WHERE DOES MARYLAND STAND WITH DATA CENTERS? Maryland’s usual economic engines — education, health care and the federal government — are under strain after Trump administration funding cuts. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has been working to lure companies in the quantum computing, life sciences, aerospace and defense industries. That means welcoming the data centers that have become common in those sectors. More than 30 already are operating, and more are proposed. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.
POLICE LOG 1.1B LICENSE PLATE READS IN 2025 WITH FLOCK CAMERAS: Law enforcement agencies across Maryland recorded more than 1.1 billion license plate reads last year through a growing network of automated Flock cameras that can help police find stolen cars and wanted suspects — but can also create detailed records of where motorists travel. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
MEASLES OUTBREAKS HIT THREE MARYLAND COUNTIES: Maryland health officials declared a measles outbreak in three counties on Monday after 14 new cases were reported, bringing the total this year to 31. The new cases in St. Mary’s, Carroll and Cecil counties represent a stunning increase for a state that has had relatively high vaccination rates. There were three cases in all of last year — and just 10 cases total in the prior decade. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE PENSION ENDS CARE SERVICE FOR QUADRIPLEGIC RETIRED WORKER: A retired Maryland woman with severe disabilities says that after working hard her whole life, the state ripped away her caretaking services when she needed them most, “without a single phone call.” Carroll County resident Denise Ovelgone, 64, hasn’t been able to walk since she was a small child. She had only limited use of her arms until a bad fall 10 years ago left her fully quadriplegic. The frustrating part, Ovelgone says, is that the state pension she earned while she could still work is the very reason the state is no longer providing care. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
$4 MILLION FIX DIDN’T REPAIR NURSE LICENSING SYSTEM: Two years ago, nurses from across Maryland trekked in person to a Northwest Baltimore storefront day after day in hopes of getting or renewing their licenses. The state’s online system was bogged down, and no one was answering their calls. Things got so bad that state health department officials took over the independent Maryland Board of Nursing. New leadership came aboard, consultants weighed in, and recently, advanced technology was deployed. But this summer, the complaints returned. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
U.S. SUPREMES LIFT PAUSE ON TRUMP MAIL-IN BALLOT ORDER: With just over two months until the November midterms, the U.S. Supreme Court gave way Monday for President Donald Trump to have a hand in regulating mail-in ballots nationwide, a voting method he has falsely claimed is rife with corruption since he lost the 2020 presidential election. Ashley Murray/Maryland Matters.
COLUMN: OH THE PLACES IN MARYLAND THAT MOORE GOES TO: Sometimes I wonder if Gov. Wes Moore reads Dr. Seuss’ classic, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” for inspiration. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. His personal narrative is like that. So, I wasn’t surprised when my colleagues Lee O. Sanderlin and Pamela Wood examined four years’ worth of Moore’s calendar entries to reveal that one out of every five days, he ventures beyond Maryland. But that’s only part of Moore’s busy itinerary. By his circle’s accounting, he’s made 1,100 trips around Maryland since becoming governor. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
SIERRA CLUB BACKS JAWANDO FOR MO CO EXEC: The Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club on Friday announced it is backing Democrat Will Jawando for Montgomery County executive in the Nov. 3 general election — a shift from the June primary election cycle, when the group’s Montgomery County arm endorsed Evan Glass. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
FORMER HARFORD COUNCILMAN EXHAUSTS APPEALS TO REGAIN SEAT: A former Harford County Councilman is not backing down from claims he was wrongfully removed from office after entering a no contest plea to felony theft charges, even after the Maryland Supreme Court rejected his case Friday. The high court’s decision ends the nearly two-year effort by Dion Guthrie, a Democrat, to overturn his removal from office in 2024 after pleading nolo contendere to felony theft charges from the union where he was a longtime officer. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
EX-FEDERAL CORRUPTION PROSECUTOR HIRED BY B’MORE STATE’S ATTY: The Baltimore state’s attorney’s office has tapped a former federal corruption prosecutor to investigate the leak of witness information in a high-profile murder case. Christine Goo has been sworn in as a new assistant state’s attorney. But Goo is not a routine new hire. Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Banner.
TEEN IN ICE HIT-AND-RUN TURNS HIMSELF IN: Howard County Police say a teenager turned himself in on Friday in connection with a hit-and-run incident involving ICE agents in Columbia on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Jimy Samuel Alfaro-Godoy, 18, is being held on multiple traffic charges, according to the police department. Dominick Philippe-Auguste/WMAR-TV News.
CUNNINGHAM FALLS REOPENS AFTER NO EVIDENCE OF RABID BEAVERS FOUND: After two rabid beaver attacks this summer led to a nearly monthlong closure, Cunningham Falls State Park fully reopened on Monday, after no evidence of more rabid beavers was found. Swimming at Hunting Creek Lake, a popular day-use area of the park, had been closed since a beaver bit a 13-year-old swimmer on July 26. More areas were closed 10 days later, following an Aug. 5 attack on a 19-year-old fisherman. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
GLAMPING OR CAMPING? GATES OPEN AT STATE’s NEWS PARK: The yurts are open for business. This Friday, the gates will officially open at Maryland’s newest state park, Savage Highlands, unlocking some 55,000 acres of Western Maryland woodlands outside of Frostburg for public use, free of charge. But already, online bookings are open for overnight stays at four small but luxurious yurts — at a cost of about $200 per night — as well as $20-a-night primitive campsites along the property’s hiking trails, complete with a fire ring, picnic table and bear-proof storage container. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
