Around Maryland

The patchwork system of safety regulations pertaining to massive cargo ships like the one that toppled a major bridge in Baltimore this week can allow freight transporters to skirt oversight, critics say, making maritime shipping what one expert called “the weakest link in the transportation system.” The thousands of container ships that carry more than 80% of all goods moved around the world are governed by rules established by the International Maritime Organization in London that are enforced by the various countries where ships are based and ports across the world.

A new county bill aims to combat human trafficking by adding more restrictions to current zoning law that make it harder to conduct illegal activities in massage parlors, spas and other bodywork businesses. Among the requirements are that a bodywork business get prior zoning approval by submitting copies of all state-required licenses to the county’s zoning administrator, as well as a list of current employees.

The Montgomery County police department has not properly overseen the contractors that handle red-light and speed camera citations, leading to questions concerning revenue collection, according to an audit report released Thursday by the county inspector general’s office. The Office of the Inspector General audited the department’s financial transactions and processes for the first time after the 2020 passage of a county law that expanded its responsibilities, the office said in an email to MoCo360.

As recovery efforts slow down and long-term investigations begin into how a large cargo ship crashed into a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday, officials are evaluating how they can remove the cargo ship and debris from the downed section of the bridge. Maryland State Police said they will continue to search for the remains of the construction workers who fell into the Patapsco River when the bridge collapsed after dangerous debris from the bridge has been cleared.

The six construction workers who fell to their death when Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed were all Latino immigrants ranging from ages 26 to 49. They were described as hardworking, humble men, dedicated to their spouses, children and families in their homelands. Foreign embassies have confirmed the men to be from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.

The dispatch calls from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police show just how close the Key Bridge collapse came to being an even worse disaster. The transcripts of the audio from early Tuesday morning show the police only had a few minutes to shut down the highway as the bridge was on a collision course.

When a nearly 1,000-foot-long container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, its bow appeared to cut directly into one of the concrete supports holding up the structure, skirting above the modest protective barriers at its base.

By a single-vote margin, the Maryland Supreme Court has decided to continue conversations regarding the adoption of mandatory continuing legal education for Maryland attorneys. The 4-3 vote reached by the justices on Wednesday afternoon after an hour-long virtual meeting reflected the split nature of opinions on mandatory CLE held by attorneys and Maryland legal organizations who previously submitted written and verbal comments on the matter.