BIPARTISAN EFFORT SEEKS ACCOUNTABILITY ON GUARD ABUSES OF TEENS: Current and former lawmakers from both major parties are demanding accountability and change from state leadership and the Maryland National Guard after The Baltimore Sun uncovered repeated staff abuses of the vulnerable teens enrolled over the last six years in the state’s Guard-run camp for at-risk youth, the Freestate Challenge Academy. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE’s FISCAL OUTLOOK HAS IMPROVED, BUT PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH: Maryland’s revenue outlook for the coming fiscal year improved slightly in recent months, but nowhere near enough to stave off the “hard choices” lawmakers will face in the 2026 legislative session when they are dealing with a $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
POLL: MARYLANDERS OPPOSE GERRYMANDERED DISTRICTS: While Gov. Wes More (D) awaits an advisory commission’s decision on whether to engage in midcycle redistricting of congressional districts, a new poll gives insight into how Maryland residents feel about it. In short, they are not fans. Besides seeing partisan redistricting as a major problem, the poll also showed a majority of Marylanders would prefer to separate elected officials from the redistricting process. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
WHAT ELSE COULD HAPPEN DURING SPECIAL SESSION? Gov. Wes Moore has called state lawmakers back to Annapolis on Tuesday to elect a new speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. But that won’t be the only action at the State House once the General Assembly gavels to order. Here’s a rundown of how a special session works and what to expect. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE EARMARKS FUNDS FOR CLIMATE STUDY HE VETOED: Days before Maryland lawmakers are expected to override Gov. Wes Moore’s veto of a bill to assess the local damages of climate change, the first-term Democrat earmarked funding for the study. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
DATA CENTER IMPACT STUDY WAS VETOED; LAWMAKERS WONDER IF IT WAS A MISTAKE: At the end of Maryland’s legislative session earlier this year, Gov. Wes Moore vetoed some 29 bills, looking to shave off extra costs as the state faced budget constraints. Just six months later, a growing bipartisan coalition of both lawmakers and advocates across the aisle is worried that one of these vetoes — the Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill, or Senate Bill 116 — was a critical mistake. Lily Carey/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: CONOWINGO PACT A WIN FOR COMMUNITIES, THE BAY: The agreement between the State of Maryland, Constellation Energy, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, and the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, which secures the future of the dam and invests over $340 million to preserve the Bay, is just what our community needs. It represents a promise that the Bay we know and love will be cared for, and that clean water, safe recreation, and wildlife will continue to live and grow here. Del. Steven Johnson/Maryland Reporter.
GAS INDUSTRY INSIDER HELPED MOORE ADMIN PICK PSC MEMBERS: An official with a fossil fuel trade group sat in on interviews in January for top leadership roles on the Maryland Public Service Commission, the independent state agency that regulates the utility industry. The commission is led by five governor-appointed commissioners. Bria Overs and Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
MORE IMMIGRATION VIOLATION ARRESTS, FEWER FOR CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS: Immigration arrests under the Trump administration continued to increase through mid-October, reaching rates of more than 30,000 a month. But, rather than the convicted criminals the administration has said it’s focused on, an ever-larger share of those arrests were for solely immigration violations. In some states and the District of Columbia, a majority of arrests were for immigration violations alone: the District of Columbia (80%), New York (61%), Virginia (57%), Illinois (53%), West Virginia (51%) and Maryland (50%). Tim Henderson/Maryland Matters.
HUNDREDS OF DETAINEES MOVED AFTER JAIL FACILITY INSPECTION: Over a week after their emergency transfer from a Baltimore jail, women awaiting trial at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women remained held in restrictive housing, with some asking to be returned to the general population. Four hundred and twelve people — 363 men and 49 women — were housed at the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center when a third-party inspection led the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to determine the facility unsafe for staff and inmates. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE CONDEMNS HANUKKAH ATTACK IN AUSTRALIA: Gov. Wes Moore condemned the attack on a Hanukkah celebration at a famous Australian beach Sunday morning, calling the violence antisemitic. “To Maryland’s Jewish community, the First Lady and I know this horrific tragedy hits close to home, and our hearts break alongside Jewish communities around the world,” he said in a statement. “Hanukkah teaches us that light can overcome darkness.” Cayla Harris/The Baltimore Banner and Staff/The Associated Press.
UM CLEARS COLLEGE PARK PRESIDENT OF PLAGIARISM ALLEGATION: The University System of Maryland announced Friday it has cleared its College Park president of allegations that he plagiarized a paper published during his time as a professor at the university. The claims against Darryll Pines first surfaced in The Daily Wire, a conservative news outlet, last year. Liz Bowie and Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
2nd GAITHERSBURG OFFICIAL RUNNING FOR MONTGOMERY COUNCIL: A second elected official from the city of Gaithersburg is running for a seat on the Montgomery County Council in 2026. Gaithersburg Councilmember Jim McNulty, 51, filed his candidacy with the Maryland State Board of Elections on Thursday to seek the Democratic nomination for one of four at-large seats on the County Council in 2026. He is the 13th candidate to join the race. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
MOTHER, DAUGHTER SENTENCED IN $3.6M MEDICAID FRAUD CASE: A Parkville mother and daughter who stole $3.6 million from Medicaid through fake patient records, forged signatures and stolen identities have been sentenced in a sweeping fraud case that prosecutors say targeted some of Maryland’s most vulnerable residents. Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Friday announced the sentencing of Tasha S. Saunders, 46, and her daughter Tamyra Jordan, 26, both of Parkville, for their roles in a scheme that siphoned millions from Medicaid over five years. Brian Carlton/The Baltimore Sun.
