STATE AUDITOR: COMPLIANCE REMAINS ELUSIVE IN STATE AGENCIES: The auditor for the state legislature is raising concerns about an increase in the number of unresolved findings as his agency reviews government operations. More than one-third of compliance issues identified by the Office of Legislative Audits this year were findings repeated from previous audits. About 10% of those findings were included in two or more previous audits. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
PJM STAKEHOLDERS REJECT FINAL PROPOSALS ON DATA CENTER REGULATIONS: Stakeholders at PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator, on Wednesday rejected all 12 final proposals for regulating the rapidly growing data center industry, leaving the Maryland region without a clear path forward as electricity demand and customer bills continue to rise. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
BPW BARS 4 PEOPLE, 1 COMPANY FROM DOING BUSINESS WITH STATE: The Board of Public Works indefinitely barred four individuals and one company Wednesday from doing business with the state after they were convicted of bribery in their previous dealings with the state. The debarments appeared to be the first in eight years by the state, which keeps a list of more than 80 companies and individuals who are prohibited from contracting with the state. Nicole Pilsbury/Maryland Matters.
ARUNDEL JUDGE DEALS BLOW TO UNAFFILIATED VOTERS: An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by unaffiliated Maryland voters, who argued that the state’s closed primary elections infringe on their voting rights. In her ruling last week, Circuit Judge Pamela K. Alban wrote, “While the Maryland Constitution and Declaration of Rights guarantee the right to vote in state elections, neither grants the right to vote in a political party’s primary without affiliating with that party.” Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
SCHMOKE RESIGNS FROM CITY COLLEGE BOARD: Kurt Schmoke has resigned from the Baltimore City Community College board of trustees. Schmoke, who served as chair of the board for eight years, made headlines last month when he proposed consolidating the city’s two-year community college into the University of Baltimore, where he is president. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
PAST, CURRENT ARUNDEL NAACP HEADS DISAVOW COUNTY APOLOGY FOR SLAVERY: The current and the former presidents of the Anne Arundel NAACP say they made no request on behalf of the chapter that the county apologize for its role in slavery and the lasting harms it has caused. The Anne Arundel NAACP already has disavowed the county’s upcoming apology. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
FORMER CECIL DEPUTY SENTENCED FOR ILLEGAL DATABASE SEARCHES: A former Cecil County deputy sheriff was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison with all but six months suspended for illegal searches on a police database, according to the Maryland State Prosecutor’s Office. After Donta Odom completes his sentence, he will serve three years of supervised probation. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
CARROLL SCHOOLS DISCUSS STUDENT ACCESS TO ONLINE INFORMATION: How much time should students spend on school devices? What does the school system block access to, and how is content filtered? The Carroll County Board of Education discussed these questions, and more, at a technology work session last week. Carroll County Public School administrators shared a presentation on student device and software usage in Carroll County schools. Gabriella Fine/The Carroll County Times.
BEL AIR MAYOR, COMMISSIONER SWORN IN: Bel Air Mayor Paula Etting and newly elected Town Commissioner Gavin Hanley were sworn in Monday night. The town’s 2025 election results were certified last week. Etting was reelected as mayor Monday by the commissioners. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.
JUDGE TO HEAR CASE ON DEPORTING ABREGO GARCIA TO LIBERIA: A federal judge in Maryland on Thursday will hear arguments over whether to allow Homeland Security to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia. Court filings in recent weeks have laid out the legal battle between the federal government and lawyers representing Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man and Beltsville resident who has been fighting deportation and criminal charges for months, and whose case has gotten national attention. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
HAGERSTOWN BUSINESSOWNER NOW IN VIETNAM AFTER DEPORTATION: Melissa Tran, a 44-year-old immigrant who built a family and a small business in Western Maryland, has been deported to Vietnam, a country she last lived in as a child. Sapna Bansil/The Baltimore Banner.
It’s clear PJM has no interest in lowering rates for rate payers. They are frothing at the mouth at how much they will make off of these Data Centers and AI. The Dems of this state after trying to shove so called “Green Energy” down our throats for the last 2 decades has to tally screwed my generation. Millennials (and younger generations) have been totally screwed by the power structures created by the Boomer generation. These organizations have pushed for more Gov’t assistance, suppression of wages, decrease of the value of the dollar, ridiculous inflation, and energy policies that have only exasperated our increase in everything. we as a people are getting squeezed from all directions. Is there an appetite to reduce spending next year to close the budget gap? Or will there ACTUALLY be a high bar for new taxes like the Gov. claimed last year, oh how that bar was lowered so quick. Hey gotta keep the money flowing to the Dem coffers and continue to allow miss management not only of our taxes but the functions of state gov’t to boot.
So I ask you, is there really a better party of the 2 parties? Of course not? You’ve been brain washed or your connected in the party and profiting off of the backs of hard working tax payers. Either way its disgusting.
Of course that judge would disenfranchise MD unaffiliated voters and 3rd party voters. So glad these 2 parties steal my tax dollars for Closed Primaries that they should have to fund themselves. This is Theft to the highest order and corruption that must end. Either we have Open and fair Primaries or theft of tax dollars for private exclusive primaries. That is not OK that these parties use us as slush funds to figure out their candidates, other wise I want my money back, I want an unaffiliated voter refund check, because it is not right that Partisan Primaries use my money and tell me to fuck off if I want to participate.