BILL TO EXPAND ALCOHOL SALES VENUES MIGHT HAVE A SHOT IN 2025: A renewed effort to expand alcohol sales beyond liquor stores has the backing of a powerful new ally — Gov. Wes Moore (D) told Maryland Matters that he “wants something on my desk at the end of the session.” The General Assembly has tried before to allow alcohol sales in grocery stores — and perhaps other retailers. Moore said that while he will not make the bill an official part of his 2025 legislative package, his office will push for passage of a bill in the coming session. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
LAWMAKERS TO QUESTION HEALTH SECRETARY ON VIOLENCE AT PERKINS: Maryland lawmakers plan to question Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott Wednesday about incidents of violence and chronic understaffing at the state’s only maximum security psychiatric hospital. The 189-bed Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup, which treats criminal defendants who are seriously mentally ill, is being audited by outside evaluators. Katie Mettler/The Washington Post.
NEW CORRECTIONAL HEALTH PROVIDER FALTERS LIKE PREVIOUS ONES: Frustration grew during a committee hearing on state audits Tuesday as lawmakers learned that a recent contract between the state’s correctional agency and a health care provider does little to address staffing and documentation issues identified by state auditors in a previous contract with a different provider. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
MORE TRAVEL LANES SOUGHT FOR BAY BRIDGE REPLACEMENT: As Marylanders review state transportation officials’ proposal to demolish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and replace the historic structures with new, wider spans, preferences for structures that would include eight travel lanes are emerging. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
BAY STATE LEADERS REITERATE COMMITMENT TO BAY: Top officials from all the Chesapeake Bay states and the federal government gathered in Annapolis Tuesday to reiterate their commitment to cleaning up the historically and economically critical estuary and strengthening the decade-long partnership that has helped improved the Bay’s health — even if that progress hasn’t been as swift and consistent as they might have hoped. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND’s MILITARY VETERANS CONCERNED ABOUT FEDERAL DIRECTION: The subject of gender and the military is taking on a new life. President-elect Donald Trump’s appointee to head the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, has questioned the wisdom of women in combat. In addition, the conservative Project 2025 plan on the presidential transition raises the idea that people with “gender dysphoria” should not serve in the military. The debate has lit up the network of women veterans. Maryland is home to roughly 348,000 veterans, about 15% of whom are women. Robert Steward of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
CONGRESSIONAL DEMS HOPE FOR COOPERATION, BRACE FOR A FIGHT: Maryland’s Democratic leaders are projecting public confidence about how the state will fare under Donald Trump, but they’re also concerned about some of his policies – and how quickly he might implement them. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he’s hoping for bipartisan cooperation with the incoming administration. “We will look for areas where cooperation is possible,” Van Hollen said. But he’s also preparing for a fight, sooner rather than later. Jack Bowman and Morgan Leason of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
PRINCE GEORGE’S SETS SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL ALSOBROOKS’ SEAT: The Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday scheduled a pair of special elections in March and May to fill the county executive’s seat vacated by Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who is on her way to the U.S. Senate, and the District 5 County Council seat left open after Democrat Jolene Ivey was elected last month to an at-large seat. Katie Mettler/The Washington Post.
RUSHERN BAKER ANNOUNCES BID TO REGAIN PG COUNTY EXEC SEAT: He’s coming back to a campaign trail near you. Former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) formally announced a bid Tuesday for the job he held from 2010 to 2018, joining an already crowded field of Democrats looking to be the next county executive. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MANGIONE FAMILY BECAME FORCE IN LOCAL POLITICS: Long before the shooting, before the manhunt and before the arrest of Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of a health care executive, the Mangione name was well-known around Baltimore. The Mangiones, fueled by the competitive, combative spirit of their immigrant patriarch, built a formidable family business that made them a force in local politics and charity. Amy Qin/The New York Times.
- The patriarch’s family – Nick Mangione Sr. and his wife, Mary, had 10 children — went on to be successful in their own right, including excelling in athletics at Loyola University and taking over the family businesses, while a grandchild is a state delegate. Justin Fenton and Brenna Smith/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE IG CUMMING EXPECTED TO GET 2nd SIX-YEAR TERM: Heading a department charged with examining complaints of waste, fraud and abuse in local government, Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming has far outlasted her predecessors while carving out a unique role for her 18-person office, protected by voters who granted her subpoena powers in 2018 and protected her from political interference in 2022. Last night a seven member advisory board with no political officeholders was expected to approve her second six-year term. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
WHERE $1M IN CITY MONEY IS GOING, THANKS TO NICK MOSBY: Among his last acts in office, outgoing Baltimore City Council President Nick J. Mosby made a big giveaway, with taxpayer dollars, and a big ask. Mosby said at the meeting that he used his office to fight for “all of the lost potential” in East and West Baltimore. Where will that money go? Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
