Politics

Maryland and Baltimore City leaders showed up Tuesday evening to hear out Brooklyn neighborhood residents, still grieving after this month’s mass shooting. “Because of the shooting, good things are happening. I hate to say it like that. Sometimes things happen and change comes about,” said resident Stephanie White. White has lived in Brooklyn for 20 years. She said she has never seen anything as bad as the shooting that killed two and injured 28 people.

More federal public safety resources are coming to Baltimore, including FBI agents, U.S. attorneys and DEA agents. Lawmakers said a majority of the conversation at Wednesday’s meeting at the U.S. Capitol was about public safety and working together to bring down crime in Baltimore. Officials announced more federal positions coming to Baltimore as just one way they’re helping achieve that goal.

Councilman Zeke Cohen said he and others are frustrated that three popular Baltimore City pools are closed this far into the summer. “There should be no excuses to have any pools in Baltimore closed,” Cohen said. The Patterson Park Pool and Cherry Hill Splash Park are closed for renovations, while Lake Clifton Pool is closed because of mechanical issues that the city said it expects to have fixed by Friday.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore reacted Wednesday to a projected budget deficit that could be $1billion by 2028. The Department of Legislative Services report showed the 2025 state budget deficit will reach the half-billion dollar mark. Moore admitted there are challenging economic times ahead. “We had an unprecedented amount of federal infusion of cash in support of Maryland’s budget,” Moore said.

In the competitive race for Maryland’s opening U.S. Senate seat, most political observers see the Democratic primary as a two-candidate race, so far. U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-District 6, has dramatically outspent Democratic Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, according to Federal Election Commission records. But that’s primarily because he loaned his campaign $10 million.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke on Tuesday about making internet access more affordable to residents of the state. Under the program, backed by federal dollars, Marylanders who qualify would get $30 off of home web access. Moore said that means free access with basic plans. “This type of investment and this type of partnership that we have both on the private side and on the federal side becomes so incredibly important because you can not have the infrastructure if people can not afford to benefit from it,” Moore said.

Mayor Brandon Scott made it official on Monday when he nominated Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley to the position permanently in a motion before the Baltimore City Council. Worley, who entered the role in a temporary capacity after former Commissioner Michael Harrison surprised the city by announcing he would step down, appears to face a smooth path to confirmation.

Two bills aimed at tightening regulations on addiction treatment centers in Anne Arundel failed to pass the County Council on Monday night. The first bill, sponsored by council member Nathan Volke, a Republican from Pasadena, would have required certain treatment facilities to comply with fire safety standards. The bill also would have inserted definitions into the county code for group homes and recovery residences that would restrict providers who offer the entire continuum of drug treatment care from running recovery residences.