U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen hopes to meet with the President of El Salvador while he is in the United States this week to discuss the return of Maryland father Kilmar Abrego-Garcia. Senator Van Hollen also announced his intent to travel to El Salvador if Abrego-Garcia is not returned by midweek and check on his condition. Abrego’s Maryland Attorney Benjamin Osorio said he was encouraged by recent updates…    “I was a little worried that when the government was just claiming knowledge of where he was, that something might have happened to him and that was sort of their cover….

An employee of the West Virginia Turnpike was struck and killed around 11am Monday while doing asphalt work on the turnpike. The worker was struck by a tractor trailer at mile marker 92.5 southbound on Interstate 77. A crew was patching the center section of the Turnpike with the right lane closed when the accident occurred. The driver of the tractor trailer swerved to avoid the work zone but the trailer swung into the work zone, striking the victim. West Virginia State Police are investigating.

A leading Republican official is thinking out loud about former governor Larry Hogan running for another term. Congressman Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone Republican representative in Washington and head of the Freedom Caucus, floated the idea and thinks Hogan could beat incumbent Governor Wes Moore…    “Larry Hogan can run for another term; he just can’t run for a third consecutive term. And I think when Governor Moore is done raising taxes by over a billion dollars, they’re going to have to raise taxes more next year and more the year after that – the election year – I think Larry…

The final day of the legislative session is often one of the most intense. As time runs out, many bills that could meaningfully improve our state or address important local issues unfortunately fail to advance. This can be an emotional moment for those who have invested significant effort into these proposals. With tensions running high, words are sometimes spoken in frustration that may later be regretted. That is one reason the Legislature traditionally does not hold interim meetings during the month immediately following the end of session. This year, the first interim meetings are scheduled for June 22 through 24…

Democratic Senator Angela Alsobrooks is in the Western Maryland today. A meeting with Frostburg State University student leaders was taking place this morning before attending a luncheon with the Greater Cumberland Committee in FSU’s Lane Center. Alsobrooks is scheduled to visit Western Maryland works in LaVale before ending her area visit meeting local labor leaders at the UA Local 486 Plumbers and Steamfitters in Hagerstown.

Dr. Andrew Stasko, 92, died April 6 in Cumberland.  A native of Johnson City, New York, Stasko earned his undergraduate degree at Holy Cross and attended medical school at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences.  He served his country in the U.S. Medical Corps at Fort Stewart, Georgia.  Stasko moved to Cumberland in the late 1960s and started his own practice on Seton Drive in 1971.  He is survived by his wife, Kathryn, four children, and several grandchildren.  Friends will be received at Scarpelli Funeral Home in Cresaptown April 27 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.  Mass of Christian Burial will be April…

Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Saturday launched a weeklong mission to sell the state of Maryland as a destination to do business to executives in Japan and South Korea, even amid economic turmoil in the state and an increasingly tense international trade war.  Moore and his delegation of 25 Maryland officials, including representatives from the state’s Transportation, State and Commerce departments, took an exhibition ride on a bullet train that went up to 311 miles per hour.

From the City of Cumberland: Water service will be interrupted in the Buckingham Road area on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for new valve installations. The affected areas include Buckingham Road, Windsor Road, and Balmoral Road.

Friends of Maryland State Parks has awarded 22 grants totaling over $37,000 to state parks across Maryland. Funding through the non-profit’s “Small Grants, Big Impact” program will support projects that enhance cultural history education, protect dunes, expand recreation, and promote conservation. Grants range from $900 to $2,000. Deep Creek Lake State Park received funding to expand a rain garden, and plant native species around the park’s aviary.

A pioneering figure in car sales in the state of Maryland has passed away. Jack Fitzgerald, founder of the Fitzgerald Auto Malls in Maryland, died recently at the age of 89. Fitzgerald began his career as a door-to-door salesman at the age of 20. Fitzgerald Auto Malls, known for their “Fitz Way” customer service, includes 20 franchises in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida with over 1,800 employees.