Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Baltimore’s ABC News affiliate reports:
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is taking a leave of absence due to her battle with pneumonia, her office announced just hours after Gov. Hogan sent a letter to a state prosecutor asking him to investigate book sales between Pugh and the University of Maryland Medical System.
Pugh was hospitalized for pneumonia last week, just days after she stepped down from the board of directors at UMMS following a probe into $100,000 worth of her Healthy Holly children’s books that the medical system had purchased. The leave of absence was called “indefinite.”
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh going on leave at midnight. The news coming as the controversy surrounding her sale of children’s books to entities doing business with the city grows. Today @GovLarryHogan asked the state special prosecutor to start an investigation @ABC7News
— Brad Bell (@ABC7Brad) April 1, 2019
JUST IN: Health insurer Kaiser Permanente paid Baltimore Mayor Pugh more than $100,000 for “Healthy Holly” books during a time when it sought a lucrative city contract. https://t.co/eziPrQrSkA
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) April 1, 2019
Kaiser confirmed to The Baltimore Sun that it paid approximately $114,000 for the books in multiple orders from 2015 to 2018. https://t.co/NLFUcs4WHR
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) April 1, 2019
Additionally, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, another health provider to the city, bought “Healthy Holly” books for $14,500 in 2011 and 2014, The Sun also has confirmed. https://t.co/NLFUcs4WHR
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) April 1, 2019
BREAKING: Mayor Catherine Pugh is taking a leave of absence amid controversy over her “Healthy Holly” book deals.
Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young will take over temporarily as mayor. https://t.co/YGmeEJytPK
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) April 1, 2019
A statement from Pugh’s office attributed the Mayor’s leave of absence to her “deteriorating” health. https://t.co/0s7OYd599R
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) April 1, 2019
“At this time, with the mayor’s health deteriorating, she feels as though she is unable to fulfill her obligations as mayor of Baltimore city. To that end, Mayor Pugh will be taking an indefinite leave of absence to recuperate from this serious illness.”https://t.co/5UeyWxjTvH
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) April 1, 2019