Morning Roundup

In two lawsuits filed on behalf of the state against major chemical manufacturers, the state of Maryland is alleging that 3M and DuPont knowingly marketed and sold products that contaminated the state and its residents with “forever chemicals” — a group of synthetic, potentially harmful chemicals used in a wide variety of household products and industrial processes. They have been used since the 1940s in products that are heat and stain resistant and water and oil repellent. Studies have linked the substances to increased cancer risk, developmental delays in children, damage to organs, increased cholesterol levels and reduced immune functions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (WTOP)

In its first day of budget hearings, the Baltimore City Council focused mainly on staff hiring within the mayor’s office. Some members questioned why the new positions are proposed in the budget when so many current positions need to be filled. Baltimore has a roughly 13% vacancy rate across about 14,000 budgeted positions. (Baltimore Sun)

Governor Wes Moore announced Tuesday that he has appointed Meryam Bouadjemi as a senior adviser and chair of the newly-created Maryland Entertainment Council. As chair, Bouadjemi will lead a group of industry leaders and experts to advise Maryland’s Department of Commerce in expanding the state’s film, television, and entertainment sectors. Bouadjemi is the wife of Moore’s chief of staff, Fagan Harris. (Maryland Matters)

A new abortion clinic is set to open in June in Cumberland, an area called an “abortion desert”. States such as Maryland are seen as “access points” due to more lenient abortion laws in other states. The new Maryland clinic is being launched by the leaders of the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia, which had to stop performing abortions due to that state’s near total abortion ban that went into effect in September. (Maryland Matters)

A Howard County man allegedly shot and killed his 15-year-old brother and then took his own life Tuesday, an incident that appeared to be a domestic murder-suicide. (WBFF)

“Weed bars” in Ocean City? At a work session on Tuesday, town officials began a discussion about possible limitations to marijuana use. On-site consumption would be someone going into a shop, purchasing cannabis and being able to use it at the location they bought it from. (WBOC)

Garrett County authorities last week arrested two people during a traffic stop in Accident. They found cocaine and fentanyl. The drugs seized had a street value of approximately $26,000. (Garrett Republican)

Police say anti-abortion rights demonstrators were attacked Friday, one brutally, after an ideological argument outside a Planned Parenthood in Baltimore. (Baltimore Banner)

A 9-year-old child was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest in the parking lot of a Baltimore County shopping complex. (WJZ)

Federal law enforcement have arrested a teenager accused of attempting to kill a student on a Prince George’s County school bus earlier this month. (WTOP)

A teen who was injured in an officer-involved shooting earlier this month in Baltimore is facing multiple charges. (WMAR)

Maryland’s intermediate appellate court ruled that a father’s anger and negative statements about his son’s sexual orientation qualifies as mental abuse that justifies a final protective order. (Reason.com)

Anne Arundel County police have denied a report that claimed arrest warrants have been obtained for several people in the death of a father in Brooklyn Park. Christopher Wright, 43, died after a confrontation with a group of people who came to his house to see his son after a fight at school. (WBAL 1090)

Ten years ago, Sparrows Point was a shell of its former self. The steel mill was gone as were the jobs that came with it. Both the land and water around it were contaminated. Now it is the home of Tradepoint Atlantic and huge distribution centers such as Amazon, FedEx and McCormick Spice. 12,000 people now work at Tradepoint with a possible increase to 15,000 when the property is fully developed in the next five-plus years. (WYPR)

Schools in Baltimore County will serve breakfast and lunch to students over the summer. The free meals will be available at select libraries and public schools beginning the first week after classes end for students. (WBAL)

Five people were injured Tuesday in Mechanicsville when a school bus and truck were involved in an accident. (TheBayNet.com)

As blue catfish overwhelm the Chesapeake Bay, barriers remain to weeding them out. (Baltimore Sun)

Motorists in Maryland will soon be paying a higher gas tax. The state tax rate of a gallon of gas will increase to 47 cents per gallon, an increase of more than 10% compared to the current rate. Over the last two years, the rate has increased by 30% due to inflation and surging fuel prices. (Maryland Matters)

Who’s behind Baltimore’s ‘GONORRHEA ALERT’ billboard? (Baltimore Banner)

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The Baltimore Orioles got back on the winning track with an 8-5 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Camden Yards yesterday in front of about 11,000 fans. (Camden Chat)

Cedric Mullins is expected to be out of the lineup for the next couple weeks at least. The team signed former Yankee outfielder Aaron Hicks to fill the gap. Mullins is on the 15-day DL with a strained right groin muscle. (Yahoo! Sports/MASN)