Politics

A bill that would have curbed some public notice advertising revenue for newspapers in Maryland has been vetoed by Gov. Wes Moore (D). House Bill 1258 was one of four from the 2024 legislative session vetoed by Moore. Two others — identical House and Senate bills expanding the scope of work audiologists can do — were allowed to go into law without the signature of the governor.

Baltimore’s top health official will step down at the end of June, as part of a series of planned changes in city leadership. Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, the deputy mayor for Equity, Health, and Human Services, will leave her role June 5, according to a memorandum from Chief Administrative Officer Faith Leach obtained by The Baltimore Sun.

Leadership from a state-sanctioned commission on public health came to Hagerstown on Thursday for their second listening session designed to gather feedback and improve health outcomes for Marylanders. “For many years the people in this room have been pursuing this ‘Great White Whale,’ which is improved health outcomes,” said Garrett County Health Officer Bob Stephens, alluding to Herman Melville’s 1851 novel “Moby-Dick” and speaking to about a dozen professionals in a Washington County Health Department facility in Hagerstown at 925 North Burhans Blvd.

Gov. Wes Moore waded through hundreds of pieces of legislation and has signed over a thousand since the 2024 legislative session ended in April. But one juvenile justice bill sponsored in honor of a slain teen girl never saw ink from his ceremonial pen. The NyKayla Strawder Memorial Act never even reached his desk.

The Prince George’s County Council passed a $5.46 billion operating budget in a majority vote Thursday, focusing on priorities such as public safety while faced with limited funding. Chair Jolene Ivey (District 5) said a $171 million budget shortfall, higher interest rates along with rising inflation and the end of coronavirus pandemic funds meant the council had to be judicious in what it was going to fund for the fiscal year.

The Baltimore County Council approved County Executive Johnny Olszewski’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget Thursday with a single amendment that halved a pot of money intended to fund the potential addition of two members to the council. The council passed the budget unanimously, after voting last week to cut $600,000 from a $1.2 million line item that would allow the county council to expand offices to account for potential additional members.

Top Baltimore leaders said City Hall has plans to create an opioid overdose office and release a public tracker for overdose-related deaths. At a Thursday budgeting hearing for her office, Chief Administrative Officer Faith Leach said Baltimore officials have for months been working to expand services for people addicted to opioids, and hope to do so using potential settlement money from an ongoing city lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that produced the addictive drugs.