ELECTED OFFICIALS SAY LARGE PROJECTS STILL POSSIBLE UNDER TRUMP: Though uncertainty lies ahead as Maryland prepares for President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, elected officials say there is a chance that the state’s several large infrastructure projects could still receive federal funding. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
WORRY CONTINUES ABOUT BUDGET GAP & TRUMP FEDERAL WORKFORCE CUTS: Maryland faces “an enormous gap” between revenue and spending that is projected to soon be worse than during the Great Recession, driven by sluggish job growth and rising expenses, state analysts told lawmakers this week. The dire outlook, which could be made even worse if cuts to the federal workforce promised by President-elect Donald Trump materialize, reopens debate over tax increases and deep cuts that will probably be the central focus of the next legislative session, set to begin Jan. 8. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
IMMIGRATION LAWYERS RUSH TO FILE CASES BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE: Maricé Morales, the former Montgomery County delegate and sole attorney of her own law firm, says she has been so busy working immigration cases since news of President-elect Donald Trump (R) returning to the White House that she’s looking to hire extra help. “Everybody is really afraid,” Morales said recently. “And they’re wondering if they have a pending petition, if that is enough to protect themselves under the law, in front of a judge.” Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
ADVOCATES FOR UNDERSERVED JOIN FORCES TO BOOST INITIATIVES: They didn’t mention his name, but it was clear that President-elect Donald Trump (R) was part of the reason hundreds of advocates for the underserved gathered Sunday in Columbia to lay out their agenda for the upcoming legislative session. “We will need to focus on what the state of Maryland can do in the face of proposed inaction, dysfunction, or outright antagonism from the federal government,” said the Rev. Tyrone Jones IV, the co-chair of People Acting Together in Howard. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
WHY JEWISH VOTERS MADE THAT TURN TO THE RIGHT: While Jewish voters are by no means a monolith, in Baltimore City and county, home to one of the country’s largest Jewish populations, many traditionally vote for Democrats. This year, however, like other voters around the country, more broke for the Republicans and former President Donald Trump. Danny Nguyen and Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
ALSOBROOKS WON TWO BRUTAL ELECTIONS, NOW SHE HEADS TO D.C.: Sheila O’Connell joined Angela Alsobrooks as campaign manager last December and set about building a team and crafting a strategy to get the candidate through two brutal elections — combined, candidates and outside groups spent at least $153.8 million to win the seat, according to OpenSecrets. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND LEADS IN GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION: A new analysis of federal government data found that Maryland led the way when it came to states reducing greenhouse gas emissions over a 17-year period. Maryland cut carbon emissions by 36% between 2005 and 2022 and by 42% per capita, according to the report released this week by Environment America Research & Policy Center. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
WATER CREMATION IS LEGAL IN MARYLAND, BUT STILL LACKS REGULATIONS: A casket-shaped metal tank sitting in Joseph H. Brown’s crematory in West Baltimore uses hot water, chemicals and a bit of agitation to dissolve human remains, leaving behind only bone. The practice, formally known as alkaline hydrolysis, was legalized during this year’s General Assembly session. But the state Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors is still writing the regulations that will govern the practice in Maryland. Without regulations, performing the procedure may be a legal gray area. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
POT-RELATED ER VISITS NOW TRACKABLE: Last month, 813 people across Maryland made a visit to an emergency room due to cannabis use. That’s 67 fewer people than in September and just slightly below the monthly average number of emergency room visit involving cannabis use this year, which sits at 816.9 ER trips. These are just a few of the latest data points that anyone can now examine on the Maryland Department of Health’s newest public health dashboard. Abby Zimmardi/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND CLIMATE ACTIVIST SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN JAIL: A climate change activist from Maryland who dumped red powder on a case containing the original copy of the U.S. Constitution was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison for his role in the vandalism earlier this year at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Michael Kunzelman/ Associated Press.
HOWARD RESIDENTS CAN VOTE ON THEIR FAVORITE NEW COUNTY FLAG DESIGN: Howard County residents had a ton of ideas for a new county flag. Now they can vote on their favorite options from a narrowed down list of 10 flag designs for a chance to see it flying on a flagpole — hopefully — by the end of next year. Abby Zimmardi/The Baltimore Banner.
REG MURPHY, FORMER BALTIMORE SUN PUBLISHER, DIES AT 90: Reg Murphy, a renowned journalist whose newsgathering career included stints as an editor and top executive at newspapers in Atlanta, San Francisco and for the Baltimore Sun — and who found himself the subject of national headlines when he survived a politically motivated kidnapping — has died at age 90. Bruce Schreiner/The Independent.
