Remembering Michael Busch, measles in Maryland and more
House Speaker Michael Busch dies
Michael Busch, the longest-serving speaker of the House in Maryland history, has died. He was 72. Busch had recently developed a case of pneumonia after a follow-up procedure from a liver transplant. According to WBAL-TV, Busch took the gavel as speaker in 2003. He joined the chamber in 1987. Colleagues affectionately referred to Busch as “coach” for his even-handed leadership. He was a mentor, a referee, the master of legislative maneuvering. Governor Larry Hogan ordered flags to fly at half-staff until sunset on the day of Busch’s interment.
This is a profoundly sad day for Maryland. Mike Busch was a giant in our government—the longest serving Speaker in our state’s history. He cared deeply about improving the lives of Marylanders, and his legacy is evident in his many legislative achievements.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) April 7, 2019
Also see: Michael Busch Was a Pragmatist and a Voice of Sanity
Maryland reports 1st case of measles
The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed a measles case in a Maryland resident. The department cautions others who may have been exposed to be aware of symptoms. According to the department, anyone who visited 4000 Old Court Road in Pikesville on April 2 in Baltimore County may have been exposed to measles. The possible exposure times were from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To view the full release by the Maryland Department of Health, it is accessible here.
Press Release: Measles case confirmed; possible exposures in baltimore area.
— Maryland Department of Health (@MDHealthDept) April 6, 2019
Anyone who visited 4000 Old Court Road in Pikesville, MD on Tuesday, April 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. may have been exposed to measles. More at: https://t.co/l4IdqgeO9V.
City Council asks Mayor Pugh toResign
Two days after Mayor Catherine Pugh said she is planning a comeback even as her self-dealing children’s book scandal has ballooned, all members of the Baltimore City Council have called on her to resign, according to Baltimore Fishbowl. Fourteen city lawmakers signed and shared a straight-to-the-point memo to Pugh on April 8, asking her call it quits instead of returning to City Hall. “The entire membership of the Baltimore City Council believes that it is not in the best interest of the City of Baltimore, for you to continue to serve as Mayor,” the letter reads. “We urge you to tender your resignation, effective immediately.” In an apparent response, Pugh released a statement on April 8 saying she “fully intends to resume the duties of her office and continuing her work on behalf of the people and the City of Baltimore.”
Read more: Baltimore City Council asks Pugh to resign; mayor says she intends to return
Also see: Mayor Catherine Pugh Needs to Answer a Few Grown-Up Questions
Former N.Y. congressman AnthonyWeiner ordered to register as a sex offender
Former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, who was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl, was ordered to register as a sex offender. A judge in Bronx Supreme Court in New York City on April 5 ordered Weiner to register as a Level 1 sex offender, which is the lowest designation for sex offenders in the state. Weiner, who was released from prison in February to a half-way house, is scheduled to complete his sentence on May 14. Weiner, 54, pleaded guilty in May 2016 to one charge of transferring obscene material to a minor and had faced up to 10 years in prison. In the fall of 2016, then-FBI Director James Comey cited emails involved in the Weiner case to reopen an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private server less than two weeks before the presidential election. The FBI shut down the investigation days later, saying that nothing new or damaging had come to light, but Clinton blamed the new probe in part for her loss to Donald Trump. Weiner’s troubles date back to 2011, when the Jewish lawmaker resigned from Congress after tweeting an explicit photo. He has since been involved in multiple sexting scandals, and his wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide, filed for divorce but later withdrew the case to settle out of court. They have a 7-year-old son.–JTA
Man chargedfor posting plans on Facebook to kill Jews in mass shooting
A Washington state man was charged with two felonies for posting plans on Facebook to commit a mass shooting against Jewish targets and selfies of Nazi salutes. Dakota Reed, 20, was arrested in December, weeks after the Anti-Defamation League tipped off the FBI about social media posts threatening to kill Jews praying in a synagogue or kids in school, the Washington-based Herald.net reported. He was not charged with a hate crime. Reed appears to have kept up seven separate Facebook accounts under variations of the same name for his hateful messages. “I’m shooting for 30 Jews,” read a post from Nov. 11. “No pun needed. Long ways away anyways. See you Goys.” More than a week later he posted to the same account: “We can’t vote away what our fathers tried to, we must spill blood.” Reed also claimed to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan and said he wanted to emulate Dylan Roof, the white supremacist who killed nine worshippers in a South Carolina church in 2015. Using a cartoon, he illustrated in another post that he needed guns to kill (((rats))). The echo symbol is a reference to Jews. Reed has been out of jail on $50,000 bond since December. Snohomish County prosecutors charged him last week with two counts of threats to bomb or injure property. A hate crime charge can be added.–JTA
Don’t miss the best of Jmore each week. Go to jmoreliving.com/newsletters to sign up for our weekly Jmore Newsletter and This Week in Baltimore Eating newsletter.
Jmore Publisher Scott Rifkin, M.D., pays tribute to Marc Terrill and his 20-plus years leading The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.
The battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar reflects a deeper fissure in the rap industry, writes scholar Jonathan Branfman.
The bottom line is that people working in hybrid environments feel the most engaged at work, writes Candice White of the Ignite Career Center.
On Israel Independence Day, which this year falls on May 13-14, we need to recommit ourselves to the Israeli flag and what it stands for, writes Rabbi Dr. Eli Yoggev.