Around Maryland

Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) gave his support to the efforts of the FBI and United States Marshals to track down his former chief of staff, Roy McGrath, who failed to appear in court in Baltimore on March 13. “Governor Hogan fully supports local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts to resolve this situation,” a Hogan spokesperson said. After McGrath failed to appear in court for his criminal trial in Baltimore, a federal arrest warrant was issued. Federal authorities are now offering $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Some Montgomery County Public School staff say the district lacks willingness to more vocally support its LGBTQ-inclusive policies in the face of backlash. The school district recently revised its policy regarding the use of LGBTQ+ inclusive books in schools, saying families should not expect to receive prior alert when their student engages with these materials.

Frederick County career firefighters will see salary increases in the next fiscal year following an agreement between their union and the county that was announced on Wednesday. Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Stephen Jones, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3666 president, signed a two-year contract on Wednesday on the agreement. It will take effect on July 1, a news release from the county said.

Marylanders are expected to vote in 2024 on whether to enshrine access to abortion in the state constitution, following the House of Delegates’ passage of legislation championed by Speaker Adrienne A. Jones. The House voted 98-38 Thursday to pass Senate Bill 798, which was drafted to provide voters the chance to guarantee “every person … the fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including the ability to “prevent, continue or end one’s own pregnancy” without interference from the state.

Michael Silver says he began to observe antisemitic behavior almost immediately after moving to Baltimore five years ago. He said he hasn’t encountered violence personally, but remembered hearing a conversation in a Station North bar where college students were trivializing the Holocaust. “They were saying there was too much emphasis put on it,” the 33-year-old Pigtown resident recalled. “Two weeks ago, I had a manager [at work] say, ‘Jews are really cheap.’ … It is a big deal, and it is a racial thing. I’ve had a lot of people say things that are bombastic and incendiary.”

It’s tedious having to always update your phone, but it may be worth it thanks to a nod to Baltimore in the form of a new emoji — a black bird that could work as a raven. The icon was one of 21 emojis the iOS 16.4 update introduced this week. As if people needed more emoji options to use instead of their words. The black bird option started making the rounds on Twitter, naturally, and people are calling it a raven. It could pass for one, depending on how you look at it.

A three-judge panel on Maryland’s Court of Appeals Tuesday reinstated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed.  The judges have asked the Circuit Court of Baltimore City for a do-over in the hearing on whether Syed should be released. Syed was accused of killing Hae Min Lee. Lee in 1999 and was subject of the popular podcast, “Serial.” His first trial ended in a mistrial. A jury convicted him in a second trial. Syed had been in jail since his arrest in February 1999.