Politics

Former Maryland state Sen. Jennie Forehand, who represented Gaithersburg and Rockville in the General Assembly for 36 years, died Tuesday following “a long struggle” with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a family obituary. She was a prominent Democratic leader on health policy, reproductive rights and protections for survivors of domestic violence—and an early opponent of indoor smoking—and leaves behind a legacy of tireless advocacy and forward-thinking progressivism, according to her friends and former colleagues.

The Baltimore County Council has decided to delay an approval vote on the 2030 Master Plan, which was already three years late due to the pandemic. By one member’s estimates, it could take weeks before a vote is considered. According to a Sept. 22 letter they sent to Planning Director Steve Lafferty, the County Council is deferring that vote until the department can provide a physical copy of the plan, citing “a lack of accessibility and usability.”

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris said on social media Friday that he’d support House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, a Republican, to be the next speaker of the House. Former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role Wednesday, after 216 representatives — eight Republicans and 208 Democrats — voted to remove him, The Baltimore Sun reported. Harris, Maryland’s only Republican in Congress, voted to keep McCarthy in the role. He did not publicly explain his decision.

Maryland lawmakers secured $400,000 in funding last month for an Anne Arundel County-based diversion program for youths accused of low-level offenses. The program is called Fresh START (which stands for Fresh Safe, Trauma-Informed, Accountable, Restorative, Transparent). Maryland Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Maryland Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer and John Sarbanes, secured the funding through the Department of Justice’s Byrne Discretionary Grants Program.

For the second year in a row, Prince George’s County, Maryland, launched its monthlong countywide breast cancer awareness program. It’s called “Prince George’s Goes Pink,” said Sonja Welborne, director of stakeholder engagement and affairs for the county executive’s office. “It’s a scary time when you have to go back for a mammogram or when you feel that lump,” she said. “We wanted to raise awareness to make sure the resources are available to the residents.”

Residents and business owners in Mount Airy will have the opportunity to comment on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the smoking of cannabis at a business that sells it in the municipality. There are two dispensaries in Carroll County that sell recreational cannabis. Both are in Westminster and both are under the city’s jurisdiction. There are none in Mount Airy. The Mount Airy Town Council will hold a public hearing on legislation that would ban the consumption of cannabis at any future dispensaries that would open or at vape shops already doing business in town.

The president of the Baltimore NAACP called for the resignation of two city housing officials and said that Mayor Brandon Scott “needs to either step up and lead or step aside” following a Thursday night fire at a vacant building that damaged the adjacent offices of the civil rights organization. Rev. Kobi Little said the blaze could have been avoided and was the result of the city failing to address dumping or to remediate or secure a vacant building at 2 West 26th St.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) joined 16 other attorneys general in an amicus brief this week to support the state of Hawaii’s effort to ban butterfly knives. The brief requests that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit of Hawaii allow an “en banc” hearing, or reconsideration by a panel of judges, to reassess a decision made in August that invalidated the state’s ban on butterfly knives.

The more than 25-year-old grist millwheel used to teach about the production of grain at the Union Mills Homestead in Westminster will be replaced. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted 4-1 Thursday to hire B.E. Hassett Millwrights, Inc., of Harrods Creek, Kentucky, to replace the millwheel, gear and shaft at a cost of $280,000. The Union Mills Homestead is a historic landmark 7 miles north of Westminster. The museum contains American rural artifacts and includes a main house, blacksmith shop and functioning grist mill.