FOUNDATION RAISED $16M AFTER BRIDGE TRAGEDY: NONE WENT TO VICTIMS’ FAMILIES: Two days after the Key Bridge fell, the Baltimore Community Foundation launched a major fundraising campaign to, among other causes, help the survivors and families of the six construction workers who died in the collapse. That was a prominent part of the promotion. A year later, the foundation acknowledged that it awarded none of the $16 million it raised to those survivors or families. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE LEADERS NOW FOCUS ON ‘CHAOS’ UNDER TRUMP: The Maryland General Assembly just concluded its spring session, but Democratic leaders are already looking ahead to an uncertain future driven by President Donald Trump’s “chaos.” Gov. Wes Moore boasted about the legislature’s accomplishments – stressing that Trump’s shadow still looms over them. “You cannot talk about those things without acknowledging the chaos that is taking place in Washington, D.C.,” Moore told reporters. Emma Tufo and Jack Bowman of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
MOORE, LEGISLATIVE LEADERS SIGN ON 92 BILLS SHORTLY AFTER SESSION ENDS: Hours after the close of the 2025 session, Gov. Wes Moore (D) and legislative leaders signed dozens of bills — many focused on work force and employment issues — into law. The tranche of 92 bills — including two of the governor’s priorities — came in the first of five such ceremonies scheduled between now and the end of May. Many of the bills signed Tuesday centered around a top area of focus for the governor this year. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
LAWMAKERS END RENEWABLE ENERGY SUBSIDY FOR INCINERATOR: Back in 2011 Maryland classified trash incineration as “renewable energy” – elevating it to the same status as solar and wind and subsidizing it to the tune of millions of dollars per year. It stood until Monday, the last day of the legislative session, when the General Assembly voted to eliminate trash incineration from the Renewable Energy Portfolio, effectively ending the subsidy. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
CARROLL LAWMAKERS SAY FEDERAL ACTION CAST PALL ON SESSION: With the 90-day General Assembly session over, Carroll County representatives say they are under a cloud of uncertainty brought on by federal actions that could threaten the economic stability of the state. “Things had been growing since month two or three of the session, when you started to see Democrats mention President Trump and (Elon) Musk,” Carroll County Republican Del. Chris Tomlinson said. “… It certainly changed how appropriations were made.” Federal actions such as tariffs and federal worker layoffs and resolving the roughly $3.3 billion state budget deficit loomed over the session. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
THEIR BILLS DIED, BUT NOT THEIR RESOLVE TO KEEP FIGHTING FOR THEM: Many advocates work long hours to push for bills every year that they believe will help their lives or the lives of fellow Marylanders — only to watch their work of days, months, sometimes years fall by the wayside as their bills die. And just as many are quick to begin work for the next session. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MORE STUDENT VISA YANKED FROM MARYLAND COLLEGES: Some students from the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the University of Maryland, College Park, have had their visa records terminated by the federal government, amid scrutiny from the Trump administration. Todd Karpovich/The Baltimore Sun.
U.S. SENATORS DEMAND RETURN OF DEPORTED MARYLAND FATHER: Two dozen Democratic senators Tuesday demanded the Trump administration return to the United States a Maryland father who was deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador by mistake. Immigration officials admitted to an “administrative error” in the March 15 deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, despite protections from removal to his home country placed in 2019 by an immigration judge. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
BALL ANNOUNCES FIRST CUTS TO ADDRESS HOWARD’s $100 MILLION BUDGET GAP: Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced a first wave of cuts ahead of his budget proposal on April 14 to address a budget gap of more than $100 million he says the county is facing. He pledged not to raise property or income taxes in fiscal 2026, which starts July 1. Kiersten Hacker/The Baltimore Sun.
TRUMP TARIFFS CONCERN MARYLAND BUSINESSES OVER COSTS, FUTURE: President Donald Trump’s new multi-country tariffs announced last week presented Maryland companies not only with new costs to bear but also anxiety about how significant the toll may be and for how long. The tariffs are on top of earlier levies designed to boost American industries by protecting them from unfair foreign competition. Stock markets plunged following the announcement, and continue mostly down since. Jeff Barker and Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: WHEN WILL BALTIMORE REUNITE? It took years for Baltimore city to recuperate – physically and psychologically – from the riots of 1968. Some say we never have recovered. And now it’s 10 years since Freddie Gray, and we’re still trying to work things out. How long before a city comes to peace with itself? In the extended aftermath of the Freddie Gray riots, there’s a phrase echoed across every suburb surrounding the city: “I don’t go downtown anymore.” Michael Olesker/The Baltimore Post-Examiner.
