STATE PLOTS NEXT STEPS TO HELP W. MARYLAND AFTER ‘GUT PUNCH’ FROM FEMA: A decision to deny federal emergency aid to areas of Western Maryland hit hard by flooding in May is being called petty, partisan and punishing by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D). State, federal and local officials met for 90 minutes inside a Westernport restaurant Sunday to discuss last week’s denial by FEMA and the next steps they can take. While there is bipartisan agreement that the denial is a “gut punch” to the area, ant that there must be an appeal, there is disagreement on the motivations behind the decision. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
DENIED FLOOD RELIEF, WESTERN MARYLAND COUNTIES ON THEIR OWN: Westernport town administrator Laura Freeman Legge said she estimated the town’s damages from May flooding at $10 million, not including damage to peoples’ homes and personal property. For a town with an annual budget of about $2 million, many repairs will need to be put on hold, potentially for years. On Wednesday, the town suffered another hit. FEMA denied a request for $15.8 million to make repairs across Allegany and Garrett counties. The decision came as a shock to local leaders, who said that even after the agency disqualified millions of dollars in damage from the request, the county and state still met thresholds to qualify for assistance. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
DJS: YOUTH ASSAULTS AGAINST STAFF SOAR IN FIVE-YEAR PERIOD: Youth assaults against employees at the Department of Juvenile Services rose 71% between 2021 and 2024, with more than 700 incidents reported over the past five years. The agency reported 107 youth-on-staff assaults for all of 2021, and 112 in in 2022. In 2023, that number rose to 142. Last year, DJS reported 183 incidents of youth-on-staff assault — a 29% increase from 2023. The union that represents DJS employees points to a lack of adequate resources and understaffed facilities as the cause. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.…