BOP OKs PURCHASE OF LAUREL PARK IN MOVE TO BOOST HORSE RACING: The $48.5 million purchase of Laurel Park race track approved by the Board of Public Works Wednesday clears the way for construction of a new thoroughbred training facility and the sale of a Carroll County property bought a year ago for the same purpose. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
IT’s HOT, YOU’re CELEBRATING, STAY SAFE OUT THERE: Record-breaking temperatures forecast for this Fourth of July could pose additional threats during a holiday weekend that already comes with higher risks for injury due to improper firework use and more outdoor activities. State officials and emergency medical professionals are warning Marylanders to keep safety in mind as they celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
- With the July 4 holiday approaching and temperatures climbing to dangerous levels, Montgomery County officials urged residents to take precautions and look out for one another in the coming days. An extreme heat watch will be in effect from Thursday morning through Friday evening, when temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees. The heat index, or “feels like” temperature, is expected to be as high as 110 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
HEALTH DEPT EXPANDS PROGRAM TO AID THOSE WHO ARE HOUSING INSECURE: The Maryland Department of Health is expanding a program that helps housing insecure people find stability and healthcare support. Maryland is adding 1,070 participant spaces for its Assistance in Community Integration Services program. The initiative pairs Medicaid participants with two or more chronic conditions and are facing housing insecurity with case managers. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
MORE ON THE NEW LAWS THAT TOOK EFFECT JULY 1: July 1 marked one of the major effective dates for many new laws in Maryland following the 2026 legislative session. A complete list of legislation being implemented can be found here. The state budget’s fiscal 2027 year also began on Wednesday. Maryland’s new $71 billion budget is an increase of 0.8% over the last fiscal year. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
ATTY GEN BROWN SEEKS END TO ICE PLANS FOR WA CO WAREHOUSE: In a letter to Homeland Security, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown calls for a halt to plans to convert a vacant warehouse in Washington County into a 1,500-bed immigration detention facility, citing concerns about the project’s environmental impacts. “It is clear, based on the state’s own knowledge of the property and its supporting infrastructure, that the proposed action will have a significant impact on the environment and surrounding communities,” Brown wrote to DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “I therefore urge ICE to find alternative uses for this property, including its sale.” Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE & BALTIMORE, MONTGOMERY COUNTIES TO GET NEW SHERIFFS: Last week, sheriff’s candidates in the Democratic primary in Baltimore city and Baltimore and Montgomery counties — Sabrina Tapp-Harper, Clyde Boatwright and Will Milam — either beat incumbents or will replace longtime predecessors. All three have aspirations to modernize the office in their jurisdictions by recruiting more deputies, prioritizing domestic violence response and increasing accessibility to the public. Céilí Doyle, Emily Opilo and Antonio Planas/The Baltimore Banner.
JULIAN JONES: A MAN OF MANY FIRSTS SET TO BECOME BA CO EXECUTIVE: Julian Jones has attained many firsts in his 63 years. He was the first Black lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and division chief in the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, where he spent much of his career. He was the first person elected chair of the Baltimore County Council three times during his 12-year run. And now, Jones is set to become Baltimore County’s first Black county executive. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
HARRIS ON ALLEGED SNAP SCHEME: WHO WAS FIRED? Republican Congressman Andy Harris says he’s still waiting for Gov. Wes Moore to deliver the results of an investigation into an alleged food benefits scheme earlier this year. “I want to know who was fired for even thinking of that kind of scheme,” Harris said. Two former DHS employees told Spotlight in January that high-ranking officials in Maryland’s Department of Human Services discussed a scheme involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
HUMAN COMPOSTING FACILITY OPENS IN HOWARD: Tucked into a nondescript warehouse development in Howard County, along winding roads lined with semi trucks, sits a facility dedicated to the dead. It offers a newly legal service, natural organic reduction, to mourning families — and to living customers looking to settle death arrangements before they go. The 37,000 square foot facility, operated by Earth Funeral, is likely the first of its kind on the East Coast, and it opened in May. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
COLUMN: WHY I LEFT THE BALTIMORE SUN: Former Baltimore Sun political reporter Jeff Barker explains his decision to leave his longtime newspaper home. He writes in his new Substack column, “My credibility is precious. In a sense, it’s all I have. It could all go away if I write irresponsibly or am associated with a publication people don’t know whether to trust.” Jeff Barker/Free State of Mind.
MARYLAND’s NATIONAL MALL EXHIBIT CALLED DISAPPOINTING: Plenty of fairgoers have peeked into Maryland’s tent during the 16-day Great American State Fair on the National Mall — but few have stayed long. “I think they could have advertised themselves much better,” Joan McCuiston said of her home state’s display, suggesting it highlight Maryland history and the Chesapeake Bay. “It’s almost like they didn’t show up.” Marijke Friedman/The Baltimore Banner.
MEMORIAL TO IMMIGRANTS TO REPLACE SUNKEN COLUMBUS STATUE: Nearly six years after protesters toppled a Christopher Columbus monument near the Inner Harbor, John Pica smiled with pride Wednesday as he officially announced the statue’s forthcoming replacement: a marble sculpture of an Italian immigrant husband and wife clutching their infant. Wesley Case/The Baltimore Banner.
- A memorial to Italian immigrant families wasn’t the only idea considered for replacing the Christopher Columbus statue that was thrown into Baltimore’s harbor on July 4, 2020. According to the Italian American group that raised more than $200,000 for a new memorial on the pedestal where the Columbus statue had been, ideas included monuments to Amerigo Vespucci, Mother Cabrini and the D’Alesandro family of Little Italy. Ed Gunts/Baltimore Fishbowl.
