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Archives Health Health Health Homepage Highlights

Md. Youths Needing Psychiatric Care Find Long Waits, Drives

December 12, 2019 by Capital News Service

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The first time Jeannine LeMieux’s daughter was hospitalized for a psychotic episode, she was only 8 years old.

LeMieux took her daughter to a hospital emergency room near her home on the Eastern Shore, where it was determined that she needed to be hospitalized. Her first admission was to Sheppard Pratt, a privately run psychiatric hospital with child and adolescent inpatient units in Towson, nearly a two-hour drive away.

“They didn’t do anything,” said her daughter, now 19. “I just remember a kid that smacked me in my face one time.”

To maintain the confidentiality of a minor’s medical history, LeMieux’s daughter’s name is being withheld.

Over the next 10 years, the daughter, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder with ongoing psychotic episodes, depression, anxiety and later bipolar disorder, required hospitalization five more times, taking LeMieux across the Mid-Atlantic region, from northern Delaware to a brief move to Northern Virginia and back into eastern and central Maryland.

Traveling long distances to access inpatient psychiatric care is a familiar problem for the parents of children and adolescents living in rural areas, especially in Maryland, where 18 of its 24 jurisdictions are considered rural under state law and 25% of Maryland’s 6 million residents live within those areas.

Most juveniles who visit the emergency department for psychiatric reasons spend less than 24 hours there, but a growing number of children and adolescents are staying even longer as they wait in local emergency rooms for transfer to a more appropriate facility.

More services for adults

Across the state, there are 29 acute care general hospitals that provide inpatient psychiatric services for adults 18 and older.

Only five of those hospitals provide acute care for adolescents between 13 and 17, and only two provide care for children from 0 to 12 years of age, according to data from the Maryland Health Care Commission.

For children and adolescents living in the far-reaching rural areas of the state, general hospital acute care is even less accessible. Acute adolescent psychiatric units, which provide immediate short-term care, only exist in Montgomery, Calvert, Baltimore and Carroll counties, and both acute children’s psychiatric units in the state are in Baltimore City.

LeMieux remembers driving nearly 100 miles one way just to see her daughter for an hour or sometimes only 30 minutes.

“It’s terrifying to think that my mom had to go through that,” her daughter said. “It’ll make your anxiety a whole lot worse, knowing that the one person that’s normally there can’t be there and it’ll take a little bit for them to get there if you truly need them.”

“You want to go every single time that you can to see your child,” LeMieux told Capital News Service. “Family is key to helping a child get better.”

If there aren’t any acute child psychiatric beds within a 45-minute drive, any juvenile psychiatric patient may be admitted to a pediatric bed in a general hospital, according to Maryland state regulations.

Hospitalized over 10 times in the last five years, Patricia Williams said, her daughter was often in enough crisis to be transported via ambulance or police escort to their local hospital in Cecil County, where she would then have to wait — sometimes 14 hours to up to two days — for transfer to an inpatient pediatric psychiatric bed.

General pediatric units don’t always have the staff or resources to be equipped to handle high-risk pediatric psychiatric patients.

Williams initially thought her daughter had only attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but medication brought on drastic mood swings and hours of inconsolable crying. She said her daughter, who is not being named to keep her medical history private, first started hearing voices at just 9 years old, when she was in fourth grade.

Now 14, her current diagnosis includes schizophrenia, reactive attachment disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, ADHD and anxiety. Her hospitalizations often occurred after suicidal thoughts or attempts, extreme aggression or assault, Williams said.

“She pulled a knife on me one time and I had to call the police,” Williams recalled. “She punched her brother in the face.”

The lack of placement options across the state has caused “an alarming increase” in the length of wait times for younger patients, according to a Maryland Hospital Association report from 2017. At one facility not named in the report, some children were hospitalized more than 100 days past what was medically necessary while they waited for a transfer, a hospital leader said.

Juvenile patients being “boarded,” or kept waiting for transfer in emergency departments, are stuck waiting for days sometimes due to a shortage of open inpatient beds in the state, and an even greater lack of open beds for patients with specialized needs such as co-occurring developmental or substance use disorders.

The number of child and adolescent beds available in inpatient facilities in Maryland can fluctuate, with some units allowing overflow between adult and juvenile units depending on need.

Over the last eight years, the number of psychiatric visits to the emergency room for children and adolescents has been on an upward trend. Even though more children are experiencing crisis situations, the number of inpatient and residential treatment beds in the state for these individuals has declined, with several state facilities closing, along with the closure of an inpatient unit on the Eastern Shore.

Trips to the emergency room can be expensive on their own, but extended waiting in the emergency department for transfer and inpatient unit stays continue to rack up the costs.

A two-week inpatient stay for her daughter at Sheppard Pratt was $20,185, Williams said. Over the course of one year, her total hospital visits added up to $122,000.

Medicaid covered the costs for Williams’ daughter, she said, but for other children in need of psychiatric services, insurance doesn’t always cover everything. Co-payments due upfront, along with bills for other services not covered by certain insurances, can add up quickly.

In 2018, there were 4,106 child visits and 8,198 adolescent visits to emergency departments across the state for psychiatric issues, according to a report from the Maryland Health Care Commission and data from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission.

Of those 12,304 juvenile visits, 1,163 of them lasted anywhere from over 24 hours to 20 or more days in the emergency department, waiting for a bed elsewhere.

LeMieux remembers her own longest wait time — over 30 hours — with her daughter at a hospital emergency room waiting for transfer to a psychiatric unit.

She had to wait in a windowless seclusion room with nothing but a bed, only being allowed out to use the bathroom, the daughter recalled.

“It kind of feels pointless, like I need help now but I’m not getting it,” the young woman said, thinking back to that time.

LeMieux, a registered nurse at a hospital on the Eastern Shore, said she doesn’t think the emergency departments themselves are at fault — there just are not enough units for psychiatric patients.

“We’re doing a mis-service to our adolescents on the Eastern Shore, in southern Maryland, all around,” she said.

Having kids in psychiatric crisis wait long times in emergency rooms for transfer to an inpatient unit with open beds is a reflection of a larger problem: a shortage of inpatient and community mental health resources in the state.

“The services in the community really need to be stepped up to where we cannot have as much need for inpatient stays,” Williams said.

When a child or adolescent with a psychiatric emergency in the state’s rural Eastern Shore region comes to a University of Maryland Shore Regional Health emergency department, the first step is to stabilize them. From there, the hospital will make the decision to release the patient with a care plan for further treatment or transfer them to an inpatient facility on Maryland’s western shore or in Delaware, according to Kate Gallagher, a member of the communications team for the Eastern Shore’s regional health system.

