‘GOOD CAUSE EVICTIONS’ BILL BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE: A bill to protect tenants from being kicked out of their housing without justification, given little chance this year and voted down in committee as recently as Monday, was unexpectedly brought back to life Wednesday and sent to the full House for consideration. The so-called “good cause evictions” legislation, which has stalled repeatedly in recent years, still has a long way to go to final approval. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
ADVOCATES SAY ENERGY STUDY AMENDMENT DISADVANTAGES RENEWABLES: On its face, the amendment seems innocuous. It would require that Maryland study the “full system” cost of different forms of energy generation, from nuclear and natural gas to offshore wind and solar. The amendment — which comes from Republicans but now has bipartisan support — was added unanimously. But renewable energy advocates are sounding the alarm. They believe that the model underlying the study is flawed, since it unfairly disadvantages renewable energy. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
HOUSE PANEL PRESSURED TO ACCEPT SENATE BILL ON JUVENILES CHARGED AS ADULTS: With one eye fixed on the calendar, supporters of a bill that would make it harder to charge juveniles as adults pressed a House committee to accept a clean Senate version of the bill to improve its chances of passage in the remaining days of the session. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ENVIRO STUDIES DELAYED REPLACEMENT OF POTOMAC PIPE THAT FAILED: The D.C.-area utility responsible for a massive sewer line that failed catastrophically in January had planned to reinforce the aging section years ago but repeatedly delayed construction as federal officials studied potential environmental impacts, including risks to a blue wildflower and an endangered bat species. Aaron Davis/The Washington Post.
POLL: HOW STATE GOVERNMENT WORKS A MYSTERY EVEN TO THOSE INTERESTED: Most Marylanders say they keep up with state politics, but many struggle to answer basic questions about how their government works, says a new poll from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. About 64% of Maryland adults surveyed said they pay at least “some” attention to news about state politics and government in a typical week, while 35% said they pay little or “no” attention. However, when tested on five basic questions about Maryland government, respondents answered an average of two correctly. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
CONCERNS OVER TRUST IMPACT MOORE’s LATEST POLL NUMBERS: A new statewide poll shows Gov. Wes Moore’s approval rating has dropped below 50% for the first time since he took office, as growing concerns about trust, honesty and credibility appear to be shaping how voters view his leadership. The shift comes amid a series of unresolved questions and controversies that critics say have chipped away at public confidence. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: HANGING OUT WITH RACIST GOATS: Maryland College Republicans Chairman Colin McEvers sure seems to love hanging out with bigots. And on Wednesday, April 1, he emphasizes it. Earlier, McEvers posted a photograph of himself with College Republicans of America National Political Director Kai Schwemmer, taken at the recent and lightly attended Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas. McEvers referred to Schwemmer as “The GOAT” i.e. The Greatest of All Time. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
MARSHALS ACCOMPANY POWER LINE PROJECT MEMBERS ONTO CARROLL LAND: Members of the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday accompanied land surveyors for the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project power line onto private property in Carroll County, according to the sheriff’s office. Lily Carey/The Baltimore Sun.
WASHINGTON COUNTY POPULATION GROWS, WHILE BALTIMORE’s DECLINES: Population growth slowed in a majority of the nation’s 3,143 counties and the District of Columbia between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the Vintage 2025 population estimates released March 26 by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, in Maryland, Washington County showed population growth, while Baltimore City and other major urban areas of the state saw declines. Keith Demko/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.
SCOTT ADMIN ASKS JUDGE TO TOSS IG’s LAWUIT FOR YOUTH PROGRAM DOCUMENTS: Asserting authority over the city’s good government watchdog, Mayor Brandon Scott has asked a judge to throw out the lawsuit filed by Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming that demanded administration compliance with a subpoena for documents from his office’s troubled SideStep youth diversion program. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
B’MORE’s TOP OFFICIALS GET 2.5% PAY HIKES, AS A MATTER OF COURSE: It took just seven minutes and no discussion Wednesday for Baltimore’s spending board to give the city’s top elected officials a raise. The 2.5% pay bumps will be paid to Mayor Brandon Scott, City Council President Zeke Cohen and Comptroller Bill Henry, among other members of the city government. These annual salary increases for elected officials are a foregone conclusion, a gift from city lawmakers past. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.
DID MAYOR SCOTT ACTUALLY ENDORSE IVAN BATES? Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is claiming Mayor Brandon Scott endorsed him for reelection, according to a poster board featuring a list of Bates’ endorsers on display at a Mount Vernon campaign fundraiser Monday night. Both refused to speak on the record about the issue. After The Banner reported that Bates had claimed the mayor’s endorsement, however, the mayor’s office swiped back, saying the endorsement was not official. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
BALTIMORE’s McCORMICK BUYS CHUNK OF BRITAIN’s UNILEVER: What started in a Baltimore basement in the 1800s has grown into a bona fide global empire of spices, seasonings and sauces. McCormick & Co. announced Tuesday it is acquiring a huge chunk of the British conglomerate Unilever — the second-largest deal ever struck between food companies. When the papers are signed and the dust is settled, over a year from now, Unilever will be focused on its personal care and beauty products, while McCormick will have expanded its pantry to include Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Marmite and dozens of other brands. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
BALTIMORE COUNTY MAN LEADS ARTEMIS II CREW INTO SPACE: A 50-year-old Baltimore County man led the Artemis II crew into space Wednesday evening on the first voyage to the moon in 53 years — before he was even born. Reid Wiseman is the space flight’s commander and is leading three other astronauts on their journey. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
PRINCE HARRY SPOTTED AT BALTIMORE RESTAURANT: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, visited Charleston, a popular, award-winning Baltimore eatery, while in the region this week. Owner Cindy Wolf, who was sharply dressed in a bold red chef jacket, stood next to the towering former Royal near the doorway of the Harbor East restaurant. Darreonna Davis and John-John Williams IV/The Baltimore Banner.
Good Cause Evictions are going to make rents higher. If landlords are going to have to fight lawsuits to evict people at the end of their lease, they are going to increase rent. What about smaller people like me that just rent a room in their house? Maybe I don’t want them there anymore. You are going to make it harder for me to get them out? I’ve already had the bad experience of have to evict someone for non-payment of rent. It took MONTHS! I was constantly fearful that the person would retaliate against me the whole time. Now you want to make it harder to end a lease that has actually ended? Also Rent control does not work either.
Oh man i am so glad we have all of these environmental regulations to protect the environment…err…uhh… I mean regulations to both protect and ruin the environment. This is a case of when environmental regulations get in the way of actually protecting the environment. WHY the hell do we need studies to fix and upgrade something that already exists and needs repair? Welp I hope the regulations and construction delays were worth it.
Mayor Scott should be THANKING Ivan Bates for cleaning up the city. Who would have thought if you actually do your job and put bad people away in jail that crime would go down. Who Knew!? But the Mayor knows he himself is breaking laws and doing shady shit behind the scenes. Its evident based on his fights against Ivan and the IG office. What are you afraid of Mayor? Ivan has been a god send.
Its kind of cool we are going back to the moon, but we no longer have Moon money. But alas we will just print more, devalue our money even more, because congress doesn’t know how to cut funding, just send us on the bottom 50% into eternal poverty and a less and less affordable life. After all how are we going to afford the Debt is we don’t keep inflating our money.