Author: delmarvatimes.com

BALTIMORE — Immigrant advocacy group CASA will hold a rally in Annapolis Thursday to promote several bills that could change the lifestyle of immigrants in Maryland. CASA is seeking support for three legislative priorities: expanding health care access for immigrants, expanding tenant rights and protections for immigrants, and addressing environmental injustice.CASA is pushing three bills to address eviction protections for tenants, including immigrants. These bills are intended to prevent landlords from evicting tenants without just cause and to ensure that tenants receive proper notice. CASA members say migrants often face conflicts with landlords and are forced to live in squalid…

One of the most intractable public health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic has been overcoming distrust of government and public health institutions, including among Black and brown communities. But in Maryland, one innovative approach to partnering with local barbers and hair stylists, a trusted foundation for many Black communities, is building trust and helping people get shots into their arms. Ta. As we battle another devastating crisis, the opioid overdose epidemic, similar hyperlocal, innovative thinking has guided our response and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Access and availability of all opioid recovery medications must…

Governor Wes Moore (Democratic) delivers his second State of the Union address on the House floor. Photo from the governor’s office. Wednesday’s House committee vote begins a new battle with Senate finance leaders over new spending this year. The House Ways and Means Committee voted 15-7 to approve House Bill 1319, which could open the door to casino-style iGaming in Maryland. The committee’s vote was mostly along party lines, with Rep. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery) joining six Republicans in opposition. The vote comes despite Senate leaders saying they oppose both gaming expansion and taxes this Congress, including the gaming bill’s sponsor,…

BALTIMORE — It’s an amazing day ahead with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s.Temperatures will be in the upper 40s to low 50s this morning, so a jacket will come in handy. The high pressure off the southeast coast isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Winds will shift more from the southwest and temperatures will trend higher, with highs near 80 degrees, albeit with some annoying high clouds. The air near the ground will remain dry, so it will quickly warm up. Wonderful and warm: the perfect way to spend a day in the store. Plenty of sunshine…

Electrical infrastructure at Conowingo Dam, Maryland. Photo by David Byron Keener/Getty Images. Good government groups quantify levels of utility political spending and lobbying as lawmakers in statehouses, including Annapolis, and consumer advocacy groups begin to scrutinize the political activities of utilities across the country more closely. We plan to publish a report attempting to do so. Activities at the Maryland State Capitol. A new study to be released Thursday by the Maryland PIRG Foundation finds that the state’s monopoly entities have undue influence over state government policy decisions. According to Maryland PIRG, they employ an army of lobbyists in the…

Aerial view of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Stock.adobe.com Photo by jonbilous. Written by Anirban Basu The author is chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group in Baltimore. Governor – I met him once and was very impressed. Like many people, my immediate reaction was to conclude that I had just met the future President of the United States. You will be the first president of Maryland. Virginia has produced eight. I would love to see Marylanders at the White House. It would add to our state’s already long list of accomplishments. You have the resume, the charisma, the incredible memory for…

With youth justice at the center of this session, a bill proposed by Republicans would ban students who have been convicted or sentenced for rape or other sex offenses from attending school. There is. State Sen. Johnny Salling and state Rep. Nino Mangione met last month with two mothers in Harford and Baltimore counties who say their young children were sexually abused by a teenage boy attending a Baltimore City high school. The bill was then submitted in opposition. On Wednesday morning, a mother joined Salling in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Proceedings Committee. Salling said she was first…

Americans are dismayed by the partisan nature of our country. But there are still surprisingly democratic and nonpartisan spaces in this country. It’s a public library. Libraries serve every American who visits them from all of the nation’s diverse socioeconomic, racial, and geographic communities. It’s an incredible job done by humble, hard-working people. Currently, there is a bill in Annapolis that protects library staff’s ability to meet the needs of all patrons. House Bill 785, entitled the Freedom to Read Act, codifies the fundamental mission of libraries to provide access for all. Additionally, it establishes principles for responsible library collection…

Maryland is facing a housing crisis. And it’s not just hurting some of us, it’s hurting all of us. Maryland currently ranks as the 7th most expensive state to live in, largely due to rising housing costs. Nine out of 10 Marylanders say housing affordability is a major barrier, and one-third of Marylanders ages 18 to 34 say they have access to affordable housing. He says he is considering leaving the state due to a lack of available housing. This crisis is not just affecting individual lives and livelihoods. It also reduces our economic power. According to the Comptroller’s Economic…

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with WHRO’s Virginia Center for Investigative Reporting. Sign up for Dispatchs to get articles like this as soon as they’re published. The Virginia General Assembly approved the creation of a statewide commission to investigate the role of public universities in displacing black communities. This Congressional action marks a milestone for a budding national movement seeking compensation for families dispossessed by university expansion. This follows a 2023 series by ProPublica and the WHO’s Virginia Center for Investigative Reporting that highlighted how colleges across the country uprooted tens of thousands of…