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In the Media: Opposition to Baltimore Tunnel Relocation; Md. Lawmaker Calls State to Exit Drug War

West portal of B&P Tunnel in 1977.
Jack Boucher
/
Wikipedia Commons
West portal of B&P Tunnel in 1977.

A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.

From the Baltimore Sun: B&P Tunnel Relocation Project Meets Strong Opposition from City Residents

"More than 60 residents of West Baltimore turned out Saturday to urge transportation officials to scrap a plan that would re-route a train tunnel beneath their homes, businesses and neighborhood centers.

"'I strongly oppose the tunnel project,' said Lauren Haney Provost, president of the board of directors of the St. Francis Neighborhood Center. She fears that the noise levels and vibrations from speeding trains would disrupt a host of activities that knit the community together.

"'The new tunnel would be built directly across the street from our after-school program, our jobs program, our computer training program and our farm,' she said.

"Provost and her husband bought their home in Reservoir Hill two years ago and have invested a significant sum in renovations and improvements.

"None of the people who attended the public hearing Saturday at Frederick Douglass High School had anything good to say about the proposal to rebuild the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel in the interest of speeding up and increasing the number of trains in the busy Northeast corridor between Washington and Boston. The hearing was one of three convened by Amtrak and state, federal, and local transportation officials who said they were there just to listen, not to defend or debate the proposal.

"Though the 142-year-old tunnel is safe, transit officials say it isn't going to last forever. They also say the construction project could be a boon to West Baltimore by creating jobs in neighborhoods that need them."

Full Article

From the Baltimore Sun: Maryland Lawmaker Calls for State to Exit Drug War, Focus on Treatment

"Maryland Del. Dan K. Morhaim (D-Baltimore County) on Friday proposed four bills that would radically change the state’s approach to dealing with drug problems, in part by removing criminal penalties for low-level possession and adding emphasis on addiction treatment.

"One measure would create 'safe spaces' for drug use, with facilities that provide sterile injection equipment, medical care and connections to social services.

"Another bill would establish a pilot program to test the effectiveness of treating addicts with the supervised use of free, pharmaceutical-grade opioids such as heroin and hydromorphone, with the goal of weaning users off their addiction.

"Morhaim, an emergency-room physician and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Maryland Medical School, also proposed legislation to require hospitals to make addiction counselors available to patients at all times and have arrangements for transferring drug users to appropriate detoxification and rehabilitation centers.

"The bill to decriminalize low-level drug possession would expand on a 2014 law that made the possession of small amounts of marijuana subject to a civil fine, not a criminal charge. Similar rules would apply to all narcotics under the legislation Morhaim proposed Friday.

"Morhaim, who plans to introduce the bills in the House of Delegates next week, said his legislative package would push Maryland out of what he calls the “failing” war on drugs and closer to addiction treatment."

Full Article

From the AFRO American: Morgan State Univ. Creates Institution’s First Endowed STEM Chair

"In another sign of the growing importance of STEM-related fields, Morgan State University recently announced the creation of its first endowed professorship focused on science and technology. 

"Kevin T. Kornegay, a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Morgan State, has been named the endowed chair in Internet of Things Security. The position was underwritten with a $1 million grant through the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative, or MEI, and a matching $1 million investment from a private donor. 

"The MEI program was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2014 and is administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce. It encourages research by matching private funds in support of endowed chairs at the state’s universities and colleges. 

“'Maryland should be applauded for setting aside funds to advance cutting edge research and innovation and we are proud to partner with the state in this effort,' Morgan State University President David Wilson said in a statement. 'We believe this program shows great promise for higher education’s ability to help the state find solutions to some of our most challenging issues and cyber security is certainly one of those issues. The Internet of Things, which is the focus of Morgan’s research with this endowed professorship, is the next major frontier on the cyber security horizon. It is one of the critical areas that will dominate our future.'” 

Full Article