MORE BUDGET CUT FOR STATE UNIVERSITIES: Campuses in the University System of Maryland were warned Thursday afternoon to brace for another 7% cut to their budgets in the coming year, on top of the 4% the system was forced to absorb as part of a statewide budget challenge earlier this year. University System Chancellor Jay Perman, in a video message, said individual campus presidents all agree that personnel cuts should be a last resort. But he noted that, given the size of the reduction, “for some universities, personnel actions cannot be taken off the table.” And he warned that the fiscal situation would likely get worse, as federal budget reductions and job cuts continue this year. Bryan Sears, William Ford/Maryland Matters
ANTI-DEPORTATION DEMO IN BALTIMORE: Immigration advocacy group CASA commanded a show of force against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore on Wednesday. Hundreds of demonstrators in Baltimore protested the recent federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants. According to CASA leaders, ICE officers have targeted “people who have been violently abducted while carrying out essential family tasks like grocery shopping and job hunting.” CASA said there have been at least 16 immigration arrests in Baltimore City and Baltimore County since May 20. Video and text. Mike Hellgren, Christian Olaniran, JT Moodee Lockman/WJZ TV
HIGH SCHOOLERS PROTEST DEPORTATION: Hundreds of students staged a walkout and demonstration at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring on Thursday to protest the reported deportation of a classmate. Kate Ryan/WTOP Radio
- The Blair student is at least the second known Montgomery County student detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks. Recently, a student who attended John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring was also detained, according to local lawmakers. Neither event took place on school grounds but provoked outcry in school communities within Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction. Nicole Asbury/Washington Post
JUDGE RULES BALTIMORE’S OPIOID SETTLEMENT WAS TOO HIGH: Baltimore may not get as much money in opioid restitution after a judge ruled Thursday that the jury’s award to the city was too high.Six years ago, the city declined to join a global settlement with other jurisdictions and instead opted to sue the companies on its own. A Baltimore jury in November 2024 found two drug distributors liable for contributing to the city’s ongoing opioid crisis. At the time, the companies, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, were ordered to pay more than $266 million in damages. Hannah Hoffman/WBAL TV
- The city and its taxpayers bear many costs of responding to these intractable problems,” Fletcher-Hill wrote. “The difficult question in this action is the extent to which two distributors of prescription opioid medications can be held liable for this complex problem.” Scott Maucione/WYPR FM
NEW CUSTOMER RELIEF FUND TO HELP ELECTRIC BILLS: Amid increasing energy costs in Maryland, some electric ratepayers could be eligible for one-time grants ranging from $250 to $750. A multimillion-dollar fund is intended to help provide relief to some Marylanders for their energy costs, the governor announced Thursday. The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel estimates electric rates have increased by 30% since 2020. Gov. Wes Moore explained that the Customer Relief Fund will be a temporary, one-time assistance program. Shareholders of Exelon, the utility parent company of Baltimore Gas and Electric, Pepco and Delmarva Power, donated the funds. Dave Collins/WBAL TV
3 MONTGOMERY COUNCIL MEMBERS RUNNING FOR EXECUTIVE: A rundown of the three candidates from the Montgomery County Council for County Executive after Wednesday’s announcement by Andrew Friedson, with links to the previous stories about those running..Will Jawanndo and Evan Glass are already in the race. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Today
PETE SMITH IS THIRD CANDIDATE FOR ANNE ARUNDEL EXECUTIVE: Pete Smith, a County Council Democrat representing the northwestern flank of Anne Arundel County, quietly launched his campaign to become the next county executive in 2026. Smith, 45, will officially announce his bid to replace Steuart Pittman, a Democrat who is term-limited, on Saturday. Smith is the third Democrat to enter the race. He joins his colleague, council member Allison Pickard of District 2, and James Kitchin, Pittman’s special assistant who is a former teacher and public policy researcher. A Republican challenger has not yet entered the race. James Matheson/Baltimore Sun
DEMS CELEBRATE, CONTINUE TO FIGHT TRUMP: It was a celebration of Maryland Democrats and their victories over the past year, but the specter of President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress was never far off. Several hundred Maryland Democratic politicians, advocates and donors gathered Thursday at Martin’s West in Woodlawn and tried to find the light in their uphill battle against the Trump White House and the Republican majority in Congress. But in three hours of speeches, nearly every speaker stressed that the fight against Trump’s administration needs to continue — even if the challenges seem insurmountable. That included the evening’s keynote speaker, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), a one-time pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters
WHERE IS JUVENILE SERVICES HEADED? Fox 45 has a 23-minute video with background on the fired head of the Department of Juvenile Services and the views of Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and other prosecutors about what should happen there. Mikenzie Frost/WBFF
NEW RECOMMENDATIONS ON PUBLIC HEALTH: The Maryland Public Health Commission is out with about 30 recommendations to better care within the state, which include a chief nursing officer, youth health education programs and local resource hubs to inform people about medical options. Some of the most sweeping recommendations include the creation of a statewide chief nursing officer to provide technical assistance to nurses through leadership in continuing education, policy and revision of job classifications. Scott Maucione/WYPR FM
WORCESTER COUNTY LOWERS TAXES: The Worcester County Commissioners adopted a $281.4 million operating budget for fiscal year 2026, advancing strategic priorities such as education, public safety, and infrastructure, while also reducing the property tax rate. The fiscal 2026 budget lowers the real property tax rate by three cents to 81.5¢ per $100 of assessed value. Worcester County, which includes Ocean City, will continue to offer the lowest local income tax rate in Maryland at 2.25% and maintain the second-lowest real property tax rate among all counties. Kevin Kinnally/MACo’s Conduit Street blog
ROLLEY TO HEAD BALTIMORE DEVELOPMENT: Former city planning director and onetime mayoral candidate Otis Rolley will be named CEO and president of the Baltimore Development Corp. Friday. Fern Shen, Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew
HOWARD CO. CIVIC ACTIVIST GRACE KUBOFCIK DIES: Grace Ann Kubofcik, a Howard County government civic watchdog, died of a pulmonary blood clot June 9 at Howard County General Hospital. The Ellicott City resident was 83. “She paid close attention to social, economic and environmental justice,” said former Howard County Executive Elizabeth Bobo. “She had a deep devotion to public policy in our government. She never sought attention and was one of my dearest friends.” Grace was a longtime reader and supporter of Maryland Reporter. Jacques Kelly/Baltimore Sun
