Mika Meyer’s been on the road for three years. He’s a man on a mission: to become the first person to visit all 418 national parks continuously and honor the memory of his father.
Maryland legislature considers limits on the use of plastic straws in restaurants
The House Economic Matters Committee on Wednesday heard from both supporters and opponents of a bill that would severely limit the availability and use of plastic straws in restaurants starting in 2020.
Maryland Senate votes to return school start dates to local school boards
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed an Executive Order in 2016, requiring Maryland’s public schools to begin classes after Labor Day. Now, Maryland senators are pushing back, approving legislation giving local public school boards throughout the state the authority, again, to determine the start and end date of the schools in their county. The measure now moves on to the House.
Howard County Executive updates Ellicott City flood mitigation efforts
Ellicott City has endured two deadly floods just within two years. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball updated efforts to deal with the town’s flooding problems on Thursday saying they are considering alternatives to a plan that calls for tearing down a number of the buildings on Main Street.
White House protest calls on Trump administration to issue report, apply sanctions for the murder of Washington Post journalist
February 8th is the deadline for President Trump’s administration to provide a report on what happened to slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and how the U.S. will respond. On Thursday the Committee to Protect Journalists and other organizations gathered in front of the White House to demand that President Trump hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of Khashoggi.
Senate committee hears testimony on governor’s Judicial Transparency Act
Members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard heated testimony for and against Governor Hogan’s proposed Judicial Transparency Act of 2019. The bill would require a state Sentencing Commission to publish an annual report that includes detailed, judge-by-judge information about the sentences handed down to convicted violent offenders.
U.S. Senate votes down two bills to end record shutdown
On the same day that the U.S. Senate rejected two bills that would end the government shutdown, Maryland Senator Ben Cardin again criticized President Trump’s proposal for a wall along the Mexican border. Cardin also said delaying the President’s State of the Union address was the right thing to do because it would not be appropriate to talk about the state of the union while the government is still shut down.
Annapolis lawmakers work to beat the clock on medical marijuana legislation
Time is running out for the Maryland General Assembly and so is time to act on revising the state’s Medical Marijuana law. House Bill 2, an emergency bill, would require medical cannabis licenses include minorities and women. The bill has already been approved by the House and won preliminary approval in the Senate on Tuesday.
Supreme Court to hear Maryland gerrymandering case on Wednesday
It’s been years in coming and tomorrow, Maryland’s gerrymandering case that’s been making its way through the courts, ends up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Congressional lines were re-drawn between 2010 and 2011 by state legislative leaders–all Democrats. Soon after some residents of the state’s Sixth Congressional District filed suit. Opponents claimed that the congressional lines had been gerrymandered by the Democrats, violating their First Amendment rights and reducing the chances for a Republican to be elected from that district.
Buildings demolished to help Baltimore fight crime, rebuild neighborhoods
They’re boarded up and crumbling down. Blocks of abandoned houses in Baltimore are being demolished as part of city and state’s joint Project C.O.R.E.–Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise. Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh says the buildings being targeted often contribute to the sale and use of drugs and other criminal gang activity. She says that bringing those structures down and rebuilding those neighborhoods and communities will help to push the city forward.