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HOMICIDES IN PG DOWN 30%, UNDER 100 FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS: Killings in Maryland’s second-most populous county won’t reach triple digits for the first time since 2020, in line with a national trend of declining homicides. Prince George’s County police have investigated 65 homicides this year — including those in its cities and towns — as of Sunday, according to county police data. Police ended 2024 with 114 homicide investigations, marking the fourth straight year in which the number of killings surpassed 100.Jasmine Golden and Juan Benn Jr./Washington Post
HISTORIC DECLINE IN BALTIMORE MURDERS: For the third consecutive year, violence in Baltimore has dropped dramatically and, in turn, historically. But since 2023 Baltimore has seen the number of homicides fall below 300, then below 200 and now below 150 — the first time since the 1960s, when gun violence soared and then rarely abated. The past three years have seen historic declines in gun violence in Baltimore, but people are still getting killed at an alarming rate. Everyone wants to know how the declines are being achieved. Justin Fenton/Baltimore Banner
TENSION BETWEEN GOV. MOORE AND ASSEMBLY DEMS: Democratic lawmakers in Annapolis say their relationship with Gov. Wes Moore is on ice — a revelation that comes just weeks before the 2026 legislative session in which lawmakers aim to close Maryland’s $1.4 billion budget deficit and lower energy costs among a host of other pressing issues.Tinashe Chingarande/Baltimore Sun
MORE CHALLENGES AHEAD ON HEALTH CARE: Health care advocates and state officials labeled the past year “stressful,” “frustrating” and “crazy” — from a jarring transition in federal policies under the Trump administration to an ongoing state financial crisis that limits progress in boosting access to care. While the legislature and advocates took steps to mitigate some of the impacts of the new federal health policies, many are ready to leave 2025 behind. Federal health policy changes, state funding concerns and a new hospital payment system will likely lead to more challenges down the line. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters
NEW MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AGREE THINGS ARE BAD: Four new members joined Maryland’s congressional delegation in 2025, making up 40% of the state’s lawmakers in Washington, D.C. All four agreed: None were happy with how the year went . “People ask me back home if it’s as bad up close and in person as it appears from a distance,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr. told The Baltimore Sun. “The answer is no — it’s actually worse.” Ben Mause/Sun
BALTIMORE NATIVE NANCY PELOSI CLOSING OUT 40 YEARS ON HILL: The former speaker and the first and only woman to hold the job, does a long interview with the Sun. “When they say bad things about you, that’s what they think they have to do. But you cannot do anything like that back. I didn’t. I mean, I’ve had my words about the president because he’s in a different category of freak-dom.” Jeff Barker/Baltimore Sun
HOW MANY IS 96,000? HOUSING NUMBER CITED BY MOORE IS HARD TO EXPLAIN: Housing developers say the ‘housing underproduction’ metric is a useful starting point, but doesn’t cover the full picture of housing need. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters
HOUSING MARKET OUT OF BALANCE: Experts say Maryland’s Housing Market is out of balance, with sales falling and choices narrowing. According to the Maryland Realtors Association home sales dropped by 12.9 percent in November but the average sales price climbed by 6.7 percent. Officials with the association say this creates a lock-in effect, where higher priced homes are selling while many moderate or low income households remain sidelined. The lock-in effect happens when current home owners stay put even when they need or want to move because they cannot afford a home. Kaitlyn Bancroft/WBAL News Radio
INSPECTOR GENERAL: THE FIRST FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY AND NOW HOWARD: After nearly six years as Baltimore County’s inaugural inspector general, Kelly Madigan is leaving her post to become Howard County’s first inspector general. She is interviewed by the Sun’s Natalie Jones
FIRST MALE DEM TO RUN TO HOCO EXEC: Baltimore restaurateur and Elkridge resident Bob Cockey is running for Howard County executive in 2026, joining three other Democrats on the primary ballot this spring. Lillian Reed/Baltimore Banner
DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION IN FREDERICK CO. STRAINING LAW ENFORCEMENT: County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told the Frederick Council Council at a public hearing on Dec. 16 that data center construction near Adamstown is straining law enforcement resources. Eric Anderson/Frederick News-Post
MoCo DELEGATION CONSIDERS RAISE FOR SCHOOL BOARD: Montgomery County’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly will consider four education-related bills during the 2026 legislative session, including one to increase pay for Montgomery County school board members and another that aims to get more locally farmed food in Montgomery County’s school lunches. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today
OPINION: FORGET THE JUDGES; MARYLAND’S ESTATE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST FAMILILIES: J.H. Snider says a study commission is dominated by lawyers who benefit from the system. He suggests reforms for the state’s taxing system on decedent’s estate. Maryland Matters.
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