WHO GOT TO SIT IN THE POLs’ STADIUM SUITES? In suites reserved for Wes Moore at Maryland’s publicly owned sports stadiums, the governor welcomed more than 1,000 different individuals or groups during the Orioles’ and Ravens’ 2023 seasons — making up a list filled with government staffers and political allies, friends and family, community leaders, donors and executives. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s guests to the city’s private suites at M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards last year included members of his family, local labor leaders, numerous elected officials and a few donors to his campaign. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
LEGISLATIVE MANDATED STUDIES TO KEEP HEALTH DEPT BUSY: Staff at the Maryland Department of Health and related agencies said recently that they’re going to have a “busy” interim period as they work to conduct over a dozen new reports and studies prompted by bills that came out of the 2024 legislative session. The studies can be used to inform lawmakers for future bill topics, gauge the effectiveness of current programs and see where improvements can be made to help the state reach certain goals. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MORE LOBBYISTS IN ANNAPOLIS: The top 10 highest earning lobbyists in the state earned slightly more as a group in the last year but saw their share of compensation decrease as the size of the state’s lobbying corps surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Nearly 200 lobbyists reported earnings of at least $50,000. That is up from 180 the year before. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
OPINION: BLAME LAWMAKERS FOR DEMISE OF CRAFT BREWING INDUSTRY: During the past decade or so, the Maryland beer industry grew exponentially despite outright hostility from some of our state’s elected lawmakers. Laws and regulations were authored for the benefit of politically wired distributors who are financially incentivized to sell Budweiser and other corporate brands at the expense of local craft beer. The closure of one brewery can be dismissed as anomalous. The closure of multiple breweries, however, clearly represents a trend. They are the inevitable consequences of a state whose leaders say the right things about this amazing sector while doing something else entirely in the backrooms of our legislature. Len Foxwell/The Baltimore Banner.
TRONE HEARS THE CRITICISMS, AND CONTINUES TO RUN: David Trone knows what critics are saying about him. The 68-year-old Montgomery County businessman has heard the exhortations to step aside and let Angela Alsobrooks become the Democratic nominee for a rare open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland — setting her up to be the first Black woman to hold that office. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
NEW TRONE AD ATTACKS ALSOBROOKS ON HER HOME TURF: As in-person voting approaches, the top Democratic candidates for Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat are getting chippy over a new ad from David Trone that criticizes Angela Alsobrooks. Trone’s 60-second ad debuted Saturday, featuring multiple Prince George’s County politicians calling out the shortcomings of Alsobrooks, their county executive. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
***PART-TIME EDITOR NEEDED: Would you like to help Maryland Reporter put together its daily roundup of news? We need an editor Friday mornings, typically working 6-8 a.m. to compile the roundup for our website and the newsletter. Work in your pajamas. This is ideal for a retired journalist or freelancer. If interested, contact Len Lazarick, and attach a resume. If you’re reading this newsletter, you have a good idea what we do. You obviously need to know something about Maryland media, government and politics. You’ll know a lot more once you start doing it.***
JUDGE CANDIDATE AGAIN CHALLENGES SELECTION PROCESS: For the fourth election in the past six years, Rockville attorney Marylin Pierre is challenging a slate of incumbent judges in an effort to win a seat on the Montgomery County Circuit Court—and, once again, Pierre is seeking to put on trial the current process for selecting who sits on that court. Louis Peck/MoCo 360.
FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES REMEMBER VICTIMS OF KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE: Family and community members gathered Friday night at a memorial on Fort Armistead Road to remember the six workers killed in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge one month ago. This photo gallery tells the story of the event. Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun.
- Father Ty Hullinger echoed the words of labor activist Mary Harris “Mother” Jones during a Sunday ceremony honoring the lives of workers killed on the job: “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” He proceeded to offer a prayer for the six workers killed just over a month ago after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed below them. Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
COULD TUGBOATS HAVE PREVENTED KEY BRIDGE TRAGEDY? As the Dali slid out of its berth at the Port of Baltimore in the early hours of March 26, a pair of 5,000-horsepower tugboats guided the massive container ship into the deep channel in the Patapsco River, pointing it toward the Chesapeake Bay as it began its voyage to Sri Lanka. Then, off they went, according to maritime tracking data. If they’d still been with the ship or close by, the tugs may have averted the ensuing disaster. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
CARROLL PROPOSES 2-CENT PROPERTY TAX HIKE: The Board of Carroll County Commissioners has proposed a 2-cent property tax increase. If approved, it would mark the first time county officials have raised property taxes since fiscal 1997. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
