GOV CANDIDATE HALE SUGGESTS RENTING OUT GOVERNOR’s MANSION: Travelers to Annapolis have always been able to stay in a historic property, but not the likes of the property Ed Hale Sr. has in mind. Hale, a Republican candidate for governor, said that instead of raising taxes, he wants to turn the governor’s mansion into a moneymaker, renting it out for events, overnight stays and the like. He swears he’s not joking. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
GETTING, RETAINING HEALTH CARE DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG MARYLANDERS: Under the ACA, young adults can remain on a parent’s health plan until age 26 to serve as a safeguard intended to ease the transition. The stakes rose in 2026, when pandemic-era tax credits expired and premiums climbed nationwide. Maryland responded by making its Young Adult Subsidy permanent, offering additional state support for residents under 37. Interviews with young Marylanders suggest that even with these protections, the system still fails them. Davi Jacobs of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.
ICE GETS CLOSER TO CAMPUSES, PROMPTING SCHOOL SECURITY MEASURES: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told Maryland superintendents in January they wouldn’t enter school buildings. They haven’t. But, in Southeast Baltimore this month, they’ve been getting closer to campuses, prompting school officials to take extra measures to make families feel safe sending their children to school. Maya Lora and Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
LITIGATION, ALLEGATIONS ARE GROWING CAMPAIGN TACTICS: A Republican primary legal battle in Baltimore County is raising broader questions about how litigation and public allegations are increasingly intersecting with political campaigns ahead of Maryland’s 2026 elections. Political analysts say the conflict reflects a broader shift in modern campaigning, with candidates increasingly using court filings, legal complaints and public accusations to shape voter perceptions — even when claims are later dismissed. The strategy can deepen political polarization and erode public trust in both elected officials and the judicial system. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
PENSION BOARD SEEKS PUBLIC TRUSTEES: The Board of Trustees for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) is seeking two trustees, one each from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County. Public Trustees serve a three-year term, from July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029. The Board holds fiduciary oversight of the ERS for the sole benefit of members and beneficiaries. County residents interested in serving must submit a statement of qualifications and resume, by 5:00 p.m. on May 27, 2026 to [email protected]. For more information, contact [email protected] or (301) 454-1415 or visit us at ers.mncppc.org.
HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY HANTAVIRUS RISK REMAINS LOW: State health officials reiterated Wednesday that the risk to public health from hantavirus remains very low, even as the health department keeps tabs on two Maryland residents who were potentially exposed to the rare infectious disease during recent air travel. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
HOPKINS HOSPITAL DRILLS TURN REAL FOR HANTAVIRUS THREAT: Every few months on the eighth floor of Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore, teams of specialists help each other into plastic protective coverings, face shields and gloves according to very specific protocols. Those are drills. But now, with the threat of the hantavirus upon us, these teams are preparing for reality. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE REPLACES CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Gov. Wes Moore is replacing his campaign manager less than two weeks after a pair of highly produced rallies to kick his reelection effort into high gear. Ron Owens, who had been the Democratic governor’s campaign manager since last summer, is being replaced by Dylan Arant, who currently works in the governor’s State House office and ran Attorney General Anthony Brown’s successful campaign in 2022. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- Owens helped elect some of the country’s most prominent Democrats. According to his LinkedIn, he was Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign political director from 2021 to 2023. He has also worked for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the principal organization that recruits talent for the U.S. Senate. Moore’s campaign did not share details of Owens’s future job prospects. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
SENATE VICTORY TO REPLACE SEN. BENSON MAY BE JUST A PRIMARY AWAY: They disagree on some issues, are more or less in agreement on more, but one thing can be said with near certainty about the two Democrats competing to succeed retiring Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-Prince George’s) — the June 23 primary is the currently the only thing between them and that Senate seat. Del. Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George’s) and Kevin Ford Jr. are not just the only two Democrats running for the District 24 Senate seat, they’re the only two candidates of any party, meaning the winner of the primary could waltz in unchallenged in the November general election. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MAYOR SCOTT PROPOSES TO GUT INDEPENDENCE OF IG’s OFFICE: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced legislation to go before the City Council that would effectively strip Baltimore’s inspector general of independence and tie the office to the city law department. While saying the measures would restore “faith in the city’s oversight and transparency structure,” the mayor’s proposals would drastically change, if not curtail, how IG Isabel Mercedes Cumming conducts investigations that have recently exposed lavish spending by the mayor’s office and uncovered alleged fraud in a crime-diversion program. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
- Scott also ordered an outside forensic investigation into the city’s scandal-plagued SideStep program, framing the dual moves as an attempt to restore public confidence after months of lawsuits, political infighting and dueling accusations between his administration and Cumming over allegations of financial mismanagement tied to the youth violence prevention initiative. Brian Carlton and Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
VAN HOLLEN BUTTS HEADS WITH PATEL OVER ALCOHOL USE: A tense debate between Sen. Chris Van Hollen and FBI Director Kash Patel that started at a Tuesday budget hearing continued overnight on social media, with Van Hollen on Wednesday posting the results of an alcohol screening test and daring Patel to do the same. The back-and-forth began with Van Hollen questioning Patel’s alcohol use and The Atlantic’s report that colleagues were concerned about his drinking and absences. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
COURT BLOCKS DEPORTATION OF IMMIGRANT SHOT BY ICE: A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the deportation of a Portuguese immigrant who was shot and critically wounded by federal immigration agents in Maryland on Christmas Eve. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Banner.
