STATE SENATORS URGE MOORE TO VETO OFFSHORE WIND BILL: State Sens. Mary Beth Carozza, Johnny Mautz, Stephen Hershey and Jason Gallion are calling on Gov. Wes Moore to veto House Bill 1296 – Electricity – Offshore Wind Projects – Alterations. The House bill has been cross-filed with SB1161. They wrote to Moore: “H.B. 1296 provides three methods to increase the subsidies that benefit the offshore wind energy developer and harm the ratepayers and taxpayers…” Keith Demko/The Salisbury Daily Times.
NEW LAW TO ALLOW JURISDICTIONS TAX VACANT BUILDINGS AT HIGHER RATE: Last week, Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed a host of bills into law aiming to solve the ongoing affordable housing shortage across the state. Many did not get a lot of attention including HB 2, which will take effect on June 1, allowing local jurisdictions to impose higher taxes on vacant buildings or lots if they choose. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS UPDATING STATE ON BLUEPRINT PLANS: As Maryland public school leaders continue to work on the massive Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan, documents from local school systems that are being turned in this week must provide data to show how officials are putting it in place. That information is based on the Blueprint’s five priorities — early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, preparing students for college and technical careers, providing additional resources for students in need and governance and accountability. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
EARLY VOTING STARTS TODAY: Early voting for Maryland’s presidential primary election begins Thursday, and elections officials are preparing to implement a new method of quashing misinformation about the deluge of mail-in ballot requests they received this year. There are 97 early voting centers across the state. One change Maryland voters will see this election cycle concerns provisional ballots. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
- Early voting continues through May 9. Early voting is open to anyone, according to the Carroll County Board of Elections; residents can update their address or register to vote, if needed. There are 129,226 registered voters in Carroll County, as of March, according to the county’s Board of Elections. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
- Eligible Marylanders can still register to vote in the 2024 primary election, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. To maximize voter registration, the Board of Elections this week is mailing postcards to approximately 750,000 Marylanders who are not registered to vote, informing them they can still register and vote during early voting and on election day. Staff/The Cecil Whig.
MARYLAND DESTINATION FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN: Thousands of migrant children are coming to Maryland every year. One ZIP code in Southeast Baltimore saw an influx of nearly 1,800 migrant children from 2015 to 2023, among the most in the country over that time. Ramsey Archibald/The Baltimore Banner.
NEW DUNN AD ATTACKS ELFRETH: A leading candidate in the Democratic primary for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District released an ad this week negatively targeting his top opponent. The ad approved by former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn’s campaign questions the voting record and political leanings of state Sen. Sarah Elfreth and dropped just before early in-person voting begins on Thursday. Brenda Wintrode and Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
IN U.S. SENATE RACE, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AN ISSUE: During Tuesday’s Energy Summit, three of the candidates — U.S. Rep. David Trone, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, and Marcellus Crews, a small business owner — discussed environmental and economic injustice, and how those issues relate to public health. Luke Parker/The Baltimore Sun.
ALSOBROOKS LEANS INTO BACKGROUND: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks hopes to bring a new perspective to the U.S. Senate. Maryland voters will decide on May 14 if she’s prepared to make the leap. “The people who are closest to the pain are also closest to the solutions,” Alsobrooks said in an April 4 Zoom interview. Katharine Wilson of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
TRONE VIEWS SELF AS OUTSIDER: Rep. David Trone views himself as an outsider in Congress. On May 14, Maryland voters will decide if the three-term lawmaker, self-described progressive and wealthy businessman is the right Democrat to try to retain a Senate seat for the party. Trone doesn’t play golf or hold a membership to a country club. Katharine Wilson of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
DIXON CALLS MAYORAL RACE HER LAST ONE: According to former Baltimore mayor and current mayoral candidate Sheila Dixon, the 2024 election cycle is her last hurrah. “This is it. I made it very clear,” said Dixon, 70, who, once again, is campaigning for the Democratic nomination to serve as Baltimore’s mayor. “Three times is the charm — or three strikes, I’m out.” Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
BODY OF 5th BRIDGE WORKER RECOVERED: The body of a fifth worker killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March has been recovered from the Patapsco River. Unified Command said Wednesday night they found the remains of 49-year-old Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez of Glen Burnie. Brett Barrouquere/The Baltimore Banner.
- Dive teams recovered Gonzalez inside a red truck — one of the construction vehicles that had been missing since the bridge collapse in March. Rachel Pannett/The Washington Post.
MOSBY SAYS SHE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG: Former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby appeared on MSNBC on Wednesday ahead of her sentencing in federal court and declared that she’s done “absolutely nothing wrong” and asserted that she was “politically targeted.” Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
