Maryland
Women aim return to Maryland’s federal delegation: ‘We should have our representation’
On the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage a few years ago, there were no women representing Maryland in the country’s highest elected offices.
And by the time the 119th Congress gavels in next January, three decades will have passed since more than one woman served in Maryland’s U.S. House delegation. In that time, a half-century of federal abortion protections were overturned, and massive cultural shifts, like those around sexual harassment and abuse in the wake of the #MeToo movement, have only seen more intense public and political debates.
Maryland’s drought, however, may soon be over.
In Tuesday’s Democratic and Republican primaries, six women won 18 of the nominations to represent Maryland in the U.S. House or Senate.
Democrats are excited about a trio they believe stands a good chance of making it to Washington — Angela Alsobrooks, who faces former Gov. Larry Hogan in the Senate race; and Sarah Elfreth and April McClain Delaney, who are looking to succeed Democratic U.S. Reps. John Sarbanes and David Trone, respectively.
Maryland’s delegation has eight U.S. House members and two senators. Eight of the 10 are white men, and Maryland has never had a U.S. senator who was Black.
“Women are 52 percent of the population. We should be holding at least six of those seats,” said Diane Fink, executive director of Emerge Maryland, which recruits and trains women to run for elected office.
On the Republican side, Kim Klacik will face Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., Michelle Talkington will go against longtime U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer in the counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s, and Cheryl Riley will face U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin in Montgomery County.
Klacik lost a 2020 race against Kweisi Mfume in Baltimore’s 7th Congressional District. Hoyer and Raskin overwhelmingly won their most recent reelection bids in 2022 with 66% and 80% of the vote, respectively.
Voter registration and history in each district indicate only the Democratic women would be likely to win. Fink said she was “very optimistic we’re going to get three.”
“Three is a good start, but we’re not done,” said Fink, whose group included Elfreth in its initial class in 2013. “We need women on Capitol Hill to push issues that have been historically back-burnered by men, including autonomy over own bodies, medical decisions, child care issues, education, the environment and much more.”
The last women to serve in the state’s congressional delegation were U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, whose 30-year tenure in the chamber made her one of the longest-serving women in its history, and U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards. Both are Democrats. Mikulski retired in 2017 and Edwards left the same year after losing in the primary for Mikulski’s successor. The winner, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, is now in his second term.
Edwards sought to become Maryland’s first Black senator, a feat that Alsobrooks could achieve this year in addition to being only the third Black woman elected to the Senate from any state.
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The last time two women were part of Maryland’s U.S. House delegation simultaneously was from 1993-95, when Republicans Helen Bentley and Connie Morella overlapped before Bentley left to run for governor, a position that no woman has won in Maryland. Across all of Congress, 151 women serve in the current session, an all-time high, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Mikulski supported Alsobrooks, a two-term Prince George’s County executive, and Elfreth, a two-term state senator from Annapolis, in their competitive primaries this year.
“Given that women make up 50% of the population, we should have our representation,” Mikulski told The Baltimore Sun.
“Yes, it’s about gender, but it’s also about the agenda,” she said. “For Angela, the kitchen-table issues are not an abstraction. She knows these issues up close and personal, putting a young lady in college and with her parents facing the high cost of prescription drugs.”
Fink said reproductive rights “is probably at the top” of the issues list this year.
Maryland — with Democrats firmly in control of state government — has expanded abortion protections in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned a half-century of precedence of abortion rights under Roe v. Wade. A proposed amendment to Maryland’s constitution will appear before voters in November to determine whether reproductive freedom should be protected further.
Meanwhile, the prospect of nationwide abortion restrictions puts a spotlight on races in Maryland and elsewhere. On Thursday, Hogan, after securing his Republican primary win in the U.S. Senate contest, took an abrupt turn to say he would support codifying Roe’s previous protections if he’s elected. Democrats balked, pointing to Hogan’s record of vetoing bills to protect abortion access as governor.
State Sen. Shelly Hettleman, a Baltimore County Democrat, said having three pro-abortion-rights women as Democratic nominees was “incredibly important in this particular time.”
“At the end of the day, it is women’s bodies that bear the burdens of these decisions, burdens and benefits of these decisions,” Hettleman said. “We need to have folks who I think can understand that in a different way, reflected in the leadership of those who are making those incredibly important decisions.”
Hettleman said her first job in politics was working on Mikulski’s first successful Senate campaign in 1986. She briefly went to work for her on Capitol Hill before switching to then-U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin’s office. She said seeing Mikulski support Alsobrooks felt like a full-circle moment.
“It’s really thrilling,” she said. “Potentially the second woman being elected from Maryland and to have it be a Black woman to crash another glass ceiling.”
MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Maryland man and his California accomplice both pled guilty to drug trafficking charges involving the concealment of drugs within auto parts at a repair shop, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Authorities reported that Norville Clarke, 56, of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Daniel Cruz, 39, of Los Angeles, California, were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In 2023, an investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that was transporting and distributing large quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland.