Although many general hospitals have to transfer younger psychiatric patients long distances to receive care, the state’s process for adding or expanding inpatient juvenile psychiatric facilities requires a long application and review process to ensure sufficient need and finances before beginning construction.

The review process, which grants a Certificate of Need and allows the establishment of a new psychiatric hospital or unit, hasn’t been updated in over two decades, according to Eileen Fleck, chief of acute planning and policy for the Maryland Health Care Commission.

Freestanding private psychiatric hospitals provide hospital-level inpatient care for pediatric and adolescent patients as well, but three out of the four facilities in Maryland are in non-rural counties. Two private children’s units and one private adolescent unit are in Montgomery, Howard and Baltimore counties, and only one private children’s unit exists in more rural Washington County.

Maryland provides one state-run psychiatric hospital serving adolescents in Baltimore County that mostly provides longer-term inpatient care and treatment for those involved with the state court system. There are no state facilities that accept juvenile psychiatric patients younger than 13.

“There is definitely a shortage and there are efforts underway to try and address the issues,” said Lara Wilson, executive director for the Maryland Rural Health Association. “We are not alone in Maryland with this concern.”

Ann Geddes, director of public policy for the Maryland Coalition of Families, also acknowledged that there’s “definitely” a shortage of juvenile psychiatric facilities in the state.

Geddes said that most facilities are not equipped for residential treatment, as their goal is to stabilize their patients over a few days and line up continuing care if necessary.

Telehealth alternative

To combat the shortage and long transportation times, state rural health care officials have suggested using telehealth, which would provide remote patient care and eliminate the need to have doctors and specialists directly in rural counties in Maryland.

Telehealth uses two-way audio and video technology to monitor and deliver care remotely, along with securely sharing medical information. By using telehealth, the state has the potential to reduce high healthcare costs that come with office visits and in-person specialist appointments.

“Telehealth has been proven to be a way to address access for behavioral health services for adults, pediatrics and adolescents,” Wilson said. “However, the state does not reimburse for care delivered to a patient in their home setting. They are still required to go to a clinic site for telehealth encounters. This is not efficient and (is) a burden on families.”

The University of Maryland Shore Regional Health system received a $75,000 grant in 2017 from the Maryland Health Care Commission toward behavioral health assessments via telemedicine. The grant supported the purchase of technology such as telehealth carts, equipped with a camera and built-in microphone to see and communicate with patients, training for clinicians and support for researchers.

However, while the telemedicine program has reduced wait and travel times and increased satisfaction, it only serves adult patients for now, Gallagher said.

“We are actively working to establish tele child and adolescent psychiatric services with our University of Maryland School of Medicine colleagues,” she said.

By Natalie Jones

Feature image MadamePsychosis/ FLICKR

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Health, Health Homepage Highlights

Maryland Uses Surveillance, Data to Track Motorists, Traffic

December 11, 2019 by Capital News Service

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Motorists in Maryland may be aware of the cameras that enforce speed and red-light violations, but the state’s tracking practices include other layers to assist in law enforcement efforts, and for traffic and planning purposes.

Through the different practices, Maryland collects both anonymous and identifiable information — depending on the method — about driving patterns, raising concerns for privacy advocates.

“I don’t think it’s really an issue of whether you have privacy in a particular moment in time,” said Dave Maass, senior investigative researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that defends civil liberties in the digital age. “But rather whether the government — and companies — should be tracking you over time and space, and then storing and selling that information.”

The Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center assists “federal, state, local and private-sector partners in the collection, analysis and dissemination of criminal and homeland security within Maryland,” according to its mission statement.

Pursuant to that mission, the center oversees the state’s license plate reader program.

There are 420 automatic license plate readers around the state as of 2018, according to data obtained by Capital News Service through a public information act request.

Readers capture information such as camera date, time and location with a digital image. The image can capture specific information such as a vehicle’s make and model, its drivers and passengers, distinguishing features (bumper stickers or damage) and state of registration.

In 2018, there were 14 connected agencies — including the Maryland Transportation Authority, state police and other law enforcement entities — that collected data for the operations center. Combined, the license plate readers registered over 450 million scans, according to a mandatory yearly audit.

Data and images are then stored on a server at the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center.

In accordance with a law passed in 2014, the scans cannot be stored for more than one year unless there is reasonable belief that they will become evidence in a specific criminal or other law enforcement investigation or action concerning the connected individual.

“I think it’s way too long,” Maass said of the retention period. “A year can result in a lot of information being collected on somebody in order to analyze their historical patterns.”

The reader-collected data can be used to alert law enforcement officials that a captured plate recorded a hit based off a list of targeted plates related to crimes.

Personal data stored on the server is not accessible through the Public Information Act, and is only disseminated when an outside agency’s formal request meets “need to know” and “right to know” standards, according to the program’s guidelines.

Of the over 450 million scans in 2018, the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center received 3,476 requests for the scanned information, and 2,179 resulted in the release of information.

In 2018, 81 of the systems were at fixed locations and 339 were mobile — meaning they were attached to law enforcement vehicles.

Privacy concerns

Maass said both varieties create privacy concerns for drivers. He said readers at fixed locations reveal driving patterns, such as routes and schedules.

Meanwhile, Maass said, mobile readers can be abused. He warned about a practice called “gridding,” which involves law enforcement driving through neighborhoods or specific areas to collect information. Maass also said mobile readers open the opportunity for law enforcement to drive around until they receive a hit on the “hot list.”

“If a police department put a police officer on every corner, and they were writing down all of your movements all the time, people would feel like they lived in an authoritarian state,” Maass said. Automatic License Plate Readers “is just the computerized version of this.”

The mobile readers provide an almost instantaneous result, Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center Director David Engel told Capital News Service. But Engel said the reading alone isn’t enough for law enforcement to pursue the vehicle. The officer must have reasonable cause to stop a vehicle and verify the result through their computer or a dispatcher.

Despite the privacy concerns, Engel stands by the effectiveness of the program. He said the license plate readers serve as a tool to help law enforcement solve crimes, find criminals and identify stolen vehicles.

“It’s for a multitude of reasons that this is invaluable,” Engel said.

Other tracking methods

Other tracking methods the state uses are anonymous, and used for the purpose of monitoring and making informed decisions about traffic.

The state purchases traffic data from third-party companies to gather information that can be used for planning purposes, according to Michael Pack, the director of the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology.

The center, oftentimes called the CATT Lab, is at the University of Maryland and compiles and analyzes road data to help the state make development decisions, including infrastructure and construction projects.

“Most states can buy data or produce data, but struggle to analyze the data,” Pack said. “We make the tools to analyze the data.”

Collecting data from cell phones

In September, the Board of Public Works unanimously approved another form of traffic data collection.

Transportation data company StreetLight Data will compile the information based on cell phone data on a one-year contract, State Highway Administration spokesman David Abrams said.

