Politics

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) vowed to fight attempts to end the racial equity and inclusion policies used by private corporations. “Let me be clear: diversity is not a threat — it’s an asset,” Brown said in response to a threat of legal action by 13 Republican attorneys general. “Diversity initiatives address longstanding disparities that continue to persist in our society, while also enriching business, sparking innovation, and fostering greater understanding among individuals from various backgrounds and experiences. Embracing and supporting diversity is a moral imperative and smart business.”

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins is asking a federal judge to amend the conditions of his release to let him have two of his department-issued handguns as he “continues to work daily,” according to a court filing on Monday. Jenkins also said in an emailed statement to The Frederick News-Post on Tuesday that he is expecting “to make a decision as to when to rescind [his] ‘leave of absence’ status,” which has been in effect since mid-April. He did not provide a timetable for his decision.

Baltimore officials are pushing back against an order from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to assist residents with a wider range of sewage backups into their homes. Currently, under a pair of pilot programs, the city sends cleanup crews to Baltimore residents’ homes — or reimburses cleanup costs — only if a backup was caused by wet weather, which can overwhelm the aged sewer system because of cracks where rainwater can enter.

The Maryland Public Service Commission has scheduled two initial virtual public comment hearings on the multiyear rate plan filed in February by Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. The hearings are scheduled for Aug. 9 and 23, both at 7 p.m. The commission will schedule an additional public comment hearing at a later date.

Baltimore paid more than $33,000 last year for cellphones that city officials neglected to turn off after the election was over, an investigation by Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming found. The 400 phones, which the Baltimore Board of Elections uses on a temporary basis for election employees and judges, are typically activated a month before a primary and deactivated after the subsequent general election.

Maryland Transit Administration leadership will host five open houses to seek feedback on the Red Line, the east-west public transportation line revived last month by Gov. Wes Moore’s administration. The information sessions on the once-canceled transit project will run from Wednesday until next Tuesday throughout the city and in Baltimore County.

It has been more than two months since Maryland’s 6th congressional district seat — by far the most competitive in the state — came open. But while half a dozen candidates have already come forward in the Democratic and Republican primaries, there’s a sense among political professionals that the field isn’t anywhere near complete — and that some of the biggest names have yet to step forward.

State Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and the delegates from his legislative district are weighing in on the ranging controversy over Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.’s installation of natural gas regulators outside homes throughout the city. With a Public Service Commission hearing on complaints about the initiative scheduled for next month, the lawmakers wrote Monday to Fred Hoover, the new PSC chair, urging the commission to objectively consider residents’ concerns and not just rely on information provided by BGE.

In the United States, health concerns that land someone in the hospital or require multiple visit to the doctor can be a taxing experience on emotional, logistical and financial fronts. But for about 17% of Marylanders facing medical debt, these struggles get compounded, leading to additional stressors that can further impact health outcomes, particularly for Black families and patients, according to economic policy organizations.