BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) – It hasn’t just been hot outside this summer; it’s been dangerously hot. So much so, that Maryland hospitals have seen a record number of patients.

“As the planet warms, as Maryland warms, we’ve been increasingly concerned about ensuring that people are prepared for what we know are going to be longer, hotter summers,” explained Dr. Clifford Mitchell, director of the Environmental Health Bureau at the Maryland Department of Health.

So far this summer, there have been 14 heat-related deaths in Maryland, according to data published by the state. 

Also, there have been nearly 1,000 hospital visits due to heat-related illnesses so far this year. That’s significant because it’s already the most since 2019, when the state began publishing that statistic, and there is still plenty of summer left to go.

“It’s happening earlier every year, and the hotter days are hotter, and they are staying hotter longer,” Mitchell said of the heat. “We continue to be very concerned about ensuring that we get the message out because these deaths are all preventable.”

Mitchell also told FOX 5 that while dealing with extreme heat during the day is bad enough, now it’s also not cooling off as much at night, making matters even worse.

The pilot of a small plane reported a “pretty significant engine problem” before a crash on Maryland’s Eastern Shore earlier this month took his life.

Robert Eugene Merlini, 56, of Annapolis, was the only one on board the twin-engine Cessna 402, when it crashed into the water in Easton on July 16.

First reported by The Washington Post, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report found that after taking off from Tipton Airport in Fort Meade just before 9 a.m., Merlini contacted the air control tower some 30 minutes later to report a problem when he was about 12 miles southwest of the Easton Airport.

While following directions from the air control tower, the pilot reported a “pretty bad right engine,” and 30 seconds later declared an emergency, stating that both engines were losing power, the report said.

Air control cleared the plane for landing, but Merlini replied that he was not going to reach the airport and would try to land in a field. The plane made impact on the Tred Avon River some four miles southwest of the Easton Airport.

Merlini was headed to the airport to conduct atmospheric testing flights, the NTSB report said.

Two days before the crash, the plane’s engines had undergone testing by maintenance personnel after an annual inspection. The NTSB report said that the pilot told his manager that 12 gallons of fuel remained in each main fuel tank and that he would add 20 additional gallons to each main fuel tank so he would not have to switch tanks during his flight to Easton.

“Airport security video showed that the pilot added 20 gallons of fuel to each auxiliary fuel tank, rather than the main fuel tanks. The airplane was not flown from the time of that fueling, to the accident flight,” the report said.

Maryland State police said the U.S. Coast Guard as well as authorities in Talbot County responded to the crash.

Divers from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department recovered his body from the water.

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BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The Maryland Republican Party on Thursday urged Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski (D) to resign and drop out of his Congressional District 2 race.

The GOP cited reports of what they called “corruption allegations.”

“Johnny Olszewski has no business continuing to serve as Baltimore County Executive, let alone continue his campaign for Congress,” Maryland Republican Party Chair Nicole Beus Harris said in a press release. “Washington DC has enough corruption, the last thing we need is another crooked Democrat Congressman handing out government funds to his friends and supporters.”

Republicans pointed to Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Brew reports that Olszewski’s administration made significant payments to the county executive’s friend and real estate team.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Olszewski’s administration secretly paid over $83,000 to former firefighter Philip Tirabassi, brother of the county executive’s friend John Tirabassi. Philip Tirabassi had requested to transfer retirement credits for his city service time to his county pension, The Sun said. Olszewski told The Sun they made the payment after Philip Tirabassi threatened to sue for breach of contract, though officials warned the payment could break state and local laws.

The Sun additionally reported that John Tirabassi sold the county $4 million worth of dump trucks through his employer, Peterbilt of Baltimore. Olszewski told The Sun he didn’t know about the purchases.

The Baltimore Brew reported that the Tirabassi family also handled Olszewski’s “purchase and sale of property in St. Helena and the acquisition of land for his new residence overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at Millers Island.”

The Brew first reported that a county attorney was terminated after questioning the retirement case payout to Philip Tirabassi.

“If he refuses to do the honorable thing and drop out, we will be working every day between now and November to expose his corruption to voters, and defeat him at the ballot box,” Harris said.

Olszewski is running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D). Olszewski was seen as the favorite to defeat challenger Kimberly Klacik (R) before these developments.

“Thank you for your leadership,” Klacik commented on the Facebook post with the Republicans’ press release.

Olszewski’s campaign manager, Asa Leventhal, said the GOP is trying to distract voters.

“The Maryland Republican Party continues to desperately grasp at straws to find any reason to distract voters from candidates like Kim Klacik, who back the extreme policies of Donald Trump — a convicted felon,” Leventhal told Patch in a Friday email. “County Executive Olszewski’s administration has been the most open and transparent in Baltimore County’s history. Johnny O will continue discussing the issues that matter most to Marylanders — defending reproductive freedom, lowering costs for middle class families, and protecting Medicare and Social Security for our senior citizens.”

Patch contacted the county executive’s government spokesperson to ask if he intends to resign. We haven’t received a reply. We will update this story if they respond.