Politics

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that 10 blockbuster, high-cost prescription drugs will be subject to price negotiation by Medicare — the first time that the federal government has been allowed to leverage its massive bargaining power to lower drug prices. The provision was one of several included in the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year that’s designed to lower drug costs for both Medicare beneficiaries and the federal government, which, taken together, will reduce the federal deficit by $237 billion by 2031, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Ashwani Jain, who ran for governor in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary, has filed to run for Congress in Maryland’s 6th District. Jain, who lives in Potomac, is a program director at the National Kidney Foundation. He previously served as the director of outreach for the Cancer Moonshot initiative spearheaded by then-Vice President Joe Biden.

Five months after the county first launched a free gun lock giveaway at three Anne Arundel County Public Library locations in April, it expanded it to all fifteen library sites Monday. The program, which began in April at the Michael E. Busch Annapolis, Glen Burnie and Eastport-Annapolis Neck library locations, offers up to two locks per person, instructions on how to use them and literature on gun safety storage to county residents who are at least 18 years old.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins announced he has reinstated himself to full duty status, four months after he said he was taking a leave of absence following his indictment by a federal grand jury on charges that accuse him of improperly helping a gun shop owner acquire machine guns. The announcement comes a few weeks after Jenkins’ attorneys said in court filings that he “continues to work daily, fulfilling his Constitutional Duty as the elected Sheriff of Frederick County … without his service pistol, at great personal risk to himself” and had resumed work after only “several days of sitting on the side lines.”

On the first day of school for his second year on the job, Principal Justin Holbrook likes to greet the students who move through the halls of Armistead Gardens Elementary School by name. The students remember his name, too. As he walked the hallways Monday, students wished a good morning to “Mr. Holbrook.” One of them reached out a small hand toward Holbrook, seeking, and receiving, a high-five.

Three people have filed to run for one seat on the Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners, according to the town’s election page. The three candidates are Glenn Blanchard, Dale L. Sharrer and Valerie Turnquist. The filing deadline was Friday. The current mayor, Donald Briggs, previously said he would not be seek re-election.

As the end of her 2020 mayoral campaign neared, Sheila Dixon said she wouldn’t run for mayor again if she lost the race. Three years later, however, the former Baltimore mayor may be staging another potential comeback. First there was a June appearance in which Fox 45 host Armstrong Williams referred to Dixon as a candidate for mayor. She didn’t correct him.

At the tail-end of a Baltimore summer marked by occasional scorching heat, several shuttered swimming pools and kids sneaking into locked facilities, City Council members urged parks officials to ensure that repairs don’t interrupt swim season next year. Officials from Baltimore City Recreation and Parks gathered Wednesday before City Council for questioning over closures at three popular spots this summer: Clifton Park’s pool experienced sporadic maintenance issues; Cherry Hill’s outdoor pool remains under renovation; and persistent flooding overwhelmed Patterson Park’s pool in early July, preventing it from opening.