WHAT WOULD REDISTRICTING ACTUALLY COST? For all the debate about congressional redistricting in Annapolis, a significant piece is still missing: a price tag. The Department of Legislative Services, tasked with estimating the cost of bills, has said only that state spending would increase by “an indeterminate but significant amount” if the General Assembly scrambles U.S. House members’ district lines. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
IN ARGUMENTS FOR REDISTRICTING, MOORE FOCUSING MORE ON RACE: Gov. Wes Moore has tried a few redistricting arguments these last five months — he’s said the state needs maps that are fair; the state needs maps that are representative; voters actually want Maryland to redistrict; this is in defense of American democracy — but in recent days he’s increasingly focused on race. Pamela Wood, Lee O. Sanderlin and Greg Morton/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: WILL SENATE PANEL MEMBERS STICK WITH THEIR IDEALS?HB0488, which proposes a new congressional redistricting map for the state’s eight districts, has been referred to the bipartisan 12-member Senate Rules Committee. In the 2018 Maryland League of Women Voter’s Guide, almost all of these leaders expressed strong support for an independent commission to draw district lines. Could they support a map created by the 2025 Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission? Or will they side with Senate President Bill Ferguson’s firm decision to kill the bill because it is too late and unconstitutional as well? Howard Gorrell/Maryland Reporter.
SOME OF MARYLAND’s BRIGHTEST STUDENTS CAN’T GO TO COLLEGE: Baltimore math teacher Nate Golden noticed something peculiar a few years ago: Some of his brightest students weren’t going to college. All they lacked was U.S. citizenship. Undocumented immigrants don’t qualify for federal financial aid. But the barriers run deeper than just financial aid. And Golden has been fighting the problem in Annapolis for three years now. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
CHANGE DIFFICULT IN SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS ANYONE TO FILE FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES: Lawmakers listened to more than 2 1/2 hours of testimony on Tuesday on a bill that would make changes to a system in Maryland that allows anyone to seek charges with no input from police or prosecutors. They appeared to agree that reform is needed but seemed uncertain how exactly to fix problems with the legal process. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE CALLS BELOVED MARYLAND FLAG ‘A CONTRADICTION:’ The Maryland state flag — a symbol of pride, identity and fierce loyalty for many residents — has become the subject of renewed political scrutiny in Annapolis after Gov. Wes Moore described it as a “contradiction” and his administration declined to say whether those remarks signal support for legislative change. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
BILL WOULD AUTHORIZE STUDY ON MARYLAND LEAVING PJM: Amid high energy bills in Maryland and throughout the region, many Maryland officials have heaped blame on PJM Interconnection, the operator of the region’s electrical grid. Would it make any sense for Maryland to leave it? A bill before the House Environment and Transportation Committee would study that very question. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
POLL: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY STILL A TOP CONCERN OF MARYLAND VOTERS: Housing affordability remains the top concern for Maryland voters — with nearly two-thirds of those surveyed saying it’s a “major” problem — according to polling from a pro-housing policy group. Concerns about housing prices crossed socioeconomic lines: Overwhelming majorities of those earning less than $100,000 said it’s a “major” concern, as did a slim majority of those earning more than $100,000. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
PACKED HEARING ON HOWARD PLAN TO BAN PRIVATE IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTERS: Howard County’s elected leaders, residents and students showed up in force Wednesday night for a marathon hearing that included an expletive-laden outburst, drawn by legislation to block a private immigrant detention center nearing completion in Elkridge. Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Banner.
HARFORD PUBLIC STUDENTS PLAN ICE PROTEST WALKOUTS: Students from multiple Harford County public schools have organized walkouts for Friday to show their opposition to ICE practices. If walkouts proceed as planned, it will not be the first time Harford County students have organized demonstrations about national issues. Shaela Foster/The Aegis.
HUNDREDS OF BETHESDA HIGH SCHOOLERS PROTEST ICE: Hundreds of students walked out of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda on Wednesday morning in a student-led protest opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, drawing attention from the surrounding community and sparking a formal response from school administrators. Jacqueline Kalil/Bethesda Today.
MAYOR SCOTT URGES OTHER JURISDICTIONS TO PREP FOR MASS OVERDOSES: A summons to testify before state lawmakers can often be a strained affair, but senators essentially gave Baltimore officials a pat on the back Tuesday for the city’s response to “mass overdose” events last summer that sent dozens to emergency rooms, but resulted in zero fatalities. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) said the citywide life-saving effort was thanks to the city’s previous work to build an efficient overdose response network and urged other jurisdictions to make their own plans before it’s too late. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
When your arguments no longer work, its time to bring race into it. The Gov. is more into making a national name for himself and interjecting race into a lot of arguments now. He lied about the story of his ancestor, called our flag a contradiction (which if he knew anything about our flag he wouldn’t make that statement), and now arguing for an 8-0 map using racism now? What is going on. How about we use actual real arguments to support things. The problem for the Gov. is most people see through his arguments. The only ones supporting it are people that have TDS and the wants of even more Dem control in this state, the voters be damned. Nothing like standing up for the constitution and rights and freedoms like disenfranchising voters.
Housing has been a concern for at least 2 decades, only now it is coming to a head because the costs of everything has significantly skyrocketed. My insurance for my home is almost as much as my property taxes. Plus you expect people to pay a mortgage. We haven’t even talked about energy.