Politics

A supermarket in Buffalo, New York, became the scene of another mass shooting on Saturday. The FBI says that 10 out of 13 people died after they were shot by 18-year-old Payton Gendron. Gendron was motivated by racial hatred, according to authorities. “He specifically went to this area in Buffalo because that zip code has the highest number of African-American citizens in that region in the state of New York,” Michael Greenberg, the director of the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, said. Greenberg is an expert in homeland security and terrorism who has been looking at the suspect’s past before the Saturday shooting.

The election for state comptroller is literally coming to a gas station near you, after Democratic contender Timothy J. Adams announced a new ad on Thursday highlighting high gas prices. In the ad, which will be played on screens at gas station pumps as well as online, Adams says the state’s gasoline tax holiday should have been extended beyond the 30 days enacted by the General Assembly earlier this year.

In the last few days, there has been two mass shootings in Baltimore City. The crime and efforts to fight it have been a topic that many politicians are discussing. Some leaders are questioning if others are doing enough to stop the violence. Wednesday, Governor Larry Hogan discussed the recent violence in Baltimore, including an instance where police say an assault rifle was used in a shooting where more than 60 rounds were fired in the 700 block of North Rose Street in East Baltimore.

Since a draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion overturning abortion rights in Roe v. Wade leaked last week, a group of Marylanders has started a push to repeal a bill that the General Assembly recently passed allowing health practitioners besides physicians — such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants — to provide abortion services.

A singular effort to protect Maryland’s local and state governments from increasingly common cyberattacks will soon click into higher gear after Gov. Larry Hogan signed a trio of cybersecurity preparedness bills into law Thursday. The bills, among several dozen the governor put his signature on during one of the final bill-signing ceremonies of the 2022 legislative session, follow a string of costly high-profile ransomware and other cyberattacks that temporarily crippled Maryland governmental bodies .

Carroll County parent Sarah Lau held back tears as she watched dozens of protesters line up outside the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday in Westminster. The protestors were there to support the display of rainbow pride flags inside public school buildings. “It’s beautiful,” said Lau, who recalled being bullied as a gay student in the school system. “I was doing this 20 years ago because I hoped this generation would not have to do this; it’s heartbreaking to me, but I’m glad to see the support.”