SPENDING PLAN PUTS TRANSPORTATION BUDGET ON MORE SOLID GROUND: Officials expressed relief after a draft version of Maryland’s next transportation spending plan came out this week. New fees and tax tweaks passed by the General Assembly this spring helped balance the ledgers for coming years, putting the Maryland Department of Transportation on more solid ground than in previous years. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.

HEALTH OFFICIALS HOPE TO CLARIFY CONFUSING COVID VACCINE LANDSCAPE: With the cold and flu season approaching, Maryland health officials issued guidance Wednesday on who may receive Covid-19 vaccines and whether insurance will cover the shots — a shifting landscape a top regulator described as “confusing.” Maryland Insurance Commissioner Marie Grant said, “I want to make sure that people reach out to us if they have any questions.” Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.

CRIME DOWN, GUN AVAILABILITY IS UP: Reported crime is on the decline in Baltimore, with homicides down 22% compared to this time last year and nearly 20% in nonfatal shootings — but across the state, more guns than ever are available for sale. The state’s volunteer board keeps adding more and more guns to the list of what Marylanders can buy and sell legally within the state’s borders, about a hundred at a time. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.

BPW EXPANDS PLACEMENTS FOR FOSTER CHILDREN: The Board of Public Works approved $465 million Wednesday to expand the number of beds available for placement of foster children, in what state officials called a “critical” step toward meeting youth care needs. The Department of Human Services contracts — $279 million for three year period and another $186 million for a two-year renewal — would be split between 31 child placement agencies statewide and would fund a total of 2,013 placement beds, an increase of 4.8% from the current levels. Nicole Pilsbury/Maryland Matters.

MARYLAND LEADERS EXPRESS GRIEF, HORROR OVER KILLING OF CHARLIE KIRK: Maryland leaders are weighing in after Charlie Kirk, the founder and CEO of conservative activist group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking on a college campus in Utah. In an X post after the shooting, Gov. Wes Moore condemned Kirk’s killing and wrote that “political violence is never acceptable.” In a statement, Maryland House Republicans said: “We cannot hate our way to a better America.” Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.

• Senate President Bill Ferguson said in a social media post Wednesday that, just as he “tragically” prayed for the family of Minnesota House Speaker Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, who were shot and killed in June, “I now pray for the Kirk family who is facing the unimaginable.” Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.

• On the other hand, Woodsboro Burgess Heath Barnes urged President Trump to declare martial law in response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He went on to write that we may be heading for a civil war in this country, and that “This is not a war that the left wants.” Woodsboro is a town of 1,000 just north of Frederick. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.

KIRK’s TURNING POINT ‘SAFE HAVEN’ FOR STATE’s CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS: Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point became a political boon for the conservative movement among young people and a safe haven for students on campus, according to several current and former Maryland college students. Kirk, 31, was killed on a Utah college campus yesterday where he was speaking. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE CONCERNED OVER CURTAILING OF DGS ROLE: Members of a legislative oversight committee expressed concerns Wednesday about what they see as a shift in state policy that could sharply curtail, if not end, the Department of General Services’ role in operating state government office buildings. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.

ANNAPOLIS MAYOR HOPEFULS AIR VIEWS A WEEK BEFORE PRIMARY: With less than a week before the Annapolis primary election, Democratic mayoral candidates Rhonda Pindell Charles and Jared Littmann presented their cases during a debate Wednesday on why they should be the next mayor of Annapolis. The winner in Tuesday’s primary election will face Republican Bob O’Shea, who has no primary challenger but still participated in the debate. William Ford/Maryland Matters.

SOME B’MORE RESIDENTS BALK AT MOORE’s PLAN FOR MORE POLICING: Baltimore community organizations are balking at Gov. Wes Moore’s plan to send a surge of Maryland State Police and Maryland Transportation Authority Police into the city. The concern is that increased policing will breed terror in the community, add a feeling of draconian oversight, open the door for a lack of transparency, endanger immigrants and cause increased arrests without actually lowering crime. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.

B’MORE COUNCIL PREZ NAMED ASPEN INSTITUTE ‘ASCEND FELLOW:’ Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen is among 20 leaders who were named an “Ascend Fellow” this year by the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit educational and research think tank that hosts various forums and conferences. The Ascend Fellows, this year coming from 14 states and the District of Columbia, were chosen for their commitment to “advancing the prosperity and well-being of all children and families.” Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.

AN ELEMENTARY’s LESSON IN COMBATTING ABSENTEEISM: Woodbridge Elementary Principal Lori Phelps says her school has employed a variety of interventions to combat chronic absenteeism, including providing rain jackets and boots to children. She has seen absenteeism plummet from 28% to around 6% since the beginning of Covid pandemic. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.

HOPES DIM FOR BEN CARSON’s SOLAR FARM: The future for Dr. Ben Carson’s proposed solar farm in Baltimore County doesn’t look bright. The pioneering neurosurgeon and his wife, Lacena, have been trying for two years to turn 33 of the 47 acres around their $2.4 million home in Upperco into a solar farm. For that to work, though, they need an easement from a neighbor, which the Baltimore County Agriculture Advisory Board would have to approve. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.

TOURISM ORG’s SUIT AGAINST HARFORD COUNTY DISMISSED: A lawsuit against Harford County launched by the county’s former tourism organization, Visit Harford, was thrown out Tuesday in the Harford County Circuit Court. Visit Harford launched the lawsuit in July 2024, claiming that the Cassilly administration breached its contract with Visit Harford by allegedly withholding a $215,000 payment for tourism services. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.

The post State Roundup: Transit Spending Plan Puts Its Budget On More Solid Ground; Crime Is Down But More Guns Are Available; State Officials Express Grief, Horror Over MAGA Activist Charlie Kirk’s Killing appeared first on citybiz.

This contant was orignally distributed by citybiz. Blockchain Registration, Verification & Enhancement provided by NewsRamp™. The source URL for this press release is State Roundup: Transit Spending Plan Puts Its Budget On More Solid Ground; Crime Is Down But More Guns Are Available; State Officials Express Grief, Horror Over MAGA Activist Charlie Kirk’s Killing.