Wbal News Now With Bryan Nehman

The CDC issues tighter guidance on public gatherings. Meanwhile, if you took a drive through Federal Hill or Canton over the weekend, you might not have known anybody was concerned.

Authorities are taking bold actions in response to COVID-19. How prepared are you for adjustments? Meanwhile, at the time of this recording, school systems were stopping short of closing schools and instead doing everything but. (Since this piece has aired, Gov. Larry Hogan ordered public schools to close.)

Italy is taking drastic steps to stop the coronavirus. Is it a preview of decisions some American workplaces might soon make?

Is the pandemic horse out of the barn? What can the federal and state authorities do to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus?

Maryland confirms its first three coronavirus diagnoses. The three patients have been out and about since Feb. 20. Are more positive tests to come? What can really be done to stop an outbreak? And The New York Times endorsed not one, but two candidates for president. Both of them--Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren--have since folded.

Attorney General Brian Frosh says the governor doesn't need a state of emergency like one proposed by state Senate Republicans to send state troopers into Baltimore whenever he wants. Bryan says that that's exactly what Gov. Larry Hogan should do. And there's a silver lining to the coronavirus fears--the tactics being used to avoid it are also useful for flu season.

Joe Biden's campaign made a remarkable turnaround with a Super Tuesday to remember. What's Bernie Sanders' next move? In Baltimore, Sheila Dixon leads a new poll on the mayoral race.

Two Democrats dropped out of the presidential race to back Joe Biden. Why is it that Elizabeth Warren, who has plans by the dozen, is being bugged to drop out and endorse Bernie Sanders rather than the other way around? And business leaders turned out to oppose a plan to expand the sales tax to pay for the Kirwan Commission's education reforms.

South Carolina throws Joe Biden's campaign a liferaft. Two Democrats--Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg--dropped out and endorsed him. The Democratic field becomes a three-horse race. In Annapolis, a Talbot County council member says the state should cover the entire price tag for the Kirwan Commission reforms without sharing costs with localities.

Three Marylanders just met CDC criteria to be tested for the coronavirus. A top health official urges Marylanders not to panic, especially given that it appears that many people who have been sickened seem to be making full recoveries if they are symptomatic at all. Closer to home, a tone-deaf statement from the prison-bound Catherine Pugh.

Prior to her sentencing, disgraced former Mayor Catherine Pugh released a video that was 10% apology, 90% "greatest hits." Also, NFL players rebuff a proposal to lengthen the regular season.

Are we headed for a coronavirus pandemic? It depends who you ask. And at Tuesday's debate, candidates took the gloves off in dealing with Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Are they a bit

Former Attorney General Doug Gansler says it makes sense to have mandatory minimum sentences for "violent convicted felons that are toting guns." The penalty is part of Gov. Larry Hogan's crime proposals. Meanwhile, the arrest of an armed student at Patterson High highlights the legal barriers to city school police officers carrying service weapons in schools.

A new poll finds Marylanders plead ignorance when asked about the Kirwan Commission. That said, they said they're generally in favor of the commission's ideas even as they oppose higher taxes. That's the multi-billion dollar question, isn't it? And the fundamentals show strong potential for Bernie Sanders, should he be the Democrats' nominee in the fall.

The House majority leader defends his idea of changes to the sales tax to fund the Kirwan Commission's education reforms.

Democrats plan to change the sales tax to fund the Kirwan Commission's proposals. Maryland families may pay more for services like haircuts and repairs. However, the proposal was met with swift opposition by Maryland's popular Republican governor. And Michael Bloomberg was not ready for prime time in Wednesday's Democratic debate and the shots he knew were coming.

State lawmakers are considering a plastic bag ban, this one carrying a more hefty fee than the version passed this year in Baltimore City. Why are retailers on board with the plan? Meanwhile, localities are worried about losing the revenue from their own bag fees. Meanwhile, the baseball world is aflame over the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and all Commissioner Rob Manfred can seem to bring is gasoline.

COVID-19, the coronavirus, has gotten worse in China and a professor with the University of Maryland says the course of the virus will be determined in the coming months. After a video went viral of a man kicking the reclined seat of a woman in front of him, the CEO of Delta is saying it is polite to ask before you recline.

Prosecutors say former Mayor Catherine Pugh should spend nearly five years in prison, revealing new details about the breadth of her criminal activity and the steps she took to conceal it. Prosecutors said those steps included laundering money through a shop she co-owned with Comptroller Joan Pratt.

The PGA Tour is coming back to Baltimore, and the event will be nothing to sneeze at. And what can be drawn from the record Democratic turnout in New Hampshire... and the record turnout for the non-competitive Republican primary?