SUICIDES FALL NATIONWIDE, BUT NOT IN MARYLAND: The 2026 edition of “Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths,” released this week, said deaths by suicide fell 3% nationwide from 2023 to 2024, Maryland actually saw a 4% increase, one of more than a dozen states to see a rise that year. Why Maryland didn’t see the same progress as the nation is unclear, but advocates and public health experts say the report’s findings can be used to further build on suicide prevention efforts in the state and nation. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MOORE MAKES MORE ENDORSEMENTS, INCLUDING JAWANDO: Gov. Wes Moore (D) issued another round of endorsements late Friday, including for Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, who is one of several candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for county executive. Also, staffers at the Maryland Public Service Commission were alarmed this week to discover that erroneous data posted by the U.S. Energy Administration showed Maryland’s residential energy prices had increased a whopping 89% between March 2025 and 2026. William Ford and Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
MOORE’s RECORD, PERSONAL STORIES DON’T MATCH: In a May 18 interview with Politico, Gov. Wes Moore was asked whether those questioning his personal accomplishments were acting in bad faith. “I can tell my own story,” Moore said. “I don’t need someone else to tell it.” An investigative series has found that, for more than 20 years, Moore has repeatedly told versions of his story that do not match the record. Drew Sullins/The Baltimore Sun.
FORMER O’s GROUNDSKEEPER HOPES TO GROW IN AG DEPARTMENT: Nicole Sherry says she had reached the “grass ceiling.” She was one of 30 head groundskeepers at a Major League Baseball stadium. But after more than 20 years on the job, she left it behind for a new challenge: an assistant secretary post in the Maryland Department of Agriculture. “I wanted more challenges. I wanted more exposure to the great people that we work with now,” said Sherry, 48, who started in her new role last month. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
VOTERS IN MOCO’s 16th DISTRICT TO VOTE TO FILL VACANCY, FINALLY: Critics say Montgomery County’s Legislative District 16 is the poster child for everything that’s wrong with the current system for filling vacancies in the General Assembly. Four times in a year and a half, from early 2023 to mid-2024, the district saw openings in its state Senate or state House delegation. Each time, the vacancies were filled by votes from the two dozen members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, rather than the voters in the district. Democratic voters will finally have their say in the June 23 primary. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
SENATE CANDIDATE RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT RABBI’s INTERJECTION: A candidate in a contested West Baltimore state Senate race is raising concerns about the leadership of a Baltimore-area rabbi group urging people to choose a political party and vote in the June 23 primary. Del. Malcolm Ruff said he believes the effort is meant to turn out votes for his opponent in the Senate District 41 primary, Sen. Dalya Attar. John-John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
POLITICS SEEPS ONTO MARYLAND LOCAL STAGES: It’s tough to avoid political conversations at local art and entertainment venues — especially amid the ongoing political battle over the Kennedy Center, which just received a ruling that President Donald Trump’s name must be removed from the building’s facade and branding. Closer to home, theaters including the Olney Theatre Centre and Round House Theatre have produced myriad shows with political messaging — and their leaders have been explicit about why they’re telling these stories now. Hannah Yasharoff/The Baltimore Banner.
REP HARRIS DEFENDS CUTTING MILLIONS FROM WIC FOOD PROGRAM: The U.S. House last Thursday passed an appropriations bill that would cut $141 million in funding for fruit and vegetable benefits for the nearly 5.4 million children and pregnant and postpartum women. Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, said that despite cuts, the $8 billion remaining is sufficient since Agriculture Department data “clearly shows” that WIC participation has been declining during the current fiscal year. But advocates and experts argued that that data reflects only the first quarter of the fiscal year, which includes the fall government shutdown that led to a decrease in program enrollment. Mariana Alfaro/The Washington Post.
- While Harris said, “I am proud to lead this legislation, which invests in the farmers, watermen, ranchers, and rural communities that power American agriculture — from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to agricultural regions across the country,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen said, “Marylanders simply cannot afford more cuts to critical investments that help families put food on the table and support our farming communities.” He added that he would monitor the bill as the Senate considers its version of the legislation. Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
COLUMN: VAN HOLLEN THROWS A PARTY: Did you miss James Talarico’s party? Or maybe you accepted U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s invitation to help the Texas state lawmaker win one of this year’s highest-profile Senate races. Admission to the Friday night soirée at mega-donors Lori and Jeffrey Denzer’s home in Potomac started at $500. But if you kicked in $10,500 — oh, what a night. Right? It certainly was for Van Hollen. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
OPINION: WHEN YOU LOOK AT POLLS, LOOK AT THE POLLING FIRMS: Right now, Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District race has become a perfect example of why internal political polling can confuse voters. David Trone has a poll showing him ahead. April McClain Delaney has three polls showing her ahead. Both campaigns want you to believe their numbers. So let’s slow down and take a look at what we actually know. Barry O’Connell/The Maryland Wire.
MO CO MOM SAYS CHILD’s GRADUATION MARRED WHEN PREFERRED NAME NOT USED: Betsy Mendelsohn is the proud mom of a new Montgomery high school graduate. But she says her child’s graduation was marred when their legal name, not their preferred name, appeared on the graduation program. Addressing Montgomery County Board of Education board members who attended the ceremony Tuesday, “you saw my kid and every trans kid get outed in the commencement program,” Mendelsohn said. Kate Ryan/WTOP-FM.
PG GOVT PLAZA REMAINS CLOSED MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION: A $10 million public plaza outside Prince George’s County’s main government building remains closed months after completion, drawing criticism from a Maryland top fiscal official and raising questions about how the project was planned and executed. The site includes a playground, brightly colored seating, cornhole boards and a dog park — but no visitors. Brad Bell/7News WJLA-TV News.
A MEETING OVER COFFEE, AND TAXPAYERS PAY $205,000: Former Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan sued a former county employee in 2024 because she believed he abused his power while trying to curtail her own, according to court documents unsealed last week. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE CARRIES THIRD HIGHEST BOND DEBT IN MARYLAND: As Baltimore voters prepare to decide this fall whether to authorize another $280 million in city borrowing, data shows the city already carries one of the heaviest bond debt burdens in Maryland. According to Maryland’s 2026 Debt Measures Report, Baltimore City has approximately $4.1 billion in outstanding bond debt, the third-highest total among Maryland jurisdictions, behind Montgomery County, at $8.9 billion and Prince George’s County, at $5.8 billion. Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
AMTRAK NORTHEAST CORRIDOR SHUT AFTER BARGE HITS BRIDGE: Thousands of rail passengers traveling between Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York faced delays Saturday after a barge struck Amtrak’s Susquehanna River Bridge, forcing officials to temporarily halt train traffic along one of the nation’s busiest passenger rail corridors. Brian Carlton/The Baltimore Sun.
AFTER 30 DECADES, KIM COBLE TO RETIRE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY: After three decades in Maryland environmental politics, Kim Coble revealed Thursday that she will be retiring from her role as executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. Coble has led the environmental nonprofit for the last seven years, a consequential period that included the passage of Maryland’s signature climate law, the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
DISBARMENT IS AN ATTORNEY’s CAREER DEATH SENTENCE: Disbarment — the equivalent of a law career death penalty — is the most serious sanction the Maryland Supreme Court can mete out. Reprimands and suspensions are far more common. A review of Maryland attorney discipline records found that while most disbarments stem from mishandling client money or neglecting cases, a small number involved criminal conduct ranging from armed robbery to document forgery. Ruben Castaneda/The Baltimore Sun.