The information will have a specific focus on the Baltimore Beltway-Interstate Route 70  interchange near Woodlawn where three bridges intersect. The data is not collected in real time and takes up to two months for StreetLight to receive, Abrams said.

“The tool is solely used to monitor traffic, not individual drivers. The data is completely anonymous at the point that it is captured, and completely anonymous when it gets to (the State Highway Administration),” Abrams said. “This data is for planning purposes to better understand where there are traffic issues and how to address them.”

Abrams also said the live online traffic streams of certain road segments online are not recorded.

Images captured at toll facilities in the state are protected by a Maryland law that prohibits information being released “except to the individual named in the record (the customer/citizen) or for the purposes of investigating or prosecuting a violation of failure to pay a toll in connection with the electronic toll collection system,” Maryland Transportation Authority spokeswoman Kelly Melhelm said in an email.

Individual jurisdictions, not the state, oversee other cameras that are prevalent on roadways, such as those that monitor violations for speeding, running a red light or driving past a school bus while students are exiting.

By Eric Myers

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Maryland News, News

Trained to Serve: Maryland’s Natural Resources Police K-9 Unit

December 6, 2019 by Capital News Service

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According to the square Army green patch on the back of his harness, this officer’s “Beast Mode” is always “ON.” Rider, a 30-pound K-9 assigned to the state’s Natural Resources Police, may offer the department more brains than brawn.

For the hound-terrier mix and his trainer, Sgt. Ben Lillard, the insignia demonstrates that his 30-pound frame does not hinder his ability to perform regular patrol duties.

Rider is one of four Maryland Department of Natural Resource Police dogs, which are specially selected and trained to execute tasks like detecting poached wildlife, tracking violators, searching and locating missing individuals and detecting human remains.

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resource K-9 program, which began in 1994, seeks dogs that have a strong drive — the most important trait.

Sgt. Devin Corcoran said that any dog that the Department of Natural Resources Police acquires must combine a high level of determination with a playful demeanor.

A dog that is willing to crawl under a parked car to retrieve a toy is preferred over a dog that does not demonstrate the initiative, said Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Conservation Police Officer Jim Patrillo, handler of a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever named Bailey, said.

“Everything we do with our dogs is toy-rewarded,” Patrillo said. “When we test dogs, puppies, we look for a high energy and a toy drive.”

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources operates under similar measures.

“If they have drive and motivation … and some intelligence, we can train them,” Corcoran said.

Along with Rider, the Department of Natural Resources Police cares for and maintains three other dogs, including two yellow Labs, Beacon and Badger, and a Chesapeake Bay retriever, Ruckus.

Prior to 2016, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resource’s K-9 units received training from locations in Florida, Kentucky and Indiana, according to Corcoran.

Indiana Conservation Officer Jeffrey Milner has instructed about 72 dogs, including three from Maryland, since 1997.

In 2014, Milner trained Corcoran, who is one of three conservation officers who have attended Milner’s training.

Milner, handler of an 11-year-old Labrador retriever, breaks his training regimen down into three different phases, including mantracking, wildlife detection and article search, with each lasting approximately three weeks.

Corcoran, who completed a 2015 Train the Trainer Course with K2 Solutions in Southern Pines, North Carolina, due to a contribution from the Humane Society of the United States, said that he brought a similar approach to Maryland.

Maryland’s training usually lasts about nine weeks and varies from 400 to 480 hours, according to Corcoran.

Although the dogs enjoy searching for and locating wildlife, mantracking is the most difficult part of the training, according to Milner.

“Most dogs track naturally, but don’t track humans naturally,” Milner said.

Dogs typically follow a scent but can often get redirected, compelling the handler to reassess the situation and give the canine a moment to regather the scent, according to Milner.

“Reading the dog is key,” Milner said. “(Handlers) learn every sign that the dog gives them.”

Maryland’s canine training has since transpired in-house — for reasons including proximity and cost, and it allows the department to tailor the training to Maryland’s geofactors.

Although the department’s four dogs are located on the Eastern Shore and in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Baltimore counties, Corcoran said that he does not uniquely train each dog for its region, and that the dogs can travel state-wide.

When the dogs locate an item or person of interest — what Corcoran classifies as the “ultimate goal” — Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources trains them to use a passive action that is easily visible to indicate the find, such as sitting or laying down.

Corcoran trains the dogs to execute a passive action instead of an aggressive one, such as scratching or biting, to ensure that the dog and the evidence or item of interest remain safe.

The canines are then rewarded for their work by the department’s handlers, granting them play time with a toy of their choice.

Milner said that he recommends handlers to utilize a variable reward system, which causes a build up of anticipation and a rush of endorphins.

“Whatever motivates the dog … is what I want the handler to use,” Milner said. “Nationwide, KONG is the toy of choice — probably the dog’s favorite choice.”

KONG toys are made out of rubber that can withstand lengthy chewing and can be filled with snacks.

The K-9’s training program is based around positive reinforcement and high praise — tactics that are most effective when instructing dogs, according to Milner.

Two of the department’s dogs — Rider and Ruckus — arrived as donations from county animal shelters, while Beacon was donated by a family.

Badger, the Natural Resource cadaver, or human remains, dog was purchased for $700 from private yellow Labrador breeder Scott Stapleford in Delaware.

The Maryland State Police can pay more — anywhere from $3,500 to $9,000 based on the type of dog, where it is procured, the length of warranty, and the amount of training the dog may already have, according to the department. The state police have 42 dogs, including German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labrador retrievers, bloodhounds and a springer spaniel.

The state police obtained one German shepherd from a rescue facility, according to the department.

Maryland State Police dogs are trained in both police activities and detection of material, including narcotics and explosives, according to Brenda Carl, public affairs officer for the Maryland State Police.

Their training is also done in house with department trainers and lasts between 12 and 20 weeks depending on the dog and its handler, according to the department.

Milner also cited the execution of obedience as another factor in the longer training of police dogs.

After tearing his right cranial cruciate ligament, which is similar to an anterior cruciate ligament in humans, in June, Rider tore his left cranial cruciate ligament in October — not an uncommon occurrence or dogs, the department said.

But after Rider makes a full recovery — as the department expects — Beast Mode will be back on duty, tracking down illegal activity involving Maryland’s natural resources.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, News

Maryland Continues Funding for Protective Crop Plantings

December 2, 2019 by Capital News Service

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About $5 million the state of Maryland has set aside for farmers to plant protective crops has gone wanting in recent years.

For the second year in a row, the state has spent less than it set aside on a program that Maryland uses in its favor when tallying efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

In 2010, under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency set the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load — called a “pollution diet” — for the estuary to minimize major sources of pollution, including nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment, and meet water quality standards.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes seven jurisdictions: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia.

