Politics

Local and federal officials on Monday touted millions of dollars in federal investments in Baltimore City that will go toward expanding internet access for seniors and bring them up to speed on telemedicine. Roughly $2.35 million in congressional earmarks has been set aside to not only expand the city’s fiber optic network to local senior centers but also to develop three telehealth pilot programs, according to Mayor Brandon Scott’s office.

Jittery supporters of former Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz, a leading Republican candidate for governor locked in a tough primary fight with Frederick County Del. Daniel L. Cox, have comforted themselves knowing she has far more resources than Cox and can deploy the campaign cash in a variety of ways. Schulz is now set to blitz the airwaves, two months before early primary voting begins in the state.

As women candidates have made progress nationally and in Maryland over recent election cycles, a training program for Democratic women is seeing an increase in the number of candidates on the 2022 ballot. Emerge Maryland — an organization dedicated to electing more Democratic women to public office — has seen a big jump in candidates since last cycle.

Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles, the longest-serving environment secretary in state history, is stepping down next month to take the helm of a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, the group announced Monday. Grumbles will start June 1 as executive director of the Environmental Council of States. His move comes as Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s second and final term nears its end.

All Carroll County sheriff deputies will be outfitted with body-worn and in-car cameras with the aid of a $1.4 million federal grant. The Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021 was enacted by the General Assembly to bring changes to law enforcement throughout the state. Among other requirements, it states all law enforcement agencies in Maryland must provide officers who regularly interact with members of the public as part of their official duties with a body-worn camera by 2025.

In Texas, an advocacy group displayed an oversized image of an unsmiling U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on billboards with a message that the Texas Democrat doesn’t support term limits. In Utah, a primary challenger said Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee should end his campaign for a third term because he once backed a measure limiting senators to two terms. In Congress, scores of Republican lawmakers say they want to bind representatives to three terms and senators to two. The term limits debate is back, and its reemergence comes at an awkward time for Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland.

Michelle Obama represented the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on a national stage Saturday by sporting a UMBC T-shirt in a video promoting College Signing Day. The unexpected shout-out from the former first lady thrilled UMBC students and alumni, and spotlighted the achievements of the university. “To celebrate our eighth annual #CollegeSigningDay, I’m wearing a college shirt from UMBC, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution in Baltimore County, MD,” Obama said in a statement accompanying the video.