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Some Maryland universities could be impacted by medical research funding cuts, AG says

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Some Maryland universities could be impacted by medical research funding cuts, AG says


BALTIMORE — Maryland joined 22 other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, and other agencies, over cuts to medical research funding, the attorney general’s office announced Monday.

In a statement, Attorney General Anthony Brown said Maryland institutions could be impacted directly. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. DHHS oversees NIH.

The lawsuit comes after the NIH announced Friday that it would be limiting funding for overhead costs associated with research projects, including a 15% cap on indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. 

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According to the coalition of attorneys general, the NIH’s action violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

What are indirect costs?

Indirect costs concern funding needed for operations as it pertains to conducting research. According to the NIH, indirect costs cover administrative support staff, facilities, infrastructure, and other elements needed to conduct research projects. 

The lawsuit alleges that the funding cuts would halt crucial research needed to cure and treat human diseases. 

“A university also needs the infrastructure necessary to comply with legal, regulatory, and reporting requirements. These facilities costs cannot be attributed to any particular research project, but are still necessary for any research to occur. And university staff need administrative support, including clerical staff, IT support, cybersecurity, and data repositories, as well as staff to administer the university as a whole,” the lawsuit reads. 

In a statement, the House Committee on Appropriations said the move would cause irreparable damage to ongoing research efforts – including developing cures and treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias, ALS, Diabetes, Mental Health disorders, opioid abuse, and more.

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How would the funding cap impact Maryland directly?

The attorney general says the funding cap would directly impact public and private institutions in Maryland that conduct medical research, including the University of Maryland College Park and the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB). According to the AG’s office. 

More than $300 million in NIH funding to the University of Maryland College Park, UMB, and other higher education institutions in the state could be impacted by the NIH’s measure, the AG said.

The AG’s office said the proposed reduction of UMB’s indirect cost rate would eliminate $49.5 million in annual funding in NIH indirect and pass-through funding that UMB uses to support research programs. 

“Maryland’s research institutions have pioneered treatments that have saved countless lives, but they can’t do this vital work without proper funding,” Brown said. “This decision not only jeopardizes Maryland jobs and our state’s position as a global leader in medical research, but it also delays or denies potentially lifesaving discoveries that could help our loved ones.” 

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Maryland residents question new paint can fee amid growing costs

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Maryland residents question new paint can fee amid growing costs


A trip to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) left some drivers stunned by higher costs that they say are piling up across the state.

Tony Joshua said he walked away when he saw what it would cost to register his vehicle.

“Sticker shock? (laughs),” he said. “I turned right around and got out of the line. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have it.”

ALSO READ | Maryland’s new paint fees spark outrage as recycling nonprofit isn’t registered in state

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The cost of registering, titling and inspecting a vehicle in Maryland doubled last year, but the fee increases don’t stop at the MVA. The Maryland legislature has approved more than 300 new fees in the past two years including a tire tax, a tech tax and a vending machine tax.

“It’s just like greed more than anything,” Baltimore resident Clifton Parrot said.

Baltimore resident Sheila Bowling questioned how the additional funding is being used.

“This is the million dollar question. Nobody knows what those fees are doing. Everything is high in the city,” she said.

If I’m dodging potholes, where is the money going?” Joshua asked.

One of the latest fees will be attached to every gallon of paint sold in Maryland and will go to a nonprofit organization that will manage Maryland’s paint recycling program. But FOX45 News has learned that the nonprofit, PaintCare, isn’t registered as a nonprofit in the state of Maryland, even though it’s set to receive a dollar fee for every gallon of paint sold in the state.

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Joshua said the growing costs have him questioning whether he can stay in Maryland.

“It flabbergasts me where the money is going. Sometimes I’m like ‘dude, do I stay here?’” he said.

Bowling said, “This shouldn’t be happening in 2026 this shouldn’t be happening.”

For many Marylanders, the rising fees have strained budgets and morale, with some saying they can no longer afford the increasing price of driving.

“I’m just at my wits end about it. I’m like when do we, the taxpayers get a break?” Joshua asked.

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Deadly motorcycle crash closes busy stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Montgomery Co. – WTOP News

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Deadly motorcycle crash closes busy stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Montgomery Co. – WTOP News


A deadly crash involving a motorcycle shut down a stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, early Tuesday.

A deadly crash involving a motorcycle shut down a stretch of Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, early Tuesday.

Montgomery County police said officers responded around 6:15 a.m. to a report of a crash involving a car and a motorcycle at Manor Road and Connecticut Avenue.

A motorcyclist was found in serious condition. Police said the man died at the scene.

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A woman driving the car was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Connecticut Avenue is closed in both directions between Jones Bridge Road and Manor Road as police investigate the collision.

The crash is the latest in a series of deadly motorcycle incidents across Maryland, including a deadly hit-and-run in Charles County that left one man dead Saturday.

A map of the area is below.

CLICK MAP FOR THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE WTOP TRAFFIC CENTER: Map shows closure of Connecticut Avenue in both directions, south of Interstate 495 in Chevy Chase, Md.

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Maryland House passes bill to end automatic charging of some juveniles as adults

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Maryland House passes bill to end automatic charging of some juveniles as adults


Maryland lawmakers have approved a bill that would end the automatic charging of certain juveniles as adults and is now on its way to the governor’s office for review.

The Youth Charging Reform Act passed the House of Delegates on Monday after clearing the Senate last week. The bill aims to end the automatic charging of 16- and 17-year-olds as adults for certain drug, assault, and gun offenses.

ALSO READ | Bill to end automatic charging of some juveniles as adults inches closer to passage

The bill drew significant opposition from several top prosecutors in Maryland, including Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy, and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

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For months, they’ve warned that the change could weaken accountability and pose public safety risks.

“DJS is not equipped to deal with these increased violent offenders, and the legislature should defer the implementation of this bill until the programs are in place,” McCarthy said.

Maryland sheriffs also joined the pushback, including Carroll County Sheriff Jim Dewees, who previously said, “This is not a smart move, by any means, I don’t like it because, and I think by and large, law enforcement doesn’t like it, because we don’t have a whole lot of trust in the juvenile court system and the DJS system.”

ALSO READ | FOX45 sends video of prosecutors’ concerns to lawmakers backing juvenile justice bill

Supporters of the bill argued that most cases end up in the juvenile system regardless, and therefore, it makes sense to start them in the Department of Juvenile Services.

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“They’re already ingesting that work anyway; they’re already doing that workload anyway,” Sen. Will Smith, lead sponsor of the legislation, previously told FOX45 News. “We’re just wasting time and money by sending them to the adult system first.”

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The bill now awaits at Gov. Wes Moore’s desk for a final decision.



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