Low water quality in the Bay can cause dead zones in the water — areas of water with not enough oxygen to sustain marine life.

The standards established by the EPA set pollution limits for the Bay that would reduce nitrogen by 25%, phosphorus by 24% and sediment by 20% in total.

Each of the seven jurisdictions was given distinct limits and required to describe how they would meet their goals in what are called Watershed Implementation Plans.

Since 2010, Maryland has reduced its phosphorus loads by nearly 10%, from 4.01 million pounds per year to 3.62 million pounds per year, already reaching its 2025 target. Additionally, Maryland’s nitrogen pollution per year has decreased by over 9%, from 58.1 million pounds per year in 2010 to 52.7 million pounds per year in 2018. To meet its 2025 target, Maryland must reduce nitrogen runoff by an additional 6.9 million pounds per year.

The EPA set the targets, said Jason Keppler, the state’s Watershed Implementation Plan manager, and Jason Schellhardt, the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s communications director, and the state is given the flexibility to design programs that will meet its goals.

One of these is Maryland’s cover crop program for local farmers.

After harvesting for the season, farmers can plant more crops — wheat, barley, rye, and legumes — to cover their land, i.e. cover crops. These plantings hold the soil together and sequester and absorb excess nutrients, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

The cover crops take up the excess nitrogen from previous fertilizers and prevent them from flowing downstream into the Chesapeake, said Colby Ferguson, government relations director at the Maryland Farm Bureau. Additionally, the cover crops reduce sediment and phosphorus erosion.

To encourage participation in the cover crop program, Keppler and Schellhardt said, the department pays farmers per acre to plant crops as a part of the state’s Watershed Implementation Plan.

This year, the state allocated $22.5 million to the program, according to this year’s cover crop brochure.

To qualify for this year’s program, farmers had to apply between June 21 and July 17 at soil conservation district offices. The last day to plant cereal grains was Nov. 5, and other types of cover crops had earlier deadlines.

As a part of the program, farmers are not allowed to sell their harvested cover crops as a grain. If a farmer decides to sell the grain, they forfeit money from the cover crop program.

Farmers may have livestock graze the cover crops, the Maryland Department of Agriculture said.

Following the planting of cover crops, the Department of Agriculture confirms the number of acres that were planted before paying for them, said Rob Schnabel, Maryland restoration biologist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Payments are per acre and depend on when the cover crops were planted and removed. In this year’s program, crops left to grow after May 1, 2020, qualify as “Extended Season” and receive an incentive payment of $15 per acre.

Keppler said that the department “(tries) to encourage early adoption of cover crops” because it reduces the time that the soil is left uncovered.

According to the state’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan, the state increased funding to the cover crop program to $25.5 million per year starting this year, covering around 470,000 acres.

According to Nicholas Pepersack, deputy chief of staff at the Department of Budget and Management, this amount has not been allocated since fiscal year 2015.

The cover crop program offsets the costs of planting to encourage farmers to use the program.

There are benefits to the farmers other than financial incentives.

Leaving crops in the ground over the winter helps retain the soil, Ferguson said, which is to the farmer’s advantage.

The plant material is left on top of the soil and functions similar to mulch. The organic matter improves soil quality and holds in water so the soil does not dry out as fast.

The leftover plant material also decreases weeds, said Norman Astle, the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s administrator of Maryland Agricultural Conservation Grants.

Last program year, counties on the Eastern Shore received the highest amount of payouts compared to other counties in the state. A program year starts from when a farmer signs up for the program and then harvests the crop the next spring.

In recent years, participation in the program has decreased, according to data from Maryland’s Department of Agriculture.

During the 2018-2019 cover crop program, around 1,274 farms participated in the program, down 10% from the 2017-2018 program. The exact number cannot be confirmed because of differentiations between two Maryland Department of Agriculture datasets.

(One dataset includes historical data, which the department explained should be used because the data is likely more consistent over time. Another dataset contains each farm that signed up for the program and includes slightly different program totals than the historical dataset. The Maryland Department of Agriculture said that this dataset may be different because it may include some refunds from farmers. Historical data is used for this story.)

Harborview Farms in Kent County has been the largest user of the cover crop program in the last two years. During the 2018-2019 program, Harborview Farms planted over 9,500 acres and received over half a million dollars from the state. Attempts to contact representatives for the farm were unsuccessful.

Additionally, 11 farms in the state received over $100,000 each from the program for planting over 2,000 acres of crops.

In the last seven years, farmers signed up for a total of over 600,000 acres per year. Through the 2016-2017 program, at least 68% of the acres signed up for the program were actually planted, and it peaked at nearly 81% that year.

During the 2017-2018 program, the number of participants who signed up and actually planted their cover crops dropped to below 60%. From 2017 to 2018, the final number of acres paid for by the state compared to the initial number of acres registered dropped by 25 percentage points.

The drop in participation was weather-related, Astle said.

Wet weather in the spring can delay the planting of crops, which pushes the harvest back and a farmer’s ability to participate in the cover crop program.

Because the weather has been drier this year, Astle said he anticipates higher participation in the 2019-2020 program.

Because planted acreage is down, the state is spending less on the program than it has allocated.

In the last two years combined, the state has spent nearly $36 million. However, the program typically has been allocated annually between $22 million and $24 million split, nearly equally, between the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund and the Bay Restoration Fund, Pepersack said.

“Any unspent funds from the (Bay Restoration Fund) remain in the cover crop program and are carried over to the following fiscal year,” Pepersack said in an email. Remaining funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund is reverted back to the trust fund at the end of the fiscal year.

Not everyone is on board with increasing the allocation of funding to cover crops in Phase III of the Watershed Implementation Plan.

Schnabel said the Chesapeake Bay Foundation would like to see a greater emphasis on long-term agricultural solutions, such as permanent pastures and stream-side forest cover. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation believes these are more cost-effective than annual funding programs, like cover crops, in the long run.

Permanent pastures convert cropland used for feed for livestock into permanent rotational grazing fields of grass.

Originally, Maryland’s Watershed Implementation Plan indicated 425,000 acres of cover crop and 15,000 acres of permanent pasture, but the most recent phase III plan indicated approximately 70,000 more acres of cover crops, and reduced permanent pasture acreage by around 12,500, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Keppler said that cover crops are just “one tool in the toolbox.” Permanent pastures are more geared for a livestock farm industry whereas cover crops are better suited for cropland, Keppler said.

Capital News Service reached out to a number of farms that have utilized this program, but none responded.

By Emily Top

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Eco Homepage

Hogan Issues First Paroles for Juvenile Lifers in Decades

December 2, 2019 by Capital News Service

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For the first time in 24 years, individuals sentenced to life in a correctional facility for crimes they committed before turning 18 are being paroled by a Maryland governor.

