DEMOCRATS & REPUBLICANS WRESTLE OVER ‘AFFORDABILITY:’ In their opening salvos ahead of the 2026 General Assembly, top Maryland lawmakers from both parties planted a policy flag on affordability. They’re wrestling over the “A-word,” just as Democratic and Republican lawmakers in D.C. have, and at the start of an election year when the governor and all members of the General Assembly will be on the ballot. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
WHAT TO EXPECT TODAY IN ANNAPOLIS: The Banner’s third annual Inside the Legislative Session event kicks off this morning in Annapolis. Legislative leaders, agency heads and advocates will talk about the bills that will define the session in conversation with Banner reporters. Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk take the stage first. Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Banner.
COLUMN: TWO MINUTES TO CHANGE THEIR WORLD: The General Assembly gets down to the business of legislating this week. Hearings about energy, insurance and almost every imaginable topic will be on the agenda through April 13. Thousands of people will testify before delegates and senators, all trying to convince them to see issues their way, to vote in favor of their positions. The vast majority get just two minutes — maybe a little more by the grace of a committee chair — to accomplish that. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
BROWN ON PROTECTING MARYLAND’s RULE OF LAW FROM TRUMP ADMIN: To Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), it’s about stopping the “chaos coming from Washington” since President Donald Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, 2025. Brown was reflecting on his part in the push by 23 attorneys general from Democratic states and the District of Columbia to challenge Trump administration policies in court. Planning for the lawsuits began after Trump’s election in 2024 and were guided by policies outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which served as a policy roadmap for the administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE RAISED MORE THAN $7M FOR SECOND-TERM RUN: Gov. Wes Moore has raised $7 million over the last year as he seeks to persuade voters to keep him in the State House for a second term against a field of lesser-known Republicans. The funds, which will be filed in the Democratic governor’s annual campaign report Wednesday, give Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller a total bank balance of about $8 million. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
CONGRESS APPROVES MORE FUNDING FOR BAY CLEANUP THAN EXPECTED: Rebuffing deep spending cuts proposed by the Trump administration, Congress has approved more funding for Chesapeake Bay cleanup and conservation than the White House requested —including boosts for restoring oysters, dealing with invasive blue catfish and addressing whether menhaden, an important forage fish in the Bay, are being overfished. Tim Wheeler/The Bay Journal.
B’MORE COUNCILMAN JOINED NONPROFIT BOARD, THEN WROTE BILL TO REGULATE IT: A Baltimore City councilman joined the board of a taxpayer-funded nonprofit the same month he drafted legislation to regulate that organization — a move that watchdogs say raises conflict-of-interest concerns as the nonprofit faces mounting scrutiny over how it spends millions in public money. Patrick Hauf/The Baltimore Sun.
EMBATTLED BA CO COUNCILMAN CRANDELL WON’T SEE REELECTION: Baltimore County Councilman Todd Crandell, a Republican from Dundalk, will not seek another term after representing the southeastern part of the county for more than a decade. Crandell, now 56, was first elected to the council in 2014 in a notable race, as a Republican had never represented that area since the council was formed in 1956. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
- His decision comes nearly eight months after his wife took out a protective order against Crandell, citing “severe verbal abuse” while he’s drunk, according to court records. Her filing also cited an allegedly drunken encounter with Baltimore County Police in 2024. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
PRINCE GEORGE’S TO GET A MINI-SPHERE VENUE: Sphere Entertainment Cos. built the largest spherical building on Earth in Las Vegas. The company behind Sphere unveiled plans Sunday night for what it says will be the world’s first “mini-Sphere” venue off the Potomac River in Maryland, a 6,000-seat immersive experience that would open in 2030. Erin Cox, Travis M. Andrews and Ethan Beck/The Washington Post.
- Gov. Wes Moore said that bringing a Sphere venue to the National Harbor “will be one of the largest economic development projects in Prince George’s County history — proving once again our state is the best place in the country to bring dreams to life.” Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
- Revenue from the proposed Sphere entertainment venue at National Harbor in Maryland would far exceed that generated from the Washington Commanders and Six Flags combined, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said Monday. Thomas Robertson and Dan Ronan/WTOP-FM.
ALTHOUGH FLU ON DOWNWARD TREND, IT KILLED 14 MARYLANDERS THIS YEAR: As quickly as it arrived, state health data shows that Maryland may now be on a downward trend of a “severe” influenza surge occurring over the winter holidays and early January. But public health officials say now is not the time for Marylanders to let up on protective measures and public health practices, as the season is not over yet. There have already been 14 flu-related deaths in Maryland so far this year, already doubling last year’s death toll, with weeks left in the current flu season. Last year’s season did not peak until February. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
That’s awesome to see a Mini-Sphere coming to MD. Though I wish it was a big one. I used to be an avid concert goer, but with the raising costs of everything I had to cut my once 20-30 concerts a year life to a measly couple shows and maybe a festival and sadly will probably somehow be priced out of these 6,000 person shows. I’ve had to cut out almost all entertainment from budget. Sell items on Ebay, thrift shop almost exclusively. I really don’t know what our Political and Corporate Overlords expect from us to survive? Can’t wait for my yearly COLA only to be sucked up by rising energy costs and cough dare I say some kind of tax increase. Let’s see how serious the legislature is in this election year, regardless of what they do this year, the real teller will be next year when they say FU Maryland time to raise your taxes again because we suck at making hard decisions and are obviously entitled to our hard earned dollars to be embezzled through shitty gov’t services and unaccountable non-profits.