STATE FAILED TO DOCUMENT CHILDREN’s DEATHS FROM ABUSE OR NEGLECT: The state’s Department of Human Services repeatedly violated a policy mandating detailed reports when children die from suspected abuse or neglect, a requirement that experts say is needed to provide transparency, force accountability and prevent future tragedies. Jessica Calefati/The Baltimore Banner.
LAWMAKERS TO CONSIDER AI’s POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND DANGERS: Del. Caylin Young said artificial intelligence is potentially as “transformative” for the nation as electricity. Many members of Maryland’s General Assembly — who will soon consider several proposals to regulate AI — are equally intrigued by the technology’s potential applications in health care, education and other industries. Members also worry that, like electricity, AI can be dangerous. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
POWER LINE COMPANY WANTS REGULATORS TO MOVE QUICKER: The company behind the proposed Piedmont power line is pushing Maryland regulators to evaluate the project more quickly than planned, arguing that delays will jeopardize the power grid. PSEG Renewable Transmission is opposing a procedural schedule issued by the Maryland Public Service Commission, which plans to review the project until at least February 2027. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
CHALLENGE TO HARRIS ON HOLD AS LAWMAKERS WRESTLE WITH REDISTRICTING: Six months after saying he was considering a run for Congress, Maryland Housing Secretary Jake Day is still on the fence about whether he’ll challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris. Day’s polling showed an uphill climb for any Democrat in the deep red 1st Congressional District and Maryland leaders remain divided on whether to try to make the race easier Democrats by redistricting. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE TAPS STATE SENATOR AS COL BUTLER RETIRES AS STATE POLICE SECTY: Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. is out as Maryland State Police secretary, with a former Prince George’s County sheriff and state senator tapped as his replacement, Gov. Wes Moore announced. Butler, the first Black person to lead the agency, was appointed to the post in February 2023. Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Banner.
- Butler is set to retire on Nov. 1. “During Col. Butler’s tenure at the helm of State Police, Maryland has become a national leader in crime reduction and public safety gains. He leaves behind a profound legacy as he enters retirement,” Moore said. “And I also know Sen. Michael A. Jackson — an exceptional public servant in his own right — will build on the foundation Col. Butler laid.” Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
MOORE TAPS WEISSMANN BUDGET SECRETARY: Gov. Wes Moore is picking an experienced political strategist, Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann, to be his next budget secretary. Weissmann has spent the last two years as a vice president at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Before that, he was a top administrator for Montgomery County’s government and spent 14 years as a staffer in the General Assembly. Pamela Wood and Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- Weissmann will succeed Helene Grady, who announced this summer that she was leaving in October. While Grady has a more traditional budget background, Weissmann brings a depth of relationships with the General Assembly to his new role, at a time when relations between the legislature and the Moore administration are strained. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
COLUMN: NO, GOV MOORE, MILITARY WON’T SAVE US: Despite Gov. Wes Moore’s hope, the military is not coming to save America, even one where the president indulges in flights of fantasy so absurd that they raise questions about his grip on reality. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
WORK ON THURGOOD MARSHALL MEMORIAL HALTED: Work began last month to restore the prominent memorial honoring Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, but stopped almost as quickly as scaffolding was erected behind the bronze status of the history-making Maryland native. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
HOPKINS PROF WINS GENIUS GRANT FOR RESEARCH INTO SAVING DEMOCRACY: When Hahrie Han joined a student-led adult literacy group at Harvard University, she didn’t imagine it would spark a lifelong fascination with how ordinary people come together to make extraordinary change. Decades later, that curiosity — about what drives citizens to act collectively and strengthens democracy — has earned the Johns Hopkins political scientist one of the nation’s highest honors: the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant. Nori Leybengrub/The Baltimore Banner.
END COMING FOR B’MORE POLICE HORSE PROGRAM: Baltimore will pay $2 million to cut the reins with a stable that houses the city’s police horses, the final straw in a yearslong effort to end the program. The payout, which will be considered by the mayor-controlled Board of Estimates next week, was negotiated between the city’s legal team and the First Mile Stable Charitable Foundation LLC, the stable’s manager. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.
JUDGE LEANS TOWARD RELEASING GARCIA AS 3 COUNTRIES SAY NO TO TRUMP: A federal judge in Maryland seemed inclined to order the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration detention after oral arguments in court Friday, a potentially major development in the high-profile case. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
- In the meantime, three African nations have refused the Trump administration’s entreaties to accept the deportation of Kilmar Abrego García, a U.S. official said at a federal court hearing Friday as a judge weighed whether to release Abrego from immigration detention. Maria Sacchetti and Jeremy Roebuck/The Washington Post.
BALTIMORE AREA 5th HIGHEST IN 30+ DAYS OF MORTGAGE DELINQUENCIES: The Baltimore metro area had the fifth-highest rate of mortgage delinquencies of at least 30 days, findings from a new study show. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson region, 3.5% of home loans were at least 30 days delinquent as of December. At least 1.1% of the loans were 90 days late, the study showed. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
WA CO ELECTIONS BOARD TO DECIDE EARLY VOTING SITES: The Washington County Board of Elections is scheduled to vote Tuesday on its proposed plans for the 2026 elections, including early voting sites. The board is required to have at least three early voting sites because of the number of active registered voters, County Election Director Barry Jackson said. The number of active registered voters in the county was 103,389 as of Sept. 30, according to the election board website. Julie Greene/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.
CECIL LAUNCHES REDESIGNED, MORE USER-FRIENDLY WEBSITE: Cecil County government has launched its redesigned website created to be “more user-friendly, transparent and accessible,” according to the Office of the Cecil County Executive. Cecil County Executive Adam Streight reported that the redesigned website is the result of “months of careful planning, migration, and cleanup of existing content.” In addition, Streight noted that the redesigned website is in line with one of goals as the leader of this county’s government. Carl Hamilton/The Cecil Whig.
LONG PROBE INTO CLAIM OF PLAGIARISM BY UM PRESIDENT: It’s been over a year since Maryland’s flagship research university’s president first came under fire for alleged plagiarism, with no end in sight to the investigation. The University of Maryland, College Park and the University System of Maryland both called for a review of one of Darryll Pines’ co-authored journal articles last October. Their decision followed a report by conservative website The Daily Wire, which claimed that Pines had copied language from a 1996 website. Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
NEW MID-SHORE RADIO STATION TO HONOR TUBMAN’s LEGACY: A new radio station honoring Harriet Tubman’s legacy is coming to the Mid-Shore. WFHW 90.3 FM, a joint effort between WHCP 91.7 FM and the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, will launch Sunday. Its call letters stand for “Find Harriet Within.” Konner Metz/Easton Star Democrat.
NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMAN FOUND DEAD: A 20-year-old U.S. Naval Academy midshipman from New Jersey has died, the military service academy in Annapolis said. Circumstances surrounding the death of Kyle Philbert James are under investigation, an academy spokesperson, Ashley Hockycko, said in a statement. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Banner.
- James was reported missing Thursday evening after his mother received a call from the Naval Academy informing her that her son had not attended any of his classes that day, according to WFSB 3. His mother said that she had spoken with James that morning through text messages, where he responded to her message telling her he loved her. On Friday, Oct. 10 — the following day — academy officials contacted James’ family to inform them that his remains had been found near the Naval Academy. Matt Hubbard/The Baltimore Sun.
