Governor Martin O'Malley is expected to sign a sweeping gun control measure into law next week, and Attorney General Doug Gansler has issued an opinion saying that it will not be overturned in court. Lawmakers continue to call for answers about alleged corruption at the Baltimore City Detention Center. A committee vote on Tom Perez's nomination to be US Labor Secretary is again delayed. Plus: Fraser Smith on Andrés Alonso's legacy, the "Baltimore Spectator" likely to be released from jail today, a potential bidding war for a PG County casino license, Preakness preparations, and more.
Prison Corruption Case: A joint legislative hearing on alleged corruption at the Baltimore City Detention Center has been scheduled for next month, with members of the House of Delegates and the State Senate expected to attend. It comes after the indictments last month of 25 people, including 13 prison guards, alleged to be involved in smuggling drugs, cell phones, and other contraband into the jail. Earlier this week, the third-highest ranking official at the Detention Center -- its Security Chief -- was fired. But Baltimore County Delegate John Cluster tells WJZ that the General Assembly needs to be taking more action. Cluster says he plans to push for legislation that would increase penalties on inmates who are repeatedly found with cell phones while in jail.
Perez Vote Delayed: A committee vote on the confirmation of former Maryland Labor Secretary Tom Perez to lead the US Labor Department has been postponed. Again. The vote was supposed to gake place yesterday, after having been pushed back once before. The vote has now been rescheduled for a week from today. The Baltimore Sun reports that Republicans say that Perez has not fully released documents that they've requested; Democrats are calling the continuing delays "obstructionist."
AG Gansler Says Gun Bill Passes Constitutional Muster: Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler says the gun control legislation passed by the General Assembly is constitutional, and tells Governor Martin O'Malley that can sign the gun control reform law next week without concern that it could be overturned in court.
Fraser Smith On Alonso's Legacy: The academic legacy of outgoing Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Andrés Alonso is a rich one, but WYPR’s Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith says one more thing should be added to the list.Fraser comments in his weekly essay.
"Baltimore Spectator" To Be Released From Jail: Blogger Frank MacArthur, known as the Baltimore Spectator, is expected to be released from jail today after pleading guilty yesterday to a gun charge. The Baltimore Sun reports that MacArthur was arrested after a standoff with police trying to arrest him on a warrant in December; he broadcast details of the standoff as it happened live on the Internet. More on this story here from WYPR's Kenneth Burns.
Bids For PG Casino: Casino giants MGM Resorts and Penn National Gaming appear poised for a bidding war for a license to run a new casino in Prince George's County. MGM tells the Baltimore Business Journal that it will submit a bid today to build a destination-style casino at PG's National Harbor; Penn National said last week that it will also submit a bid. Penn National owns Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George's County, where a casino could go up; it also runs the Hollywood Casino Perryville in Cecil County.
Port Dedication: The Port of Baltimore has officially dedicated its new 50-foot-deep berth and four supersized cranes. The deeper berth and 14-story cranes are needed as the Port prepares to begin handling larger container ships once the Panama Canal expansion is complete in 2015. The Baltimore Sun notes that the cranes actually began operating last fall.
Mfume To Chair Morgan State Board of Regents: Kweisi Mfume became the new chairman of the Morgan State University Board of Regents earlier this week. On Tuesday, the board elected the former Maryland congressman and NAACP president to fill the position vacated by the February ouster of former chairman Dallas Evans. Mfume tells the Afro American that his vision for Morgan State is a push for competitiveness among its students in the rapidly changing technology market.
Preakness Preparations: Hotels in the Baltimore area are filling up quickly ahead of the Preakness Stakes next weekend. The Baltimore Business Journal reports the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel sold out about three weeks ago.
Baltimore Baseball: another win for the Orioles; they beat the Kansas City Royals 5 to 3 yesterday. The O's look to sweep their three game series with the Royals tonight; the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 at Camden Yards.