TARIFFS, LABOR SHORTAGES THREATEN CRAB INDUSTRY: Maryland’s crab processors have become their own endangered species. In the 1980s, there were more than 50 throughout the state; now there are less than 15 in operation. Labor shortages, overfishing in the Chesapeake Bay and imports of cheaper crabs from Venezuela have priced century-old companies out of business. In early May, the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association sent a letter to President Donald Trump lamenting that not enough was being done to save the industry for future generations. Matti Gellman/The Baltimore Banner.
OFFICIALS WARN MANY MARYLAND MEDICAID RECIPIENTS COULD LOSE COVERAGE: State officials and health care advocates worry that many of Maryland’s 1.55 million Medicaid recipients could lose coverage under a recent proposal from congressional Republicans that aims to cut billions in federal dollars by tightening program eligibility and other administrative hurdles. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
- U.S. House Republicans plan to debate and approve the three final pieces of their “big, beautiful bill” in committee this week, including the tax measure, major spending cuts to Medicaid that will change how states run the program and an agriculture bill. Jennifer Shutt/Maryland Matters.
FEDERAL FUNDS FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY MAY BE AT RISK: Through his proposed “skinny budget,” which outlines White House priorities, advocates worry that President Donald Trump has signaled that federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay is at risk.“We don’t have the resources right now. The more pressure that falls to the state, the harder it becomes to protect everywhere,” said Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
SUPERINTENDENT WRIGHT CONTINUES LISTENING TOUR IN PG COUNTY: Carey Wright, Maryland’s State Superintendent of Schools, took her listening tour to Prince George’s County Monday. She’s making her way to all 24 Maryland school districts to hear from parents and get ideas about how to improve schools. Dozens of parents showed up at Charles Flowers High School in Springdale, asking questions about teacher shortages, budgets, partnering with parents, teacher retention and more. Kyle Cooper/WTOP-FM.
BALL SEEKS $14.5M IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR HOWARD SCHOOLS: Howard County Executive Calvin Ball filed emergency budget legislation Monday to provide up to $14.5 million in additional funding to the school system for the coming fiscal year. If approved by the County Council, the emergency legislation would allow for the county to spend one-time funds from its policy reserve on recurring school system operating expenses. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO TO ALTER STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT TO EMPHASIZE ACCOUNTABILITY: Montgomery County Public Schools will be adjusting its student code of conduct starting with the 2025-2026 school year to emphasize student accountability and to promote safe schools, according to district officials. Ashlyn Campbell/Bethesda Today.
COLUMN: VILLIANS, PROMISES, PAGENTRY OF SIX BUDGETS: Right now, a few dozen elected officials are making decisions for more than 4 million Marylanders, two-thirds of the state population. Leaders of the big six — Baltimore City and Montgomery, Prince George’s, Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard counties — have to sort out paying for schools, public safety and prosperity while keeping taxes low(ish). They share some villains, and priorities can be endearingly specific. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
OOPS: INTRAPARTY CHALLENGE ATTRIBUTED TO ‘FAT-FINGER’ MISTAKE: For a few short minutes, it appeared that there might be a contentious intraparty challenge for a state Senate seat. Republican Del. Ryan Nawrocki, elected in 2022, posted ever so briefly on social media that he was holding a May 19 fundraiser for the Senate — the same seat currently held by Sen. J.B. Jennings, who was elected to his fourth Senate term in 2022. “It just kind of, there was some fat-finger stuff that happened there, and I posted something, and I immediately changed it.” Nawrocki said. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
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MACHINE LEARNING OPENS NEW POSSIBILITIES TO PREVENT SUICIDES: Seeing a thread on Reddit on why people decided not to commit suicide as an opportunity to conduct research, Philip Resnik, a computational linguist and University of Maryland professor, got to work. He and his wife — Dr. Rebecca Resnik, the former president of the Maryland Psychological Association — assembled a team of psychology experts and data scientists to analyze the responses to the Reddit thread. The resulting research paper, titled “Reasons to Live Instead of Dying by Suicide: New Insights from a Computer-Assisted Content Analysis,” uses machine learning to discern the reasons the Redditors chose to live. Joe Wicke of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
B’MORE COUNCIL WORKS TO CHANGE ZONING CODE TO INCREASE HOUSING: The Baltimore City Council is again considering how amending the city’s zoning code to allow for smaller multi-family housing buildings could ease the demand for affordable family homes. A new suite of housing bills was introduced to the city council Monday night. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
- The package of five bills that would allow for the construction and conversion of more multi-family housing through changes to building and zoning codes. Marcus Dieterle/Baltimore Fishbowl.
- The legislation, engineered by several members of the City Council and endorsed by Mayor Brandon Scott, would roll back restrictions on development density, allow people to build closer to their property lines, and do away with requirements for off-street parking if approved. Emily Opilo and Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
