LAWMAKERS TO REVISIT EXPUNGEMENT RULES: Lawmakers have introduced legislation that would address a recent decision from a Maryland appeals court that’s made it impossible for some people to obtain expungement, or the removal of a case from court and law enforcement records. In 2022, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled that people whose probation was unsatisfactorily closed – including because of a minor infraction – are not entitled to expungement. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE PREPS FOR YEAR 2: While not new to negotiating given his business experience, Gov. Wes Moore wasn’t quite used to the public-facing aspects of the Orioles lease talks. As he’s preparing for year two, meanwhile, there are mounting concerns that a growing $761 million budget deficit could put his and the legislature’s progressive goals — from reforming the education system to expanding mass transit — on the chopping block in the coming years without tough decisions on new taxes. Sam Janesch and Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
LAWMAKERS LOOK TO IMPROVE DENTAL HEALTH: At the end of the first week of the 2024 General Assembly session, the House Health and Government Operations Committee has been assigned more than 40 bills involving changes to Maryland’s health system. But a couple of bills would affect an area of health that often goes overlooked: dental care. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
TENANT WHOSE SITUATION SPURRED STATE LAW CHANGE EVICTED: After a yearslong legal battle, a Baltimore artist and community organizer who fought their 2020 eviction left their Station North apartment for good on Friday, ending a historic landlord-tenant disagreement in Maryland that ultimately spurred changes to state law. Null’s case advanced through the Maryland judiciary starting in 2020, ultimately ending this past fall. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
EX SEN. GRIFFITH: STATE NEEDS MORE HEALTH CARE WORKERS: As she visits hospitals and health systems in her new role as the president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association, former state Sen. Melony Griffith said there continues to be a pervasive need in the state for more health care workers, “no matter where you travel.” Jack Hogan/The Daily Record.
STATE TO BUILD 58 FED-FINANCED EV CHARGING STATIONS: Maryland has received a $15 million federal grant from the Biden-Harris administration to build 58 electric vehicle charging stations to be spread throughout the state. Through the market and subsidies, electric vehicles are becoming more affordable but a lack of charging stations remains a barrier, especially in historically underinvested communities. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
- Moore also highlighted a workforce development partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to create 600 new certified electricians who can service the charging stations. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE GETS $80M TO UPGRADE HARBOR TUNNEL TOLL PLAZA, INTERCHANGE: U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen joined Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld on Friday to announce $80 million in U.S. Department of Transportation funding for the Maryland Transportation Authority to make improvements around the toll plaza and Interchange of the I-895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Tiffany Watson/WBFF-TV News.
ADVOCATES WONDER IF MOORE ADMIN UP TO CLIMATE GOALS: Late last year, the administration of Gov. Wes Moore released a plan to require the state to invest billions in climate actions and pass bold legislation to accelerate clean energy transitions and hold fossil fuel companies accountable. But as members of the General Assembly gather in Annapolis for their 90-day session, advocates and some legislators wonder if the administration has the strategy to implement Maryland’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan. Aman Azhar/Inside Climate News.
FLORIDA PORT CEO TO HEAD MARYLAND PORT ADMIN: The head of Port Everglades in Florida will lead the Maryland Port Administration starting next month, the state transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld announced Friday. Jonathan Daniels, director and CEO of the port in Broward County, Fla., and a 30-year veteran of port and economic development, will step in as executive director of the Maryland port Feb. 5. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
***Coming off the success of his first play, “Baltimore You have No Idea,” Sun columnist Dan Rodricks has produced “Baltimore Docket,” which dramatizes seven trials he has covered over the years. Three of six performances in February are already sold out. Click for tickets here.***
PROLIFIC YEAR FOR JUVIE OYSTERS: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Fall Oyster Survey recorded a remarkable year for juvenile oysters in Maryland waters, finding prolific numbers throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Kristian Jaime/The Salisbury Daily Times.
POLITICAL NOTES: No Labels, the self-proclaimed centrist political group trying to get on the ballot in all 50 states, has met the signature threshold for party recognition in Maryland. Attorney General Anthony Brown joined 11 other attorneys general in signing a letter Friday requesting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to lower cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug within the federal Controlled Substances Act. Gov. Moore announced that four of his key aides are getting new roles and responsibilities. Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) received a sentimental tribute on the House floor Thursday for her tenure as speaker pro temp. Danielle E. Gaines, William J. Ford|Josh Kurtz and Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
PREP FOR PRES RUN? HOGAN STEPS DOWN FROM NO LABELS LEADERSHIP: Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland and a moderate Republican who has been critical of Donald Trump, stepped down last month from the leadership of the third-party movement No Labels, a move that could signal his preparations to run for president using the group’s ballot line. Steve Peoples and Jonathan J. Cooper/The Associated Press.
COMMENTARY: SPOILER ALERT: PLEASE DON’T RUN FOR PRESIDENT, LARRY: Two conservative pundits who are also staunch never-Trumpers beg Larry Hogan not to run for president on the No Labels ticket, which would draw voters away from Joe Biden and do little to harm Donald Trump’s chances at another win. The podcast is about 18 minutes long. Jonathan V. Last and Sarah Longwell/The Bulwark Podcast.
BUT WAIT! HOGAN BACKS HALEY: Squelching speculation of a third-party presidential run, former Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday endorsed Nikki Haley for the GOP nomination, saying he feels she “is the strongest chance” for Republicans to win in November. Megan Kinnard/The Associated Press.
- “It’s time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley,” Hogan told Jake Tapper on CNN’s on CNN’s “State of the Union” show. Hogan predicted that former President Donald J. Trump would win Monday’s Republican caucuses in Iowa, the first step in the nomination process. But he noted that the winners of Iowa don’t typically end up becoming the nominee, and therefore the race for second place is just as important. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- When Tapper,asked if that was an endorsement, Mr. Hogan said, “I think we want to have the strongest possible nominee in November. Polls show that that is Nikki Haley.” Maggie Astor/The New York Times.
UNEXPLODED DEVICES FOUND IN MIDTOWN B’MORE: Baltimore police officers responding to ShotSpotter alerts discovered two “potentially exploded devices” and one unexploded device early Sunday morning in midtown, though no injuries or property damage were reported. The block that they were found is home to an apartment building and the local Baltimore office of the Maryland Department of Human Services, a social services agency. It’s unclear where exactly the devices were located. Ben Conarck/The Baltimore Banner.
3 MO CO INMATES DIE FROM ‘MEDICAL SITUATIONS:’ Over a three-day period, three incarcerated individuals died from “medical situations,” according to a statement from the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The deaths were unrelated, and they all occurred on different days, according to DOCR. Courtney Cohn/MoCo 360.
MO CO TO GET 50 E- AND LOW-EMISSION SCHOOL BUSES: The Biden administration announced this week $1 billion in funding for more than 2,700 electric and low-emission school buses across 37 states. In Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools will receive nearly $4.7 million to purchase 50 new buses. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
