MOORE’s BUDGET FIXES CURRENT DEFICIT, BUT FUTURE LOOKS SKETCHY: Gov. Wes Moore’s $70.8 billion spending plan unveiled last week closes a more than $1.5 billion deficit for fiscal 2027 but does little to ease projected future budget pain, lawmakers were told Monday. In the first analysis of Moore’s budget, Department of Legislative Services budget analyst David Romans told members of the Senate Budget and Taxation and House Appropriations committees Monday afternoon that the proposal “makes some progress” but still leaves billions in structural gaps over the next four years. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
REDISTRICTING, IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ON TAP IN ANNAPOLIS: Redistricting and methods to streamline federal immigration enforcement, two points of contention among Maryland lawmakers, will be considered Tuesday as Maryland General Assembly members return to Annapolis after snow shut down the State House on Monday. Katherine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
- Maryland lawmakers are on track to push a new, Democratic-friendly congressional district map through the House of Delegates in the coming days, as the debate over whether the state should redistrict is reaching a fever pitch in Annapolis. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: FERGUSON NEEDS TO KEEP DOING THE RIGHT THING: It was hard to imagine in the current political climate that I would be rooting for the success of the Democrat leading the Maryland Senate, President Bill Ferguson … yet here we are! The head of the Maryland Senate faces a critical responsibility in resisting the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission aimed specifically at the disenfranchisement of Maryland Republicans from representation in Congress. Marc King/MarylandReporter.com.
MOORE LEANS TOWARD FEDERAL GOVT SHUTDOWN TO REIN IN ICE: Gov. Wes Moore said he hates the thought of another government shutdown, but he also said that there needs to be some accountability for federal immigration officers who are using increasingly aggressive tactics that have led to the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis this month. Moore, during an interview Monday with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, signaled a willingness to back threats by members of his own party in Congress to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security — a move that could lead to a partial government shutdown this weekend. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
VIDEO APPARENTLY SHOW APPALLING CONDITIONS AT B’MORE ICE FACILITY: A new viral video taken inside an immigration holding room facility in downtown Baltimore is the latest proof of abusive treatment of people confined in federal custody, activists and lawmakers say. The video posted on Reddit and Facebook shows at least three dozen people packed inside a holding room where a sea of foil blankets lines the ground. John-John Williams IV, Ben Conarck, Daniel Zawodny and Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
- The man recording the video pans the camera around the holding room, where dozens of people (who appear to be all males) — many holding onto emergency blankets — are seen sitting and lying on the floor in close quarters in a room with cinderblock walls. “They are kidnapping us,” the narrator says in Spanish. “They have us in a warehouse here in Baltimore.” Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
COLUMN: A LITTLE TIME TRAVEL TO EXPLAIN MARYLAND’s POWER DEMAND: Demand for more electricity shows no sign of slowing, driven by the growth of data centers powering AI. The state faces decisions right now that could lock in how the future unfolds. Last week, I led a panel discussion on this topic in Annapolis with business executives and legislative leaders. As Gov. Wes Moore prepares his plan to get out of this mess, here’s how that discussion helped me understand what’s ahead. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: LET VOTERS DECIDE IF PROCESS FOR FILLING VACANCIES NEEDS REFORM: When there is a state legislative vacancy, county party central committees select an applicant for appointment by the governor to complete the remainder of the former lawmaker’s term. This is uncommon – Maryland is one of only six states, in the aggregate reflecting less than 8% of the U.S. population, in which an appointee is selected to complete the unexpired original term. Maryland voters should have the opportunity to decide whether there should be special elections for legislative vacancies. Colin C. Richard/Bethesda Today.
BA CO COUNCIL SET TO REPEAL LAW THAT WOULD HIKE THEIR PENSIONS: Baltimore County Council members Izzy Patoka and Mike Ertel announced plans Monday night to repeal legislation that would double the pensions of four of the council’s seven members. Council Bill 40-24, which passed in 2024 after being introduced by Republican Wade Kach, would allow retired members to get a pension increase every time current members get a pay raise. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: WILL COUNCIL GET ON BOARD TO REPEAL PENSION SCHEME?The scheme to create the windfalls was sneaky, but not complex. Bill 40-24 allowed members who leave council at the end of this term to have the calculations of their pensions based on dramatic salary increases that take effect next term – increases they will never receive – rather than on their own salaries. David Plymer/Baltimore Brew.
ANOTHER WINTER STORM COULD BE COMING: A snow day with few of the perks: Marylanders spent Monday digging out of a tricky wintry mix of crunchy ice and fluffy powder that complicated the usual revelry. And it may all be for naught: Another storm could be coming. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
- A winter storm brought heavy, powdery snow to Maryland on Sunday. By mid- to late morning, conditions changed to sleet and freezing rain. The storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of snow across the state, prompting First Alert Weather Days, Winter Storm Warnings and school closures. JT Moodee Lockman/WJZ-TV News.
RETIRED MARYLAND IMMIGRATION JUDGE TEAR-GASSED IN MINNEAPOLIS: Retired Maryland immigration Judge David Koelsch was in Minneapolis visiting family when he heard the news that federal agents there had shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti. And he experienced firsthand the “unhinged” actions of Border Patrol agents. He was tear-gassed, then witnessed federal agents dogpile an older man, arrest him and march him down the street. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
