Politics

Gov. Larry Hogan will speak Tuesday afternoon at the State House in Annapolis. He will hold a press conference to provide an update on the COVID-19 vaccination plan in Maryland. The governor will speak at 2 p.m.

Maryland is shifting small amounts of coronavirus vaccine doses to private pharmacies as state health officials prepare for what they hope will be increased shipments later in the spring. Acting Health Secretary Dennis Schrader said the decision was an effort to create a hybrid delivery system of private and government vaccination clinics. But the move to include a small number of private pharmacies including Walmart and Giant, mostly in western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, raised the ire of some lawmakers who say the decision is making it harder for people who have higher risks to get a shot.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced Friday that the city will retain Water Meter Shop operations and staff as part of the Department of Public Works while implementing a plan to overhaul Meter Shop operations for a better-functioning water system. The Meter Shop manages the placement and maintenance of all Baltimore City and County water meters.

Maryland lawmakers are seeking to amend the state constitution to establish that everybody has an inalienable right to a healthy environment. “I think it’s important to formally recognize environmental rights as civil rights,” the bill’s sponsor Del. Wanika B. Fisher (D-Prince George’s) said during a House Environment and Transportation Committee hearing Wednesday afternoon. “This issue is dear to my heart as my constituents face the harsh effects of environmental injustice.”