Early voting is over; during the last 8 days, nearly 4.2% of eligible voters cast their ballots. Primary election day itself is Tuesday, June 24. A look at the race for state Attorney General… and the race for the 42nd District State Senate Seat. Plus: a push for progressives, Cristo Rey’s College Acceptance Rate, the MD Renaissance Festival looks like it’ll stay in Crownsville, and more.Record Turnout In Just-Finished Early Voting Period: The early voting period for Maryland’s primary election is now over. Over the last eight days, nearly 4.2 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots – more than 141-thousand votes in all. That’s a record high turnout for early voting, which Maryland has offered in statewide elections since 2010. Election Day is this coming Tuesday, June 24th; the polls will be open statewide from 7am to 8pm on Tuesday.
How The Primary For Maryland Attorney General Became The Season's Most Interesting Race: WYPR's Fraser Smith and Arelis Hernández of the Washintgon Post talk about the tightening race for Maryland attorney general and why it may be a battle of name recognition versus endorsements.It’s this morning’s edition of Inside Maryland Politics.
State Senator Brochin Faces Opposition From Fellow Democrats To Keep His Seat: Baltimore County state senator Jim Brochin finds himself in a bitter Democratic primary race, and both the governor and county executive support his opponent. WYPR’s John Lee reports on the race for the 42nd Senate district seat.
A Push For More Progressives: A new political group in Maryland wants to make the state more progressive. As WYPR’s Christopher Connelly reports, they’re backing candidates for the General Assembly to make this blue state… bluer.
How Cristo Ray Maintains Perfect College Acceptance Rate: For the past four years, 100 percent of graduates at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in East Baltimore were accepted into college. The college prep school's officials say they work hard to keep their mainly low-income students on track and have many success stories. WYPR's Gwendolyn Glenn visited the school this week and filed this report.
Call To Move Renaissance Festival Denied: Plans to move the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival from Crownsville to Lothian have been thwarted by Anne Arundel County officials. Requests for a special zoning exception and some variances were denied by Administrative Hearing Officer Douglas Hollmann. The decision came amid opposition from residents of south Anne Arundel County, who said the project would damage their community’s rural character. The Renaissance Festival has 30 days to appeal the ruling. This year’s Festival will be held in Crownsville, opening on August 23rd. There’s more here from the Capital Gazette and here from the Baltimore Sun.
1st Mariner Bank Sale: The sale of 1st Mariner Bank is finally complete and the institution's new owner is ready to get down to business. RKJS Bank, an investment group with Baltimore ties, paid nearly $19-million for 1st Mariner in a bankruptcy auction. Now, the group plans to recapitalize the bank with $100-million. There’s more here from the Baltimore Business Journal and here from the Baltimore Sun.
Emergency Regulations For Water-Powered Jetpacks: Maryland's Department of Natural Resources is looking to enact emergency regulations for the use of water-powered jetpacks. The rules are for companies that offer rides with the devices that are worn on the back and use water jets to lift a rider as high as 30 feet above the water. In Maryland, only three companies offer such jetpack rides and they are all located in Ocean City. The DNR has more here.
Possible DPW Imposter In Fells Point: Baltimore Public Works is warning customers to beware of a possible imposter who is posing as a city worker to gain access to homes. Officials say there are reports of someone knocking on doors in upper Fells Point, asking to see copies of utility bills and wanting to inspect properties. DPW says that their employees always wear uniforms, display photo ID cards, and only come to a customer's home when asked. Suspected DPW imposters should be reported to 911. WJZ has more.
Baltimore Baseball: The Orioles will be in the Bronx tonight, to play against the New York Yankees.
Washington Baseball: The Washington Nationals lost yesterday’s game against the Atlanta Braves; the score was 3 to 0.
