PANEL RECOMMENDS $1.75 BILLION IN BONDS FOR NEW FISCAL YEAR: A key fiscal panel is recommending the state continue with a plan to borrow up to $1.75 billion for capital projects in the coming fiscal year, despite the potential for fiscal headwinds from the federal government shutdown and layoffs of federal workers. Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.
UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENT’S ACCESS TO INSURANCE MARKETPLACE DELAYED: A plan to give undocumented immigrants access to Maryland’s state health insurance marketplace next year has been put off until 2028 by state officials, citing recent federal policies affecting immigrants as well as overall uncertainty in health care markets. Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
FEDS WARN OF ANTIFA INFILTRATION, HIDDEN FUNDING AT ‘NO KINGS’ DEMONSTRATIONS: The protest series, dubbed “No Kings II,” is expected to draw millions of participants, including multiple demonstrations in Maryland, according to the organizer’s website. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
WATCHDOG UNCOVERS IAN ROBERTS’ VOTER REGISTRATION, RAISES RED FLAGS: A government watchdog is questioning Maryland’s election integrity after obtaining Ian Roberts’ voter registration application. It was recently discovered the former Iowa school superintendent and Baltimore principal appeared on the state’s voter rolls despite being in the country illegally. A failure, prompting further investigation from the American Accountability Foundation. Rebecca Pryor/Fox 45 News.
‘INFLATED’ FORECASTS FOR DATA CENTER ELECTRICITY DEMAND COULD COST CONSUMERS: A Maryland consumer watchdog has accused regional utilities of inflating the amount of electricity new data centers will need in a ‘land rush’ to lock up power grid access, a move that could lead to consumers bearing costs of an overbuilt system. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
MOST VOTERS OPPOSE TRUMP NATIONAL GUARD, IMMIGRATION AND JOB CUTS: Maryland voters gave a cold reception to President Donald Trump’s policies, with strong majorities opposing his signature tax and spending bill, cuts to federal government, immigration enforcement and using the National Guard in Baltimore and Washington, according to a Baltimore Banner poll. Brenda Wintrode/The Banner.
EHRLICH HAD INTEREST IN JOINING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, REMAINS MUM ON GOVERNOR RACE: Former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said he initially expressed interest in joining the second Trump administration and was mum about any ambitions for running for Maryland governor again in an interview Thursday with the Capital Gazette. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
CELESTE IROHA DROPS OUT OF MO CO EXECUTIVE RACE: County executive candidate Celeste Iroha announced she was dropping out of the race in an emotional video posted to Instagram on Thursday. Nina Giraldo/The Baltimore Banner.
FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTS FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON: President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton was charged Thursday by a federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland with transmitting and illegally storing classified information. Bolton lives in Bethesda. William J. Ford Maryland Matters.
COULD BE A $184 MILLION FREEZE ON ENERGY GRANTS: Maryland faces a total freeze on about $184 million in federal grants for energy projects and research amid a political standoff in Washington. Wambui Kamau/WYPR-FM.
NEW SYSTEM PROMISES FASTER PAYOUTS FOR UNCLAIMED PROPERTY: Maryland is modernizing how people reclaim lost money and property. The state has launched a $1.2 million online system designed to cut wait times for unclaimed property claims in half and tackle a backlog that’s left tens of thousands of Marylanders waiting months for money that belongs to them. Mallory Sofastaii/WMAR 2 News.
FORMER HO CO HEARING EXAMINER QUESTIONS DECISION TO REMOVE HER: A former Howard County hearing examiner is calling out the County Council for voting in closed session not to renew her contract last spring, saying the decision appears politically motivated and should have been made in open session. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
Reader Ross. S. sent this comment this morning, and here is Len Lazarick’s response:
Maryland Reporter’s State Roundup is truly a phenomenal service to your subscribers and the State of Maryland. Thank you for the work that goes into compiling these press clips each day and for keeping us informed.
With that said, the inclusion of The Baltimore Sun’s “FEDS WARN OF ANTIFA INFILTRATION, HIDDEN FUNDING AT ‘NO KINGS’ DEMONSTRATIONS” story is particularly troubling. The article itself is basically a press release for Sean Duffy’s recent comments at BWI with the flimsiest sourcing imaginable and the article’s author engaging in innuendo to lead the reader to conclusions based on farce, not fact.
It makes complete sense for opinion pieces to be included in the Roundup with that kind of nakedly political/partisan bent regardless of what side of the aisle the author is coming from, but what is presented as factual reporting should be held to a higher standard. Instead of informing the reader, articles like that further the Trump Administration’s naked attempts at creating pretext for cracking down on peaceful protest, free speech, and civil society more broadly.
It may be naive, but I expect more from your outlet based on its history of exceptional compilation of Marylanders to maintain an informed citizenry.
Editor Len Lazarick responded:
Thanks for the feedback, Ross. It should not surprise our readers that our daily State Roundup is compiled very quickly in the early morning hours after a quick scan of many news articles. Articles from the mainstream media like the Sun or the Washington Post or the Banner are presumed to be reviewed and published by editors who share our traditional journalistic values. I edited this morning’s roundup without reading this article, and I must confess that you make some good points. This article is extremely biased and unbalanced, giving way too much credence and weight to people who want to show that the “No Kings” movement is funded by the radical left. This story is from the Spotlight project, a joint venture of WBFF Fox 45 and the Sun. I think some editor at the Sun should have said, wait a minute, let’s get some more balance in this article before we publish. I personally covered the last No Kings rally in Columbia, and plan to cover Saturday’s rally too. Plenty of left-leaning people but lots from the center and libertarian too. I am curious as to who is funding Indivisible, but I bet I could find out with some digging into stories previously published elsewhere. But I make no apology for putting this very biased story in our daily roundup. Readers are entitled to know what’s being published about events happening, even very unbalanced stories like this one. It has been reported that Sun journalists have internally protested previous stories from the Spotlight project.