Politics

WJZ is mourning the loss of Pat Warren, a co-worker for nearly 30 years who passed over the weekend. You may remember Pat Warren. She was an anchor, and reporter, who spent much of her time at WJZ covering Annapolis and the legislature. Pat grew up in Canton, Ohio, and came to WJZ from Texas in 1992, bringing to WJZ her professionalism, determination, and sharp, intelligent reporting.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday that the state will fund an additional $1 million in grants for local organizations and religious institutions to hire security in response to a recent wave of hate crimes and incidents. Eligible organizations can seek up to $40,000 in emergency state funding through the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to protect themselves against hate crimes, according to a news release from Moore’s office.

This year, the state commission that signs off on large solar projects has had five such cases, and between the farmers, local governments and developers involved, things have not always gone smoothly, the commission’s chair says. The energy industry veteran is trying to change that. “There has been, quite honestly, a lot of disagreements between the local governing authorities and the solar developer industry, and to a certain degree with some of the farm communities,” said Fred Hoover, chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission.

I may have been the only person to ride a bike to the public hearing on the new Baltimore County Bicycle and Pedestrian master plan. I rode down Allegheny Avenue, which is a major Towson artery, then turned right on Washington Avenue, which runs adjacent to the old courthouse, before arriving at 105 West Chesapeake Avenue, where the hearing was to be held.

The Frederick County government is asking the public to weigh in on priorities for the upcoming budget year, which begins on July 1, 2024. On Dec. 4, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater plans to host the first public hearing on the county’s operating and capital budgets for the upcoming budget year and the county’s Capital Improvement Program for fiscal years 2025-2030.

The first public hearing on Howard County Executive Calvin Ball’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget is set for Dec. 11. The hearing, intended to allow residents to comment on what county services and institutions should receive funding, will be held online at 6 p.m., Dec. 11. It can be watched live from the Howard County Council’s website. The link for the hearing will be listed under Upcoming Events.

A legislative work group established to assess Maryland Higher Education Commission policies for authorizing degree programs was tasked with producing a report with recommendations by Dec. 1, but that’s not going to happen. Sen. Nancy King (D-Montgomery), a co-chair of the Program Approval Process Workgroup, said in a recent interview that a report may not be ready until January. So far no recommendations have been offered to improve the commission’s process for approving new academic programs.