As the state’s chief legal officer, Brian Frosh, 75, has served Maryland diligently in his two terms as attorney general, wisely advising and representing state institutions, faithfully protecting consumers and the environment, and striving to improve public safety — all while remaining true to his moral compass and unfailingly collegial, thoughtful and diplomatic. We wish him well in his retirement. Each of the Democratic candidates vying to fill his seat — retired Baltimore District Court Judge Katie Curran O’Malley, 59, and U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown, 60 — has deep roots in Maryland and would bring valuable skills to the position from different realms: legislative for Congressman Brown and the courtroom for Judge O’Malley.
The Sun endorses Katie Curran O’Malley, Jim Shalleck in attorney general primary race
Feds’ First Hearing on Offshore Wind Plan Largely Gets Thumbs-Up From Public
The federal government held its first public meeting Tuesday evening on a plan to erect wind energy turbines off the coast of Ocean City, and even though the proposal has generated controversy in Maryland’s No. 1 tourist town for years, only one person testified against it. The three-hour virtual scoping meeting, convened by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM), was the federal government’s first public hearing on US Wind’s plan to build up to 121 turbines that would generate enough electricity to power 285,000 homes from wind energy by 2026. The meeting was an early step in a federal environmental review process that is likely to take two years.
Wes Moore endorsed by two top Baltimore-area elected officials
From ‘warriors’ to ‘guardians’: Will the Baltimore Police Department’s new approach make a difference?
Standing in the Eastern District roll call room, Maj. Guy Thacker told his assembled shift supervisors, detectives and intelligence officers that he was pleased with their recent stats. “You guys are fucking destroying it,” said Thacker, wearing an Army-green Baltimore Police SWAT unit T-shirt. Throughout the Baltimore Police Department’s recent history, statistics — arrests, gun seizures, stop-and-frisks — have long been a key tool for evaluating and rewarding officers. But Thacker was not referring to any of those things.
As gubernatorial candidates vie for votes in Baltimore, city residents and leaders are hopeful for a fresh start
For the past eight years, Baltimoreans have watched as their governor, more often than not, criticized the city more than he praised the city. Gov. Larry Hogan, like most politicians, professed to love Baltimore. But he axed a major transit project, engaged in pitched battles with city leaders, and counts bringing in the National Guard following civil unrest and rioting in 2015 as one of his greatest successes. Now, with Hogan moving on after two terms, there’s an opportunity for a different relationship between the leader of the state and the state’s largest city. Arguably, a new executive could matter more to Baltimore than any other Maryland jurisdiction.
Will it be Maryland or Virginia? Feds Near a Verdict on New FBI Headquarters
Maryland and Virginia politicians vying for the prize of a new FBI headquarters have just a few months left before a crucial federal government decision. The U.S. General Services Administration is expected to pick the best of three locations as soon as September, ending nearly two decades of advocacy, confusion and frustration across four presidencies about whether the FBI should move to the suburbs bordering the District of Columbia or stay downtown. GSA staffers told Congress last week during closed-door briefings that all three possible locations selected as options during the Obama administration — Greenbelt and Landover in Maryland and Springfield, Va. — are still viable locations for the future FBI headquarters.
Opinion: Lessons Learned From a Gubernatorial Straw Poll With Ranked-Choice Voting
Our Maryland, RCV Maryland and FairVote recently co-sponsored an online straw poll of the candidates in the Maryland Democratic primary for governor. The straw poll was open to all Marylanders, with voting taking place from June 1 to 15. Ranked choice voting (RCV) was used to yield a majority — as opposed to plurality — winner and to allow voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of playing a spoiler role. We are now prepared to publicly report the results and lessons learned from the straw poll. There was a total of 1,121 voters.
Hettleman: Hogan’s Sham Attack on City Schools and the Truth About Grading Policies
The shrill call earlier this month by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) for a criminal investigation into grading practices in Baltimore City schools is a new low in his political grandstanding on public education in general and city schools in particular. It is legitimate to call attention to laxity and confusion in the grading policies, as laid out in a report by Maryland’s Inspector General for Education. And heaven knows the Baltimore City school system has terrible problems — some of their own making and many caused by lack of national and state support. Still, the governor’s outburst is far out of proportion and not constructive.
Amazon workers in Maryland say they were fired for union organizing
Pitts Jr.: No reason brown girls can’t save the world
She’s not exactly starving for affirmation. To the contrary, Malala Yousafzai is a global icon. Since 2012 when, as a 15-year-old Pakistani girl, she survived being shot in the head by a Taliban thug, she has met with heads of state, addressed the United Nations and won the Nobel Peace Prize. It says something, then, that this celebrated woman finds validation in a Marvel superhero. “Ms. Marvel,” to be exact, now streaming on Disney+.