Rawlings-Blake rules out running for Congress

Former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Thursday that she will not run for the congressional seat previously held by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings. Rawlings-Blake, who had been considering a run, said she made the decision after thinking about the legacy of her father, Democratic Del. Pete Rawlings, who was the powerful chairman of the House of Delegates’ Appropriations Committee. “I heard my father’s voice in my head talking about the importance of having smart, thoughtful, principled African Americans, and especially women, in places where they can make a difference for our community because at the end of the day, when you focus on the issues that confine our most vulnerable, you ultimately improve the lives of everyone,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement.

Former police chief charged with misconduct

The former police chief of a small Eastern Shore town that was embroiled in controversy over the in-custody death of a black teenager last year was charged with misconduct in office in an unrelated case. In a release, the Office of the State Prosecutor wrote that Mike Petyo, the former Greensboro Police Chief in Caroline County, made “factual misrepresentations in an Application for Certification which he filed on behalf of one of his police officers.” The application is filed with the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission and reviewed to certify police officers for duty throughout the state, the office wrote. “The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission relies on honest representations from Chiefs to ensure that people who are certified meet the requirements for certification,” said Acting State Prosecutor Kelly B. Madigan. Petyo declined to comment.