This shift in policy for juvenile lifers by Gov. Larry Hogan, R, is unprecedented in the state’s recent history.

“The governor talked about this issue in his original campaign, and it’s something that he gives serious attention to,” Hogan Administration Deputy Legal Counsel Chris Mincher said in an interview with Capital News Service.

A press secretary for the governor said Mincher would be the Hogan administration’s representative for this story.

Hogan’s decision to implement parole for juvenile lifers comes after 24 years of rejections for this group by the previous three governors, a trend that started with Gov. Parris Glendening in 1995.

Navarus Mayhew, 42, is scheduled to be released this month after 24 years in prison for first-degree murder, robbery and gun charges. Robert Davis, 54, who served 37 years for first-degree felony murder and handgun charges has been recently released, a Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokesman said Thursday. Shawn Delco Goodman, 42, will likely be released in December after 27 years behind bars for first-degree murder and robbery charges, according to Maryland Parole Commission records.

Hogan approved paroles for two of the men and allowed the third to happen without his signature.

Prisoners sentenced to life in prison as both adults and juveniles have been released through other measures of executive clemency, like commutation, which allows the governor — rather than the parole commission — to set the terms of release.

Until the Hogan administration, parole hadn’t been implemented for any lifer — adult or juvenile — since Gov. William Donald Schaefer, D, Glendening’s immediate predecessor. A number of inmates’ life sentences had been commuted, however.

In the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama, sentencing a minor to life without the possibility of parole was deemed cruel and unusual. A 2016 suit, Montgomery v. Louisiana, declared that the 2012 ruling be applied retroactively, effectively eliminating the sentence for juveniles.

In 2016, the ACLU of Maryland filed a federal class action lawsuit against Hogan on behalf of the Maryland Restorative Justice Initiative and three incarcerated juvenile lifers. The three juvenile lifers in the ACLU suit are not the 2019 parolees.

The lawsuit states that Maryland’s process of juvenile lifer parole denied “meaningful opportunity for release,” therefore violating constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.

There are currently more than 300 individuals sentenced to life who are imprisoned for crimes they committed before the age of 18 in Maryland facilities. The ACLU suit is pending.

More than two decades ago, Glendening, a Democrat, set a precedent with his “life means life” stance based on the “tough on crime” political climate of the era.

Forty-nine lifers have been released from incarceration since Glendening took office. Nine of them were paroled for medical reasons. Ten parolees were juveniles.

Gov. Robert Ehrlich, R, commuted three adult and two juvenile lifers and paroled no lifers.

During Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley’s eight years in office, two adults and one juvenile sentenced to life were released by commutation; he did not parole any lifers.

Hogan has commuted the sentences of four juveniles and 17 adults as of last month, and has approved parole for eight adult and three juvenile lifers.

Nine other individuals were released for medical parole. This happens when a lifer is chronically ill and expected to die, and are no longer considered a threat to society. They are released to a hospital, hospice care or family members.

Glendening did administer five medical paroles, however one was revoked in 2002.

Glendening acknowledges his decision to block paroles for lifers was political, but has since stated that he made an error in judgment.

There have been attempts to remove the governor’s hand from the state’s process in recent years. In 2017, parole reform legislation that would dismiss the governor from the process was passed in the state House of Delegates, but failed to advance in the Senate. This past session, a similar bill made little headway in either chamber.

Legislators are turning their eyes to 2020 — some with the hope that more advancement could be made this time around.

The bill’s former House sponsor, Delegate Pam Queen, D-Montgomery, said in an interview with Capital News Service last month that there are plans for similar legislation in the upcoming session, and is looking to the Senate and its new president, Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, to determine what will or won’t make it through.

Though too early to tell, lawmakers are looking to have the 2020 iteration of the bill sponsored by a member of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. According to the chief of staff for Sen. Delores G. Kelley, D-Baltimore, a previous sponsor of the legislation, they are aiming for the bill to include new measures to account for family and victim concerns.

Despite the lack of traction in Annapolis, Queen does acknowledge that progress has been made, pointing to the administration’s recent announcement that the state would begin the process of compensating five men, convicted as adults, who wrongfully served lengthy prison sentences.

“It took (Hogan) a little while to get to that point where he agreed to do something now with those five individuals,” said Queen, “but we can only hope that that’s the case and with those recent changes, at last, we’ll get a different look.”

In 2018, Hogan signed an executive order addressing juvenile lifers specifically, requiring that the governor weigh the same elements as the Maryland Parole Commission when considering parole, as well as the inmate’s age at the time of the offense and any signs of maturity or transformative rehabilitation.

Attempts to find and contact attorneys, family members of victims, and parolees have not been successful, or individuals have declined to comment.
—————————————————————————————————
A governor can grant various forms of release or clemency to inmates.

  • Parole is recommended to the governor by the Maryland Parole Commission. After a hearing and risk assessment, the commission may send a parole recommendation to the Office of the Governor. Once received, the governor has 180 days to confirm, allow its approval without a signature, or deny it. If a prisoner is released to the community, they are under the supervision of a parole officer. Violation of the terms of an individuals’ parole can lead to reincarceration.
  • Medical parole is a release condition that occurs when an incarcerated individual is so chronically ill that they are no longer considered a danger to others. At this point, they are released to the care of a family member, hospital or hospice facility, and are returned to prison should their health recover.
  • Commutation is a form of clemency granted by the governor that results in a changed or shortened sentence. In commuting a sentence, the governor has some discretion over when and under what conditions a prisoner is released, unlike with paroles.
  • Pardon is a process, following an application, of executive clemency under which the governor absolves the grantee of guilt for a crime and exempts them from penalties for those crimes. Formerly convicted individuals can apply to have portions of their criminal record expunged and restore some of their rights.

*The fourth paragraph of this story, referring to the role of Chris Mincher in this report, has been updated.

By Hannah Gaskill

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Maryland News, News

Senator’s Bill Would Ban Balloon Releases in Maryland

November 27, 2019 by Capital News Service

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Letting a balloon float away in Maryland would draw in a fine of $250, under a bill sponsored by Sen. Clarence K. Lam. The legislation is similar to a current Queen Anne’s County law.

Lam (D-Baltimore, Howard) said he hopes the bill does two things: reduces the amount of waste that ends up in the environment and raises awareness of the need to properly dispose of balloons.

He said there would be a $250 civil fine for each act of intentionally releasing a balloon, but no one would go to prison for it because it’s not considered a criminal offense.

Lam said the proposed law, unlike in Queen Anne’s County, would not allow biodegradable balloons.

Since there is not a definite label that states when a balloon will biodegrade, they are still considered damaging and could affect farms, water and wildlife, he said.

