State Roundup: Moore signs exec order targeting soaring energy costs; Spending Panel aims to cut $1.2B deficit by half; Black lawmakers seek probe into Cheltenham youth deaths

MOORE’s EXEC ORDER AIMED AT SOARING ENERGY COSTS, DATA CENTER BOOM: Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order Friday aimed at retooling Maryland’s energy strategy as utility bills soar and a booming data center industry strains the power grid. The directive gives Moore’s new energy director, appointed Thursday, her marching orders ahead of a legislative session in which energy costs and demands are expected to again dominate policy debates. Bria Overs and Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.

• “There is no governor who can turn around and say, ‘Energy prices are down,’ because there is no governor who is forcing energy prices to spike. No governor can lower prices,” Moore said. “But here in Maryland, we will do everything in our power to bring relief to the people.” Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.

SPENDING PANEL OKs PLAN TO CUT SPENDING BY $600 MILLION: Maryland could be in for some belt-tightening in an effort to contain a series of projected budget shortfalls, including a $1.2 billion gap forecast for the fiscal 2027 budget. The joint Spending Affordability Committee Thursday adopted a recommendation to cut the projected deficit in half by cutting ongoing spending by $600 million. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.

BLACK LAWMAKERS TO PROPOSE PROBE OF CHILD DEATHS AT CHELTENHAM: A group of Black Maryland state lawmakers plan to propose a bill during the upcoming legislative session that would create an independent commission to investigate the deaths of hundreds of Black children who died at a segregated juvenile detention facility during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Katie Mettler and Michael Brice-Saddler/Washington Post.

POPULAR BAY OYSTERS NOT SPARED BY TRUMP ENVIRO CUTS: Humble stars of the Chesapeake Bay, oysters make the waters cleaner and clearer, and provide habitat for other bay species and work for watermen. They also taste delicious — raw or baked with some creamy spinach and bread crumbs. Yum. But popularity didn’t spare the oyster from the Trump administration’s sweeping environmental cuts. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.

MOORE DEFENDS REDISTRICTING PANEL TRANSPARENCY AFTER PRIVATE MEETING: Gov. Wes Moore defended his redistricting advisory commission Friday, one day after the commission met behind closed doors and voted to proceed toward redrawing congressional maps in what one member called a “pre-ordained” decision. “I’m very proud of the work that the commission is doing,” Moore said Friday. “They have run the most transparent and above-board redistricting advisory commission inside this entire country.” Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.

TWO POLLS OFFERS INSIGHT INTO HOW MARYLANDERS VIEW REMAPPING: Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting advisory commission is looking at new maps for congressional district boundaries. But do Marylanders support the effort? Two polls offer insight into the mixed feelings Marylanders have about redrawing the maps as part of the national back-and-forth over redistricting inspired by President Donald Trump. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.

SQUATTING: ONE MANSION HIGHLIGHTS LEGAL GAPS IN STATE LAW: A $2.3 million home in one of Maryland’s wealthiest neighborhoods has become the latest test of the state’s ability to respond to squatting, exposing how legal gaps, slow court processes and limited enforcement can leave communities waiting for action — even when ownership is clear and criminal complaints are filed. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.

PART 1: MOORE SITS DOWN FOR DETAILED POLICY DISCUSSION: Gov. Wes Moore spoke in a wide-ranging conversation that touched on education, energy, the economy, public safety, technology and accountability in government — as well as where Maryland is headed and how decisions are made today by those who shape our lives for tomorrow. Part 1 of 4. Armstrong Williams/The Baltimore Sun.

ALSOBROOKS REFLECTS ON FIRST YEAR AS MARYLAND SENATOR: Despite her very public rebukes of Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., newly minted U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks has kept a generally low profile. Where other senators seem to practically live in television studio green rooms, she is not a fixture on cable news. Instead, Alsobrooks explained, she has focused on learning the Senate from the inside out. Karen Tumulty/The Washington Post.

COMMENTARY: REFORM ‘SWIPE FEES’ ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL: One of the biggest hurdles for my independent bookstore in Kensington has been shouldering the cost of skyrocketing credit card interchange fees — also known as “swipe fees.” As Maryland’s elected leaders at both the state and federal levels explore ways to keep small businesses thriving, free-market credit card reform is one avenue that would carry some serious weight. James Beale/Maryland Reporter.

NEW ANNAPOLIS MAYOR BEGINS STAFFING UP: New Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann is setting up his staff, including a newly announced position that could be paid more than $160,000. He hasn’t committed to whether the staff will represent an increase or decrease in positions from previous administrations. Katherine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.

ARUNDEL FIRE REPORT SUGGESTS END TO ‘CROSS-STAFFING:’ The Anne Arundel County Fire Department should hire additional staff members and rethink staffing methods to better meet national recommendations, according to a new report. The department is using a “cross-staffing” method, which the report argues poses risks to safety and response times. Cross-staffing is the practice of assigning one team of firefighters to multiple vehicles, such as a fire engine and a medical unit, which leaves vehicles without a team to operate them. The report could factor into the department’s budget request. Katherine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.

MO CO SCHOOL CLOSES AFTER SPRINKLER MALFUNCTION: Sherwood High School in Montgomery County closed Friday after a malfunctioning sprinkler caused a water leak and damage on the second floor, as well as the first floor, affecting about 12 classrooms. The school was closed Friday to focus on reopening on Monday. Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.

CITY COMPTROLLER POINTS TO MEDIA COVERAGE IN HEARING ON YOUTH FUND: Appearing with a mea culpa message at a Baltimore City Council hearing on a bill to place more restrictions on the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, city Comptroller Bill Henry said he was there to “accept a measure of responsibility for the things the Council did not do when it originally helped to set up the fund.” What did Henry – at the time a 4th district councilman who was heavily involved in creating the taxpayer-funded nonprofit –  think they failed to do? Provide proper context, he explained to a standing-room-only audience. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.

CARROLL COMMISSIONERS AGREE ON ZONING, BUT THE PROCESS IS DIVISIVE: The Board of Carroll County Commissioners can agree on at least one thing — county zoning codes need to be updated to make sure that growth in south Carroll doesn’t spiral out of control. But at their Thursday meeting, commissioners got into a heated debate over how the county should handle its search for a consultant to help with these zoning updates, highlighting a widening split among county leaders. Lily Carey/The Carroll County Times.

HO CO HOPES TO ADD HOLIDAYS OFF FOR COUNTY’s SCHOOLS: A bill to be introduced during the next legislative session would add days off for Howard County students and teachers to celebrate cultural and religious holidays. Residents joined the Howard County delegation — Sen. Clarence Lam and Dels. Natalie Ziegler, Pam Lanman Guzzone, Chao Wu, Courtney Watson, Terri Hill and Jen Terrasa — at a public hearing Dec. 16 to discuss local bills to be introduced in the General Assembly, which begins next month. April Santana/The Baltimore Sun.

MARYLAND’s DETAINED IMMIGRANTS HELD FAR AWAY FROM FAMILIES, ADVOCATES: Many immigrants who used to live in Maryland now find themselves in detention centers miles away, anxiously awaiting their fate. More than 2,000 individuals in Maryland have been swept up as part of President Donald Trump’s escalated immigration enforcement. Activist Len Foxwell says he believes the long-distance moves “make it harder for them to communicate with legal counsel and with their family members who are trying to advocate on their behalf.” Aline Behar Kado, Raphael Romereo Ruiz and Haley Parsley/Capital News Service.