BIG FIGHT OVER THE LITTLE FISH THAT KEEPS THE BAY LIVING: Across the Chesapeake Bay, fishermen are reeling in fewer striped bass. Many osprey have stopped laying eggs, and chicks that do hatch often starve to death in the nest. These bad omens may be tied to the faltering health of Atlantic menhaden, a nutrient-rich fish foraged by larger bay species and used by the bay’s people since pre-Colonial times. At stake is a flagging effort to save the estuary’s cherished osprey and striped bass, balanced against hundreds of jobs in Virginia that rely on the menhaden fishery, the last of its kind on the Atlantic seaboard. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
JUDGES INTERVENE OVER TRUMP PAUSE IN SNAP BENEFITS: A federal judge in Boston ruled Friday that the USDA’s plan to pause a food assistance program for 42 million people was illegal — but gave the Trump administration until Monday to respond before she decides on a motion to force the benefits be paid despite the ongoing government shutdown. At the same time Friday, a Rhode Island federal judge in a similar case brought by cities and nonprofit groups ordered USDA to continue payments and granted a request for a temporary restraining order. Ariana Figueroa, Jacob Fischler and Shauneen Miranda/Maryland Matters.
- Sitting outside his apartment building in Baltimore’s Oldtown neighborhood, 65-year-old James Dawson tried to make sense of the chaos surrounding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the likely delay in his benefits — if he receives them at all — amid the ongoing federal shutdown. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.
OPINION: HIDDEN CRISIS REVEALED IN SNAP: A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in real time, in front of our eyes. As the lockdown of the United States government enters its second month, with ruinous economic and societal consequences, Marylanders are now coming to grips with the fact that too many of our neighbors simply do not have enough food to eat. Len Foxwell/Baltimore Fishbowl.
EXELON PLANS TO SEEK OK FOR MARYLAND POWER PLANT: Next year in Annapolis, the Exelon Corp., owner of three electric utilities in Maryland, plans to push for legislative approval to build and operate a power plant in the state, company officials say. That would be a dramatic reversal of a 26-year-old utility deregulation policy that, in part, forced utilities that operate power lines and other transmission infrastructure to get out of the power generation business. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
SEN ATTAR SAYS BLACKMAIL CHARGES CREATED BY DISGRUNTLED EX-STAFFER: State Sen. Dalya Attar claims the federal blackmail charges against her, her brother and a Baltimore Police officer are a fiction concocted by a disgruntled former campaign employee, and that, actually, she was the target of “extortion, threats, harassment and stalking.” Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
SCIENTISTS SLAM GOP PLAN TO END STATE VEHICLE EMISSIONS PROGRAM: Air quality scientists slammed Republican Del. Christopher Bouchat and state Sen. Justin Ready’s plans to cross-file legislation that would eliminate the Maryland Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
TOP DEMS PUSH FOR OCEAN CITY OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT: Advocates and lawmakers gathered in Baltimore on Friday to punch back at President Donald Trump’s assault on offshore wind projects, including one planned for Maryland’s coast. Until Friday, the battle had largely played out in warring court documents traded between the Trump administration and US Wind, the company behind the proposal for up to 121 turbines off the coast of Ocean City. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
- Top Maryland Democrats are coming out in full force to support a massive offshore wind project currently tied up in federal court. Baltimore-based US Wind has faced an onslaught of challenges in recent months keeping the company from starting construction on a 114-turbine wind farm off the coast of Ocean City, which is estimated to generate enough power for 718,000 Maryland homes. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
- Permits to develop wind farms off the coast of Delaware and Maryland were secured in 2024. However, moving forward is challenging because of Trump administration policies that prop up fossil fuels. David Collins/WBAL-TV News.
WITH OPEN ENROLLMENT, HEALTH ADVOCATES URGE CAUTION: As Marylanders start to navigate the open enrollment period for health insurance, state officials are pointing out that higher costs aren’t the only changes that could trip people up. “We encourage everybody to come back in and look at their plan, make sure the plan makes sense for your needs, for your family’s need,” Michele Eberle, of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, said on Friday. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
DISPARATIES BETWEEN RICH, POOR HOMEOWNERS IN B’MORE TAX PAYMENTS: More than a decade of research from multiple sources shows Baltimore’s wealthy homeowners paid less than they owed in property taxes, while poorer homeowners paid more than they owed. Carson Swick/The Baltimore Sun.
MASKED MEN RECORDING PEOPLE UPSETS HAVRE DE GRACE RESIDENTS: Masked men recording people at the Post Office and library in Havre de Grace have caused a stir among some residents, but the men say they are simply exercising their First Amendment right. On Oct. 25, three masked men with sunglasses were recording people outside the post office on North Juniata Street for several hours. Havre de Grace Police Chief Jonathan Krass said there were numerous calls to police about the men. Brendan Nordstrom/The Aegis.
UMES PRESIDENT SUES EX WORKER OVER PLAGIARISM ACCUSATION: Weeks after facing public plagiarism accusations, University of Maryland Eastern Shore President Heidi M. Anderson has filed a lawsuit against the former employee who made those allegations. Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
BA CO SCHOOLS REACH SETTLEMENT WITH EX PRINCIPAL TARGETED BY AI: A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit that the former principal of Pikesville High School filed against Baltimore County Public Schools and the man convicted of using artificial intelligence to impersonate him and destroy his reputation. Dylan Segelbaum and Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
KLAUSMEIER, MADIGAN MEET FOR FIRST TIME SINCE FIRING ATTEMPT: For the first time since she tried to fire her earlier this year, Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier met last week with Inspector General Kelly Madigan. County Council Chairman Mike Ertel was also in the meeting and said it was “productive.”John Lee/WYPR-FM.
MARYLAND JUDGE OKs ABREGO GARCIA’s MOVE TO NASHVILLE: A federal judge in Maryland on Friday approved the transfer of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration detention in Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tenn., for a multi-day hearing in his criminal case brought by the Trump administration after an erroneous deportation to El Salvador. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