Scott Tiffin, Lam’s chief of staff, said the issue of balloon releases specifically was put on Lam’s radar by the Queen Anne’s County law.Lam said it’s a bipartisan issue and Republicans may be in favor of the bill because of their support of farms and protecting rural lands, where balloon waste can be found.

“After he heard about the bill, we reached out to Commissioner Chris Corchiarino and learned that balloons washing up on the shore is a common problem,” Tiffin said.

Three senators are co-sponsoring the bill, including Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Lower Shore), Sen. Ronald Young (D-Frederick) and Sen. Stephen Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore), Lam said.

The bill is expected to be co-sponsored in the House of Delegates by Del. Wayne Hartman (R-Wicomico, Worcester) and Del. Regina Boyce (D-Baltimore City), Lam said.

Carozza said her constituents are concerned about birds and other wildlife that have been killed by mistaking balloons for food, and about balloon entanglements causing injury to wildlife.

“We even have local cases of our beloved Assateague ponies harmed by balloon releases,” Carozza said.

Lam said the bill will be enforced by law enforcement at a state and local level and the Maryland Department of the Environment will also be tasked with enforcing the ban.

Lam said that balloon waste from releases could end up in farms, waterways and other spaces where it could harm the environment.

“What goes up must come down, and you won’t know where they will land,” Lam said.

Tiffin said that there is an exemption for the negligent and unintentional release of balloons, which would protect children from being affected.

“The goal of the bill is not to fine children for letting go of their balloon. It is to protect our environment from intentional balloon releases,” Tiffin said.

The bill will be considered during the next legislative session, which starts Jan. 8. If the bill becomes a law it would go into effect Oct. 1, 2020.

Bob Friday, association executive of the Bay Area Association of Realtors, said that celebratory balloons for open houses have never been something that their organization uses, instead members have been using flags or open house signs.

Even though the office space in Chester is in Queen Anne’s County, the balloon release ban never had any sort of impact on their office, he said.

Stores like Party City and local Maryland event planning businesses sell and use balloons in their businesses and don’t advocate for balloon releases.

Party City’s website said that they use messaging in stores and online to provide tips for people to properly handle the disposal of balloons.

Sara Parent, owner of Southern Maryland Balloons & Events, said that her company does not organize balloon releases and has concerns with enforcement of the law and how officials would be able to identify these releases, unless it’s a massive one.

Parent said the bill won’t affect her business.

“I don’t do balloon releases; foils and other balloons should never be released, they could cause issues with power lines,” Parent said. “I don’t advocate releasing balloons into the environment like that but if they’re going to do it, no matter what, it should be with latex and no ribbon because at least it would be biodegradable.”

Luke Blume of Berlin — whose children Josh and Emily started a balloon cleanup contest called Blume’s Balloon Round Up — is in support of the Queen Anne’s County law and potential statewide ban of balloon releases.

“We are all for the law and obviously don’t want to see people at a birthday party fined if a balloon floats away, but it’s more along the line of these big releases, we want to see these stopped,” Luke Blume said.

The family’s balloon contest started at the end of June 2018 and has existed for over a year and four months, and they’ve collected approximately 2,800 lost balloons since the start, Luke Blume said.

He said they find balloons in waters from five to 60 miles offshore some days, and that one of the farthest balloons they found appeared to have traveled all the way from a car wash in Arizona.

Blume said that balloons are found on the beaches a lot, and even though latex balloons break down over time, most have an attached string with a knot attached.

“We’ve had farmers call us about balloons getting into the hay and into cows’ stomachs. There is also an osprey project in New Jersey where the parents will make their nests with some balloon waste, and the string from the balloons will cause their babies to get tangled in it,” Blume said.

He said that foil balloons are most commonly picked up and they turn clear when they’re left out for a long time. Not only does it make them harder to spot, but if they’re in the water they can look like jellyfish which turtles mistake for food, Blume said.

Blume said he has also found notes on balloons, and even though people’s thoughts may be well-intentioned it’s important to bring awareness and opt for an alternative method.

“We picked up a balloon one day that had a note attached to it that included a note about a child that passed away — from a funeral,” Blume said.

He said that June and July are common months to see a lot of graduation balloons or Valentine’s Day balloons a month after the holiday.

Wicomico and Worcester counties, on the Eastern Shore, are also looking into banning balloon releases.

 

By Teresa Johnson

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Eco Homepage

Deadline Nears for Maryland Uninsured-Motorist Debt Amnesty

November 14, 2019 by Capital News Service

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Time is running out for uninsured motorists in Maryland to take advantage of a program that forgives 80 percent of uninsured-driving debts that became delinquent before 2017.

Debtors have until Dec. 31 to register for the program and begin repaying the remaining 20 percent of their total fines. If an individual registers and pays at least one-sixth of their remaining 20 percent of debt by the end of the year, they have until June 2020 to finish paying.

There are approximately 308,000 unique debtors, who combined have close to 400,000 total unpaid debts, according to Maryland Auto Chief Executive Officer Mark McCurdy.

The average debt is in the range of $2,400 to $2,500, McCurdy told Capital News Service. The fines are issued to drivers found operating a vehicle without insurance or allowing the coverage to lapse on a registered vehicle, and those debts prevent people from renewing their registration.

After a law was passed in Maryland’s General Assembly in 2018 to allow the program, the state’s Motor Vehicle Administration and the uninsured division of Maryland Auto — formerly known as the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, or MAIF — partnered to put the program in place.

The program is called the 2019 Maryland Uninsured Drivers Incentive Program, or FineFix for short, and aims to get uninsured drivers the coverage they need to get back behind the wheel — legally.

The state’s transportation agency “is focused on ensuring all drivers have proper insurance to ensure safety on our roadways,” Motor Vehicle Administration spokeswoman Whitney Nichels said. “We are happy to work with Maryland Auto Insurance on the FineFix program to help drivers get back on the road.”

When motorists register a vehicle, they must provide proof of insurance and cannot have any outstanding fines with the Motor Vehicle Administration. When drivers are kept off the road, it’s difficult to find work, according to Thomas “Mac” Middleton, a former state senator who co-sponsored the 2018 bill to create the program.

As a condition of the program, the individual must secure insurance for any vehicle they already own or subsequently register.

Drivers can enlist the help of Maryland Auto, which provides liability insurance to those who are unable to obtain coverage from a private company.

In Maryland, the initial penalty for driving uninsured includes the suspension of registration and a $150 fine. The fine grows after 30 days, when a $7 fee accrues each day. The maximum penalty per year is $2,500, according to Nichels.

Maryland’s Central Collection Unit, a state entity for debt recovery, and the Motor Vehicle Administration have historically collected only one-third of the uninsured motor debts, according to a legislative analysis. With so much money left unpaid, amnesty programs like this help recover a portion of that money and help drivers get back on the road legally.

