CONGRESSFOLK SEEK HOME HEATING FUNDS AS FIRST MD COLD-RELATED DEATH CONFIRMED: Maryland lawmakers have joined more than 100 members of Congress pushing for the release of federal home heating assistance funds, just days before state health officials announced the first cold-related death of the season. The Maryland Department of Health reported Friday that a man was found dead outdoors in Frederick County of weather-related causes, the first cold-related illness death of the 2025-2026 winter weather season. Last year, the state recorded 75 such deaths over the winter, the most in five years. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
FERGUSON REPLIES AFTER BEING LABELED ‘MOST HATED DEM IN AMERICA:’ After Lauren Egan wrote her newsletter Meet the Most Hated Democrat in America about how Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has become the unlikely villain of the left, he reached out to Egan, saying he wanted to explain himself. He does so in this 20 minute video. Lauren Egan/The Bulwark.
ONE DOWN: DEL. HARRIS GETS CHARLES CO BACKING TO REPLACE SEN. JACKSON: The Charles County Democratic Central Committee voted overwhelmingly Saturday to nominate Del. Kevin Harris for the Senate seat vacated this month by Michael Jackson, who is now the State Police superintendent. Despite a 9-1 central committee vote and the backing of Jackson, however, Harris still has a ways to go before he can be considered the nominee, since Jackson’s 27th District includes parts of three counties, and each central committees get a say. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
PASTOR TO CHALLENGE SEN. BEIDLE IN DEM PRIMARY: The Rev. Stephen Tillett, the longtime pastor at Asbury Broadneck United Methodist Church in Anne Arundel County, wants to expand his influence into Maryland state politics. Tillett has filed paperwork to run as a Democrat for the Maryland state Senate seat held by Pamela Beidle, who is seeking re-election. Tillett promises to be the “voice in the room” for the community he’s been involved with for 22 years. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
TWO PROSECUTORS CHALLENGE BA CO STATE’S ATTY SHELLENBERGER: With two well-connected prosecutors now challenging Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, the district’s top prosecutor seat is shaping up to be the most contested it’s been in decades during next year’s Democratic primary. Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David in January outraised Shellenberger, who is seeking his sixth term. Then, Lauren Lipscomb, chief of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, threw her hat in the ring in September. Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
BLUEPRINT BOARD OKs 2026 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA: The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board approved several legislative recommendations Thursday that include consolidating the number of reports from local school districts, modifying and expanding options for teacher programs and “permanently” authorizing eligible schools that receive a concentration of poverty grants to get funding for fine arts programs such as music, arts and dance. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
WESTERN MARYLAND SECEDE? NOPE. NOT GONNA HAPPEN: Here we go again with another proposal that Western Maryland’s Republican-oriented counties secede and join West Virginia. West Virmaryland? Spoiler alert: Just no. It’s not going to happen. So why does it keep coming up? Like many recurring stories, it gets raised because somebody wants to make a political point. It’s a shimmering object seeking your gaze. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
WHAT TO EXPECT WITH A THRIFTY THANKSGIVING FEAST: Marylanders can expect to pay around $88 for a thrifty 10-person Thanksgiving feast this year. Capital News Service analyzed state grocery prices for staple holiday foods, like turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes. CNS averaged store brand prices or the least expensive price for food items. National estimated costs of a Thanksgiving meal this year range from about $73 to $80, making Maryland prices slightly more expensive. Isabella Carrero-Baptista/Capital News Service.
BWI UNION CLAIMS SPIRIT AIR ILLEGALLY LAID OFF 40: The ground crew contractor that works for Spirit Airlines at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport illegally laid off about 40 workers, an employee union has alleged. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
BCPS SUPER A FINALIST FOR NATIONAL WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AWARD: The superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools is a finalist in the The School Superintendents Association’s 2026 Women in School Leadership Awards, the association announced Thursday. Myriam Rogers is one of two finalists in the superintendent category, alongside Crystal Turner, superintendent of Saddleback Valley Unified School District in California. Rogers began her tenure as superintendent in 2023. Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
PUPPY LOVE: PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNCIL CHAIR PUSHED TO END PITBULL BAN: A Prince George’s councilman’s confusion over definitions of dog breeds and his love for a new dog prompted him to seek to overturn the county’s 30 year old ban on pitbulls. Council Chairman Edward P. Burroughs III vowed he wouldn’t get another dog again after the death of his German shepherd and chow mix, Sheba. But then he adopted Scooby. Lateshia Beachum/The Washington Post.
MARION BECOMES RISING SUN’s LONGEST SERVING MAYOR: Mayor Travis Marion retook the oath of office last Tuesday night, giving him the distinction of being Rising Sun’s longest serving mayor. “I was a 24-year-old college kid when I began,” Marion said. He was — at that time — the youngest mayor in Maryland. Jane Bellmyer/Cecil Whig.
FORT McHENRY CLOSED AFTER UNEXPLODED CANNONBALL FOUND: An old and potentially explosive piece of military hardware was found Friday at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where British bombs famously exploded in the air in an 1814 attack that led to the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Martin Weil and Juan Benn Jr./The Washington Post.
- The gates of Fort McHenry National Monument reopened on Saturday morning after bomb squads safely removed a cannonball that renovation crews unearthed on Friday afternoon, officials said. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
COSTA RICA SAYS IT WILL ACCEPT ABREGO GARCIA: A high-ranking Costa Rican official said late Friday that the country remains willing to accept the deportation of Kilmar Abrego García, rebutting the Trump administration’s claims that the only possible destination for the Salvadoran immigrant is the West African nation of Liberia. Maria Sacchetti/The Washington Post.
CITING BONDI COMMENTS, MANGIONE DEFENSE PUSHES JUDGE TO DROP CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: Prosecutors said Friday that Luigi Mangione’s death penalty case in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson should carry on unimpeded, urging a judge to reject a defense push to dismiss charges and rule out capital punishment over Attorney General Pam Bondi’s public statements suggesting Mangione deserves execution. Michael R. Sisak/Associated Press.
