Johns Hopkins graduate students file to create 3,300-person union
Maryland’s next Republican Party leader must rebuild after election rout
For Maryland Republicans, the 2022 general election is probably one to forget. Their statewide candidates were drubbed by the victorious Democrats. Of three competitive county executive races in the suburbs, they won zero. They lost seats in the Maryland General Assembly, including the defeat of the party’s first Black woman state delegate in Maryland. Where does the Maryland Republican Party go from here? It’s hard to say, as the party’s recent state convention was closed to press and the newly elected chairwoman and the executive director didn’t respond to our interview requests.
USDA awards millions to Prince George’s Co. for climate-centric farming program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that Prince George’s County, Maryland, will receive a $3.25 million grant from Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. The multi-million dollar grant will fund a pilot program to support local farmers and producers of color, and to implement climate-centric practices in organic farming. “USDA is committed to supporting a diverse range of farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities,” Jennifer Lester Moffitt, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in a release.
Rowland: Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters are a rising force in Maryland politics
Too often post-election pundits can’t help but paint broad brushes of why certain demographics did or did not turn out and why they voted the way they did. When things go wrong for one party or right with the other, the analysis centers on messaging, strategy, and outreach. In Maryland, Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters are too often seen as a monolith. As a result, grassroots or media outreach is rarely comprehensive. Intentional AAPI outreach requires time and effort — candidates and aligned organizations must work with community and business leaders across the AAPI spectrum to pinpoint the issues that are important to this very diverse community. In some districts, it can be the difference between winning and losing.
Baltimore City public school students learn to code with new grants
Baltimore City Public School students inside Claremont Middle and High School gathered on Friday to learn the fundamentals of computer coding. High school senior Felicia Mosely-Putman stood in the hallway of Claremont with green and purple tiles from Sphero Kits. “It’s fun and I hope we keep doing it,” said Mosely-Putman. She worked together with seniors Jason Ford, Tashauna Fisher, and Ciera Luck on the project during computer science education week where students dedicate one hour each day to learn computer coding. Ford chimed in, “It’s fun, we enjoy coding and working with different people.” National non-profit Code.org awarded $10,000 each to Claremont and Maree G. Farring Elementary and Middle School for teachers to purchase new technology and develop computer science courses.
Housing groups, local officials urge Maryland to provide $175 million for emergency rental aid
As Maryland’s share of an unprecedented $46 billion in federal rental assistance funds dries up, housing advocates statewide are demanding action from the State House to stave off a feared rise in evictions. In a letter Tuesday, a coalition of dozens of advocacy groups and local officials — including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and the county executives of Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery and Baltimore counties — called on Gov. Larry Hogan to provide $175 million in state funds to extend the emergency rental assistance program through June 2024. “The termination of the state’s rental assistance programs comes at a time when Maryland families are facing record rent increases and continued economic instability and will most certainly lead to a spike in the number of families — predominantly Black and Latine – experiencing eviction and homelessness,” the groups wrote.
Paluck: Does diversity training work? We don’t know — and here is why.
In early June 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests flowered across the United States following the murder of George Floyd, businesses and other institutions rushed to enhance their diversity efforts. Chief diversity officer hires tripled among the largest publicly traded companies, enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion offerings for which U.S. companies paid an estimated $3.4 billion to outside firms that year. What have we achieved with all this effort? In 2022, this question has special significance, as measures to increase diversity and racial equity have come under political attack, often by people who believe those shouldn’t be goals in the first place. But even among people who believe in the basic mission, common questions about diversity training have shifted from “Which training is best?” to “Is the training even a good idea?” and “Does the training have negative effects?”
Hogan administration won’t match California’s electric cars rule this year, frustrating advocates
Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration won’t be putting forward a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 — mimicking a decision by California — before he leaves office. Environmental advocates had been hoping the Republican governor’s administration would advance a policy matching California’s before the end of the year. They argue that, by waiting, Maryland could fall behind California, where 35% of new light-duty cars sold must be zero-emission in model year 2026. Maryland must give manufacturers two model years of notice before the rule takes effect. A 2007 state law mandates that Maryland follow California’s vehicle emissions standards, which are stricter than the federal government’s. Several other states have similar arrangements. But the process is in the hands of Hogan’s Department of the Environment.
The ‘tripledemic’ has landed: What it looks like, and what to do
For months, public health experts in the U.S. have been warning of an impending tidal wave of respiratory illness — an ominously termed “tripledemic” with sky-high cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and COVID in the same season. And early, steep spikes of both RSV and the flu, combined with a burgeoning swell of COVID cases, indicate that this moment has now arrived in Maryland and most other states. Dr. J. David Gatz, emergency department medical director at the University of Maryland Medical Center, says the term tripledemic indeed “captures the situation we’re in” now, still early in the respiratory illness season, with three viruses already “surging more or less at the same time.”
Live Casino & Hotel wins Best Overall Casino in Best of Slots 2022 Awards
The Cordish Companies’ Live Casino & Hotel Maryland Tusday announced the property has earned the highest recognition across several major categories in the Casino Player Best of Slots 2022 Awards, including the Best Overall Casino award. In addition to Best Overall Casino award, the AAA Four Diamond-rated luxury hotel, gaming and entertainment destination took home 10 other first-place prizes in the Maryland casino category, including: Best Progressive Slots; Best Video Poker; Best Penny Slots; Best Quarter Slots; Best Dollar Slots; Best Variety of Slots; Best High-end Slot Area; Best Slot Club; Best Slot Club Promotions; and Best Customer Service.
