A Montgomery County circuit court judge sided with the state Board of Elections on Friday, ruling that Maryland elections officials may process and count mail-in ballots as they come in. In granting the election board’s petition, Chief Administrative Judge James Bonifant accepted their argument that the expected deluge of mail-in ballots would result in a weeks-long delay before results could be tabulated, potentially creating turmoil. He rejected arguments advanced by attorneys for Del. Dan Cox (R-Frederick), the GOP candidate governor. “There is no doubt that the increased number of mail-in ballots will have an enormous effect on the process of this election,” said Bonifant, in a ruling he delivered from the bench.
Judge grants elections board request to count mail-in ballots as they arrive
Rodricks: Unlike Adnan Syed, there were no cheers on the courthouse steps for Mark Grant
I doubt we will see Adnan Syed on trial again. It’s hard to imagine that time — 23 years since a jury found him guilty of Hae Min Lee’s murder — has strengthened the case against him. It’s hard to imagine a prosecutor cobbling together the original evidence needed for a conviction. It’s even harder to imagine that the outgoing, federally indicted Baltimore state’s attorney, who appeared eager to vacate Syed’s conviction, will turn around in less than a month and announce that he will be tried again. And so the question of Syed’s guilt will hang in the gloaming, with the jury of public opinion split between those who believe the prosecution had a solid case against him and those who became convinced of his innocence — or flawed conviction — from the Serial podcast.
Former President Trump to host fundraiser with Dan Cox, the Republican nominee for Maryland governor
Maryland Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox will get a fundraising boost from former President Donald J. Trump. Trump is hosting a fundraiser with Cox at the former president’s Mar-A-Lago Club in Florida on Oct. 17, according to a photo of the invitation obtained by The Baltimore Banner. The Cox campaign did not respond on Thursday to questions from The Baltimore Banner. The invitation states that guests can pay $1,776 to attend a “private cocktail reception” and a picture with Trump and Cox requires a “$25,000 raise.” Maryland law limits campaign donors to giving no more than $6,000 to a candidate in a four-year campaign cycle, indicating it’s possible that some of the money will be kept by Trump instead of funding Cox’s campaign.
Fitzwater, Hough debate myriad topics in Rotary Club of Frederick forum
Frederick County Councilwoman Jessica Fitzwater defended the county’s progress during eight years of charter government, while state Sen. Michael Hough advocated for a course correction, as the two county executive candidates sparred during a forum on Wednesday. Fitzwater and Hough received a list of topics before the forum, which the Rotary Club of Frederick hosted at Dutch’s Daughter. During the event, they each had two minutes to answer questions about topics that included executive leadership experience and the growth of the county government in the last decade.
Port Covington to get new name, branding in January
The $5.5 billion Port Covington project is poised to get a marketing makeover. The 235-acre redevelopment’s new partial owners said Thursday the project will be renamed and rebranded come January just as the first major office and multifamily buildings open up. “One year from now, we won’t be calling it Port Covington,” said MaryAnne Gilmartin, CEO of MAG Partners, the New York developer that bought into the project in May. “You will be excited when we reveal the new name. It’s a refresh.” The move is the latest by the new group of master developers who were brought in to advance the Port Covington project in May by Under Armour founder Kevin Plank.
Johns Hopkins researchers pinpoint significant gap between Baltimore City Public School buildings and those in rest of state
New data on the condition of Maryland school buildings shows a startling gap between Baltimore City and the rest of the state, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Public health, education and medical experts at Hopkins released the findings Tuesday of their study comparing the condition of Baltimore City Public School facilities with those in other counties using data provided in spring 2022 by the Interagency Commission on School Construction. The city school system had about 77,000 students enrolled last year. The commission, an independent board whose nine members are appointed by the governor, lawmakers and other state officials, collected data on the condition of K-12 school facilities across the state during the 2020-21 school year, a time when the COVID-19 pandemic moved instruction online for many students.
Rental assistance delays leave Baltimore tenants at risk as courts clear eviction backlog
For Sheila Riley and her family, the difference between remaining housed and homelessness came down to whether a rental assistance check would arrive in time. Riley and her husband had applied for funds in April after the couple lost their jobs early in the pandemic and struggled to get back on their feet. But for months, their West Baltimore apartment’s property management company failed to either fill out its half of the application, or to formally decline the funds. That would have allowed the Mayor’s Office of Children & Family Success, which oversees the city’s rental assistance funds, to make out the check directly to the Rileys.
Fair treatment is part of ethical journalism
A paramount principle of journalism is fairness. It’s essential when covering campaigns and elections. We strive to be accurate in describing candidates’ positions and to be thorough in capturing who they are. We don’t take sides in our news coverage. Our job is to gather and present information, to help voters learn what they need to know before they make choices. The Frederick News-Post’s coverage leading up to the July 19 primary took many forms. Our reporters wrote profiles of the four candidates for county executive, the 24 candidates for County Council and the three candidates for sheriff.
Carroll County Sheriff’s Office awarded state grant to help with hiring and retention
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its efforts to hire and retain staff. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners unanimously approved Thursday acceptance of a $63,500 Police Retention and Recruitment grant from the state to help the sheriff’s office in those efforts. The grant will be used to assist with outreach, advertising and marketing efforts including using billboards, social media and job search sites, said Vicky McDonold, director of administrative services with the sheriff’s office. McDonold said the sheriff’s office plans to create a recruitment video and offer referral bonuses to staff for bringing in new candidates. The sheriff’s office is also exploring health and wellness initiatives to offer, such as trial gym memberships for staff.
Librarians and lawmakers push for greater access to e-books
Librarians and their legislative allies are pushing publishers of electronic books to lower their prices and relax licensing terms, an effort that could make it easier for millions of library users to borrow the increasingly popular digital versions of books. Supporters say the e-book lending legislation in several states would allow libraries to offer more digital material and shorten waitlists for popular titles. Over the long term, the measures might shore up libraries’ core mission in an increasingly digital environment.