© 2024 WEAA
THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Help us keep this community resource alive by making a contribution today!

In the Media: Baltimore Demolition Funds Await Approval; Md. Senate Overrides Felon Voting Veto

In January, Gov. Hogan and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a joint effort by state and city governments to bring new projects to blighted areas of Baltimore.
@MayorSRB
/
Twitter
In January, Gov. Hogan and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a joint effort by state and city governments to bring new projects to blighted areas of Baltimore.

A digest of Baltimore news from locals sources.

From the Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Spending Board to Approve Agreement with City for Demolition Funds

"Baltimore's spending panel is expected to approve Wednesday a memorandum of understanding with the state for millions of dollars to tear down 4,000 vacant houses as part of a project designed to transform blighted sections of the city.

"The Board of Estimates' vote is a key step in Gov. Larry Hogan's pledge to commit the first installment of about $74 million in the proposed state budget. The vote comes after a lengthy negotiation process between the city, state and Maryland Stadium Authority, which will help execute the project.

"Hogan announced the project with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in January before including the money in the budget. The four-year project also will include the use of state financing options to spur redevelopment.

"The governor said last week he was waiting on the city to finalize the paperwork. He said he plans to release another supplemental budget to reflect the spending, pending the board's approval.

"The agreement would be effective through June 30, 2019. The document lays out the use of funds and responsibilities of each party for the duration of the project.

"The General Assembly must approve Hogan's budget, including supplemental spending requests. Hearings on the spending plan are underway."

Full Article

From the Washington Post: Maryland Senate Overrides Hogan’s Veto of Felon Voting-Rights Bill

"About 44,000 former prisoners who are on probation or parole will be able to register to vote in Maryland starting next month, after the state Senate on Tuesday overrode Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a 2015 voting-rights bill.

"Hogan, a first-term Republican, campaigned hard against the override effort, arguing that felons should not regain voting rights until they complete parole and probation, which he considers part of their punishment.

"On Tuesday, Hogan said 'only a tiny, radical minority' of Marylanders support the expansion of voting rights encompassed in the bill and predicted that several lawmakers “won’t survive this vote. They have no chance of being reelected after this vote today.”

"Twenty-nine of the 33 Democrats in the Senate voted in favor of the override, which puts Maryland in the company of the District and 13 other states, including Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania, that permit people to vote as soon as they are released from prison, according to the Sentencing Project.

"Eighteen other states, including New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas, restrict voting rights until after a person finishes parole and probation. Twelve others, including Florida, have stronger restrictions, such as waiting periods after a sentence is completed."

Full Article

From the AFRO American: Black History Month at The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum

"In honor of Black history month, The Fredrick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Museum will be hosting an exhibition entitled Baltimore “MASTERS” Art of the Ancestors a salute to historical Baltimore Black visual artists. 

"Baltimore 'MASTERS' Art of the Ancestors will feature the visual artists that represent the Baltimore African American art scene. This exhibition includes the likes of the late Thomas Stockett, Larry O. Brown, Sr., William Joyner, Robert O. Torrence, Tom Miller, Pontella Mason, Leroy “Miki” Jones, Elizabeth Talford Scott, Cary Beth Cryor, Larry Stevens, Carl Clark and Cornell Barnes, to name a few. The exhibition dates are Feb. 18 through March 31." 

Full Article