KLAUSMEIER NAMES NEW INSPECTOR GENERAL BYPASSING KELLY MADIGAN: Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier bypassed the first inspector general to serve the jurisdiction and named a former federal official, Khadija E. Walker, to the role — a move that disappointed members of the public and the County Council. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
- Klausmeier announced Khadija Walker is her appointee to fill the role of inspector general. Walker must be confirmed by the Baltimore County Council. Jake Shindel/WBAL-TV News.
MARYLAND’s FEDERAL WORKFORCE SEES BIGGEST ONE-MONTH DECLINE IN 29 YEARS: Maryland’s federal workforce just saw its largest single-month job loss since 1996, according to estimates released by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall, the state’s federal workforce declined by 3,500 in June — far and away the most in the country. Greg Morton/The Baltimore Banner.
DEMOLITION BEGINS AT PIMLICO RACE COURSE: The long-anticipated transformation of Baltimore’s historic Pimlico Race Course is officially under way, authorities announced Thursday. Alexa Dikos/Fox 45 News.
HOWARD AND MONTGOMERY CRACK DOWN ON PAID HOUSE PARTIES: The Howard County Council convened an emergency meeting Monday to consider increasing the penalties for paid parties at residential properties from $250 to $5,000. The Montgomery County Council last week raised its own penalties for such infractions to $5,000. Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
UMD MADE THOUSANDS OF UNAPPROVED PURCHASES: A legislative audit filed Thursday found that thousands of purchases made by the University of Maryland, College Park, amounting to millions of dollars, were not properly reviewed. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.
HARFORD SCHOOLS AMONG 7 HEADING TO TRIAL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA LAWSUIT: A Maryland school district is among six others in the U.S. that were picked to go to trial for a lawsuit that claims several social media companies are contributing to the youth mental health crisis. JT Moodee Lockman and Ashley Paul/WJZ-TV News.
FORMER LT. GOV. STEELE SAYS TRUMP TAX CUT LIKELY WON’T HELP GOP IN MIDTERMS: Michael Steele, Maryland’s former lieutenant governor and the former chair of the Republican National Committee, said support for the $4.5 trillion tax cut bill President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month is not likely to help GOP lawmakers in the 2026 midterm elections. “It’s a killer,” Steele, a frequent critic of the president, said. Bryan Renbaum/The Baltimore Examiner.
JUSTICE DEPT., CONSERVATIVE LAW FIRM SET SIGHTS ON VOTER REGISTRATIONS: Maryland elections officials face the potential of a federal investigation and a separate federal lawsuit led by local, state, and national Republicans over allegations of improperly maintained voter rolls. Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.
LAWYERS DEFENDING B’MORE JAIL REPRIMANDED FOR AI-GENERATED CITATIONS: A federal judge in Alabama this week publicly reprimanded attorneys who had been hired by the state of Maryland to defend conditions at a jail in Baltimore for citing cases that turned out to be made up by the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO FEDERAL WORKER HIRING PREFERENCE LAW SIGNED: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) signed a bill into law Thursday that will allow the county to give preference to displaced federal workers applying for county government jobs, and will help ease the process of filling those personnel vacancies, according to its sponsors. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Today.
COMMUNITY, LAWMAKERS RALLY BEHIND EASTON PASTOR DETAINED BY ICE: Politicians and community members are rallying behind Daniel Fuentes Espinal after his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday, July 21. Lily Tierney/The Star Democrat.
CARROLL CO. DEPUTIES START SERVING ICE WARRANTS AUG. 1: Deputies in Carroll County will officially start serving ICE warrants next Friday as part of the federal agency’s 287(g) program. Bryna Zumer/The Baltimore Sun.
O.C. WIND FARM BATTLE INTENSIFIES: A coalition of Ocean City business owners are continuing the battle between US Wind and local opponents. A legal challenge questions whether environmental laws and the Administrative Procedure Act were properly followed in the approval process. Jeff Morgan/WMAR-TV News.
INDEPENDENT JOINS RACE FOR WARD 1 SEAT IN ANNAPOLIS: Businessman Tom Krieck recently announced his campaign for Ward 1 alderman, running as an independent and joining the race with four Democrats. Tori Newby/The Capital Gazette.
