Politics

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order this week to protect gender-affirming health care. Baltimore Safe Haven called it a huge move by the governor that is putting Maryland on the map as a sanctuary state. Sheresse Jackson moved to Baltimore from Philadelphia to find sanctuary. She said she did not feel safe there as a transgender woman.

In his continued push for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Rep. David Trone (D-6th) sought to encourage a growing demographic bloc in the state to back him. And he did it on the home turf of one of his leading opponents. Trone served as guest speaker Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Latino Democrats of Prince George’s County at the Riviera Tapas Bar in Riverdale.

It is possible Baltimore drivers do not have the lead feet the city once thought? As the city approaches the one-year mark since the installation of speed cameras along an infamously dangerous section of Interstate 83, transportation officials are finding the number of citations issued has been significantly fewer than expected — leaving a substantial hole in the municipal budget.

On a summer Sunday almost three years ago, then-Gov. Larry Hogan received a phone call from his lawyer about a brewing scandal. Hogan’s new top aide, Roy McGrath, had negotiated a $200,000 payout when he left the Maryland Environmental Service earlier that summer for the governor’s office. McGrath negotiated the deal under the pretext that the governor had given his blessing.

The Anne Arundel County Council passed legislation Monday night limiting the use of plastic bags in the county and approving a public campaign finance option for local candidates. The plastic bag legislation will restrict certain retailers from offering plastic bags and require them to charge 10 cents a piece for paper bags.

Two finalists have been named in the search for Maryland’s next bar counsel, a powerful job that involves prosecuting attorneys accused of ethical breaches. The state Attorney Grievance Commission announced this week that John J. Kuchno, deputy chief of litigation in the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, and D. Michael Lyles, the city attorney for Annapolis, are both being considered for the role.

The Baltimore County Council voted unanimously Monday to overturn its prior approval of a controversial plan to build a 3-million-square-foot industrial park at the former LaFarge Quarry in Middle River. The project, approved 4-3 by the council in October, has faced loud opposition from residents, who have said it would harm the environment and overwhelm roads in the rural area.