By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
"It's frustrating that you know it was supposed to be in compliance fully six years ago, and again here we are. It’s dragged on way too long." – Corene Kendrick, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project, on the delays in settling a lawsuit against the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center.
Welcome back to the working week. Lots to share with you, so let's just dive in.
Ten years after a court settlement that was supposed to settle a lawsuit over treatment of inmates at the Baltimore Central Intake and Booking Center, it was extended this summer for a fourth time because the state has not met all the standards in the decree. The action has its roots in a 1976 lawsuit brought by inmates at the city jail, and has now been extended until Dec. 31, 2027. There has been progress and state officials say they are dedicated to being in compliance, as Will Hammann reports.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox came out swinging at a Saturday candidate forum at the Maryland Association of Counties conference, blasting Gov. Wes Moore for a high cost of living that is driving people from the state but particularly focusing on data centers. Cox says there should be a statewide moratorium, while Moore has called for tight regulation and the ability for counties to say no, an applause line for the MACo crowd. Moore also touted his administration's success in lower crime rates and hit the Trump administration for much of the uncertainty in the state's budget. Christine Condon has that story.
Bryan P. Sears also has the story of major digital ad tax being struck down by a state court, a potential loss of $250 million a year to the state. Plus more headlines, commentary and a wrap-up of last week's headlines below to get your week started. Enjoy!
By Will Hammann
A decade-old settlement requiring the state to improve medical care at a Baltimore jail was extended for the third time this June after the federal court found the state remained partially or fully noncompliant with several requirements.
The 2016 settlement of Duvall v. Moore established a consent decree requiring the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to comply with a list of provisions related to facility maintenance and medical and mental health care for inmates at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center. The department must submit regular reports to the court and is subject to oversight from court-appointed monitors. Opening her June 2016 opinion, U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander wrote, “This litigation is now in its fifth decade. Hopefully, the case is drawing to an end.” But a decade later, that settlement’s third extension was extended again by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox, to Dec. 31, 2027.
There has been some progress in the suit that has its roots in a lawsuit brought to federal court by inmates at the Baltimore jail in 1976, consolidated with another suit and then revised, settled and revived multiple times. The last of the 2016 provisions related to issues with the physical facility of Central Booking itself, such as heat injury risk, poor hygiene and sanitation, vermin infestations and utility maintenance, were dropped in 2018 after a medical monitor determined the state reached compliance. And the department was deemed compliant on mental health provisions in 2024. But intake, management and testing of medication, medical records and plan of care, specialty care, disability accommodation and interaction between custody and medical staff remain only partially compliant or noncompliant.
By Christine Condon
As two-time Republican nominee for Maryland governor Dan Cox (R) puts it, hyperscale data centers are a "big difference between Wes Moore and me."
Cox, speaking at a candidate forum at the Maryland Association of Counties conference Saturday, has called for a statewide moratorium banning hyperscale data centers, and he pledged to impose one immediately if elected "so that we can study this," what he called an already outdated technology.
Moore was the first to the podium during Saturday's event, which featured a round-robin of candidates for governor, comptroller and attorney general. Because candidates appeared separately, Moore did not have an opportunity to respond to Cox's remarks at the podium. But he spoke about the importance of careful data center regulation in Maryland.
Moore also repeated what is becoming a common refrain of his: That any data centers in Maryland ought to bring their own energy, pay for their own infrastructure improvements, hire local union labor and meet environmental regulations. But Moore maintained that local officials should have the power to say no, a that drew applause from the audience of county officials. Many major jurisdictions, both red and blue, have instituted temporary moratoriums of late.
Unsurprisingly, Cox came out swinging, opening his remarks by criticizing Moore over residents who are leaving Maryland for other states due to affordability issues. Moore, for his part, argued that the federal government under President Donald Trump (R) has played a major role in undermining the state economy, by firing government workers who live in Maryland, restricting or rescinding federal aid dollars and more.
IN OTHER NEWS
Bay help for locals is spotty: Local governments are crucial to restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, but many lack the workforce and expertise to do the work and programs that could help are spotty, a new report finds.
Feds look to collect more personal health data: The CPSC, which usually deals with defective products, is demanding the nation’s health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records of patients who seek ER help.
New Pentagon hiring panels raise eyebrows: Four committees across the Defense Department are vetting new workers, but their work is shrouded in secrecy nearly a year after President Donald Trump mandated their creation.
TODAY'S COMMENTARY
All but two counties in this year's primaries had races decided by a plurality, sending winners to the general with less than majority support and leaving a majority of voters disappointed. It's time for ranked choice voting, writes Mike Pellittierre.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Digital ad tax struck down: A first-of-its-kind state tax on digital ads, worth an estimated $250 million a year to the state, was struck down Friday as a violation of the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act by the Maryland Tax Court.
Housing hurdles: State and local housing and planning officials say there is an urgent need to build more housing to bring down, but there are two major hurdles: cumbersome permitting and securing financing for affordable housing.
'Make your wish list': Data centers are not going away anytime soon, speakers at the Maryland Association of Counties conference said, and counties should start drawing up a wish list of demands for when they come calling.
MOST-READ STORIES OF THE WEEK
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