Politics

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott Wednesday signed into law consumer protection legislation that broadens the Baltimore City Law Department’s ability to hold businesses who harm city residents through unfair, deceptive and abusive practices accountable for their actions. Maryland currently provides local governments the ability to regulate consumer protection issues. Previously, Baltimore has been operating under a consumer protection ordinance provision dating back to the 1970s which only provides criminal penalties for false advertising and limited the city’s ability to pursue legal action against companies that directly harm the city.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg presented grants to two Maryland community colleges Wednesday to help cover tuition in their commercial driver’s license programs. Prince George’s County Community College and Community College of Baltimore County received $173,640 and $197,410 respectively, to help with the cost of tuition for veterans, refugees, and the underserved. Gov. Wes Moore and staff from both schools attended the event in a PGCC parking lot.

Baltimore’s Department of Finance is steadily chipping away at the extensive backlog of outstanding invoices it owes to goods and services suppliers, thanks to the implementation of a new software system that is gradually transforming how the city runs, the chief financial officer said Tuesday. Speaking before members of Baltimore City Council, Michael Moiseyev said the cloud-based software, Workday, enables city government workers to communicate, monitor and settle late payments in real time, overhauling a previous “legacy” system that had become obsolete.

Baltimore public safety officials said Wednesday that they aim to expand a promising anti-gun violence strategy into its third policing district by the end of October, a few months later than originally planned. Leadership in the Baltimore Police Department and the mayor’s public safety office expressed confidence at a City Council hearing Wednesday that the Group Violence Reduction Strategy is continuing to put a dent in Baltimore’s violent crime, not only in the two districts where it has been implemented but for other parts of the city as well.

Longtime Hagerstown public servant Bob Bruchey resigned from the Hagerstown City Council at the end of Tuesday’s mayor and council meeting, according to a city release and a YouTube video of the meeting. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s great. Just an opportunity for me and my family to change a little bit of direction,” Bruchey said during the part of the meeting when council members comment on general matters.

Community members shared their views Tuesday on a new piece of legislation before the Montgomery County Council that would require firearms retailers to provide suicide prevention literature upon purchase. While most speakers supported the measure, a couple voiced concerns about infringement on gun shop owners’ First Amendment rights. In Maryland, 42% of all suicides are committed with a firearm and suicides make up 36% of all firearm deaths in the state, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Resort officials this week agreed to extend a conditional use agreement with Delmarva Power as a land swap nears completion. On Tuesday, the Mayor and Council agreed to extend a conditional use agreement, which will allow Delmarva Power to establish a battery energy storage system, or BESS, at 100th Street. Planning and Community Development Director Bill Neville told the council this week the extension request was the result of delays in a land swap between the company and the town.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) said his passion to remain as a member of the House of Representatives comes from defending the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. The congressman from Montgomery County said in an interview Monday that the idea to seek the Democratic nomination to replace longtime Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) “was very attractive to me.” But he’s committed to remain in his House seat.

New sidewalks, direct routes and safety measures for street crossings will be installed to help improve pedestrian safety as part of the Pedestrian Master Plan the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed on Tuesday. “The Pedestrian Master Plan is a visionary document with a level of specificity to help coordinate county government at all levels and in all departments and agencies to ensure our streets are safe for everybody. And these are really important if we want to enact our Vision Zero goals,” said Council President Evan Glass (D-At-large) .