A 13-year-old boy in the custody of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services was admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital in September 2018. About two weeks later, an administrative law judge ruled that there was no medical reason for him to stay there. But Social Services didn’t pick him up for nearly four more…
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Hogan: Public ‘Crying Out’ For Mandatory Minimums
Gov. Larry Hogan spent much of this week attacking the Democrat-led General Assembly for not advancing his bills aimed at reducing crime in Baltimore. On Thursday, Democratic leaders fought back. Hogan’s latest comments came during a press conference Thursday. He accused legislators of ignoring a “crisis” in Baltimore by not voting his crime package out…
Continue ReadingMaryland Foster Children Stay in Hospitals Because They Have Nowhere Else To Go
Amber is in Maryland’s foster care system, but she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in mid-October, shortly after she tried to kill herself. WYPR is not using her real name to protect her privacy. Most of Amber’s days for the last three months have followed the same schedule. The teenager wakes up, eats breakfast,…
Continue ReadingHogan’s Redistricting Plan Meets Democratic Resistance — Again
When Democrat Kweisi Mfume won Tuesday’s special primary election to represent Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, he became the presumptive winner of the late Congressman Elijah Cummings’ seat — even though there’s also a Republican nominee for the seat and less than a fifth of the district’s voters cast a ballot. Political analysts say that’s in…
Continue ReadingSchools Plan Set to Dominate General Assembly Session
Typically when state lawmakers return to Annapolis for the annual 90-day legislative session, each brings a unique set of priorities. But when the General Assembly convenes for its 441st session on Wednesday, one subject is poised to overshadow almost everything else: A proposal to overhaul public education in Maryland. Democratic leaders in the state Senate…
Continue ReadingAfter 33 Years, Maryland Senate Gets New Leader
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller announced Thursday that he is relinquishing his gavel when the General Assembly returns to Annapolis in January. The 76 year old has cancer and several related health issues. “My mind is still strong but my body is weak,” Miller said at a press conference Thursday. “This is a…
Continue Reading3-Week Funding Bill Gives One Maryland County’s Federal Workers Little Reason For Optimism
Howard County, Md., is home to roughly 50,000 federal employees and government contractors. County officials estimate the government shutdown affected at least 10 percent of the people who live there. And the three-week funding agreement that Washington, D.C., political leaders reached yesterday gives many of those federal workers little reason for optimism. This story aired…
Continue ReadingA Ghost Hunt at the Lord Baltimore Hotel
I guest host WYPR podcast The Noir and Bizarre, taking listeners behind the scenes on a ghost hunt at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, one of the most haunted places in Maryland.
Continue ReadingJealous Campaign Gets Help From Overseas
In his quest for the Democratic nomination for governor, Ben Jealous raised more than $2 million. Nearly half of his roughly 20,000 donors had addresses in California, Maryland or New York. But several dozen donors listed addresses outside the United States. Read the full story.
Continue ReadingBaltimore House Members Take On Incumbent Senators
Thirty-five-year-old Cory McCray checked his list of registered Democratic voters before climbing each set of porch steps and knocking on each door in a Northeast Baltimore neighborhood on a recent afternoon. “I’m Cory McCray, your state delegate,” he told a resident who answered her door. “I’m in a very contentious race, so when you go…
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