The investigation began after police seized a parcel containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine that was mailed from Los Angeles with an intended delivery to Clarke’s auto-repair shop in District Heights, Maryland.
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During the investigation, Cruz was linked to the narcotics in the parcel, as well as to its source, authorities reported.
In January 2024, postal inspectors, along with other investigators, identified a freight shipment from Los Angeles intended for delivery at Clarke’s auto-repair shop, and officials said surveillance footage showed Cruz dropping off that shipment at a shipping company in California.
After that, authorities observed Cruz traveling to Maryland to track the shipment’s delivery.
Cruz and Clarke were then seen by investigators meeting at the auto-repair shop several days after the shipment occurred.
Investigators tracked the fright shipment to Dulles, Virginia, where authorities executed a search warrant and recovered two automobile transmissions inside, as well as 20 one-kilogram bricks secreted in both transmissions.
Officials reported that laboratory forensic tests confirmed that the bricks were over 16 kilograms of cocaine.
A search warrant was then also executed for Clarke’s District Heights auto-repair shop, Clarke’s Clarksburg residence, and Cruz’s hotel room in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
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At the auto repair shop, officials recovered 502.4 grams of cocaine, and then at Clarke’s residence, officers found two-kilogram bricks of cocaine and $45,730 in cash.
Furthermore, investigators later found another nine historical freight shipments that resembled the original shipment containing cocaine, which Cruz sent to Clarke’s auto repair shop.
In plea agreements, officials said both defendants agreed to have been involved in possessing around 22 kilograms of cocaine in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
Both also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum life in prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release
Cruz’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at 1 p.m., and the sentencing for Clarke is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — The State Department is securing military planes and charter flights for Americans to return home from the Middle East, officials announced Tuesday.
More than 9,000 people have left over the past few days, including 3,000 from Israel, according to a press release.
However, some Americans are staying put. That includes one young woman who is now living through her second war abroad.
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“It’s a big decision to move across the world,” Rachel Cone said. She spoke with 7News’ Lianna Golden via Zoom from her home near Jerusalem.
The 28-year-old from Darnestown wasn’t afraid to leave the life she always knew.
“I grew up on a small farm in Montgomery County,” Cone said. “I spent my whole life there, the youngest of four kids, spent most of my life riding horses all around the DMV.”
Soon after college, she found her calling.
I decided to fulfill that dream, really live a Jewish life in the Jewish homeland.
Cone moved to Israel only six months before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. So when she heard the sirens go off on Saturday morning after the joint attack on Iran, waking up to an emergency alert on her phone, she knew what was coming next.
“It was saying like, hey, this is your warning. The attack is starting. Go make sure you’re in your safe space.”
She says the sirens sound very often.
“A lot, a lot. I don’t know how many; there’s been a lot,” Cone explained.
The DMV native said she’s learned to stay calm in chaos, even when others are afraid.
Today I had to go to the grocery store. It wasn’t like I was doing anything crazy. There’s a siren – OK, all of a sudden you have a bunch of people all together, a bunch of strangers, and yeah, some people panic. Some people are calm. Some stranger you’ve never met is telling everyone hey it’s okay, calm down… Living in Israel teaches you a lot about resilience. The people here who have grown up their whole life here, they’re just born to be resilient.
It’s a resilience she sends back home.
“When you live in a war zone, every parent is concerned, even more so when they’re not here. I’m always sending my family pictures of like, hey, I’m still going outside, like I’m still seeing the sun. I’m not locked inside, like it’s OK. Everything is OK,” Cone said.
As the conflict continues, she prays for harmony while uncertainty grows.
“We want to see people of every faith, obviously living the life that they wanna live and not succumbing to any sort of terror,” Cone said. “Let’s work towards peace, and let’s try to see that happen. This is a start for sure.”
Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options.
With a chance to make history, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the new No. 1 team in the High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25 rankings.
The Cougars (30-10) will try for a second straight Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) Tournament championship Wednesday evening against Saint Frances Academy at Loyola University of Maryland. No team has won the BCL tourney and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference titles in back-to-back seasons.
The MIAA, whose membership includes most of the private and parochial schools in the Baltimore metro area, started in 1995 following the dissolution of the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA). The MSA governed athletic competition for Baltimore public and private and parochial schools before the public schools left to join the Maryland state public athletic association (MPSSAA) in 1992.
Saint Frances, last week’s No. 1 which lost to Mount Carmel in the MIAA A final, is No. 2. DeMatha Catholic, Mount Saint Joseph and Springdale Prep round out the Top 5.
The second 5 includes Charles Herbert Flowers, Mount Zion Prep Academy, Bishop McNamara, Georgetown Prep and Archbishop Spalding. Lackey, which won the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference title last week, returns to poll at No. 21.
