Politics

On the day he effectively ended his bid for governor, Rushern Baker spent hours fielding phone calls from his former Democratic rivals. All nine reached out almost immediately after news broke Friday morning that he had suspended active campaigning. Most praised him for the manner in which he campaigned — and for his record of public service, which dates back nearly 30 years. Left mostly unspoken was the obvious: Now that Baker is out of the race, the Democrats still battling for their party’s nomination would all love to have his endorsement. In an interview, former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) called Baker “the most experienced executive in the whole field.” He said Baker’s endorsement would be “very significant.”

Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Darryl Williams has issued the following statement and a letter to the Baltimore County Council following a letter that was sent calling for a new search for superintendent last week: “Earlier this week, certain members of the Baltimore County Council transmitted a letter to the Baltimore County Board of Education that, unfortunately, contained numerous inaccuracies.” “While I am not accustomed to this type of counterproductive political dialogue, I understand that we are in an election year and facts often get lost in rhetoric. With this in mind, and in order to set the record straight, I have provided the attached comprehensive response.”

Maryland will spend $28 million to study how to improve mobility in the U.S. 50/Route 301 corridor, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. announced on Friday. The “Tier 2” study will build upon a preliminary review the state concluded earlier this year. That study concluded that the best way to make crossing the Chesapeake Bay easier would be to add a third span near the existing Bay Bridge. Traffic engineers studied 14 “corridors” that ran the length of the bay before determining that Hogan’s preferred solution — a new crossing east of Annapolis — represented the best approach.

The leaders of the National Governors Association said Friday they’re forming a bipartisan working group to come up with recommendations to stop mass shootings following the Texas school massacre. Reaching consensus could be a tall order given that the nation’s governors have been divided along partisan lines on how to approach issues of gun control and school safety. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, the group’s chairman, and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, the vice chair, told the White House in a letter that they will convene a group of six to 10 governors, with a particular focus on making schools safe.

Gov. Larry Hogan is calling for a criminal investigation into the Baltimore City school system after the state’s education watchdog found inconsistencies among teachers, assistant principals and principals changing failing grades to passing ones. The Office of the Inspector General for Education’s recommended this week that Maryland State Department of Education authorize a performance audit of the city school system after its investigators found differing interpretations, applications and adherence to grade change procedures among high school staff.

A May 29 encounter between Howard County Council member Deb Jung and a group of young men has some county leaders asking for an apology. Representatives from the NAACP Howard County, Council of Elders of Howard County, Howard County African American Community Roundtable, other organizations and residents gathered outside the George Howard Building in Ellicott City Wednesday to address the encounter.

Gov. Larry Hogan announced a long-term plan Thursday to manage the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that centers on ensuring accessibility of the latest tests, vaccines and medications. “Our state public health response has now fully transitioned from an emergency into an ongoing operation of state government,” Hogan said at a news conference Thursday. Called COVIDReady Maryland, the long-term preparedness plan aims to maintain readiness for emerging variants and surges in cases so people stay healthy and out of the hospital.