State’s largest animal shelter gets $250,000 grant for Valentine’s Day

The Petco Foundation on Wednesday surprised BARCS–the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter –with a $250,000 grant in celebration of Valentine’s Day. The shelter is the largest in the state with over 12-thousand animals taken in every year.

Valentine’s Day’s roots are more than candy and roses

Roses, chocolates and cards are how we celebrate Valentine’s Day today, but that isn’t how it was celebrated in A.D. 269. Saint Valentine was known for bringing lovers together but was eventually martyred for it. February 14, the day of his death, is now what we know as Valentine’s Day.

Maryland state senator called to active duty during the legislative session

Montgomery County State Senator Will Smith is being deployed. Smith, a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve, will soon be on his way to Afghanistan ten days before the 90-day session of the Maryland General Assembly wraps up.

Local officials team up to push for hike in state’s minimum wage

Several county executives and the mayor of Baltimore joined together on Thursday to urge the legislature and Governor to support an effort to increase the statewide minimum wage to $15. Governor Larry Hogan says he’s open to the conversation but isn’t convinced it’s needed because of concerns of the impact it would have on some businesses. 

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.

Maryland lawmakers have mixed reviews of 2019 State of the Union

One day after President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union Address, Maryland’s two senators and its lone Republican congressional representative offer differing views on the President’s comments on investigations, funding the government, and the southern border.

Mothers take on State House to push for additional gun control

They call themselves “Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America” and members of the Maryland chapter came to Annapolis on Thursday to push for new gun control provisions. The moms and their supporters say they want the legislature to ban “ghost guns” and 3D printed guns as well as require background checks for anyone wanting to buy a shotgun or long guns.

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.

Testimony presented defining eSports in Maryland, permitting prizes

Montgomery County Delegate Eric Luedtke says eSports is a “multi-billion dollar industry” and that Maryland’s laws need to catch up with the growing market. Luedtke, a sponsor of the legislation defining eSports and allowing prizes for those who play them, told a House Committee on Thursday that eSports could benefit the state with the dollars that it brings in.

Governor Hogan again urges bipartisanship, sets priorities in State of the State

Republican Governor Larry Hogan, inaugurated for a second term just two weeks ago, told a joint session of the Maryland General Assembly that the state of the state has “never been stronger.”