MARYLANDERS ON ACA COULD SEE HEALTH EXPENSES SKYROCKET: Marylanders who purchase health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace could see their monthly health expenses skyrocket unless Congress decides to extend a popular pandemic-era tax credit that’s set to expire this year, advocates say. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
DEBATE GROWS OVER JUDGES AND LIGHT SENTENCES: A growing debate in Maryland centers on who should be held responsible when a criminal receives a light sentence and then commits another crime. Del. Ryan Nawrocki, R-Baltimore County, believes judges should be held to the highest standard. He said judges are public officials, elected and appointed to their roles, and their decisions have direct consequences on public safety. Tessa Bentulan/The Baltimore Sun.
TRUMP ‘s GRUDGE COULD DEEP SIX OFFSHORE WIND IN MARYLAND: Maryland leaders have long pictured fields of wind turbines along the horizon off the Eastern Shore, distant pinwheels sending a limitless supply of clean power to homes across the region. But the state’s fledgling industry may face its doomsday in President Donald Trump, who has a longtime grudge against turbines. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
HERSHEY COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS ‘GLARING HOLE’ IN ELECTION LAWS: Earlier this month, state Sen. Steve Hershey said that was launching an exploratory committee in a potential run against Gov. Wes Moore. That was a slight misnomer, according to the State Board of Elections. The announcement reignited concerns about what some call a “glaring hole in our election laws” — one where potential candidates can raise money in unlimited amounts without disclosing the donors to “explore” their viability. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE REVENUE INCREASED DESPITE MASS LAYOFFS OF FEDERAL WORKERS: Dire predictions of reduced tax revenue for Baltimore as a result of mass layoffs of federal employees living within city limits did not prove accurate, city officials reported this week as they presented year-end financial data to the Baltimore City Council. Instead, Baltimore finished the fiscal year with $42 million more in income tax collections than budgeted. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.
LITTMAN LEADS CHARLES IN ANNAPOLIS MAYOR DEM PRIMARY: Mayor candidate Jared Littmann leads competitor Rhonda Pindell Charles in the in-person election day vote count in Tuesday’s Annapolis city Democratic primary. Littmann, a hardware store owner and former alderman, received 1,371 in-person election day votes. Pindell Charles, the current Ward 3 alderman, received 771 in-person votes. The primary winner won’t be determined until Sept. 23, when mail-in, drop-box and provisional ballots are counted. Katharine Wilson/The Capital Gazette.
- But Littmann said he believes mail-in ballots, which have yet to be counted, could account for as much as 30% to 50% of the final total. While she didn’t put a number on it, Pindell Charles also said Tuesday’s votes were just round one of the race. Election officials said it may take up to a week to count the mail-in and provisional ballots and declare an official winner. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
- The winner of the Democratic primary for mayor will face Republican businessman Bob O’Shea in the general election. O’Shea ran uncontested in his party’s primary but faces an uphill battle in November because Democrats substantially outnumber Republicans in Annapolis. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Banner.
DESPITE POTENTIAL, PG OFFICIALS PAUSE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT: Prince George’s County officials see the potential for tax revenue from large data centers as a huge economic boon at a time when their budget is severely strained, but they are putting further development of the centers on pause anyway. John Domen/WTOP-FM.
VAN HOLLEN URGES DEMS TO DROP ‘SPINELESS POLITICS:’ From a small stage in Iowa, Sen. Chris Van Hollen delivered a performance review to Democratic minority leaders in Washington. They needed to drop the “spineless politics” wearying voters and go hard for candidates in key races across the country. “It’s time to decide who we are,” he said. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND SCHOOLS, TEACHERS TARGETED FOLLOWING KIRK COMMENTS: A wave of calls and threats has assailed Anne Arundel County Public Schools recently after conservative commentators, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, expressed outrage over comments about Charlie Kirk made by a social media account they believe is a district employee. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
-
- Officials from Cecil County Public Schools said Monday that they’ve placed an educator on administrative leave after her comments in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. “He died for a cause he believed in. I guess that’s karma?” stated a social media post attributed to a paraprofessional at Rising Sun Elementary. “Good riddance. I’ll be sure to send ‘thoughts and prayers.’” Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
These firings of public employees based on their comments about Chas. Kirk’s murder are suspect with regard to the protection of speech afforded by the First Amendment. 1A protects a citizen from being muzzled by the government. Under the Trump regime, am I soon going to be told I cannot stand on a public sidewalk holding a protest sign? Can Stephen Miller label me a “terrorist” if I refer to him as “Obersturmführer”?