FULL FUNDING FOR KEY BRIDGE IN FINAL, SIGNED CONGRESSIONAL BILL: President Joe Biden on Saturday signed legislation that averts a government shutdown heading into Christmas, bringing a final close to days of upheaval in Washington. The spending bill also included a promise of full funding to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Securing that money was a top priority of Maryland’s members of Congress as well as Gov. Wes Moore. Lisa Mascaro, Faroush Amiri and Matt Brown/The Associated Press.
- The final version of the bill includes full federal funding to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge, for months a major goal of the state’s congressional delegation. All of Maryland’s nine Democratic House and Senate members ultimately voted for the measure. Only Rep. Andy Harris, the sole GOP member of the Maryland delegation, voted against it, joining 33 other conservative Republicans who opposed the bill. Jennifer Shutt/Maryland Matters.
D.C. GETS CONTROL OF STADIUM LAND; STAGE SET FOR COMMANDERS MOVE FROM MARYLAND: In a stunning win for the nation’s capital, the District is set to control the land surrounding RFK Stadium, possibly allowing the Washington Commanders to return to their old home from Maryland, after Congress passed legislation allowing the city to redevelop the federal property — a political miracle that unfolded in the twilight hours of the year’s congressional session and after almost every avenue for the legislation appeared exhausted. Meagan Flynn, Erin Cox and Sam Fortier/The Washington Post.
HOW MARYLAND GOT ITS BUDGET DEFICIT: The state is staring down a $3 billion budget deficit, which is likely to overtake the majority of conversations when the Maryland General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8 for the 2025 legislative session. Lawmakers will hunker down for 90 days of tough conversations to decide where to make cuts, collect revenue or find other solutions. Hannah Gaskill and Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND’s CONGRESSIONAL ‘NOMADS’ IN THEIR FINAL DAYS: Friday’s negotiations played out against the unusual backdrop of dozens of office-less House members. Fifty-three members retired or sought another office this year, while others resigned. For Maryland, Sen. Ben Cardin and Reps. John Sarbanes, Dutch Ruppersberger and David Trone, all Democrats, are among those stepping down, although Cardin and other senators have not been required to pack up yet. Their terms end when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
REPLACEMENT TAPPED FOR DEL. GROSSMAN, AND MORE: Matthew J. Schindler, a former Hagerstown City Council member, is poised to join the Maryland House of Delegates in January. Schindler was the unanimous choice of the Washington County Democratic Central Committee Thursday night when party leaders met to recommend a replacement for former Del. Brooke Grossman (D-Washington), who resigned earlier this month. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
BELATEDLY, GOV. MOORE RECEIVES BRONZE STAR FOR AFGHAN DEPLOYMENT: Gov. Wes Moore received a Bronze Star Friday evening for his deployment to Afghanistan 18 years ago, a belated honor bestowed after a roiling controversy that blemished his rising political career. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
- The belated honor follows years of scrutiny of Moore’s military record, starting during the Democrat’s 2022 campaign for governor, when videos came to light showing that he had failed to correct television interviewers in the past when they said he was awarded the Bronze Star. Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
BIZ OWNERS SEEK TALKS WITH MOORE OVER BEER, WINE SALES VENUES: The craft beer section of the Wells Discount Liquor Store on York Road briefly became a media staging area Friday as half a dozen entrepreneurs from the beverage industry gathered to express their disappointment in remarks Gov. Wes Moore made earlier this month. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
- The retailers denounced Moore’s support of beer and wine sales at Maryland grocery stores. “People want this to happen, this is about listening to the people,” Moore said. However, local retailers believe his short-sighted support of lifting the ban comes at the expense of their businesses. Stephon Dingle/WJZ-TV News.
- Efforts to expand beer and wine sales in Maryland are not new, but the association that represents alcoholic beverage retailers has been successful in thwarting those attempts so far. What is new is Moore’s support — no governor in recent memory has been out in front on the issue, much less called for legislation to land on his desk. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- The small-business owners fear the proposal will put many of them out of business. JoAnn Hyatt of Wells Liquors criticized Moore for not reaching out to small business owners to get a sense of how this legislation will impact their livelihood. Todd Karpovich/The Baltimore Sun.
MORE ENROLLING IN STATE’s HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE: Enrollment in the state’s health insurance marketplace has already risen during the current open enrollment period, and state officials are optimistic those numbers will increase before enrollment closes this month. Or next. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
MONTGOMERY PROGRAM SEEKS TO AID THOSE IN THE ‘SNAP GAP:’ Thousands of people fall into what poverty experts call “the SNAP Gap,” or “self-sufficiency gap,” a growing segment of the population that earns too much to qualify for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but not enough to avoid being thrown into crisis by an unexpected expense, such as a flat tire or a medical emergency. One woman is among the first participants in a program launched by Montgomery County earlier this year that seeks to help that population. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
BALTIMORE CO. IS LAST SCHOOL DISTRICT WITHOUT OK ON BLUEPRINT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN: Baltimore County is the only school district in the state to not receive approval on its 2024 implementation plan under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future because of missing career counseling plans. In a meeting Thursday, the Accountability and Implementation Board gave the green-light to six more local education agencies, including Baltimore city. After months of delay, the city passed a new teacher career ladder last week – the final hold-up in its Blueprint approval. Bri Hatch/WYPR-FM.
STATE EMPLOYEES GIVEN DEC. 24 OFF: Gov. Wes Moore announced that state agencies and offices in Maryland will be closed on Tuesday Dec. 24 in observance of Christmas Eve. Moore also released a statement on the final deal to keep the federal government open, which also includes financing for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, saying, “The people of Maryland are grateful that Congress has strongly supported helping us rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge expeditiously.” Tiffany Watson/WBFF-TV News.
SUN STAFF CONFRONTS OWNER DAVID SMITH: Watching their news organization’s daily drift to the right, increasing use of weird wire service copy and out-of-town TV station stories and the way their contract negotiations have stalled, Baltimore Sun staffers have lately taken to the streets to make their case against their new owner, David D. Smith. Long-time Sun photographer Amy Davis was ready. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
FORMER POLITICAL REPORTER GEORGE GREELEY RODGERS DIES AT 84: George Greeley Rodgers, an Evening Sun assistant managing editor and former political reporter, died after a brief illness Dec. 6 at his Ellicott City home. He was 84. Said his son, “My father adored being a journalist, and his favorite newsroom tales included those about his coverage of the Maryland General Assembly, the state’s Constitutional Convention in the late 1960s, and the Republican National Convention that saw the vice presidential nomination of Spiro Agnew.” Jacques Kelly/The Baltimore Sun.
