AUDIT: DISABILITIES ADMIN FAILED TO COLLECT $119M: The Developmental Disabilities Administration failed to collect almost $119 million in provider payments in a timely manner, despite a new payment system that’s supposed to improve the agency’s financial forecasting, a new audit says. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND, JEWISH AND MUSLIM INSTITUTIONS ON HIGH ALERT AFTER IRAN STRIKE: Following the United States’ strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, many world leaders have called for restraint and a return to the diplomatic table. Closer to home, Gov. Wes Moore said, “In response to yesterday’s military strike in Iran, I have been in close coordination with our cabinet, including the Maryland Military Department, to ensure Marylanders at home and abroad are protected.” Michael Howes/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.
- Muslim and Jewish institutions in Maryland said they were already on high alert when U.S. strikes on Iran over the weekend just ratcheted up the level of vigilance even higher. That message was picked up over the weekend by government institutions around the state, which said they went on high attack Saturday on Iran and a retaliatory strike Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar. Laura Lifke/Maryland Matters.
MOORE SAYS STATE READY TO RESPOND TO DEADLY HEAT; URGES CAUTION: On Monday morning, Gov. Wes Moore signed a State of Preparedness declaration ahead of a potentially hazardous heat wave with dangerously high temperatures for much of Maryland. The National Weather Service said extreme heat is expected Monday through Thursday, with increasing humidity, requiring heightened awareness and preparedness from Marylanders and those visiting the state. A State of Preparedness enhances the state’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively to potential hazards and threats in advance of an actual disaster. Staff/The Garrett Republican.
- “Many Marylanders are at risk for heat-related illness during extreme heat like we are experiencing this week,” Maryland Health Secretary Meena Seshamani said in a written statement. There’s already been one heat-related death in Maryland, which came before the current heat wave hit. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
- Here’s what to know about the heat dome and how to cope and stay safe during it. Clara Longo de Freitas and Alexander Taylor/The Baltimore Banner.
DESPITE ITS PAST, FIRM GETS GREEN LIGHT FOR PILOT PLASTICS RECYCLING PLANT: A chemical company with a history of environmental violations has gotten the green light to move forward with a pilot plastics recycling plant at its Columbia headquarters. W.R. Grace & Co. submitted an air permit application to the Maryland Department of the Environment in September 2023. The agency’s decision comes nearly two years after the company submitted the application and despite fierce opposition from nearby residents and other community members. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE PROMISED CHANGES TO DRUG PROGRAM THAT NEVER CAME: Change seemed imminent in January for patients of a troubled drug addiction program in Baltimore. State health regulators said they would be transferred to new treatment providers and moved out of squalid, drug-ridden and roach-infested apartments. Some patients hoped they would at last get the help they needed. But little improved in the months that followed, some former patients of the program, PHA Healthcare, said in interviews. Alissa Zhu/The Baltimore Banner.…