Friday, March 29, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Politics

Ashanti Martinez is poised to join Pr. George’s statehouse delegation

Prince George’s County social justice activist Ashanti Martinez is poised to fill the District 22 House vacancy created when Alonzo T. Washington ascended to a Senate seat in Annapolis, bolstering the diverse group of voices representing county residents. Martinez, 26, was the only person to apply to the open seat by the Tuesday deadline, after early interest from competitors with more years of political experience, such as artist Rushern “Rush” Baker IV, son of former Prince George’s County executive Rushern L. Baker III, and the University of Maryland’s associate director of government relations, Molly Mckee-Seabrook.

Maryland Senate hears testimony on bills to further regulate where guns can be carried, who can buy them

A legislative committee heard over 10 hours of testimony on a series of bills that would regulate specifically who can carry guns in public in Maryland, and where they can go while armed. A bill that would bar guns within 100 feet of courthouses, arenas, hospitals, libraries, hotels and any other “place of public accommodation” drew the most testimony by far, at more than six hours. It’s sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher of Montgomery County.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
State of the Union guests included Anne Arundel crisis response director, Holocaust survivor from Rockville

A Holocaust survivor from Rockville who sat in the first lady’s box on an invite from the White House and a host of local leaders joined Maryland’s congressional delegation Tuesday night for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. During the president’s annual speech Biden called on congressional Republicans to “finish the job” and work with him to rebuild the economy while uniting the nation. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff invited Ruth Cohen, a survivor of the Holocaust who lives in Rockville, to join first lady Jill Biden in her viewing box. Cohen, who volunteers at the Holocaust Memorial Museum and was liberated from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945, met Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris last year in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Baltimore reaches agreement with BGE for conduit maintenance; proposal to go before spending board next week

Mayor Brandon Scott has finalized a proposed agreement with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. for the company to take over maintenance of Baltimore’s conduit system. The agreement calls for BGE to pay for $134 million for capital improvements to the system over the next four years. The utility also would pay an “occupancy fee” of $1.5 million annually. The deal needs the approval of the Board of Estimates, which the Democratic mayor controls. Currently, Baltimore owns and pays to maintain the 700-mile conduit system that carries utility lines beneath the city through a series of terra cotta pipes. BGE, the system’s biggest user, occupies 76% of the system and pays the city rent for its use.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Biden in State of the Union promises to ‘finish the job’

President Joe Biden exhorted Republicans over and over Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address meant to reassure a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions. The backdrop for the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker sitting expressionless behind Biden and GOP lawmakers in the audience preparing to scrutinize both his administration and his policies.

Gun legislation hearings draw hundreds to Annapolis for hours of testimony

Darlene Rainey sat outside an Annapolis hearing room on Tuesday, wondering if this would be the time that politicians would listen to her story and take action to cut down on the number of powerful guns in the community. “We’re losing too many. There’s so many guns on the streets,” Rainey said. “At what point are you going to say no?” Rainey’s son, Lamont W. Adair Jr., was murdered in Prince George’s County in 2018. Ever since, she’s been an advocate for justice not only for her son’s life, but also for laws that she hopes will keep guns out of the hands of those who would harm others. She’s been to press conferences and rallies, and on Tuesday she was at the Maryland Senate, where the Judicial Proceedings Committee considered several bills to restrict how people can obtain and use guns.

Maryland lawmakers consider police use of facial recognition technology, decriminalization of drug paraphernalia

Police in Maryland would be barred from using facial recognition technology in certain circumstances under a bill lawmakers considered in a state House committee hearing Tuesday. The bill would be the first successful attempt to regulate the use of facial recognition technology for law enforcement at a statewide level in Maryland. Public defenders and prosecutors alike told lawmakers they believe some restrictions should be enacted, though they disagree how far those restrictions should go. “This is a very complicated topic,” said Del. David Moon, a Montgomery County Democrat who sponsored the House version of the bill. He suggested during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that it was better for everyone to get together on some rules, “rather than have nothing whatsoever.”

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates scraps plans for foundation while in office

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is scrapping plans for a nonprofit foundation that was expected to accept contributions — from donors it would not have to disclose under the law — to pay for events while he served as the city’s top prosecutor. Building Bridges for a Better Baltimore Foundation, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization established in late October, sponsored Bates’ week of inauguration festivities and reported that its purpose included “providing financial support to organizations in Baltimore City that serve our residents in need.” Bates’ father, Henry, and the secretary of his transition team, Shonte Eldridge, were among its board of directors.

Baltimore City Councilmembers call for pay raises for sanitation workers

Two Baltimore City Councilmembers are calling for pay increases for the city’s sanitation workers in hopes of restoring weekly recycling pickup for residents, which has been suspended for more than two years since the outbreak of the pandemic. With the pandemic eased, the city now says the staffing shortages amid a competitive labor market have prevented restoring weekly recycling pickup. Jason Mitchell, the outgoing director for the city’s Department of Public Works, has told the council in the past that starting salaries for sanitation workers have hindered his ability to attract new workers.

The General Assembly takes its first step toward cannabis regulation. Here’s what’s in the new bill.

After months of anticipation, members of the General Assembly, lobbyists, business owners and potential license holders can finally start to pore over the details of how Maryland will enter the recreational cannabis industry. House Ways and Means Chair Vanessa Atterbeary and Economic Matters Committee Chair C.T. Wilson have taken up the legislation in the House chamber, and Senate Finance Committee Chair Melony Griffith and Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee Chair Brian Feldman will seek to usher it through the Senate.

Read More: Baltimore Sun

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