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Today…
Anne Arundel County Executive Pittman doled out $2.12 million in grants! Annapolis City Council is considering defunding the arts commission now that they have a sugar daddy. A schedule for the 4th of July festivities in Annapolis. A recap of my editorial critical of the Annapolis Police Department. Standardized tests may be optional at State universities and colleges. Pod news and a bonus pod today!
Back with her weekly Annapolis After Dark is BeeprBuzz. She’ll keep you up to speed on all of the fantastic live music we have in the area!
And as usual, George from DCMDVA Weather is here with your local weather forecast! Please download their APP so you can keep on top of the local weather scene!
The Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief is produced every Monday through Friday at 6:00 am and available wherever you get your podcasts and also on our social media platforms–All Annapolis and Eye On Annapolis (FB) and @eyeonannapolis (TW)
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Good morning, it is Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022 and THIS is your Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief.
Finally, after a week, I am feeling a LOT better. Got a lingering cough and a sneeze here or there but now getting psyched for Eastport A Rockin this weekend– and it looks like George from DCMDVA Weather has ordered up a stellar weekend for us all! And congrats to everyone who scored tickets yesterday during ticket-palooza! OK let’s get into today’s news, shall we?
Yesterday, County Executive Pittman opened up the checkbook and doled out $2.12 million in community support grants to 74 community-based organizations. I don’t envy whoever was in charge of making the selections and the amounts because all of the recipients are worthy and all likely had a rough time the past two years. The Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park, CRAB, the Arts Council, Langton Green, Maryland Hall, Opportunity Builders, Seeds 4 Success, STAIR, Serenity Sistas, and The Arc of the Central Chesapeake all got a slice of the pie. We have a full list on EyeOnAnnapolis.net if you want to check it out.
And while the County is giving out grants to some arts organizations, the City is pulling back. The Capital had an interesting article about legislation shepherded through by Senator Sarah Elfreth that will directly fund the Art in Public Places Commission with 3% of hotel taxes. This is pretty huge–in 2022 their funding from the City was $67,500…with the tax, it is projected to be around $250,000. But, Alderwoman Tierney spotted a bit in the code saying the City is required to fund the commission and wants to pull that back–because that $250K is actually reducing the City’s income and adding to it is double-dipping. This was all orchestrated by the Mayor’s Campaign Manager who was appointed to the commission, and apparently had the blessing of the Mayor and all the players EXCEPT the council. Senator Elfreth said she assumed that speaking with the Mayor’s office was sufficient, but it was kept hush-hush from the Council. When asked by The Capital, Buckley said he supported the direct payment from hotel taxes, but would not address how the council was kept in the dark. So, on the 27th, Alderwoman Tierney is attempting to pull out the requirement that the city fund the commission. Lots of funny stuff to be discussed on the 27th …this issue… the Mayor’s boat… I wonder what will surface the rest of this week?
If you are planning to be in town over the Fourth of July Holiday, we have the scoop on the City festivities on EyeOnAnnapolis.net. Most of the happenings will be MONDAY, July 4th. The Parade will start at 630pm and take the traditional route to City Dock. The Naval Academy Band will play from 8 pm to 9 pm and then a fireworks display at about 9:15 pm. There are street closures and parking restrictions so do check out our site for the details. There are boating restrictions as well. We’re gonna try and round up a list of area fireworks displays for you too. I was reading that due to supply issues, displays this year will be lighter as the goods cant get here from China like they used to and some cities have just gone and canceled them–Ocean City MD, Phoenix, Minneapolis, College Park.
OK, take a look at the opinion slash editorial I threw up on EyeOnAnnapolis.net late yesterday afternoon. The gist is that the Annapolis Police Department appears to be picking and choosing what violent crime they publicly report. Last week during their video, they talked about an accidental arrest for a guy now charged with armed robbery. I say accidental because they pulled over his car for a traffic stop and investigation led them to the crime. But as the Captain was describing the crime, I was like —strange, I don’t recall a report about a victim walking along Chesapeake Avenue in Eastport and having a gun pulled on him and being robbed of credit cards and other property. And sure enough, when I went back to look–nothing was publicly released. When I go to a city, I generally know the areas to avoid. I know areas to avoid here. How? Well, news reports, police reports, neighbors, and the like. But if the police are not letting the community know that violent crime is happening in what is usually considered a safe area…how are we to take any precautions. How is a visitor to our town supposed to know? Quite possibly this was a patron of one of the local restaurants walking home. Citizens and visitors deserve to know. I did send an email and put in a phone call to the Chief to chat, but he has not answered me. Give it a read and let me know what you think. And do me a favor, if you think I am on the mark–share it. And hey, if you ever have an opinion–we always welcome letters to the editor and op-eds and opinion pieces. No word length like the Capital!
OK stepping off my soap box now! Good news for kids that get stressed out taking standardized tests. Last week, the Board of Regents at the University System of Maryland voted to remove language requiring standardized testing to be considered for admission. This means that the SATs and ACTs may become optional. Each university and college can make its own decisions but this is a growing trend and a welcome one. All studies indicate that access to the tests is not equal for minorities and that people of color tend to have a bias toward standardized tests, so they are not afforded the opportunity to get into schools. As an old goat, I have a hard time understanding NOT having them, but it must work. My daughter, the one in the New York Studios, tested horribly but was brilliant. I spent close to $1000 on AP tests and the best she got on any was a 2. But she went to a test-optional school and is now thriving in New York City in a solid career making more money than I ever have. No, I’m not bitter. Not at all. Why would you think that??
OK and that’s a wrap on the news! Pod news… Muralize It is up this weekend on the Local Business Spotlight. Next weekend is Tru Centered Chiropractic. And likely today at noon–maybe tomorrow…a deep bonus pod with Liza Roe–she is a poet and author that just released a great book called the Sober Poet. She’s about 30 and we got into the weeds about her alcoholism as a teen, from binging, to some of the dangerous situations she got into, how she got sober, and now the book. Deep–but a great bonus pod so look for that!
OK, so let’s tie this puppy up with a quick thank you to our sponsors for this Daily News Brief– Solar Energy Services, the Kristi Neidhardt Team of Northrop Realty, a Long and Foster Company, and the Alpha Engineering!
OK, so now you need to hang tight, George Young from DCMDVA Weather is standing by with your locally forecast weather report. And of course, we have Bridgett aka Beepr Buzz with all your music news in Annapolis After Dark! All that in just a bit, so hang tight!
