The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A1

THE SUN BALTIMORE LIGHT FOR ALL Informing more than 1 million Maryland readers weekly in print and online THURSDAY Price $2. Our 179th year, No. 105 April 14, 2016 ELECTION 2016 BALTIMORE MAYOR informa i Picketing Mosby drops out of race, endorses Pugh In tight contest, modest gain might be enough for state senator to win support slipping to 5 percent in a poll for The Baltimore Sun and the University of Baltimore released last week. Pugh, meanwhile, led the field with 31 percent Mosby said he has not decided what is next for him when his term on the council ends in December, and both he and Pugh denied that they or their campaign teams have discussed how she might help Mosby's political career in the future. Pugh, 66, said she is grateful for Mosby's backing.

"He certainly has a following across the city," she said. "He is a young man with a lot of great ideas, and some of those ideas we would be interested in. We will certainly have See MOSBY, page 13 By Yvonne Wenger and Luke Broadwater The Baltimore Sun Baltimore City Councilman Nick J. Mosby dropped out of the mayor's race Wednesday and threw his support behind state Sen. Catherine E.

Pugh, a move political observers say could be enough to push her to victory in this month's election. Mosby said he wanted to help unite the city behind Pugh, who he said is best positioned to connect Baltimore to state and federal resources. "This race was never about me," said Mosby, 37. "It was really about moving our Catherine Pugh Nick Mosby city forward and not backward. More than ever, folks need to come together, and push the city in the right direction.

I made this decision because I love my city and my community." His campaign failed to gain traction, his KIM HAIRSTONBALTIMORE SUN Shannon Brown of Belvedere Square, a cable splicer for Verizon, joins the picket line Wednesday outside the Telephone Building in downtown Baltimore. Maryland workers join strike at Verizon Almost 40,000 walk off job across U.S. after 10 months of fruitless negotiations By Colin Campbell The Baltimore Sun After 10 months of unsuccessful labor negotiations, nearly 40,000 Verizon employees 3,500 of them in Maryland went on strike Wednesday, the second time in five years they walked off the job due to a contract dispute with the communications giant. Employees picketed outside the company's building on St Paul Street in downtown Baltimore on Wednesday morning. Others planned to protest at Verizon facilities in Woodlawn, Randallstown, Cockeysville and Nottingham.

The company and the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represent service workers from Massachusetts to Virginia, have been unable to reach a contract agreement due to disagreements over working conditions and job outsourcing. The employees work for Verizon's wireline business, which provides fixed-line telephone and Fios Internet and television service. The most recent contract expired in August It's unclear how long the strike might last. In 2011, the unions picketed for two See VERIZON, page 9 AMY DAVISBALTIMORE SUN Workers from Broadway Services deliver voting equipment and signs Wednesday to the Public Safety Training Center at 3500 W. Northern Parkway, one of six early-voting sites in Baltimore.

Early voting to begin today Same-day registration might be an additional draw at the polls SUMMARY OF THE NEWS Baltimore's six early-voting centers, knock on doors, encourage folks to vote and drive them to the polls. This year, early voting in Baltimore and across the state has a new importance: While registration has closed for the April 26 primary election, people can register and vote on the same day during early voting. "We've never had same-day voter registration before," McCray says. "It's a big opportunity." Armstead Jones the city's elections director, says he's expecting a sizable turnout for early voting, which runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

today through April 2L There are 67 early-voting locations around See EARLY VOTING, page 13 By Luke Broadwater The Baltimore Sun For the next seven days, Del. Cory McCray, a co-founder of the BEST Democratic Club, is launching an intensive operation. McCray and a team of supporters plan to target the neighborhoods surrounding OYSTER COUNT A survey of the bay's oyster population will attempt a more precise count and assess how quickly oysters are reproducing, how fast they are growing and how they are faring against disease. NEWS PG 2 ELECTION 2016 PRESIDENT John Kasich, in Md, says GOP will choose a nominee who is electable RED SOX 4, ORIOLES 2: The Orioles' seven-game winning streak to open the season ended abruptly Wednesday night as they were unable to break through against Red Sox right-hander Joe Kelly. SPORTS PG 1 SUNNY Donald Trump, said Maryland and the four other states voting on April 26 will play a critical role in determining whether GOP leaders can slow Trump's march toward the nomination.

Kasich's visit the first by any Republican presidential candidate to Maryland since voting in the primaries began in January underscores the unusual attention the state's late election is receiving from both parties this year. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton visited See KASICH, page 10 By John Fritze The Baltimore Sun Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, making his first campaign swing through Maryland on Wednesday, predicted that his party will re-evaluate the race for the GOP nomination when it holds its convention this summer and will choose a nominee who can win the presidency. The Ohio governor, who has won only his home state this year and is trailing far behind front-runner 62 38 John Kasich expects an open convention to choose a nominee other than Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. HIGH LOW Sunny on Friday SPORTS PG 12 bridge sports 9 lottery news 4 business news 8 obituaries news 12 opinion news 14 puzzles sports 9, tonight on tv sports comics sports 10 movies 4 classified sports 8 vs TDNIGHT TOMORROW SATURDAY SUNDAY.