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Policeman watching the St Patrick's parade
Black Troopers Allege Discrimination in Maryland State Police

The leader of Maryland State Police is going before state lawmakers Thursday to address accusations of racism and discrimination inside the department. The agency told News4 it flat out denies the allegations being made by some of its Black officers. Prince George’s County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins spent the past few months investigating officers’ concerns and digging into data that appears to show some disparities between the department’s Black and white officers.

Read More: NBC 4
Who is Stewart Bainum Jr.? Maryland-raised businessman whose nonprofit is in line to buy The Sun has had second careers in politics, philanthropy.

The Baltimore Sun is poised to be acquired by a nonprofit founded last month by Stewart Bainum Jr., a Montgomery County-raised business owner who has also been active in Maryland politics and philanthropy. The acquisition would include The Sun, The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, the Carroll County Times and other community newspapers in the Baltimore metro region.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Homeowners, renters in Md. struggling with payments during pandemic

Many homeowners and renters continue to fall behind on monthly payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now there’s a renewed push to ensure they don’t lose their homes or get evicted. Maryland has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country, according to Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is hopeful that states will get more help addressing housing issues in President Joe Biden’s $1.9-trillion pandemic-relief package working its way through Congress. Speaking with state lawmakers during a virtual meeting on Tuesday, the Democrat noted that by the end of last year, the delinquency rate on residential properties was 8.8%.

Read More: WTOP
After riot, impeachment trial, shaken Maryland congressional staff must navigate a U.S. Capitol forever changed

When they pull back the blinds, staff members in the office of U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger can look across Independence Avenue at the U.S. Capitol, which seems to glow at night. The view, once stirring, now unleashes more complicated emotions. The Baltimore County Democrat’s staff can’t uncouple the dome’s majesty from stomach-churning memories of the Jan. 6 Capitol siege — when they peeked out to watch rioters scaling the building — or from ongoing threats posed by right-wing extremists.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Who gets checks, tax breaks — and when — from Maryland’s coronavirus pandemic RELIEF Act package?

When Gov. Larry Hogan put pen to paper and signed the RELIEF Act into law, he triggered a series of maneuvers that will enable hundreds of thousands of state residents to get stimulus payments and many businesses to get tax breaks. The RELIEF Act is the Republican governor’s signature effort of the current General Assembly session. It’s a more than $1 billion combination of direct payments, tax breaks and business aid aimed at helping those taking the worst financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers expanded on the governor’s proposal and the bill won bipartisan support.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Ep. 4: Glass Ceilings with Robin Shaivitz

On episode 4 of The Lobby, the undeniably groundbreaking Robin Shaivitz, former Vice President & Senior Government Relations Advisor with the erstwhile firm Alexander & Cleaver, joins Damian for a new telling of her remarkably storied career as Annapolis’ original female contract-lobbyist.

Join us for an incredibly insightful conversation about fighting for what you believe in, finding success in chaos, and how to shatter glass ceilings.

We hope to see you soon in the Lobby.

A police car
Momentum grows to repeal Maryland Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. But how to replace it is up in the air.

For years, activists and a handful of Maryland lawmakers have tried and failed to nix the state’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, a 1974 act that enshrines in state law certain job protections and due process rights for police officers accused of misconduct. Now, what long appeared an uphill battle looks increasingly likely to reach its goal: that Maryland’s General Assembly will repeal the law, which critics have said goes beyond guaranteeing due process rights to shielding dirty officers from discipline.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
With Trump gone, Maryland Gov. Hogan becomes one of first governors to attend White House meeting with Biden

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan traveled to the White House for a meeting Friday, something he was loath to do during the administration of former president Donald Trump. The Republican governor attended an Oval Office session about COVID-19 relief with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a bipartisan group of other governors and mayors.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Help Keep Maryland Safe
Law enforcement officers dedicate their careers and risk their lives to protect Marylanders across the state. It’s a job like no other—uniquely dangerous and challenging—requiring life and death split-second decisions. When we call them, we expect them to be there. Visit: www.keepmarylandsafe.com to learn more.
Maryland House Democrats push to expand eligibility for covid relief

An effort by Maryland House Democrats to expand eligibility for Gov. Larry Hogan’s covid-19 stimulus plan, including to noncitizens, is receiving pushback from the Republican chief executive, who said it could jeopardize passage of the legislation and the help it would provide to others. “Anything they attempt to do to change the bill that’s already been passed unanimously by the Senate . . . it threatens the bill,” Hogan said Thursday.

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