Morning Roundup

Gas prices in Maryland continue to rise. According to AAA, the average price for regular unleaded fuel in Maryland was $3.76 per gallon, up from $3.46 four weeks ago but still below the national average of $3.75 per gallon. The reasons? The extreme heat and lower production with fewer people working at refineries. (WBAL 1090)

The descendants of Henrietta Lacks reached a settlement yesterday as compensation for its routine use of regenerative cells that were taken from her decades ago without her consent. The terms of the settlement are confidential. They plan to announce the agreement at a news conference in Baltimore today, which would have been Lacks’ 103rd birthday. (Baltimore Banner)

The lease for the Fort Howard Post Office is set to expire on September 30 leaving residents in the area without home delivery service and Congressman Kweise Mfume is stepping in.

Meanwhile, robberies against mail carriers are on the rise. (WBAL)

Applications are now open again for grants for Baltimore City-based abortion care providers. The Abortion Protection Fund is run through the Baltimore Civic Fund, comprised of taxpayer and private funds, to manage the public-private partnerships between city programs and nonprofits. In June 2022, the Baltimore City Council created the Abortion Protection Fund and designated the city as an “abortion rights protection jurisdiction” via a resolution. (WYPR)

An investigation has been launched by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office after the agency received a criminal complaint alleging that some elected and government officials were illegally recorded on a possible wiretap. (Anne Arundel Daily Voice)

The former campaign treasurer to two former Baltimore County elected officials will spend six months in jail after pleading guilty to theft and perjury. (Maryland Matters)

Two drivers charged in a deadly work zone crash on I-695 in March will be back in court today. (WJZ)

An investigation is continuing after landscaping workers discovered a man’s body near a retention pond on a company’s property at an industrial park near Perryville on Monday morning, according to the Maryland State Police. (Cecil Whig)

A homicide investigation is currently underway in Salisbury after a late Monday night shooting. (WBOC)

There were three separate shootings in Baltimore City yesterday, two resulting in injures and the third a death. (Baltimore Police Department)

A woman’s death on June 30 is being investigated as a homicide after she was found in North Baltimore.

Baltimore City recorded 20 homicides and 85 non-fatal shootings in July. (WMAR)

A Baltimore County judge denied prosecutors’ attempt to remove a public defender representing a Cockeysville man accused of shooting two police officers from the case. (Baltimore Sun)

A 14-year-old Maryland boy was arrested Monday in the fatal shooting of a construction worker in July on the campus of Howard University, according to D.C. police. (Washington Post)

Residents of Brooklyn Homes in South Baltimore say they’re still traumatized by the mass shooting there a month ago. (WBAL 1090)

A Maryland man has been found guilty in a crash that killed a couple who were on their way to vote last year. (WTOP)

TODAY’S TOP STORIES FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS…

The Maryland State Board of Education has postponed its decision on whether to offer a new contract to controversial State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury. (Informed Carroll)

Maryland-based Lockheed Martin has won a $500 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a nuclear-powered spacecraft that could conquer two of interplanetary space travel’s biggest challenges: speed and running out of gas. (WTOP)

A new study finds that few Marylanders are reaching out for help when it comes to dealing with gambling problems. A legislative study made public this month by the Maryland General Assembly indicates that there may be hundreds of thousands of Marylanders with a gambling problem. (Maryland Matters)

Residents in West Baltimore are pushing to have the proposed Red Line transit project extend even further east than currently planned.

Two fires in Maryland over the weekend, one in Pokomoke and the other in Snow Hill, were caused by severe weather, according to the Worcester County Fire Marshall’s Office. (WRDE)

The Baltimore City Fire Department held a graduation ceremony Monday for three recruiting classes. (WJZ)

The Ocean City Development Corporation is looking for experienced Maryland artists to help with an upcoming mural project. (WMDT)

The Ocean City Council may take up the question of whether new restrictions for beach tents need to be put in place. Officials in the beach town have said they’ve received several complaints about the number and size of the tents on the beach. (WBAL 1090)

How customers can pay for purchases is still a hurdle for Maryland cannabis dispensaries. A few days ago, Mastercard made headlines by asking financial institutions to halt cannabis purchases with their cards. (WMAR)

A pair of mountain bikers had to be rescued and airlifted to area hospitals during separate incidents Howard County and West Virginia that required Maryland State Police intervention. (Anne Arundel Daily Voice)

TODAY IN HISTORY…AUGUST 1 :

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An early lead and some great defense lifted the Orioles to a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto last night, the first of a four-game division series. (Camden Chat)

The three types of players the Orioles could target at the trade deadline. (Baltimore Sun)

Ravens: Five takeaways and reactions from the first week of training camp. (Baltimore Sun)

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The city of Baltimore recently celebrated a birthday. But does it actually have two birthdays?