The process to make debtors aware of this program began in July with mail and emails to eligible participants, followed by a push on social media.

But according to Middleton, who now works with Maryland Auto as a government and policy administrator, there’s an additional need to address skepticism of an opportunity that some would say seems too good to be true.

“The difficulty we’re having is there’s so many gimmicks out there,” Middleton said, referring to scams that circulate in the mail or online.

To dispel any doubt, Maryland Auto officials have visited churches, coalitions, commissions and minority groups to promote the program.

As of early November, McCurdy said, 11,555 of the approximate 308,000 people had capitalized on the opportunity. With those payments, the program recovered over $2 million in unpaid fines, while forgiving over $8 million of the Central Collection Unit’s $816 million in outstanding debts, estimated in the 2018 legislative analysis.

The Motor Vehicle Administration, with the assistance of the Maryland Auto Insurance Fund (now known as Maryland Auto) and Central Collections Unit, administered a similar program in 2017 that forgave 80 percent of an individual’s uninsured debts from before Jan. 1, 2014.

That program resulted in a 5.3 percent participation rate, 10,234 unique debts paid of the 192,115 outstanding, and recovered approximately $3.9 million.

McCurdy said the 2019 iteration of the program is an improvement of the 2017 edition, which he classified as “overly restrictive.”

One restriction in the previous version was a mandate that the participant had to register a vehicle within six months of paying off 20 percent of their debt.

“We are trying to take advantage of the lessons learned,” McCurdy said. “People who are living on the economic line shouldn’t be required to pay a fine, then buy a car.”

The Motor Vehicle Administration and Maryland Auto encouraged people to visit the FineFix page online at finefix.maryland.gov — to check their eligibility for the program ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline.

By Eric Myers

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Filed Under: Archives, Maryland News, News

Capital Gazette Shooting Trial Postponed

October 31, 2019 by Capital News Service

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Jarrod Ramos was found guilty of charges in connection with the June 28, 2018, fatal shooting of five employees in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. Sketch by Hannah Gaskill, Capital News Service, University of Maryland.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Michael Wachs postponed the Capital Gazette shooting trial Wednesday, after the defense asked for more time to review information provided by the prosecution’s mental health expert witnesses.

Attorneys for the gunman responsible for the murders of journalists Wendi Winters, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara and Gerald Fischman, and advertising assistant Rebecca Smith, said that the state’s attorney’s decision to file five new state psychiatric and psychological opinions at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday was in violation of the rule that determines what the state is required to disclose to the defense.

The state argued that it has a right to rebut the defense expert opinions, which they received Oct. 4, the last day guidelines indicate the defense should have provided them.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Laura Ripken ruled earlier in the day that, despite defense counsel arguments, the state’s attorney’s office was not in violation of discovery evidence rules.

After Public Defender Katy O’Donnell responded to Ripken’s denial of the motion, the judge admonished her: “Please don’t roll your eyes at me.”

Assistant State’s Attorney James Tuomey had countered that the defense’s argument was the “most offensive allegation” he has heard, and noted that because the defense did not disclose its own experts until Oct. 4, the prosecution’s timeline to rebut those experts’ findings fell within the rules of discovery.

The rulings came on the morning of the scheduled start of the jury selection process to determine the criminal responsibility of Jarrod Ramos, who pleaded guilty Monday to all 23 charges against him.

Marci Mustachio, jury commissioner for the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, told Capital News Service that “the jurors were smiling when they left” a courtroom upon learning of the postponement. About 50 people of the prospective 300-member pool were in a neighboring courtroom Wednesday.

“The jury pool summoned for this case has completed their service and (has) been released,” said Nadine Maeser, spokeswoman for the Maryland Judiciary, in a statement. She added that she cannot provide other details until a new trial date is determined.

The state had filed five disclosures from four expert witnesses — psychologists and psychiatrists working for the state health department, and hired by the prosecution — related to reports about the mental health of the defendant.

O’Donnell argued Wednesday morning that the prosecution’s disclosures late Tuesday night were essentially a discovery violation. The defense said that their team needed more time to review the opinions of the four expert witnesses that the state had submitted.

Tuomey said that the defense’s decision to disclose its witnesses on Oct. 4 — approximately 30 days before the trial was scheduled to begin — was a “tactical” and “knowing” decision.

Prosecutors said their review of defense reports and data and the timing of their response — on the eve of jury voir dire — was within the bounds of discovery rules.

“We have been ready to argue on behalf of the victims in this case,” Tuomey said.

Former Capital Gazette employees declined to comment on the delay and referred calls to a corporate representative.

“We respect the judicial process and remain focused on supporting our staff and the (victims’ families),” Renee Mutchnik, spokeswoman for Baltimore Sun Media, which owns The Capital, said in a statement.

Ripken agreed with Tuomey’s argument that the court was “surprised” when she learned in early October that the defense had yet to disclose its expert witnesses, and that she “did not agree” with the defense’s conclusion that the prosecution’s experts were “new names.”

“I find simply that the state is doing its due diligence,” Ripken said.

Ramos’ lead public defender, William Davis, said in court that the postponement was requested in order to have sufficient time to review a yet-to-be-submitted report from one of the state’s witnesses, a psychiatrist.

Davis told Wachs — who is in charge of postponement scheduling at the court — that if Ripken’s earlier ruling “had gone the other way,” the defense “would not be here asking for this postponement.”

Wachs said Maryland’s standard discovery evidence rules don’t fit the needs of this case, stating that the defense and their experts are entitled to adequate time to review the state’s newly introduced expert disclosure documents.

Davis acknowledged that the delay would be disruptive to the court officers and to the victims in the case.

Wednesday’s proceedings follow months of motions hearings leading up to Ramos’ trial.

After he pleaded guilty to all counts on Monday, the trial was supposed to move immediately to the criminal responsibility phase — determining whether he was conscious of his actions, or committed the crimes on June 28 of last year during a mental health emergency — following jury selection.

The Capital Gazette became the object of Ramos’ rage in 2011 after the publication of a column detailing his guilty plea to harassment charges in a case levied against him by a former high school classmate.

The newspaper published the column about the conviction in July 2011. This prompted Ramos to take the newspaper to court, where he represented himself in a defamation lawsuit that was eventually dismissed.

The paper and its staff members, among others, became frequent targets on a Twitter account in Ramos’ name, until it appeared to go dark in January 2016. The account tweeted again from inside of the newsroom on the afternoon of the shooting.

Wachs recommended that the attorneys convene with witnesses and Ripken as soon as possible to discuss rescheduling.

“I think it’s in everyone’s interest to get a resolution,” he said.

