YOUTH AT DETENTION CENTER LEFT WITHOUT HEAT: The heating system at a Maryland youth jail has been broken for weeks — causing the dozens of young people incarcerated there to endure frigid temperatures as the weather outside plummeted below freezing or near it, the state’s top public defender said at a news conference Monday. Katie Mettler/The Washington Post.
- Two compressors in the Baltimore city center’s heating system failed, causing temperatures to drop in the male housing units and the facility’s gym. Staff have been conducting hourly temperature checks and providing additional blankets and clothing. Clara Longo de Freitas/The Baltimore Banner.
SENIOR CARE EXPERTS URGE STATE TO ACT AGAINST UNLICENSED FACILITIES: Several experts in senior care say that Maryland officials need to take action to prevent a dangerous underground network of unlicensed assisted living facilities from expanding. Three experts in senior care say that these unlicensed facilities pose a serious threat and can only be stopped if the state of Maryland issues a series of reforms. Patrick Hauf/The Baltimore Sun.
MORE ON PEÑA-MELNYK, THE LIKELY NEW SPEAKER: Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk is poised to succeed outgoing House Speaker Adrienne Jones, who announced her resignation from the post last week. Although Peña-Melnyk, who emigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic as a child, didn’t publicly share her intentions for the job in the immediate aftermath of Jones’s resignation, she and her allies swiftly moved behind the scenes to snag a majority of their colleagues’ support amid what was shaping up to be a competitive race. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
- Peña-Melnyk is an unabashed progressive who has championed immigrants’ rights and health equity. She also would become the first Afro-Latina speaker in state history. A colleague says Peña-Melnyk is a tireless worker, whether it’s on a timely health issue or a local concern in the district. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
SHORE COALITION APPEALS CONOWINGO DAM WATER CERTIFICATION: A coalition representing at least two Eastern Shore counties has appealed the water quality certification Maryland issued to the Conowingo Dam in September, potentially threatening a $340 million settlement with the dam’s owners. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
PROPOSED ‘HENSON HIGH’ IN HYATTSVILLE GETS COOL RECEPTION FROM SOME HUMANS: He’s the most famous graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville and his lifetime of making a beloved children’s television program was influenced by the puppetry club he took part in there. But now that a state delegate is pushing to rename the school after “The Muppets” creator Jim Henson, not everyone is on board. John Domen/WTOP-FM.
OPINION: OH, PLEASE SAY IT ISN’T SO: For reasons that defy logic, carpetbagging Maryland GOP Executive Director Adam Wood has announced his candidacy for Maryland State Senate in District 42. I wish this was a joke. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
FELDMARK DROPS HOWARD EXEC RACE AFTER CANCER DIAGNOSIS: Del. Jessica Feldmark is withdrawing from the Howard County executive race in 2026 and will instead seek reelection to the House of Delegates following a breast cancer diagnosis. The Democratic lawmaker announced her decision “with a heavy heart” in a campaign email Monday. Feldmark said her prognosis is good and the cancer is considered curable. However, she said she expects the next several months to be difficult. Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
STEWART GAINS ENDORSEMENTS IN RUN FOR BA CO EXECUTIVE: Nick Stewart, one of four Democratic candidates vying to become the next Baltimore County executive, landed endorsements from three former county elected officials on Monday. Former Baltimore County executive Jim Smith and former Baltimore County Council members Vicki Almond and Tom Quirk, all Democrats, are supporting Stewart in the race for the county’s top elected seat. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
PSC OKs CARROLL SOLAR FARM DESPITE COUNTY, RESIDENTS’ OBJECTIONS: The Maryland Public Service Commission ruled in favor of allowing another solar farm to operate in Carroll County, and may allow the project to preempt several local requirements in order to move forward. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners and a handful of neighbors of the Brown Road Solar project have railed against building solar panels on farmland. Lily Carey/The Carroll County Times.
CONFEDERATE FLAGS GIVEN OUT AT CHRISTMAS PARADE DRAWS IRE: Two groups that participated in Cecil County’s Christmas Parade this weekend have drawn criticism from local advocates and the Maryland Democratic Party after they displayed and handed out Confederate flags along the route. Brian Carlton and Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
Though I agree that Solar Farms built on good Farmland is a bad use of good Farmland, my libertarian and free market side says, let them do with their land as they wish. We do need more power generation and come on now, whatever happened to property rights.
People complain when they want to build more housing despite us needing more affordable housing. People complain about electric generation despite our need for more electric.
Like come on people, we can’t sit here and complain about needing these things while also trying to stop every damn thing ever to fix our problems. We can’t do both.