Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will hit another key milestone in his nascent administration when he delivers his first State of the State address to the General Assembly — and the people of the state — at noon on Wednesday. Here are key facts about the State of the State and what to expect.
The new 988 crisis line, designed to replace the national 10-digit National Suicide Prevention hotline, is starting to gain traction in Maryland, one of the few states allocating direct funding to the effort, crisis responders said. The crisis line was among the topics discussed at a roundtable event on youth mental health in Baltimore on Friday, attended by Gov. Wes Moore, U.S Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and other government officials, crisis response providers, mental health advocacy organizations and youth advocates.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates spoke to WBAL Radio’s C4 and Bryan Nehman this morning and described what he called the “absolute disarray of the states attorney’s office left by the prior administration.” “Phenomenal lawyers who kept the boat afloat, however, the office was sinking faster than anybody would realize,” Bates described to the hosts on Monday morning.
Fixes to a state education financing agency that has come under fire in recent months may not come until late 2023, according to its executive director. Almost 500 account holders who invested in a prepaid college savings plan with Maryland 529 have reported being unable to access their money since spring 2022 or have received far lower payments than anticipated. That’s sparked two recent General Assembly committee hearings and calls for state officials to investigate.
With the ancient, dimly lit Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel behind him, President Joe Biden touted job creation and labor agreements Monday during a visit to Baltimore to highlight replacement of the tunnel, which has come to symbolize America’s crumbling infrastructure. The White House billed the speech as a “kickoff event” for a $6 billion, federally funded project to replace a 4-mile section of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, including the mile-long, 19th-century B&P Tunnel, with two tubes that will allow trains to travel at 100 mph.
In Episode 49, Damian is joined by Brandon Wright, Vice-President of Communications and Media Relations for the National Waste & Recycling Association. Join us for a look at how waste organizations support local communities, the nuances of the recycling industry, and what’s ahead for Maryland politics following Wes Moore’s historic election.
We hope to see you soon, in The Lobby.
President Joe Biden will tout job creation and labor agreements during a visit to Baltimore on Monday to highlight a $6 billion, federally funded project to replace the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which dates to the Civil War era, according to the White House. The White House is billing the speech as a “kickoff event” for the project, which will replace a 4-mile section of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, including the mile-long B&P Tunnel, with two tubes that will allow trains to travel at 100 mph. The old tunnel, built during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, is considered a bottleneck for both Amtrak and MARC trains because it forces trains to creep along at 30 mph or less.
In his first public comments since Gov. Wes Moore announced the decision to rescind Tom Kelso’s appointment as the chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, Kelso said he understood the decision and will continue working as long as necessary through the transition. “I respect Gov. Moore’s decision to name the chair of his choosing, and I am committed to continuing my work until the governor has named a new chair and the nominee is confirmed by the Senate,” Kelso said in a statement Sunday. “Once my successor is confirmed, I will work diligently through the transition to ensure our longstanding partnerships, including those with the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore City Public Schools and others remain strong and the great work of the MSA continues.”
The director of Maryland 529, which runs the state’s troubled college tuition savings program, offered new details late last week about the agency’s flawed new recordkeeping system in the wake of angry account holders descending on Annapolis to complain of the trust and its administrators. Executive Director Anthony P. Savia also offered a seven-page memo in response to questions members of the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees volleyed his way at a Jan. 19 hearing. The memo includes a timeline and history detailing the problems plaguing the Maryland Prepaid College Trust, one of Maryland 529’s two college tuition plans.
Could a three-day weekend become the norm? Maybe. At least for some workers in Maryland if the General Assembly gives the green light to a bill that creates a pilot program offering incentives to companies that cut the workweek from 40 to 32 hours — without reducing salaries. The idea of changing the workweek standard has been floated for decades. But it has been discussed with more frequency in recent years as companies confront pandemic-related stress, burnout and the “Great Resignation.”
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