JUDGE STOPS BALLOT MEASURE: An Anne Arundel Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday that Maryland cannot put a ballot question altering congressional redistricting rules before voters in November. State Democrats passed a bill during an August special session that, if approved by voters, would change language in Maryland’s Constitution that may make it easier for lawmakers to gerrymander the state’s last Republican district. Judge Robert Thompson ruled that lawmakers violated their own deadlines for ballot measures. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- The ruling represents an initial win for a set of plaintiffs that included Mike Howell, president of the the conservative Project Oversight, members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus and leaders of the Senate Republican Caucus. Republicans in their lawsuit argued that the General Assembly was constrained by law that established both a timeline and deadline for ballot questions. The law also mandates that the language of the question be simplified for voters to understand. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: JUDGE TOSSES AMENDMENT; ITS LANGUAGE IS A PUZZLE: A state judge Wednesday tossed the state constitutional amendment passed just a few weeks ago, saying the legislature violated its own laws. He was also puzzled by the language voters would see to approve the change in redistricting standards. The Maryland Supreme Court will eventually rule on the matter. Howard Gorrell/Maryland Reporter.
OUTBREAK GROWS; MARYLAND’s HIGH MEASLES VAX RATE IS SLIPPING: Despite Maryland’s relatively high measles vaccination rate statewide, those rates are slipping and varying coverage by county can leave community members exposed to potentially severe or deadly infection. That’s the concern for public health experts and data analysts amid the recently announced measles outbreaks in three counties that have lower vaccination coverage than other counties. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
KEY BRIDGE REBUILD GETS READY: The stage is set for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild. Literally. Crews have largely completed the installation of trestles — overwater, wooden platforms that jut over the Patapsco River — to use during the construction of the bridge. Some Maryland residents complain about the lack of visible progress, but state officials point to the trestles as an essential step in the rebuild. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
- After parting ways with the contractor once expected to build the new Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland is aiming to select four replacement contractors by late next spring. Disagreements over cost compelled the state to break ties in April with the Kiewit Corp., the large Nebraska-based firm that designed the new bridge, and split the construction project into four separate parts. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
COX-MOORE MPT DEBATE SET FOR OCT. 6: Gov. Wes Moore will face his Republican challenger, Dan Cox, in a televised debate in October, both campaigns announced Wednesday. The candidates will face off on Maryland Public Television on Oct. 6. The candidates ran against each other for Maryland’s top job in 2022 and debated ahead of the November election. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
ANTI-DATA CENTER? NO MONEY FOR YOU; HOGAN INSTITUTE BEGINS: Among notable political briefs: At least one Maryland union is taking a hard line against political candidates that oppose data center development, vowing to withhold political and financial support to anti-data center candidates and elected officials. Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) will be one of the featured speakers, with former Delaware Gov. John Carney (D), at the first public event hosted by the Hogan Institute at Washington College. Christine Condon and William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ATTERBEARY HAS A CHALLENGER FOR HOWARD EXEC FROM GREEN PARTY: Vanessa Atterbeary was on track to win Howard County’s executive race unopposed — until a Green Party candidate filed to challenge her last month. Nater Kane of Ellicott City filed to run in late July, a month after the June 23 primary during which more than 22,000 Democrats voted for Atterbeary. The former state delegate was supported by Gov. Wes Moore and easily defeated her three Democratic competitors, Deb Jung, Liz Walsh and Bob Cockey. April Santana/The Baltimore Sun.
JONES HOLDS CASH ADVANTAGE OVER CHALLENGER DYER FOR BA CO EXEC: Julian Jones drained his coffers to win a bruising Democratic primary for Baltimore County executive, yet he maintains a sizable cash advantage over Republican Pat Dyer ahead of November’s general election, new campaign finance reports show. Sapna Bansil/The Baltimore Banner.
BA CO IG OFFICE LOSES MORE PERSONNEL: Gregg Domroe, Baltimore County’s deputy inspector general, has resigned from his role as of Aug. 21. Domroe, a retired FBI agent, said he resigned for personal reasons but will stay on in a temporary, part-time capacity and assist in the search for his successor. Domroe’s exit is the latest in a series of departures since former Inspector General Kelly Madigan left in December to become Howard County’s inspector general. Madigan’s deputy in Baltimore County, Steve Quisenberry, retired in June. Céilí Doyle/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE RESIDENTS WON’T FEEL PINCH OF CITY’s RATING DOWNGRADE YET: Baltimore’s credit rating downgrade won’t immediately change residents’ tax or water bills. But over time, the financial problems behind the downgrade — compounded by potentially higher borrowing costs — could increasingly land on city residents. Brian Carlton and Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE ETHICS DIRECTOR HAD BEEN FINANCIAL GURU FOR AGORA: Among those who work with him at City Hall, Baltimore ethics director J. Christoph Amberger is considered a meticulous researcher with a dry wit. A German-born renaissance man, he’s a competitive fencer and an author who became a lawyer late in life. But few seem to know how the 62-year-old spent the first half of his career: as a bombastic personality dispensing financial advice and hot takes on politics for Agora Companies, a Mount Vernon-based global internet marketing and supplements company. Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Banner.
