to date. The proposed limits would surpass President Joe Biden’s previous commitment to have EVs make up roughly 50% of cars sold by 2030 and accelerate the country’s clean energy transition.

 

Maryland lawmakers passed a bill last week to increase the maximum fines for repeat liquor license violations in Baltimore from $3,000 to $20,000. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore is expected to sign it into law; it would take effect July 1. It’s one of multiple bills that passed during the Maryland General Assembly that impact Baltimore’s liquor laws. After the pandemic saw a loosening of those laws across the state, a push was made to improve the enforcement capabilities of the liquor board.

The Maryland Constitution is not specific on whether and how a sheriff can be removed from office. The constitution doesn’t explicitly outline how a Maryland sheriff can be removed from office, but a broad provision could be interpreted to allow for the impeachment of a sheriff, according to a Maryland attorney general opinion.