Breakfast links: Maryland and Pennsylvania may be allowing more pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay Bridge by Chesapeake Bay Program licensed under Creative Commons.
A report says MD and PA aren’t curtailing pollution into the Chesapeake Bay
A new report by DC nonprofit the Environmental Integrity Project said that Maryland and Pennsylvania are adjusting their goals to permit higher levels of nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed rather than creating plans for reducing levels from urban and suburban stormwater runoff. (Mike Murillo / WTOP)
Maryland begins holding public sessions on freeway widening
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will hold the first public comment hearing today on the widening of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270, with additional virtual sessions planned for Aug. 20, Aug. 25, and Sept. 3. (Rick Massimo / WTOP)
VA state senator who protested a Confederate monument is charged with conspiracy by local police
Police in Portsmouth, Virginia charged State Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who also serves as Senate Pro Tempore, with being part of a conspiracy to topple the city’s Confederate monument, a charge her defenders call “suspicious” given her vocal support to strengthen independent oversight of police departments. (Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider / Post)
Breaking down DC’s COVID-19 cases by travel patterns
According to the DC Department of Health director, about 15% of COVID-19 cases since July 31 were from people who had traveled. Among those 102 cases of people who traveled, 71.1% traveled by plane, 33.3% by rideshare, 6.7% by public transportation, 8.9% by shared van or shuttle, and 4.4% by train or commuter rail. (Jane Recker / Washingtonian)
Baltimore considers creating a homelessness agency
The Baltimore City Council is considering a bill to create an independent agency to administer a housing voucher program to help poor people — especially those who have experienced homelessness — transition to permanent housing. (Talia Richman / Baltimore Sun)
Firing of attorneys raises concerns about Maryland Legal Aid’s ability to fight evictions
More than 130 former employees of Maryland Legal Aid, which is the state’s largest source of free legal services for low-income residents, want an investigation into the firings of four senior attorneys and raised concerns about the organization’s capacity to fight evictions. (Ally Schweitzer / DCist)
What happened to the “Defund the Police” message at BLM Plaza?
The District Department of Transportation said a previously approved permit for street work resulted in the repaving and removal last week of the “Defund the Police” message that local activists added to the end of the Black Lives Matter street mural on 16th Street. (Matt Blitz / DCist)
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