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Politics

Child marriage, interrogation of minors, gun storage security among topics of new laws in effect Saturday
October 3, 2022 -

Protecting children, reducing high-speed highway crashes and preventing gun theft are some of the aims of hundreds of new Maryland state laws going into effect Saturday. Maryland lawmakers and Gov. Larry Hogan ushered 783 bills from start to finish during the General Assembly’s 90-day session earlier this year. Many of those bills went into effect immediately or during the summer. Hundreds more were scheduled to officially kick-in Saturday, including an expansion of the state’s “move over” law, new security requirements for gun shop owners and a law that no longer allows 15- and 16-year-olds to marry.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Harford County Circuit Court judge grants injunction to halt Abingdon Woods tree clearing until Chesapeake Bay Foundation case is heard
October 3, 2022 -

A Harford County Circuit Court judge on Friday granted the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s request for an injunction to halt tree clearing at the proposed Abingdon Woods development. The injunction will prevent any trees from being cut while the Chesapeake Bay Foundation pursues its lawsuit challenging the project’s forest conservation plan. The decision was made after the developers — Harford Investors LLP and BTC III 1-95 Logistics Center LLC— agreed to not challenge the injunction, according to a news release from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Read More: The Aegis
Election mail envelope
When will my Maryland general election mail ballot arrive?
October 3, 2022 -

The schedule of when mail ballots are going to be counted this fall may be in legal limbo, but the schedule for sending them out to voters has not changed. More than half a million Maryland voters have asked to be sent ballots this fall, and by the time it’s all said and done, more than 1 million Marylanders might vote with mail ballots. These ballots are generally returned to elections officials through the postal service or ballot drop boxes that will be set up. If you’ve already requested a mail ballot, you can expect to see it soon.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
As judges rule against Dan Cox, Md. Dems press him to accept results
September 30, 2022 -

Judges on Thursday ruled against Dan Cox’s effort to stop poll workers from confidentially counting mail-in ballots early, as his political opponents amplified concerns about whether the GOP nominee for Maryland governor will accept the results of the November election. Cox has repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether he would respect the results if judges ruled against him, only saying he would accept the outcome if ballots were counted after Election Day, as has been the normal practice. Cox’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the ruling. He previously committed to accepting the results in his race against Wes Moore (D) if the rules were not changed, saying relief sought by the State Board of Elections after a bruising primary cycle marked by delayed results would sow mistrust in the system, and that such changes should be enacted by the legislature, not by a court during the height of campaign season.

Read More: Washington Post
Aging water infrastructure at the root of Baltimore E. coli contamination, city officials say
September 30, 2022 -

Baltimore officials identified a likely cause of the E. coli contamination that left much of West Baltimore under a water boil advisory earlier this month, pointing to a series of failures stemming from the city’s aging water infrastructure. The explanation, which officials laid out in a hearing on the episode before the City Council Thursday, comes a few weeks after the city Department of Public Works warned residents of possible E. coli contamination in the Harlem Park and Sandtown-Winchester neighborhoods of West Baltimore. The city received positive tests of bacteria in the water system on Saturday, Sept. 3, but residents didn’t learn about the contamination until two days later, on Labor Day morning.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
County Council candidates differ at forum on how to fund transportation projects
September 30, 2022 -

Frederick County Council candidates on Thursday generally agreed that the county should expand trail systems and improve road safety for bikers and pedestrians, but they were split about how to pay for the measures. “We have a lot of yeses here tonight,” said Brad Young, a Democrat and one of four candidates running for the council’s two at-large seats. “But when push comes to shove to fund that yes, you have to have the money. And we have a lot of candidates that are running that are proposing that we freeze our tax rate.” One of those candidates is Tony Chmelik, a Republican also running in the at-large race in the Nov. 8 general election.

Read More: Fredrick News Post
Voters uncertain whether next Maryland governor can allay their ‘kitchen table’ economic concerns
September 30, 2022 -

Voters choosing Maryland’s next governor may be ready for relief from the higher costs of gas, groceries, credit cards and other aspects of everyday life. Less certain though is whether frustration over economic issues will be seen as enough of a state issue to drive them to the polls in that race or influence the choice between Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox and Wes Moore, the Democratic nominee. Like voters elsewhere in the U.S., Maryland residents have felt the pinch of inflation, which jumped to 8.3% in August, easing slightly as gas prices decreased but still near a 40-year high. And they’re seeing borrowing costs on home and auto loans rise as the Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates in a bid to control inflation.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Non-Tawes political notes: campaign finance miscreants, election timetable, new TV ads, new area code and more
September 30, 2022 -

About 15% of candidates for state and local offices failed to file their most recent campaign finance statements, which were due with the Maryland State Board of Elections on Aug. 30, on time. That’s almost twice the percentage of candidates that usually fail to meet the campaign finance reporting deadline, Jared DeMarinis, director of candidacy and campaign finance at the State Board of Elections, told board members Wednesday. Those latest campaign finance statements, known as “pre-general 1” reports, cover fundraising and spending activity from July 4 to Aug. 23 — a period that included the two weeks before the July 19 primaries and the month that followed them. DeMarinis said candidates fail to file their campaign reports on time for a variety of reasons, but that the number usually spikes immediately after a primary.

Read More: Maryland Matters
US Dollars
As revenue projections increase, Hogan expands raise for state workers
September 30, 2022 -

With federal largesse continuing to rain on the states, Maryland’s fiscal leaders upgraded their revenue estimates for the next two fiscal years on Thursday, and Gov. Larry Hogan (R) used the economic forecast to expand a scheduled pay increase for state employees. But the fiscal officials also cautioned that the U.S. economy has entered a new period of uncertainty and warned that state budget-writers must prepare for an economic slowdown. “Amidst all these good vibes and another quick uptick in revenues, let me be very clear: The party’s over,” said state Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) at a meeting of the Board of Revenue Estimates.

 

Read More: Maryland Matters
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Hough talks tax cuts, Fitzwater focuses on affordable housing in executive forum
September 29, 2022 -

County Councilwoman Jessica Fitzwater and state Sen. Michael Hough outlined their visions for Frederick County growth during a county executive candidate forum on Wednesday. Fitzwater and Hough were granted two minutes to respond to questions on topics that included their first 100 days in office, housing, and property and recordation taxes. “The biggest barrier in Frederick County is access to safe and affordable housing,” Fitzwater said. “It is a crisis.” Fitzwater, an elementary school music teacher finishing her second four-year term on the County Council, said the county must increase the number of affordable housing options for residents.

Read More: Frederick News Post

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