Maryland lawmakers meet to address Baltimore's federal priorities
Maryland lawmakers came together in Baltimore on Monday to discuss some federal priorities that would benefit the city and its residents.
Mayor Brandon Scott hosted Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and congressmen Johnny Olszewski and Kweisi Mfume at City Hall to talk about public safety initiatives, the vacant properties concern, the fight against the opioid epidemic, and transportation improvements.
The group also weighed in on the Trump administration's potential impact on Baltimore resources, according to the mayor's office.
"Baltimore has the best federal delegation in the country, and that's especially clear in moments like this,"Mayor Scott said. "While so many Americans have representatives in DC voting to take away their health care and make life more expensive, we have true leaders fighting for the hardworking people of our city. They've delivered critical funding to improve public safety, expand housing options, invest in our young people, and so much more. Now, as that funding is under attack, we're more committed than ever to defending our progress and building a safer, more prosperous Baltimore for all of our residents."
"When Baltimore succeeds, Maryland succeeds," added Senator Alsobrooks. "We will continue to work in coordination with the Mayor and the entire city leadership to deliver for the people of Baltimore and to fight back against this callous President."
Baltimore is also relying on funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024. Demotion of the remaining spans is underway.
The bridge is expected to cost $3 billion, which will be covered by the federal government as part of the disaster relief measure passed in December.
"The money is on track for the replacement of the Key Bridg," Sen. Van Hollen said.
Baltimore's overdose crisis
On Thursday, July 10, at least 27 people were hospitalized following suspected overdoses in Baltimore's Penn North community.
While officials have not confirmed what substance caused the overdoses, people at the scene told WJZ it was a drug called "New Jack City," allegedly laced with Freon or antifreeze, which can be poisonous.
A woman in her 60s told our media partner, The Baltimore Banner, she overdosed after unknowingly ingesting a dangerous batch of drugs.
The woman described buying heroin on North Avenue on July 10 and receiving a free "tester," a small sample of what turned out to be a potent and potentially lethal substance.
According to The Banner, the woman snorted a fragment of a pill "smaller than the head of a match" before beginning to feel dizzy and disoriented. Fearing she might collapse in the street, she made her way to a nearby playground, where she eventually passed out.
She was discovered nearly five hours later and transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital after reportedly going into cardiac arrest and receiving multiple doses of Narcan. Now, for the first time in 15 years, she is seeking treatment.
Emergency responders and community partners were handing out Narcan and resources on how to get help.
Overdose mortality rates in Baltimore City still far exceed state and national averages, according to city officials.
Battling Baltimore's vacant property issues
Maryland has made several efforts to address Baltimore's continuous vacant housing crisis.
There are nearly 13,000 vacant homes in .
In October 2024, Gov. Moore signed an executive order establishing the program, which combines city, state, and non-profit resources to help revitalize neighborhoods.
Later, Moore announced a $50.8 million investment in the program to accelerate the rehabilitation of vacant properties.
In June 2024, JPMorgan Chase, a company that has been in Baltimore for 130 years, announced an $8.5 million investment into the vacant home crisis, including $6 million for nonprofit organizations addressing the cause.
Baltimore City also passed legislation to triple taxes on vacant homes beginning in 2026, escalating to quadruple rates if owners fail to act.
In March of this year, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced a plan that would speed up the property development process in the city while maintaining safety standards and community input.
The city has an ambitious plan to reduce that number to a "functional zero" within the .
Crime in Baltimore
While violent crime is down in Baltimore, according to the mayor, the main concern are juvenile offenders.
In a mid-year report, Baltimore City saw a 22% decrease in homicides and a 19% decrease in non-fatal shootings.
Mayor Scott said the city's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, which aims to prevent violence with a public health approach, played a major role in reducing crime.
Scott has also praised Baltimore City's (GVRS) for helping curb youth violence.
The GVRS program aims to provide guidance and engagement to individuals who are at risk of becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence.
However, there has been a recent rash of repeat juvenile offenders committing crimes in Baltimore.
Recent cases include a 14-year-old who police say went on a crime spree in Northeast Baltimore, carjacking someone and robbing a delivery driver at gunpoint. A 15-year-old allegedly robbed and kidnapped a 12-year-old at gunpoint while he was walking to school in East Baltimore.
Both were on electronic monitoring, prompting frustration in the community.
"Electronic monitoring is a really important tool in the continuum to support young people, but we have to make sure we're using it appropriately and in the right circumstances," new Maryland Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services Betsy Fox Tolentino told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "So that means we're doing a really good evaluation, making recommendations for monitoring when it fits the situation. And with any tool, it's only as good as your operations around it."
Tolentino added, "So, we want to make sure our operations and our frontline staff who are showing up every day for our young people have what they need to ensure they are able to support young people when they are in the community on monitoring."