Politics

More than two dozen pedestrians and bicyclists have died on Prince George’s County, Maryland, roads this year. That’s partly why groups that advocate for safer, more multimodal streets are hailing a package of legislation titled the “Walkable Urban Streets Act” that’s moving through the Prince George’s County Council. The legislation, backed by District 3 councilman Eric Olson, aims to change the way streets, sidewalks and bike lanes are constructed in the denser, busier parts of the county.

With two days before a partial government shutdown, House Republicans held their first impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday over unproven allegations that President Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings overseas. Witnesses tapped by Republicans for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing acknowledged that there was no evidence showing that the president profited from his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings when he was vice president in the Obama administration.

Maryland Secretary of Housing and Community Development Jacob Day got a taste of Frederick on Thursday, visiting several sites around the city and meeting with local officials. County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, D, said she’s always excited for officials from the state to see the good things happening in Frederick County.

Maryland’s economic outlook remained relatively unchanged over the last six months, but the state remains at an elevated risk of a recession, according to revenue projections released Thursday. Comptroller Brooke Lierman, though, said during a Board of Revenue Estimates meeting that Maryland’s economy remains stable and that she’s “cautiously optimistic” the state will continue to see modest economic growth and avoid a recession.

Montgomery County Council members are calling on the county’s superintendent and Board of Education president to release more information on how allegations of misconduct are handled. Specifically, the council members said they want a report on allegations of bullying and sexual harassment by a school principal to be released to the public.

Members of the Baltimore City Council pushed for stronger police protocols as well as enforcement of those measures Wednesday during their third hearing on the city’s deadly Brooklyn Day mass shooting. The council has been probing the July 2 shooting where two were killed and 28 more injured at the annual festival in south Baltimore.

The Montgomery County Council passed a bill that would ban the use and sale of gas-powered leaf blowers in the Maryland county Tuesday. It comes after the council were prepared to vote on the proposal in March, but it had been tabled after there were some lingering questions about the bill. The council said that the ban on selling gas-powered leaf blowers will go into effect on July 1, 2024, while the ban of using those leaf blowers will start on July 1, 2025.

Thanks to a break from tradition, the usually sweltering summer heat at the J. Millard Tawes Crab & Clam Bake now offers a cool, comfortable fall breeze, where Maryland’s political establishment can still campaign, catch up and congregate in Crisfield. On Wednesday in the town of 2,500 in Somerset County, the energetic level of politicking didn’t overtake the aroma of fish sandwiches, fried clams and oysters.