DALI CIVIL TRIAL, SET TO BEGIN TODAY, LIKELY TO BE DELAYED: After two years of legal wrangling, the long-expected civil trial over the Key Bridge collapse appears likely to be delayed indefinitely instead of beginning today as scheduled. All of the remaining parties in the case — including the companies that own and operate the container ship that crashed into the bridge, the city of Baltimore and area businesses that suffered financially after the collapse — agree the civil case should be put on hold, according to documents filed over the weekend. Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Banner.
- The federal civil trial for the Dali’s owners was to begin today with a focus on liability. Less than a week after the Key Bridge collapse in March of 2024, the owners of the Dali filed a petition in court under the Limitation of Liability Act. The companies are asking to either be fully exonerated of liability from the crash or to have that liability capped at just under $44 million, the estimated value of the ship and its cargo after damages and losses. Raven Payne/WMAR-TV News.
- Prosecutors handling the criminal case also had requested a postponement of the civil proceedings, but the judge allowed the trial to continue. Last week, some of the families of the victims who died in the collapse reached settlements with the ship’s owner and operator for undisclosed amounts. A separate settlement was reached by the state of Maryland, which agreed to a $2.25 billion resolution with the ship’s owner and manager. Drew Aunskt/WJZ-TV News.
ALSOBROOKS: MARYLANDERS WANT RENEWED REDISTRICTING EFFORT: U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks says she believes Marylanders support a renewed effort to redraw congressional district maps to “meet the moment.” “These are extraordinary times, and I think it does require extraordinary measures, and I think Marylanders support it,” said the Democratic Maryland senator. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE UNVEILS CAMPAIGN TO ASSIST FARMERS DEVASTATED BY APRIL FREEZE: While they wait for a reply to their request for federal aid, state officials Friday unveiled their own campaign to assist Maryland farmers hit by a “devastating” April freeze that damaged crops and wiped out some farms’ harvests completely. Gov. Wes Moore directed the Maryland Department of Agriculture to waive a requirement that winemakers in the state own or have under contract at least 20 acres of grapes, or that at least 51% of the ingredients in their wine come from Maryland. Staff/Maryland Matters.
BALLOT MIX-UP FUELS BIPARTISAN TENSIONS OVER VOTING PROCEDURES: Maryland’s ballot mix-up has fueled existing bipartisan tensions over a voting method that has become as politicized as the candidates printed on the ballot. The gaffe even caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who has cast, without evidence, mail voter fraud as a foil in his 2020 election loss. Studies, however, have found mail voting expands voter access and fraud is extremely rare. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
ALLAN KITTLEMAN ENDS LIFELONG AFFILIATION WITH REPUBLICAN PARTY: On the afternoon of May 7, former Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman walked into his county board of elections. What happened next — aside from going unrecognized — would perhaps strike some who know Kittleman as surprising. Kittleman, 67 and a lifelong Republican, ended his affiliation with the Republican Party — the party of his father and grandfather. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
NO EVIDENCE THAT MOORE SAW COMBAT: In a May 8, 2022, post on X, Wes Moore wrote, “When I was an Army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by a simple principle: Leave no one behind.” After a yearlong investigation, we found no documentary evidence that Moore led soldiers into combat, but it is representative of how Moore often speaks about his time in Afghanistan, using language that could lead one to reasonably believe he was a leader of front-line paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division and that he experienced direct-fire combat. Drew Sullins/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLANDERS CHANGE VOTER REGISTRATION TO VOTE IN PRIMARY: Bryan Nehman isn’t a Democrat at heart. But for the moment, Maryland considers him one. Nehman, co-host of WBAL’s weekday morning radio program, recently changed his voter registration from unaffiliated to Democrat so he can vote in next month’s Democratic primary in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District. He is not alone. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
BOBBY LAPIN HOPES TO EJECT ‘OLD GUARD’ IN RUN AGAINST FERGUSON: After 16 years representing South Baltimore and the Inner Harbor, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson is facing his toughest primary race since his first election win. He took over the 46th District state Senate seat in 2010 positioned as a more progressive Democrat than the incumbent, but now Ferguson has an opponent who is making the same argument against him, Bobby LaPin, social media personality and sail boat charter owner better known as “Captain Bobby.” He is campaigning to end what he calls “the era of the old guard.” Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
COLUMN: LAPIN, FERGUSON, HISTORY AND THE UPSTART CHALLENGER: One of the most powerful elected officials in Maryland was fighting for his political life. Voters were deeply unhappy with his decisions, giving an upstart challenger hope. Fighting over a state election map could be the deciding factor. That was 24 years ago. Now, maybe social media provocateur Bobby LaPin can repeat the upset and beat Senate President Bill Ferguson next month in their South Baltimore Democratic primary. Maybe not. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
WILL JAWANDO ON WHY HE IS RUNNING FOR MO CO EXECUTIVE: “I often tell people, primaries are about choices. They’re very rarely about good and evil. You choose who’s the best for this moment, and I think there’s a few reasons why I’m best for this moment,” says Will Jawando, Montgomery councilman who is running for county executive, in the third part of the three part series on the major candidates in the race. Ceoli Jacoby and Louis Peck/Bethesda Today.
PENMAN MAY BE RETURNED TO HARFORD COUNCIL SEAT: Former Harford County Council member Aaron Penman inched closer Friday to being returned to his former seat after a hearing in circuit court. Circuit Judge W. Michel Pierson vacated a 2025 order forcing Penman from office. But he stopped short of restoring the Republican to his former office. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
NINO MANGIONE APPOINTED TO FILL KACH VACANCY ON BA CO COUNCIL: Nino Mangione, a staunchly MAGA Republican state delegate, will become the newest Baltimore County councilman, thanks to a vote Saturday afternoon. The District 3 Republican Central Committee — consisting of two voting members — chose Mangione out of seven applicants to fill the vacancy created when Wade Kach retired this month. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
- Kach stepped down effective May 7, citing health problems that he said were unforeseeable at the time of his 2022 reelection. The MAGA Republican represented northern Baltimore County on the council for more than 11 years after serving nearly four decades in the Maryland House of Delegates. Other candidates seeking the appointment included Tim E. Braue, Todd Huff, Lynne Jones, E.J. McNulty, Eric Rockel and Gerard Wittstadt. Brian Carlton/The Baltimore Sun.
HARFORD’s STUDENT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SEEKS TO BE ‘ADULT IN ROOM:’ Maryland school boards are supposed to be nonpartisan, but politics increasingly take center stage during Harford’s twice-monthly board meetings that can stretch as long as three hours. Concerns about pool closings and aging playgrounds have been replaced by arguments over books and gender identity. On occasion it devolves into name-calling. Through it all, Trae McVicker, the student member of the board, strives to be the adult in the room. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
SCHOLARS CHALLENGE CONTENTION THAT JOHNS HOPKINS OWNED SLAVES: A team of scholars, including a Johns Hopkins University senior lecturer and a former Maryland State Archivist, is challenging the allegation that Johns Hopkins — the business titan and philanthropist who founded the university bearing his name 150 years ago — was a slaveowner. Jonathan Pitts/The Baltimore Sun.
SCOTT ADMIN SEEKS CONTROL OVER INSPECTOR GENERAL’s OFFICE: The Scott administration last week sought dismissal of a lawsuit by Baltimore’s inspector general that Circuit Court Judge Pamela J. White ruled should proceed, arguing that the mayor and city solicitor hold supreme power and authority over all city agencies. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
The post State Roundup: Dali civil trial likely to be delayed; state unveils aid for farmers; a lifelong Republican ends that affiliation; Moore’s military history in question appeared first on MarylandReporter.com.
