BIAS INCIDENTS SURGE: Reports of hate and bias incidents in Maryland surged 40% last year, the Maryland State Police reported Friday. Law enforcement agencies received 285 such reports in 2016, up from 203 in 2015. Catherine Rentz of the Sun reports. There were more than 50 reports in November, the month of the presidential election. That was far more than in any other month. At least 11 alleged incidents included a reference to Donald Trump, police reports show.
JOBLESS RATE DOWN: Maryland added 2,400 jobs in September as the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.8%, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday. The Sun’s Lorraine Mirabella writes that the state’s jobless rate remained below the national average of 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. Maryland was one of 11 states where the jobless rate fell, the labor department said.
FEDS PUSH ON HOLDING IMMIGRANT INMATES: Federal immigration agents have asked the state-run Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center to hold dozens of immigrants in custody, despite assertions by local officials that they received no such requests, documents reviewed by the Baltimore Sun show. John Fritze of the Sun reports that the documents shed new light on how the federal government and Maryland are approaching illegal immigration as the Trump administration takes a hard line against “sanctuary” policies. Their existence also highlights the extent to which Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration has been eager to avoid discussing the politically sensitive issue in public.
