Our nonprofit news organization is made possible by subscribers and donors who value storytelling that impacts and uplifts communities. Thank you for supporting our journalism. Amid reports of longstanding abuse and neglect surfacing at Maryland’s only home for retired veterans, a Democratic lawmaker on Wednesday introduced legislation that would give the General Assembly a check on state nursing home operators.

Our nonprofit news organization is made possible by subscribers and donors who value storytelling that impacts and uplifts communities. Thank you for supporting our journalism. As a pulmonologist and a critical care physician at the the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, I spend my days caring for children and adults who are living with chronic diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But often, I’m fighting a losing battle. When I prescribe an inhaler to a child, I know it’s only going to be undermined by the air pollution they’re forced to breathe when they leave my office.

Gov. Wes Moore’s historic nomination to lead the Maryland State Police remains on ice after Senate Democrats failed to reach a consensus during a Tuesday caucus meeting. Retired Lt. Col. Roland Butler appeared before the Senate Executive Nominations Committee on Monday night but his appointment was not voted out of the committee. During more than 40 minutes of testimony he attempted to rebut concerns that he is not suitable to lead the agency.

When Republican Del. Kathy Szeliga of Baltimore County, who once served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Andy “Election Denier” Harris, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott are singing from the same hymn book, you know a political call is clear. After a plan to send contaminated wastewater from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment to Baltimore was revealed late last week, each got to work, along with quite a few others, decrying the possibility and pushing back. And apparently it worked.

Frederick’s mayor and aldermen will discuss the city’s affordable-housing policies on Wednesday. The aldermen are scheduled to discuss the city’s ordinance that deals with the construction of moderately priced dwelling units to create affordable housing in the city at their weekly workshop Wednesday at 3 p.m. at City Hall.

With a recession looming and federal emergency rental assistance running out, tens of thousands of Marylanders could face eviction in the coming months, and the vast majority — more than 90% — of these households are families with dependent children. Just a handful of days remain in this legislative session, and Maryland leaders have a historic opportunity to turn proven strategies created in response to the pandemic housing crisis into a sustainable framework for housing policy that works for Marylanders at all income levels.

The three-year-old plan to overhaul Pimlico Race Course and upgrade Laurel Park sits in limbo as stakeholders meet almost daily to “restructure, reconfigure and reimagine” how to make it work. Alan M. Rifkin, attorney for the Stronach Group that operates Pimlico and Laurel Park under the Maryland Jockey Club umbrella, said the deal to revamp the tracks passed by the General Assembly in 2020 is today so uncertain that no legal documents have been signed or finalized.

A new state-by-state analysis of COVID-19 death rates showed Maryland had the fifth fewest deaths in the country per 100,000 residents, while D.C. had the second-highest rate in the nation. The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, showed death rates varied dramatically by state, in analyzing the rates of COVID deaths in the U.S. between January 2020 and July 2022.

The vice chair of the Maryland 529 board has resigned, leaving just two members of the public on the oversight panel as lawmakers aim to overhaul the college savings agency and put it under the auspices of the state treasurer. David Erculiani stepped down after less than a year on the volunteer board and after his first meeting as one of its presiding officers. The board elected him vice chair Feb. 23, along with chair Geoffrey Newman. Erculiani also served on the investment committee.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to override County Executive Marc Elrich’s veto of Planning Board appointee James Hedrick during Tuesday’s meeting, with several councilmembers voicing disappointment with Elrich’s decision. Elrich formally disapproved the appointment of Hedrick to the Planning Board Friday, nearly a month after he was selected. A nine-vote supermajority from the council was required to override Elrich’s veto.