PORT OF BALTIMORE TO GET $147M TO CUT GREENHOUSE GASSES: President Joe Biden, continuing to make Baltimore a symbol of his administration’s push to upgrade aging infrastructure, will pledge $147 million in grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Port of Baltimore. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- The Maryland Port Association will receive more than $145 million for the Port of Baltimore to purchase zero-emission cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks, as well as other expenses to reduce pollution produced by the port, according to the administration. An additional $2 million will go toward planning to further reduce emissions, according to a statement from the White House. The Biden administration says the funding announced Tuesday will help support up to 2,000 union jobs at the port. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
GOV’T SERVICES TO CITIZENS SUFFERED UNDER HOGAN, ANALYSTS, ADVOCATES SAY: As he campaigns for the U.S. Senate, former Gov. Larry Hogan touts leaving behind a $5.5 billion surplus, tax breaks, toll cuts and a balanced budget. But state reports show the savings came at another cost — high vacancy rates in state agencies. The Republican governor’s decision to downsize government kept agencies from delivering services when people needed them most, said policy analysts, union officials and nonprofit leaders watching and working for state government during Hogan’s time in office. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
A CONUNDRUM: SPLITTING TICKETS IN MARYLAND: Maryland Democrats picking Kamala Harris and weighing whether to split their ticket with Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan or stick with Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will determine the outcome of Maryland’s highest-profile race this year. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
ELECTION LAWYER QUESTIONS REP. HARRIS’s N.C. SUGGESTION: Attorney Marc Elias discusses Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland calling for an automatic Donald Trump win in North Carolina. There’s video of Harris making the suggestion, which he later backtracked on. Brian Tyler Cohen and Marc Elias/Democracy Watch Podcast. (12 minutes)
MOORE’s PAC NOW TARGETS PARROTT IN 6th DISTRICT: Unity First PAC, the political entity set up by Gov. Wes Moore (D) and his allies this year to prevent former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) from winning Maryland’s U.S. Senate election, has now turned its attention to aiding the Democratic nominee in the state’s most competitive U.S. House district. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
MOORE ON ‘ALPHA MALES,’ TRUMP MSG RALLY & FINDING SOLUTIONS: In a lively and wide-ranging discussion, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, a surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris as she runs for president, talks about the race and recent controversies. Ben Meiselas /The Meidas Touch Podcast. (18 minutes)
SPECIAL BA CO POLICE UNIT CENTER OF TWO FEDERAL LAWSUITS: A specialized Baltimore County Police unit tasked with arresting violent offenders is at the center of two federal lawsuits alleging the agency used excessive force during a pair of police shootings. Both lawsuits described the shootings as unnecessary and said the involved officers endangered members of the public when their own lives weren’t at risk. None of the plainclothes officers involved in either shooting was wearing body-worn cameras, nor were their unmarked police vehicles equipped with dashboard cameras. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: A VOTING GUIDE FOR CHRISTIANS: Every year, the citizens of Maryland have the opportunity to exercise their “consent,” deciding who they want to be represented in government. In accordance with the biblical mandate to love our neighbor citizens of faith in Maryland have a special responsibility to participate. But how should Christians decide? What criteria should we use to choose one candidate over another? I suggest that the following five criteria can be useful. Jeffrey S. Trimbath/The Christian Post Espanol.
OPINIÓN: CÓMO DISCERNIR EL CANDIDATO CORRECTO EN LAS ELECCIONES DE MARYLAND: En poco más de una semana, los residentes de Maryland comenzarán a emitir sus votos en las elecciones generales de este año. Cada año, los ciudadanos de nuestro estado tienen la oportunidad de ejercer su “consentimiento”, decidiendo quiénes quieren que los representen en el gobierno. De acuerdo con el mandato bíblico de amar a nuestro prójimo, los ciudadanos de fe en Maryland tienen una responsabilidad especial de participar. Pero ¿cómo deben decidir los cristianos? ¿Qué criterios debemos usar para elegir a un candidato sobre otro? Sugiero que los siguientes cinco criterios pueden ser útiles. Jeffrey S. Trimbath/The Christian Post Espanol.
EARLY VOTING NUMBERS DOWN; MAIL-IN BALLOT REQUESTS RISE: More than 440,000 people cast ballots through the first four days of early voting in Maryland, down 17% from the same period four years ago. But while early voting was down by 90,000, state election officials reported they have received an unusually high number of requests for mail-in ballots in advance of the Nov. 5 Election Day this year. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
EARLY VOTING IN HOWARD RUNS SMOOTHLY: In Howard County, early voting for the Nov. 5 presidential election is under way with 27,954 (11.81%) of the county’s 238,872 eligible registered voters casting a ballot through Sunday, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Early voting began Oct. 24 and runs through Oct. 31. “Turnout has been good so far,” Howard County Election Director Guy Mickley said. “We have not encountered any problems or concerns. The process is going very well.” Sherry Greenfield/The Baltimore Sun.
MO CO BALLOT INITIATIVE WOULD BAR ELRICH FROM 3rd TERM: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich plans to run for a third consecutive term in 2026, which would be his last eligible four years under a term limits law passed in 2016. But an initiative on next Tuesday’s ballot led by the Republican who tried to unseat Elrich in 2022 would keep the Democrat from running again by limiting county executives in Montgomery to two consecutive four-year terms. Dana Munro/The Washington Post.
7,000 DACA RECIPIENTS CAN GET STATE HEALTH INSURANCE: An estimated 7,000 DACA recipients will be eligible for Maryland’s health insurance marketplace when open enrollment begins Friday, some of the more than 100,000 newly eligible immigrants nationwide. The change is the result of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decision in May to expand eligibility for Affordable Care Act coverage to include those covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — an Obama-era program that protects undocumented immigrants from deportation if they were brought here as children. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