Litigators are expecting to know the new trial date by the end of the week. It is expected that the delay will take weeks, if not months.

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Undersized Crab Possession dominates Maryland Crab Violations

October 16, 2019 by Capital News Service

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Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources reported 2,341 crab-related violations across the state from 2013 through 2018. There were 27 types of infractions ranging from undersized crab possession to illegal harvesting methods.

Possession of undersized crabs was the highest reported infraction and made up nearly half of the reported violations. Crabbing or possessing crabs during the closed season was the second most common offense with 356 reported citations during the six-year period. Crab season opens April 1 and closes Dec. 15, according to DNR’s eRegulations website.

Soft crabs must measure at least 3 ¼ inches, tip to tip on the spikes, throughout the season, according to eRegulations. Male hard shell and peeler crabs must measure at least 5 and 3 ¼ inches respectively. After July 14, the size requirements increase for both male hard shell and peeler crabs by a quarter of an inch.

“Officers are issued gauges for each size limit outlined by regulation,” said Lauren Moses, the public information officer for the Natural Resources Police. “If one or both tips [of the crab] fits inside the gauge, the crab is below the legal limit.”

Moses explained that live crabs illegally possessed at the harvest site are immediately returned to the water.

But the ones not discovered near the water are typically donated to a food bank or shelter, while rancid crabs are “disposed of properly,” she said.

There are some cases in which commercial watermen illegally possess the official state crustaceans in large quantities. Moses said Natural Resources Police sometimes sell adequately sized crabs to a dealer. She explained the money is held until a court rules it to can go to state general fund.

Moses noted that dealing with most crab-related violations is similar to speeding ticket procedures.

“The majority of citations are pre-paid by the violator, which is an admission of guilt,” she said. “Unless there is an error in the issuance of a citation or some other argument is made, all crab citations in which the violator did not admit guilt by paying the pre-set fine, are set for trial.”

About 81% of all violations from 2013 through 2018 occurred in Anne Arundel, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Worcester and Queen Anne’s counties — which all border the Chesapeake Bay. All 20 of the licensed crab processors in Maryland are located in these counties, with the exception of Anne Arundel County. However, the data does not conclude these businesses are the biggest offenders because it includes recreational and commercial violators. Only 1.2% of all offenses are by corporations or businesses, with nearly 40% of those violations reported in counties without crab processors.

St. Mary’s County saw a steady incline of violations from 2013, rising from just 11 violations that year to 111 in 2018. It is an outlier in the data because many counties’ violation numbers peaked in 2016, with only a few seeing slight increases in 2018.

Moses named two possible causes for the spike in the county and in 2016. She said the overall increase in citations is “likely due to increasing our staffing and patrol efforts, or an increase in crabbers.”

The staffing growth allowed for more officers to be assigned to St. Mary’s County, which led to the increase in reported violations, Moses said. The average number of staff members at the department overall grew from 160 people in 2013 to 184 in 2016 — a 15% increase.

Less than 2% of the violations during the six-year period came from counties that don’t border a body of water suitable for harvesting crabs — Prince George’s, Caroline, Washington, Montgomery, Carroll and Frederick — and saw a combined 46 violations.

Some of these non-bay bordering counties have tidal waters home to crabs, but overall violations are not as prevalent as those with greater access to the Bay. Moses also indicated that commercial enterprises selling crabs and the vehicles transporting the catch are checked throughout the state.

“Officers conduct routine checks via police boat and on foot,” she said. “We check for any necessary license, the quantity of catch, the size of the crab, if there are sponge or soft crabs, and if the crabs are male or female.”

Routine patrol checks are conducted for both recreational and commercial crabbers, she said.

The upcoming years look to bring stronger efforts to police crabbing with the recent appointment of G. Adrian Baker as the department’s superintendent. Baker was the former Chestertown police chief. He rejoined the Natural Resources Police in September, after serving six years as the department’s central region commander until 2012, according to an August press release.

“He is focused on increased conservation enforcement that would include crab enforcement,” Moses said.

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Filed Under: 3 Top Story, Eco Notes, Portal Notes

GOP Gov. Hogan Affirms Support for Trump Impeachment Inquiry

October 14, 2019 by Capital News Service

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has shared his support for a Congressional impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, saying at one point that the allegations are “troubling and disturbing.”

The governor’s series of comments this week come after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last month a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump after a whistleblower complaint said he asked the president of Ukraine to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Politico reported Friday Hogan’s comments in a PBS “Firing Line” segment expected to air Friday night, where he says he supports the inquiry because he doesn’t “see any other way to get the facts.” He did clarify that he’s concerned about whether the inquiry could be “a fair, objective one” with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives, according to Politico.

“I think we do need an inquiry because we have to get to the bottom of it,” Hogan said. “I’m not ready to say I support impeachment and the removal of the president, but I do think we should have an impeachment inquiry.”

Hogan also spoke Thursday at an event in New York City hosted by Yahoo! Finance and said he was “very concerned” and “very troubled” by the allegations against Trump, according to The Baltimore Sun.

“I’m troubled by all of the allegations, all of the things that are taking place, all of the things that are being said,” Hogan said.

Hogan spokeswoman Shareese Churchill had not responded to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

The Republican governor also appeared at an event Monday at Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service. In a video posted to a Georgetown Twitter account and first reported by the Washington Examiner, Hogan answers a question from a student about impeachment.

“I said it was very troubling and disturbing and we do need to get to the bottom of the facts,” Hogan said. “Absolutely we do. I’m very concerned about it. But am I ready to say that the president should be impeached? No. I don’t have the ability to make that decision.”

Hogan also said “nonpartisanship is the best way to conduct these hearings,” and spoke of the country’s “divisiveness.”

“There’s way too much opinion and not enough reporting of the facts so that people can make their own opinion,” he said, according to the university Twitter account. “This is part of the problem of divisiveness in America.”

Asked via email Tuesday what Hogan was referring to, Churchill told Capital News Service that there was “nothing further to add.”

“The governor’s statements speak for (themselves),” Churchill wrote in an email.

Maryland’s governor has spoken about impeachment before, but not in this context.

During his first inaugural address, in January 2015, Hogan spoke about his father, former Maryland congressman Lawrence Hogan Sr., being the first Republican on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to call for President Richard Nixon’s impeachment in 1974 despite “tremendous pressure” and the “entire world watching.”

Hogan Sr. was eventually the only Republican member of the committee to vote for all three articles of impeachment, according to his Washington Post obituary.

“Dad put aside party politics and his own personal considerations in order to do the right thing for the nation,” Hogan said during the speech, getting emotional. “ … And he taught me more about integrity in one day than most men learn in a lifetime.”

By Elliott Davis
Capital News Service

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Filed Under: Archives, Maryland News, News

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