Governor Wes Moore on Wednesday signed bills into law that protect abortion rights and gender-affirming care in the state of Maryland and said, “In our state, no one should ever have to justify their humanity. In our state, no one should have to justify their own humanness.” Lt. Governor Aruna Miller said in a statement: “We’re making Maryland a state that is welcoming, inclusive, and that safeguards the rights of all people.” Also signed into law: legislation that creates licensing and tax rates to open a recreational marijuana market on July 1. (CNN)
Maryland’s health department is moving away from providing daily COVID reports. (Maryland Matters)
A Montana politician’s girlfriend thwarted a “swatting” attempt on her Maryland home. Erin Reed, who is transgender, said critics of Zooey Zephyr were making fake calls in an attempt to have SWAT teams sent to their home in Montgomery County. Zephyr is Montana’s first transgender elected official and was barred from the state house floor after opposing a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. (WTOP)
A memorial service for Baltimore County Police officers killed in the line of duty will be held May 12 and will be streamed online. (Baltimore Sun)
A Baltimore City Coucilwoman calls the thousands of abandoned homes in the city “a crisis of really epic proportions“. There are reportedly 14,000 vacant buildings in Baltimore costing the city around $100 million a year. (Fox 45)
Expect upgraded security systems in circuit courts and the Juvenile Justice Center after the Baltimore City Board of Estimates approved a contract from the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts on Wednesday. (Baltimore Sun)
Outdoor dining in Baltimore is now permanent but will cost restaurants fees and with new rules in place. (WBAL-TV)
Former Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Ed Norris says crime in Baltimore has “no bounderies”. (Fox 45)
A Baltimore City employee was caught working two jobs…one for the mayor’s office and one for the city school system…and now has neither. (Baltimore Brew)
A Maryland couple facing charges of providing sensitive information to an FBI agent they believed to be a representative of the Russian government now claim they were entrapped. (Baltimore Banner)
Archeologists unearthed remains of a teenage boy, likely one of the first American colonists in Maryland. (Washington Post)
The parents of a 17-year-old Montgomery County girl who died last year are being charged with her murder. (WJZ-TV)
Baltimore’s Board of Estimates approved a $5 million Taser contract for the Police Department. (WBAL 1090-AM)
Baltimore County lawmakers can now retroactively revoke some planning projects they inherit from predecessors. (Baltimore Sun)
The town of Easton has a new mayor. (WBOC-TV)
There are now two candidates looking to fill the US Senate seat soon to be vacated by Ben Cardin. (Capitol Gazette)
A new Baltimore Banner/Goucher College poll found that less than a quarter of Marylanders are interested in sports betting in the state with 23% saying they were likely to place a bet on sports over the next year, either in person at a casino or online. (Baltimore Banner)
