STATE WORKERS UNION SUES MOORE, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM FOR WITHHELD RAISES: Union leaders filed an unfair labor practice claim and said they were also filing suit against the governor and the University System of Maryland over recent layoffs and negotiated pay raises for university workers that have been withheld. Will Hammann/Maryland Matters.
MINNESOTA PRINTER RESPONSIBLE FOR MAIL-IN BALLOT ERROR: Representatives at a Minnesota printing company took full responsibility Thursday for an error that required 447,000 mail-in ballots to be resent to Maryland voters and vowed new procedures had been put in place to ensure no future problems. Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.
MOORE SAYS MARYLAND PRISON KILLINGS ‘A TRAGEDY’, BACKS CORRECTIONS HEAD: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday acknowledged that the state’s high rate of prison killings is a problem, but was light on specifics of how to address the problem. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
PRIMARY RESULTS FOR FEDERAL, STATEWIDE RACES OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED: It’s official: The Maryland State Board of Canvassers certified the results Thursday of last month’s primary election in state and federal races. William J. Ford/Maryland Matters.
ELECTION BOARD CHAIR ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE, NEW CHAIR TAKES THE REIGNS: Maryland State Board of Elections Chair Michael G. Summers announced Thursday that he will leave the board on July 31, leaving the five-member board evenly split for now between Democratic and Republican members. Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.
LEGISLATIVE AUDIT FINDS SOCIAL SERVICES FALTERING IN DETERMINING SNAP, OTHER BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY: The latest fiscal compliance audit of the Maryland Department of Human Services and its oversight of taxpayer-funded assistance programs found the state sent out thousands in improper benefits payments. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
MOORE HIGHLIGHTS POLICE TECH IN ANNE ARUNDEL AMID STATEWIDE CRIME DROP: Crime rates are falling in Maryland, something that Gov. Wes Moore attributes to the improvements and continual investments in technology. Sanya Wason/The Baltimore Sun.
TOP ELECTIONS OFFICIAL ASKS STATE PROSECUTOR TO INVESTIGATE PREDICTION MARKETS: Maryland’s top election official is asking the state prosecutor to investigate the legality of prediction market platforms. The letter comes weeks after Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis issued a strong warning about wagering on the outcome of elections in the state, which is illegal. Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.
ADVOCATES, REGULATORS BOTH CALL FOR REFORMS AT POWER GRID OPERATOR PJM: As federal energy officials met Thursday for a daylong conference on PJM Interconnection, Maryland legislators and advocates rallied outside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to express concerns about the multistate grid operator. Mayah Nachman and Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
A DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN TEAM UP FOR A NONPARTISAN RACE: Democrat Lisa Maisano and Republican Julie Walsh are teaming up to run for seats on Carroll County’s school board, pitching themselves as a slate who can steer the conversation away from national politics and back to local issues like budgets, school renovations and appropriate use of technology in classrooms. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
AS STATE WARNS OF FISCAL CLIFF, COUNTY LEADERS SAY ROADS AREN’T FUNDED FAIRLY: Republican Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly has joined other Harford leaders in urging the state to devote more funding to local roads, citing the state’s new gas tax increase and what they see as a longstanding imbalance in how Maryland funds transportation. Bryna Zumer/The Aegis.
COMMENTARY: REDISTRICTING CAN SAVE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY: The Purge: How the Freedom Caucus Is Shrinking the GOP Into Irrelevance — And Why August’s Redistricting Fight May Be Their Reckoning. Barry O’Connell/The Maryland Wire.
