Former President Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser for Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown’s gubernatorial bid. State Attorney General Doug Gansler calls on Brown to answer questions about donations to – and by – his campaign. Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur unveils energy proposals. Plus: a look at the state Attorney General’s race, and the race for Baltimore City State’s Attorney. Also: rockfish regulation, Kirwan announces his retirement, surveillance cameras in Ocean City, and more.
Clinton Brings In Big Bucks For Brown: Former President Bill Clinton was in Maryland yesterday to speak at a fundraiser for Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown. WYPR’s Christopher Connelly reports some 700 Brown supporters were there. There’s more here from the Baltimore Sunand here from the Washington Post.
Gansler Demands Answers About Brown Donations: State Attorney General Doug Gansler is calling on Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown to answer questions about donations he received from a man who pled guilty to illegally funneling more than $2-million to political campaigns. Gansler’s campaign alleges that Lieutenant Governor Brown received more than $20-thousand from DC businessman Jeffrey Thompson and the businesses and individuals associated with him between 2006 and 2011. The Washington Post reports that Thompson pled guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to federal and local politicians earlier this year. Back in 2012, Brown gave $17-thousand of the Thompson donations to charity– but Gansler’s camp says Maryland law forbids campaigns from making charitable donations unless the campaign committee is closing. Gansler is calling on the Brown campaign to explain the donations. Brown and Gansler are vying for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination; also in the race is Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur. The primary election is on June 24th.
Mizeur Unveils Energy Proposals: Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur’s gubernatorial campaign has unveiled a series of proposals aimed at lowering Marylanders’ energy bills. The Baltimore Sun reports that Mizeur is calling for greater oversight of Maryland utility companies. She says if she’s elected to the state’s top job, she’ll require energy companies to renegotiate their licenses every 10 to 15 years – a move that she says would promote competition. Mizeur is also calling for utilities to make more investments into their infrastructure, in an effort to reduce power failures.
Baltimore City State Attorney General’s Race: Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein is being challenged in the June Democratic primary by one of his former assistants, Marilyn Mosby. WYPR’s Kenneth Burns reports that the two agree that targeting violent repeat offenders will reduce crime… but that’s about the only thing they agree on.
Will Cardin's Absences Bring Attention To AG Race? WYPR's Fraser Smith and Karen Hosler talk about Jon Cardin's high rate of absenteeism during committee votes in the House of Delegates and how it will affect his candidacy for Attorney General. It’s this morning’s edition of Inside Maryland Politics.
Barricade Situation AT WMAR-TV Resolved: The suspect in yesterday’s barricade situation at WMAR-TV has been taken into custody. Witnesses say the 29-year-old man stole a truck and rammed it repeatedly into the station's front doors until they gave way. The suspect then barricaded himself inside the building. Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said the suspect was eventually found on the second floor of the building watching TV coverage of the situation he had created. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said the suspect is mentally ill. The Baltimore Sun has more.
Rockfish Regulations: Regulators are considering imposing stricter limits on next year's catch of striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay… and up and down the East Coast. Striped bass, also known as rockfish, are Maryland’s state fish. A study last year raised concerns about overfishing and a reduction of spawning female rockfish if officials fail to take action. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has rejected a proposal to cut the rockfish catch by a third next year… but the Baltimore Sun notesthat the Commission is still reviewing a plan that would impose that reduction gradually, over a three year period. Nearly three-and-a-half-million pounds of rockfish were harvested commercially in Maryland last year.
Kirwan Announces Retirement: The chancellor of the University System of Maryland is stepping down, after 12 years on the job. Chancellor William Kirwan says he’s retiring so that he can spend more time with his family. The 76-year-old Kirwan says he will stay on the job until a successor is found. There’s more here from the Baltimore Sunand more here from the Daily Record.
Cardin Renews Call For National BLUE Alert System: US Senator Ben Cardin is renewing the call for a national BLUE Alert system to notify police, the media and the public about attacks on law enforcement officers. Maryland implemented a BLUE Alert system after the 2010 murder of a State Police Trooper, but currently there is no national alert that provides immediate information. Senator Cardin says based on the success of the AMBER and SILVER Alerts, he believes the BLUE Alert will help to locate criminal suspects who have injured or killed law enforcement officers.
Ocean City Security Cameras: More security cameras are coming to Ocean City. The resort town’s Mayor, Rick Meehan, tells the Daily Timesthat nine new cameras will be installed on the Boardwalk by Memorial Day. The cameras will be used by Ocean City police for surveillance. The devices cost about $200-thousand; they’re being paid for by money left over from the Boardwalk reconstruction project, which came in under budget.
Hagel To Deliver Naval Academy Commencement Address: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will give the commencement address at the Naval Academy. Hagel will speak at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on May 23th. Hagel is the nation's 24th secretary of defense. About a thousand Midshipmen make up the class of 2014. The Annapolis Capital has more.
Baltimore Baseball: The Orioles dropped their third game in a row last night, falling 4 to 1 to the Detroit Tigers. The two teams play again this afternoon; the game starts at 12:35pm at Camden Yards.
Washington Baseball: The Washington Nationals lost yesterday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks; the score there: 3 to 1.
Preakness Week: The post-position draw for the Preakness Stakes takes place today. Gate assignments and morning-line odds will be established for Saturday's second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course. The horse “California Chrome” figures to be the heavy favorite after winning the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. The last time a horse won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in the same year was in 1978.
