ENVIRO GROUPS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED CHANGES TO STATE BUILDING CODE: A handful of environmental groups, and at least one legislator, are raising alarm about proposed changes to Maryland’s building code for new large commercial sites, arguing that the state’s amendments would weaken the national energy code that it is supposed to follow. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
MD & VA BOTH STUNG BY TRUMP CUTS, BUT ONE ECONOMY DOES BETTER: Maryland and Virginia lost nearly the same number of federal workers during the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce last year. But one state’s economy appears to be responding very differently. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE AGENCIES NEED MORE COORDINATION TO BOOST SOCIAL EQUITY: State agencies are doing a good job of individually offering social equity programs that benefit everyone, but the state lacks the coordination to boost the effectiveness of those programs statewide. That was among the findings in the first report by the new Department of Social and Economic Mobility, established in October at a time when the federal government under President Donald Trump is pushing to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ROXBURY BRAWL POINTS TO SHORT-STAFFING AT PRISONS: A July 4 weekend brawl at Roxbury Correctional Institution in which eight inmates were stabbed and hospitalized has renewed scrutiny of conditions at state prisons, with a lawmaker and labor leaders saying it points up short-staffing problems. Will Hammann and William Ford/Maryland Matters.
FEDS SUE CITIES TO END ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES: As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on illegal immigration, states and cities that have pushed back with so-called sanctuary policies have faced a barrage of lawsuits from the U.S. Department of Justice. In just the past three months, the administration has sued at least a half dozen jurisdictions, including Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, a county in Michigan, and the city of Philadelphia, for seeking to place limits on the activities of ICE agents. Shalina Chatlani/Maryland Matters.
WERE MOORE’s CAMPAIGN PROMISES AMBITIOUS ENOUGH? Gov. Wes Moore has repeatedly pointed to the campaign promises he fulfilled as evidence of his effectiveness in office. But political scientists say some of Moore’s highest-profile promises also illustrate a broader question for voters: How ambitious were the commitments he made on the campaign trail? Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE’s LATEST MISSION IS TO ELECT MORE BLACK DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS: Many see Gov. Wes Moore building a profile and allies for a future national run as he bounces around the country campaigning for other candidates, raising money and doing media interviews. He’s often mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. But Moore also has a distinct personal mission for some trips, including his latest: electing more Black Democratic governors. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
McCLAIN DELANEY-TRONE RACE HIT $23.2M IN TV AD BUYS ALONE: Disclosure reports filed with the FCC show incumbent Rep. April McClain Delaney and challenger David Trone spending a combined total of $23.2 million for TV media purchases throughout the campaign, as they relentlessly criticized each other while seeking to rebut the other’s attacks. Trone — who vowed to spend “whatever it takes” to reclaim the seat he held from 2018 to 2024 — outspent McClain Delaney on purchase of TV time by about 2-1: $15.62 million to $7.56 million, according to filings with the FEC. Louis Peck/Bethesda Today.
MARYLAND AIR QUALITY RETURNS TO NORMAL – SORT OF: Air quality and weather in Maryland somewhat returns to normalcy — for now — after thick smoke, damaging winds and rainfall collectively hammered the region on Saturday. Air quality for much of the state is at moderate levels, while western Marylanders are under a Code Orange where conditions are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. Darreonna Davis/The Baltimore Banner.
BA CO COUNCILMAN, NOMINEES SEEK TO EXTEND DATA CENTER MORATORIUM: Baltimore County’s pause on data center development could go on longer than originally planned. Council member David Marks said Thursday that he plans to introduce legislation in August that would extend the county’s data center moratorium by six months. The current moratorium expires no later than Jan. 1, 2027. Sapna Bansil/The Baltimore Banner.
- Seven Democratic nominees for Baltimore County Council jointly called for an extended moratorium on data center development Friday as government officials eye solutions in the growing debate. Raquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
PRINCE GEORGE’S, OTHERS WEIGH RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS AGAINST DATA CENTER BENEFITS: As local governments reckon with the role they want data centers to play in their communities, Prince George’s County is no exception. The County Council enacted a two-year moratorium on data center development to buy more time to reach consensus on a path forward, following pauses in Montgomery, Howard, Frederick and Baltimore counties. The council is weighing residents’ concerns about data centers against the county’s need to generate revenue. Marijke Friedman/The Baltimore Banner.
ARUNDEL SCHOOL POLICY CLASHES WITH PARENTS’ BELIEFS: An Anne Arundel County Public Schools policy that protects students’ right to be called by their chosen name at school is the target of a federal lawsuit filed by parents who say it conflicts with the family’s religious beliefs. Jessica Calefati/The Baltimore Banner.
SOME OVERGROWN CEMETERIES FALL OUTSIDE STATE OVERSIGHT: Nearly hidden along Chapel Road in Havre de Grace, a lone marble headstone leans beneath a tree, surrounded by leaves, clipped branches and deer bones. The headstone belongs to Cpl. Louis H. Hill, a soldier in the U.S. Colored Troops who fought for the Union during the Civil War. In 1997, Maryland created the Office of Cemetery Oversight to protect burial grounds, but abandoned and religious cemeteries fall outside the agency’s jurisdiction, leaving graves like Hill’s with no one legally responsible for their upkeep. Shaela Foster/The Aegis.
CECIL BOARD PROBES SHERIFF EMPLOYEE SOLICITATION OF GIFT FOR SON: The Cecil County Police Accountability Board is investigating an embattled county sheriff’s office employee after he solicited and accepted a four-wheeler for his 7-year-old son’s birthday in January. According to Maryland law, the county’s code of conduct and the international policing code of ethics, law enforcement officers should not solicit or accept gifts from the public. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE TEAM REFUSES TO COMPLY WITH NEW RUGBY RULES ON TRANS ATHLETES: Harper Ockert, 24, wrapped her left knee with tape, stabilizing her joint for the jarring hits to come. She had struggled to sleep the night before, but her anxiety was not strictly about the game. She and her teammates were preparing to defy newly enacted rules set by the sport’s governing body. Ockert is a transgender woman who plays for the Ferals — the women’s-plus team within the Baltimore Flamingos rugby club. Three of her teammates are trans women, too. Kyle Goon/The Baltimore Banner.
