State Roundup: Annapolis, like other state capitals, bracing for armed pro-Trump protests; Hogan $1B in COVID aid
On Thursday at the D.C. Armory, Gov. Larry Hogan addressed members of the Maryland National Guard to help protect the Capitol after the riot there on Wednesday. Governor s Office photo by Joe Andrucyk
ANNAPOLIS BRACES FOR ARMED PRO-TRUMP PROTESTS: If armed protesters march on Maryland’s state capitol this Sunday the state’s law enforcement agencies will be ready to address the threat, according to Greg Shipley, spokesman for the Maryland State Police. And Gov. Larry Hogan said at a news conference on Monday morning that he is aware of the threat and that “additional security measures” will be implemented around state buildings in Annapolis, reports Bryan Renbaum of Maryland Reporter.
State Roundup: Backlash against U.S. Capitol insurrection
HOGAN CALLS FOR TRUMP’S RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said “America would be better off” if President Donald Trump resigned or was “removed from office,” Bryan Renbaum reports for Maryland Reporter. He called for leadership as the country reacts to Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was counting Electoral College votes and certifying Joe Biden’s presidential win.
Maryland’s National Guard and state police were ready Wednesday to help fight the “shameful attack on our democracy” in Washington, D.C., but federal officials repeatedly denied their authorization, Teresa McMinn of Cumberland Times-News reports from the Hogan presser.
State Roundup: Vaccines coming as hospitalizations continue rising
Sunset over the Bay from the Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge
NO HOLIDAY FOR VACCINE DISTRIBUTION: Vaccine distribution during the week between Christmas and New Years is not slowing down for the holidays, Bryan Renbaum reports for Maryland Reporter on Phase 1A of distribution. Enough vaccines are available to inoculate 100% of the state’s frontline hospital staff, and health departments are offering vaccines this week to the state’s first responders.
The Carroll County Health Department announced the COVID-19 deaths of five more Carroll countians, and on the same day the health department also announced it will begin vaccinating some first responders and high-risk health care workers this week, Bob Blubaugh reports for the Carroll County Times.