Politics

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called a letter from Gov. Larry Hogan criticizing efforts to reduce violent crime “publicity games.”

For the first time in a decade, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D) will have a Republican opponent to campaign against — if he can beat Robbie Leonard (D) in the 2022 primary election.

As the U.S. mourns the victims of its latest mass shooting — 19 elementary school students and two teachers gunned down in Texas — Democratic governors are amplifying their calls for greater restrictions on guns.

Wes Moore, a Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, announced Monday that he has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Moore, 43, who is seeking the Democratic party’s nomination, revealed on Twitter that he is infected but asymptomatic.

A day after a list of 305 Baltimore police officers with credibility and integrity issues became public, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said he’s concerned the information will further erode the department’s relationship with the community and hurt officer morale. Harrison said he had never seen the list before and was surprised to see some of the names, claiming the majority of the 177 officers listed who still work in the department did not have sustained complaints against them. The list includes several high-ranking officers within the department, including a former head of internal affairs and a former deputy chief of patrol.

Maria Vicente has no health insurance. During five pregnancies the only time she saw a doctor was in the delivery room. She lost two children from lack of prenatal care and complications giving birth. The 37-year-old fled poverty in Guatemala for a better life in the United States. Since immigrating in 2006, she has worked as a housekeeper or in construction, as does her husband, when jobs are available and they are healthy. Vicente volunteers to distribute food to people in need like herself, whose lives have been upended by pandemic-related social, economic and health issues, which hit her majority Latino community in Prince George’s County particularly hard. According to the Maryland Department of Health, Langley Park has consistently had the highest COVID incidence rates in the state.

The Baltimore County Council unanimously approved a bill Thursday creating a police accountability board — but without several changes that advocates for reform said would strengthen the new panel. By a 4-3 vote, the council also passed an amendment prohibiting people convicted of felonies and certain misdemeanors from serving on the board for 10 years.

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman signed his final county budget for the 2023 fiscal year Wednesday. ”We fully funded education, we fully funded public safety, and we cut taxes,” Glassman said. The Harford County Council finalized the fiscal 2023 budget Tuesday night.