In addition to the BCL Tournament finale, the Maryland Private Schools State Tournament continues with the Division A semifinals Tuesday at DeMatha with Bishop McNamara taking on Springdale Prep, and DeMatha playing defending champ and No. 17 Clinton Grace Christian School.
No. 16 Takoma Academy plays Saint James School in a Division B semifinal. The state public playoffs continue with region semifinal and final competition.
Here’s this week’s High School on SI Maryland boys basketball Top 25:
Previous rank: No. 3
Record: 30-10
The Cougars defeated No. 4 Mount Saint Joseph, 59-40, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Saint Mary’s in the quarterfinals (53-46) after a 69-67 overtime victory over then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference final at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Previous rank: No. 1
Record: 35-7
The Panthers defeated then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding, 61-58, in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals and Loyola Blakefield in the quarterfinals (74-57), after a loss to then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the MIAA A Conference title game.
Previous rank: No. 2
Record: 22-9
The Stags defeated then-No. 9 Glenelg Country School, 63-50, in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.
Previous rank: No. 4
Record: 31-7
The Gaels lost then-No. 3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 80-66 win over Calvert Hall College in the quarterfinals.
SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 6
Record: 26-5
The Lions defeated No. 7 Mount Zion Prep Academy, 67-63, in the Maryland Private School State Division A semifinals.
Previous rank: No. 8
Record: 21-0
The Jaguars defeated Largo, 62-57, in the Prince George’s County championship game.
Previous rank: No. 7
Record: 19-6
The Warriors lost to then-No. 6 Springdale Prep in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals
SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 12
Record: 14-19
The Mustangs defeated then-No. 5 Georgetown Prep, 59-53, in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals and Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School in the opening round.
Previous rank: No. 5
Record: 17-9
The Little Hoyas lost to then-No. 12 Bishop McNamara in the Maryland Private School State Tournament Division A quarterfinals.
SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPION & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 20-14
The Cavaliers lost to then-No. 1 Saint Frances Academy in the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament semifinals after a 74-53 win over then-No. 10 John Carroll School in the quarterfinals.
SEASON COMPLETE – BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 9
Record: 17-10
The Dragons lost to then-No. 2 DeMatha Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Private School State Division A tournament after an 81-77 opening round win over then-No. 15 Our Lady of Good Counsel.
SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION A CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 14
Record: 23-1
The Mustangs defeated Severn Run, 72-49, in the Maryland Class 4A East Region I semifinals.
Previous rank: No. 16
Record: 20-3
The Bengals defeated Springbrook, 85-66, in the Maryland Class 4A North Region II semifinals after beating Walt Whitman, 67-55, in the Montgomery County championship game.
Previous rank: No. 17
Record: 20-2
The Colonels defeated Rockville, 74-61, in the Maryland Class 3A West Region II semifinals.
Previous rank: No. 19
Record: 21-3
The Knights defeated Northeast, 73-61, in the Maryland Class 3A East Region I semifinals and Edmondson-Westside, 66-58, in the Baltimore City final.
Previous rank: No. 18
Record: 26-7
The Tigers defeated Hebrew Academy, 88-33, in the Maryland Private School State Division B quarterfinals.
Previous rank: No. 24
Record: 27-18
The Eagles defeated then-No. 11 Bullis School, 56-48, in the Maryland Private School State Division A quarterfinals.
Previous rank: No. 10
Record: 22-10
The Patriots lost to then-No. 13 Archbishop Spalding in the quarterfinals of the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament.
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 20-10
The Bulldogs lost to then-No. 24 Clinton Grace Christian School in the Maryland Private Schools State Division A quarterfinals after defeating then-No. 22 Riverdale Baptist School in the first round.
SEASON COMPLETE – INTERSTATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SEMIFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 15
Record: 15-14
The Falcons lost to No. 9 Glenelg Country School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State Tournament.
WASHINGTON CATHOLIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT DIVISION A PARTIPICANT
Previous rank: Not ranked
Record: 20-3
The Chargers defeated Maurice J. McDonough, 61-46, in the Maryland Class 2A South Region II semifinals and then-No. 20 Great Mills, 62-59, in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) championship game.
Previous rank: No. 20
Record: 21-3
The Hornets defeated Saint Charles, 70-54, in the Maryland Class 3A South Region II semifinals, and lost to Lackey in the SMAC title game.
Previous rank: No. 21
Record: 16-14
SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 22
Record: 15-11
The Crusaders lost to then-No. 11 Bullis School in the opening round of the Maryland Private School State tournament.
SEASON COMPLETE – METRO PRIVATE SCHOOL CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALIST & MARYLAND PRIVATE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT
Previous rank: No. 23
Record: 21-10
The Mustangs won the Maryland Christian School Tournament championship, defeating The Heritage Academy, 65-53, in the final, and King’s Christian Academy in the semifinals (65-59).
SEASON COMPLETE – MARYLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TOURNAMENT CHAMPION
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