HOUSE, SENATE BILLS WOULD BOOST SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS WITH MULTI-STATE COMPACT: The Senate and House both advanced measures Tuesday aimed at boosting the number of school psychologists in Maryland, by joining a multistate compact with states that have comparable licensing standards and reciprocal licensing agreements. The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of one psychology for every 500 students. The ratio in Maryland in the 2024-25 school year was more than twice that, at one for every 1,037 students. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE’s HOUSING BILL DRAWS CONCERN IT STRIPS LOCAL POWER: Gov. Wes Moore has introduced legislation seeking to create affordable housing in Maryland by building on land close to mass transit areas. But some lawmakers are convinced that it would strip local jurisdictions of the power to determine what projects should be allowed to break ground on their land. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
BILL TO REGULATE DYNAMIC PRICING GAINS GROUND: The Maryland General Assembly just passed its halfway point, and with roughly 45 days left, Gov. Wes Moore is making headway on two of his key economic legislative proposals. Moore completed his second round of testimony on the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act and the Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act on Tuesday. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
- Legislative leaders and the governor don’t think retailers should be able to charge different prices for the same product based on a customer’s personal data, known as dynamic pricing. But if they do, the customer should at least be warned about it. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
ATTEMPT TO TWEAK ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM RAISES CONCERNS: House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk’s plan to lower energy bills got mostly positive reviews Tuesday, but a proposal to tweak the state’s signature energy efficiency program, EmPOWER Maryland, raised concerns that it could upend the program instead. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
5 BILLS ADDRESS ‘ELOPEMENT’ ISSUES TO LOCATE MISSING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: A bipartisan group of Maryland lawmakers are introducing a bundle of five bills to better locate people with disabilities who disappear from their homes, known as ”elopement.” The LEAD Act focuses on people throughout their lifetimes that may be at risk for elopement, ranging from children with autism to adults with disabilities to older adults living with dementia. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
22 RENOVATED B’MORE SCHOOLS END UP WITH EXPENSIVE HVAC REPAIRS: Twenty-two Baltimore city public schools were renovated with a proprietary heating and air conditioning system that’s proven temperamental and expensive to fix. School system staff can’t work on the specialized systems, which were chosen for their energy-efficient qualities, leading to repair costs of at least $2 million a year. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
DELEGATE’s SPENDING OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS RAISES QUESTIONS: A review of campaign finance filings submitted to the Maryland Board of Elections shows that first-term Del. Gary Simmons, D-Anne Arundel County, spent nearly all of the money his campaign committee raised in 2025. That includes thousands of dollars on meals, out-of-state travel and a casino. The reported expenditures raise questions about whether certain expenses complied with Maryland campaign finance law, which prohibits the personal use of donor funds. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
MO CO BILLS AIM TO RESTRICT PRIVATE ICE FACILITIES, AID DETAINEES’ FAMILIES: The latest immigration-related bills introduced to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday aim to restrict private immigration detention facilities from operating in the county and to help family members of detained individuals recover their loved one’s vehicles. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
EX-HARFORD DEPUTY SHERIFF GETS 36 YEARS FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE, VIDEOS: A former senior deputy in the Harford County Sheriff’s Office who sexually abused two children and secretly recorded explicit photos and videos of them with a hidden camera was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 36 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release. Dylan Segelbaum/The Baltimore Banner.
HE WENT TO ROUTINE ICE CHECK-IN; ARRESTED GAY MAN FEARS DEPORTATION: His family described it as a routine check-in with ICE for Ludovic Mbock, a 38-year-old regional video gaming champion who came to the U.S. from Cameroon legally as a teen and built a life in Oxon Hill. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore arrested him two weeks ago and sent him to detention facilities in Louisiana and Georgia. Mbock’s lawyer and family fear he will soon be deported back to Cameroon, where he will not be safe. Antonio Planas and Rondez Green/The Baltimore Banner.
CECIL SHERIFF CANDIDATE FOUND GUILTY OF INSUBORDINATION: A Maryland State Police trooper who is running for Cecil County sheriff was found guilty of insubordination on Friday after a four-hour long administrative hearing. The three-member administrative trial board unanimously concluded that Senior Trooper Nickolas Jaskiewicz, a 10-year MSP veteran, failed to follow an order from a superior officer in March 2024. Carl Hamilton/The Cecil Whig.
Dynamic pricing is predatory and should be outlawed. It needs to be outlawed nation-wide. If the gov’t isn’t going to pass laws protecting our privacy in regards to our data then we need laws protecting us from these predatory practices of showing different prices to different consumers. Where it is based on time of day or even our own internet ad profiles that companies routinely use to market to you. Their algorithms are so accurate they can determine how likely you are to purchase certain items and sell those targeted ad spots to you and me. That puts us as consumers at a huge disadvantage in the market place.
I swear Balt City will never get their HVAC issues under control in regards to their schools. First it was schools didn’t HVAC which was aggressively remedied during the Hogan Administration. Now its too costly to repair the systems they have. So much for having “Green” HVAC systems. There always seems to be downside, even for the “Better systems.”
Its about time we see the child sex abusers starting to get some decent hard time in jail. All too often these people who are a scourge on society walk with wrist slaps. They need to be put away, so it is a breath of fresh air to see someone get 36 years and a lifetime of supervisions if he ever sees the light of day again.