IN 2026, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER: As housing prices and monthly rents soar, advocates, lawmakers and the Moore administration say they share a goal of protecting Maryland families in an unstable housing market, even as the state faces its own financial woes. Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.
AFTER MINNESOTA ALLEGATIONS, STATES TO JUSTIFY CHILDCARE SPENDING: Maryland received $189.4 million in fiscal 2025 from the federal grants that would be subject to the new “justification” requirement being imposed by the Trump administration, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care. Shauneen Miranda/Maryland Matters.
NEW LAWS RESHAPING HOUSING, LABOR AND HEALTH: A broad slate of new laws, reshaping everything from property tax sales and workforce protections to prescription drugs and health insurance coverage. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
- Aimed at improving health care in Maryland, the new laws will govern no-cost cancer screenings for firefighters, improved access to hearing aids and health insurance coverage. Marie Miller/WBAL RADIO.
JUSTICE DEPT. LEADERS PUSHED TO CHARGE ABREGO GARCIA, EMAILS SAY: Federal prosecutors in Nashville have insisted in the past few months that senior Justice Department officials had no involvement in their decision to file charges against Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. But on Tuesday, excerpts from several emails released by a federal judge overseeing Mr. Abrego Garcia’s criminal case appeared to directly contradict those assertions. Alan Feuer/New York Times.
IMMIGRATION BILLS SET TO IGNITE DEBATE IN BA CO COUNCIL: The national debate over the treatment of immigrants could reverberate within the Baltimore County Council’s chambers in January, when legislation designed to protect the county’s immigrants will be debated. John Lee/WYPR–FM.
DHS SAYS CONTRACTED WORKER NEGLIGENT IN FOSTER GIRL’S DEATH: A Maryland Department of Human Services investigation found staff members of a behavioral services company negligent in the suicide death of a 16-year-old foster girl in a Baltimore hotel room, according to a report obtained by The Baltimore Sun through a public information request. Jean Marbella/The Baltimore Sun.
NASA LIBRARY CLOSURE LATEST IN TRUMP CUTS: The Trump administration will close NASA’s largest research library, located at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, this week. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
SHUTDOWN, SHAKEUPS, BUDGET FIGHTS, CHROMITE: A LOOK BACK AT 2025: State lawmakers closed a more than $3 billion budget gap with program cuts and tax increases, only to be presented with another $1 billion-plus budget hole in 2026 — when taxes are likely off the table because it’s an election year. Turnover in Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) Cabinet picked up and 2026 races started to take shape, with lots of blanks still to be filled in. Maryland Matters Staff.
COLUMBIA DEVELOPER WINS BATTLE TO BUILD 200 RENTAL UNITS, INDOOR RACKET SPORTS FACILITY: A six-year battle to build 200 rental units, office space and an indoor racket sports facility in Downtown Columbia is one step closer to reality, as state judges ruled a Howard Hughes Corp. subsidiary must pay a local developer nearly $20 million in damages for its role in blocking the project. Kiersten Hacker/The Baltimore Sun.
ANALYSIS: IS GAZA A SLEEPER ISSUE IN THE MD MIDTERMS?: The recent war of words between a prominent local Jewish leader and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) over Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza is a reminder of how volatile the issue has become in American politics. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
BA CO HAS RECEIVED $29M IN OPIOID SETTLEMENTS. WHERE’S THE MONEY GOING? Since February 2023, Baltimore County has received more than $29 million from various legal settlements, according to a state report outlining distributions and spending by each county and municipality. The county has spent about $4.2 million as of the end of fiscal 2025 — June 30. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
HOMESCHOOLING HAS EXPLODED SINCE PANDEMIC: As Maryland public school enrollment took an unexpected dive this year, homeschooling is holding strong. More than 42,000 children are learning at home, up from around 28,000 five years ago. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: MAJORITY OF MARYLANDERS WANT ANNAPOLIS TO FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY: A recent poll shows that a majority of Marylanders support the state’s effort to redraw our congressional maps to ensure fair representation in Washington. Lisa Brown/Maryland Matters.
More people are homeschooling because most of our s hooks are utter shit. They push students along even though they don’t show up and you can’t get a zero anymore, they have to give half credit. Not to mention the grading curve allows what was once traditionally a failure to a pass. A lot of administrators need to be fired. The entire system needs to be torn down and built back up again if we are going to correct this shit. A friend of mine has been put in the hospital twice by second graders. God forbid they defend themselves or discipline the children. The whole system is shit and a bunch of pandering to parents to prevent lawsuits and pandering to govt laws and officials for funding. Sadly I don’t think it will ever get fixed and the kirwan plan ain’t gonna do shit besides bankrupt us, which we already see.