36,000 MARYLANDERS LOST SNAP BENEFITS: About 36,000 Marylanders lost their food benefits after Congress passed a law last year that slashed and reworked the program, according to new data from the Maryland Department of Human Services. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides people money to buy groceries. An estimated 42 million Americans rely on the program. In Maryland, over 633,000 residents, nearly 18% of whom are children, use SNAP. The average SNAP benefit is $180 per month, DHS says. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.
LEGISLATION FILED ON REDISTRICTING RULES; HEARING PROCESS OUTLINED: Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson have filed new legislation, officially proposing changes to how state lawmakers can draw legislative district lines. If adopted, the constitutional amendment could set the stage for a new Democratic-leaning congressional map for the 2028 election. Sarah Petrovich/WYPR-FM.
- Marylanders looking to testify during next week’s special session on congressional redistricting will have their chance Monday afternoon, but speakers will be limited and sign-up must be done in advance. Those are among the rules released Wednesday by legislative leaders ahead of the Aug. 3-5 special session, where lawmakers will consider adding a question to the November ballot asking voters whether they would like to change Maryland’s procedure for congressional redistricting. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
FEDS OK SALE OF CHARLES CO COAL PLANT FOR DATA CENTER: Federal regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of an old Charles County coal plant to a Maryland company looking to transform the site into a major data center complex. Approval of TeraWulf’s purchase of the Morgantown Generating Station marks an early step in the Easton-based company’s plan to overhaul the contaminated coal site and use it to power one of the largest server farms in Maryland’s emerging data center industry. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
38 HEAT DEATHS IN 2026 NOW SURPASS LAST YEAR’s TOTAL: Maryland has recorded 38 heat-related deaths so far this summer, already surpassing last year’s total of 36, according to data from the Maryland Department of Health. It is the highest number since 2012, when the state recorded 46 heat-related deaths, largely tied to a windstorm event. Nicole Pilsbury/The Baltimore Sun.
38 MORE CASES OF CYCLOSPORIASIS RECORDED IN MARYLAND: Maryland logged 38 more cases of cyclosporiasis in the past week, bringing the state’s total of tummy-turning parasitic infections to 148. Most cases have been reported since May. And while the increase is concerning, the numbers are nowhere near the thousands of confirmed and suspected cases in the hardest-hit states such as Michigan, which has had more than 10,000 reported cases. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
FORMER DEL BRIDGES TO HEAD MTA: One day after Holly Arnold announced she was stepping down from leading the Maryland Transit Administration, the governor’s office announced Wednesday her replacement will be former Del. Tony Bridges. Bridges will take over Sept. 1 as administrator of the MTA, the agency that manages the state’s MARC trains, light rail, subway and bus systems. Bridges left the legislature in 2023 after Gov. Wes Moore appointed him as assistant secretary for equity and engagement at the state DOT. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
NEW STATE PROGRAMS TO HELP CUT ENERGY BILLS: Gov. Wes Moore announced a new round of energy programs to help Marylanders cut their energy bills and control their own power supply. The Maryland Energy Administration will run the programs intended to offset the increasing electricity bills. The Moore-Miller administration and MEA are taking a multi-pronged approach to move toward the state’s climate goals and help Maryland families at the same time. Aliza Worthington/Baltimore Fishbowl.
OLYMPIAN SEEKS GRAND JURY DOCS IN REFLECTING POOL CASE: David Hearn, the former Olympian who lives in Maryland and is charged with deliberately damaging the the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, is seeking access to all of the closed-door testimony that led to his indictment, pointing to “irregularities” in those grand jury proceedings. Michael Kunzelman/The Associated Press.
REMEMBERING LIVES LOST IN JULY 30, 2016 ELLICOTT CITY FLOOD: Visitors to Ellicott City on Thursday may notice roses scattered along Historic Main Street. They’re likely left by Curtis Brubaker Jr., who makes the hour-and-a-half drive from Dover, Penn., each year to honor his sister, Jessica Watsula, one of two victims of the town’s devastating July 30, 2016, flood. Watsula, 35, was swept into the Patapsco River after floodwaters overtook Main Street. Joseph Blevins, 38, also died after being carried away by the current. Sofia Montoya-Deck/The Baltimore Sun.
- When the dumpsters began to float, Heather Owens and her fiancé, who were waiting out a summer storm in an Old Ellicott City parking lot, realized they needed to leave. Aiming to escape the rising water, Joseph Blevins drove down Main Street, but it was too late. The floodwaters lifted Owens’ Honda Civic and carried it into the Patapsco River.They rolled down their windows and pulled themselves out. The raging river grabbed and tossed Owens, but she clutched a tree branch. She looked back and saw Blevins being swept down the river. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
BGE TO REPLACE 9 MILES OF TRANSMISSION LINE ALONG ROUTE 140: BGE plans to replace an aging transmission line between Finksburg and Westminster. The roughly 9-mile project is expected to follow the Maryland Route 140 corridor. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners is scheduled to receive an informational update on the project during its Thursday morning meeting. Marissa Yelenik/The Carroll County Times.
