Along with our weekly roundup of News You Can Use about Maryland and its people and politicians, about what states are doing and about what the feds are doing (or not) in pursuit of responsible governance (whew!) we have posted two blogs about People’s Action’s solidarity confab in the DMV last week. In Maryland, this was the beginning of the Cannabis Era and of reaction to the backward-looking Supreme Court rulings on institutional diversity practices ("affirmative action") and the student debt overhang. Check out this and more in News You Can Use.

Opening Day: Customers Flock to Cannabis Shops: Recreational marijuana is now legal in Maryland and dispensaries are so far, seeing significant demand. Peake ReLeaf President Warren Lemley said Saturday afternoon, he’d already seen four times the regular number of customers at his dispensary in Rockville, Maryland. Most of those customers were purchasing recreational cannabis. WBFF-Fox 45 News.

Moore Says State Will Respond to Supreme Court Rulings on Affirmative Action, Student Debt: Gov. Wes Moore believes there will be legal and legislative responses from the state to last week’s Supreme Court rulings that struck down race-based admissions in higher education and President Biden’s student debt relief program. WYPR-FM.

A Deep Blue County Officially Raises Its Pride Flag for The First Time In Prince George’s County, LGBTQ leaders say attitudes are shifting in a place that’s been slow to embrace queer identities While deep blue Maryland has often been a vanguard for LGBTQ rights — most recently by expanding access to gender-affirming care for transgender residents on Medicaid  Prince George’s County’s attitudes have lagged, interviews with county residents and polling results suggest.

Lobbyists In Annapolis Have Occult Powers (Money) Maryland is credited being one of the states that adopted new performance standards for buildings in this article from Stateline. But we also remember in the last Assembly session that the construction lobbyists fought successfully to keep fossil-fuel utilities from being prohibited in new buildings.

Health Dept Partners With Trevor Project To Save LGBTQ Lives: The Maryland Department of Health last week announced a year-long partnership with The Trevor Project to expand support for LGBTQ Marylanders and provide training to healthcare professionals. The partnership will involve training MDH’s behavioral administration staff, the governor’s commission for suicide prevention and healthcare professionals across the state. Frederick News-Post.

State To Hold Virtual Comment Session On Bay Bridge Expansion: Got an opinion on how the Chesapeake Bay Bridge ought to be expanded? The Maryland Transportation Authority wants to hear it Tuesday evening during an online public comment session. Capital Gazette.

 Drug Affordability Board Edits Rules After Public Input: As the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board continues to work through regulations for the board’s operations, questions remain about which drugs may be subject to pricing limits in the future. Maryland Matters.

Corrections Employees to Split $13m In Wage Theft Case: State employees in one agency will split more than $13 million to settle allegations of wage theft dating back to the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan (R). The settlement is part of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor into at least two agencies including the Department Public Safety and Correctional Services. It must be voted on by the Board of Public Works. Maryland Matters.

 The People's Action conference came to the DMV last week and shook up DC. See our blog posts at

Our solidarity impact on DC  and

"We Brought the Thunder" -- People's Action shakes DC

OVER THE STATE LINE

Maryland Joins Suit Over Wood-Burning Stove Standards: Attorneys general from 10 states, including Maryland, plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying its failure to review and ensure emissions standards for residential wood-burning stoves has allowed the continued sale of appliances that could worsen pollution.  Associated Press.

 From Semafor: Outside the Beltway: New York City has been cleared to implement a first-in-the-nation “congestion pricing” program that will charge people driving below 60th Street in Manhattan.

National: from our DC watcher at People's Action, Megan Essaheb -- "HUD has opened its first round of funding applications for the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), which will provide $4.8 billion in direct loans and grants for HUD-assisted multifamily properties to fund green, energy-efficient and resiliency renovation projects. HUD published a set of guidelines and qualifications for potential GRRP applicants here; the program was created by the IRA and  is only available for properties with a project-based HUD rental assistance contract, including Section 8, among others. " -- So tenants and community members can start bugging state and local officials to get on the stick and make sure to get the advantages for building retrofits that this bundle offers. State planning officials will add their expertise to these applications but ONLY if local governments ask. So bug them.