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After ex-Mayor Catherine Pugh's rapid collapse amid multiple public corruption investigations, Baltimore city employees are pulling down her official portraits as the city quickly shifts into a new era with Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young at the helm. Young, a fellow Democrat and a longtime leader of the City Council, automatically replaced Pugh after her resignation Thursday afternoon. (5/2)

Pugh’s downfall is rooted in her “Healthy Holly” books, which feature illustrations of African American children and parents and promote healthy eating and exercise. She reportedly was paid nearly $800,000 for the series — an enormous amount in the world of children’s literature — by entities that included the University of Maryland Medical System, on whose board she sat. (Schwartzman and Hermann, 5/2)

Ms. Pugh, 69 years old, took a leave of absence from the job April 1 to cope with what her office said was severe pneumonia. City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young has filled in as mayor and will finish her four-year term, which ends in 2020. The 15-member council will elect a new president. The book deals, which date to 2011, when Ms. Pugh was in the state Senate, are now the subject of several criminal investigations, including probes by federal law-enforcement officials and the state prosecutor. (Calvert and Kamp, 5/2)