CARROLL LAWMAKERS URGE CONGRESS TO PASS BILL REQUIRING VOTER CITIZENSHIP PROOF: Three Republican lawmakers representing Carroll County in the Maryland General Assembly are urging Congress to pass legislation requiring states to obtain documented proof of citizenship from individuals registering to vote in the Nov. 5 general election. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT IN MARYLAND JUST GOT MORE CROWDED: State election officials certified that the Maryland Green Party had collected more than the 10,000 petition signatures needed to be officially recognized by the state as a political party, a designation that allows it to place candidates on the ballot without having to go through a petition process for those. Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein and running mate Butch Ware will join Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance, Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, Libertarians Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat and unaffiliated candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
DIRECTOR OF CANNABIS ADMINISTRATION STEPPING DOWN: Maryland is looking for a new cannabis regulator after Will Tilburg — widely credited with the smooth implementation of the state’s adult-use cannabis market — announced he is leaving his job as director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration. Tilburg said Wednesday he will leave the job on Dec. 4. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
EPA MAY INCREASE OVERSIGHT OF STORMWATER POLLUTION IN BAY REGION: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is warning states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that they are “significantly off track” in meeting goals to reduce stormwater pollution and that the agency may exert greater oversight of those efforts. The warning came in the EPA’s most recent evaluation of state-written plans that will guide their actions through 2025, the region’s voluntary deadline for meeting goals to reduce pollution in the Bay. Karl Blankenship/ The Bay Journal.
STATE SETTLES WITH INMATE WHO SUED OVER CONFISCATED MEDICAL BOOT: The Maryland Department of Corrections will pay an inmate at the Western Correctional Institution $25,000 to settle a federal lawsuit after corrections officers confiscated his walking boot, a prescribed medical device they said could be weaponized. The three-member Board of Public Works Wednesday unanimously approved the settlement with George Bobbitt, 59. But Treasurer Dereck Davis, a member of the panel, asked why the settlement was necessary at all. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
U.S. TELL B’MORE TECH HUB TO REFINE FOCUS TO GET GRANT MONEY: U.S. Economic Development Administration officials advised local tech industry leaders to develop a stronger strategic focus during a visit Wednesday that came about a month after the region lost out on a round of federal grant money. The Greater Baltimore Tech Hub Consortium, comprised of 38 partners, including the Greater Baltimore Committee and Johns Hopkins University, was one of 31 communities across the country to receive the federal designation last year as a “Tech Hub.” But its application for a $70 million grant was rejected. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: UM GLOBAL CAMPUS FAILS TO OPERATE OPENLY: Six years ago, the University of Maryland Global Campus created a tax-exempt entity with two for-profit subsidiaries whose continued operations may not make economic sense or be in the best interests of the state, auditors have found. Among findings, UMGC It also awarded $184 million of sole-source work to those entities without competition and failed to ensure payments were proper. USGC has operated for decades in a cloistered or non-transparent manner. Charlie Hayward/MarylandReporter.com.
WHO ARE HIGHEST PAID OFFICIALS IN HARFORD? Harford County’s fiscal 2025 budget went into effect July 1 with numerous changes to local officials’ salaries. The following is a rundown of how much the county’s top officials are paid and what is taken into consideration when salaries are set in the budget each year. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.
DEVELOPERS, LABOR UNIONS SWEETENED SCOTT’s PRIMARY COFFERS: The latest campaign finance reports, submitted yesterday to the State Elections Board, show Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott collecting a surge of contributions before the May 14 primary, then raking in some more after he defeated Sheila Dixon. “People for Brandon M. Scott” reported receiving $107,732 between April 27 and Aug. 20, with contributions coming from developers, consultants, labor unions and business owners. Mark Reutter and Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
B’MORE ‘BABY BONUS’ BALLOT PROPOSAL GOES BEFORE STATE SUPREMES: A ballot proposal that would pay new Baltimore City parents $1,000 was brought before Maryland’s highest court on Wednesday. The Baltimore Baby Bonus campaign calls for the city to give a one-time payment to new parents, whether through adoption or birth, that would give children and families access to more resources. Supporters secured the necessary 10,000 signatures to bring the question to voters as a ballot initiative. But city leaders say this proposal is against the city charter and goes over the head of the legislature. Tara Lynch and Alexus Davila/WJZ-TV News.
CUMBERLAND OFFERS $20,000 RELOCATION INCENTIVE TO 10 FAMILIES: Nestled in the mountains of Western Maryland, the small town of Cumberland has been having an unexpected revival as remote workers move in and it upgrades its historic downtown. To keep the momentum going, the city launched a pilot program to offer up to $20,000 to 10 families who relocate and commit to staying for at least five years. Brenna Smith/The Baltimore Banner.
