BALTIMORE NATIVE PELOSI, MD. REP. STENY HOYER ARE STEPPING DOWN FROM LEADERSHIP: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will continue in Congress but is stepping back from a leadership role. Through all her time in power, she held Baltimore close as her “beloved hometown.” Jeff Barker/Baltimore Sun
- The California Democrat, a pivotal figure in U.S. history and perhaps the most powerful speaker in modern times, said she would remain in Congress as the representative from San Francisco. Lisa Mascaro/AP in the Cumberland Times-News
- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had once been considered a likely successor to Pelosi. But as she stepped away from her post Thursday, so too did Hoyer, part of a smoothly-engineered transition to younger party leadership. Courtney Cohn/Capital News Service in MarylandReporter.com
- Pelosi, who wore a winter-white pantsuit in a nod to suffragettes and other key moments throughout her own political career, announced her retirement from leadership during a 15-minute speech. Hoyer will also remain in Congress, heading back to the Appropriations Committee, which controls discretionary government spending to the tune of about $1.5 trillion a year. Jennifer Shutt and Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters
- See the speech on C-Span.
FROSH ASKS TO MAKE BOMBSHELL REPORT ON CATHOLIC PRIEST ABUSE PUBLIC: Catholic priests and officials assigned to the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused and tortured more than 600 people over the past 80 years, and the church helped to cover most of it up, a report from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office found. The report is not yet public. Lee Sanderlin and Jonathan Pitts/Baltimore Sun
- Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh is asking a judge to approve the release of a 463-page report that details disturbing allegations and findings of sexual abuse against children by priests within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The findings include information on 158 priests who face sexual abuse allegations. Christina Mendez/WJZ
- The release must be approved by the court because the documents were handed over in response to grand jury subpoenas. “For decades, survivors reported sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests, and for decades the church covered up the abuse rather than holding the abusers accountable and protecting its congregations. The Archdiocese of Baltimore was no exception,” the motion states. Greg Ng and Rachel Duncan/WBAL AM
DEPT OF HEALTH CALLS ON PEDIATRICIANS TO HELP RELIEVE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS FOR KIDS: The Maryland Department of Health and partner organizations are reaching out to pediatricians as mental health situations of children continue to worsen as the coronavirus pandemic lingers. Scott Maucione/WYPR
WES MOORE INCREASED DEM MARGINS STATEWIDE: Democrat Wes Moore’s 30-point landslide lead wasn’t concentrated in just one area. He improved over previous Democrats’ margins in every county in Maryland’s governor’s race compared to the years that moderate Republican Gov. Larry Hogan won his races — and in nearly every county for all of the last two decades, when another moderate Republican, Bob Ehrlich, was on the ballot three times. Sam Janesch/Baltimore Sun
COMPLAINTS ABOUT PARK ADMINISTRATOR HAD BEEN LODGED AS EARLY AS 2015: Numerous employees of Maryland’s largest state park, Gunpowder Falls, sent detailed complaints to state park headquarters dating back to 2015 — including to Superintendent Nita Settina — alleging bullying and harassment by Michael J. Browning and his assistant manager, Dean Hughes. Browning has been indicted on charges that he repeatedly raped two employees. Julie Scharper/Baltimore Banner
RUPPERSBERGER WORKS TO REIMBURSE FOOD ASSISTANCE THEFT: U.S. Rep. “Dutch” Ruppersberger introduced a bill to Congress on Wednesday that would reimburse federal funds to people whose food assistance has been stolen. This bill was drafted in reaction to reporting from The Baltimore Banner and WMAR on widespread benefits theft and constituent complaints. Brenna Smith and Brenda Wintrode/Baltimore Banner
HOGAN WON’T GET TOLL LANES COMPLETED DURING HIS TENURE: The Maryland Department of Transportation will not seek approval of a multibillion-dollar contract to build toll lanes on Interstates 270 and 495 until after Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has left office, the agency announced on Thursday. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters
STATE SEN. MICHAEL HOUGH PULLS AHEAD IN FREDERICK COUNTY EXEC. RACE: Heading into what could be the final day of ballot counting in Frederick County, Democrat Jessica Fitzwater trailed Republican Michael Hough by 862 votes — less than 1 percentage point — in the race for county executive, results from ballot counting on Thursday show. Fitzwater, a two-term County Council member, was behind Hough, a two-term state senator, by more than 1,500 votes after ballot counting on Wednesday. Jack Hogan/Frederick News-Post
SQUEEGEE WORKER CHARGED IN MURDER CASE WILL STAY IN ADULT COURT: The 15-year-old accused of fatally shooting a man armed with a baseball bat during an altercation with a group of squeegee workers near the Inner Harbor over the summer will be tried as an adult, a Baltimore judge ruled Thursday. Alex Mann/Baltimore Sun
ONLINE SPORTS BETTING FINALLY COMING: Sports betters are looking forward to a mobile option starting soon after sports betting was legalized in 2020. Online wagering will finally begin Wednesday, as seven companies are both ready to launch and have approval from Maryland officials: Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet. Hayes Gardner/Baltimore Sun