AUDIT: AG’s OFFICE LACKS TRACKING PROCEDURES FOR PAYING OUTSIDE COUNSEL: State auditors are calling for tighter controls and monitoring of outside law firms hired by state agencies, after finding a lack of procedures in the attorney general’s office make it difficult to track millions paid to nearly 100 firms. The 26-page review of the Office of the Attorney General by the Office of Legislative Audits also found the agency paid nearly $2 million for a case management system that has yet to be fully implemented as required by the now-expired contract. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND POSTS 4th HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF JOB LOSSES FOR YEAR: Maryland was one of nine states and the District of Columbia that lost jobs in the year ending in September, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The District of Columbia suffered the largest percentage job loss, down 3.5% or 25,800 jobs. Virginia and Maryland, also home to large numbers of federal workers, posted the third- and fourth-highest job losses for the year. Virginia lost 25,600 nonfarm jobs, a 0.6% loss, while Maryland lost 13,900 jobs over the year, a 0.5% loss in the state workforce. Tim Henderson/Maryland Matters.
23 PUBLIC, CATHOLIC SCHOOL MAKE STATE BLUE RIBBON LIST: Maryland has named 23 public and Catholic schools as its 2026 Blue Ribbon Schools a year after the U.S. Department of Education abruptly discontinued a similar program that honored high-performing schools across the nation each year. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
IS MOORE COMMITTED TO A SECOND FOUR-YEAR TERM AS GOVERNOR? Gov. Wes Moore once gave voters an unequivocal promise: If reelected, he would serve all four years of his second term. But now, with Election Day approaching and speculation about his presidential ambitions intensifying, the Democrat is declining to make that same commitment. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
NEW AD SAYS VOTE FOR MOORE BUT AGAINST QUESTION 3: A new ad in Maryland’s redistricting fight borrows Gov. Wes Moore’s slogan and colors to make a case that the governor surely will not approve: Vote against Question 3 on this year’s ballot. A newly formed political action committee called Truth for Maryland has ads on streaming TV services that encourage voters to vote “yes for Wes” but also “against Question 3.” Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
HARRIS OUTBURST BOOSTS SCHWARTZ’s COFFERS: Dan Schwartz hadn’t finished his debate with Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Harris when new campaign donations started arriving. They picked up in the days after Harris scolded the debate audience and reporters, Schwartz said — more than 3,400 contributions from donors in Maryland and across the country. The debate has become a turning point in the race for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, though it may not change the outcome, with two handicappers shifting Maryland’s only Republican district from “safe Republican” to “likely Republican.” Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
PUBLIC HEALTH FORUM FOCUSES ON GUN VIOLENCE, AI, SOCIAL MEDIA: A daylong public health forum in Baltimore on Tuesday touched on health challenges that likely aren’t found in any medical textbook: gun violence, artificial intelligence, social media and “the ravages of Washington” under the Trump administration. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
BA CO COUNCIL OKs RAISES FOR ITSELF, COUNTY EXEC: Baltimore County taxpayers will spend nearly $1.33 million a year on salaries for their next county executive and County Council members — nearly double what they pay now — following a decision to substantially boost elected officials’ compensation just two weeks before Election Day. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
- The 4-2 vote raises their part-time salary of $69,000 a year to a full-time one of $119,750, a 73.6% increase, as each council member’s district becomes smaller. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
BALTIMORE COUNTY LOGS HIGHEST NUMBER OF EVICTIONS IN STATE: Baltimore County evicted more residents than any other jurisdiction during the 2025 fiscal year, state data shows. The county recorded more than 4,300 evictions, according to data compiled by the state’s housing department and the District Court of Maryland. The reasons are complex. Céilí Doyle and Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
NEW 293-ACRE STATE PARK OPENS NEAR SANDY POINT: Maryland will start accepting online reservations Nov. 6 for a new park overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, less than 10 miles from downtown Annapolis and a stone’s throw from Sandy Point State Park. The sprawling, 293-acre property, known as Holly Beach Farm, boasts wooded hiking trails, small bayfront beaches, farm fields and a 9-acre freshwater pond — along with scenic views of cars and trucks humming along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and sailboats and ships passing beneath it. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
INNER HARBOR REDEVELOPMENT REPORT PAINTS SOMBER FINANCIAL PICTURE: MCB Real Estate’s ambitious plan to remake the Inner Harbor, with some of Baltimore’s priciest apartments and office space, may struggle to attract investors even if it is awarded one of the largest tax breaks in city history, according to a confidential report commissioned by the Baltimore Development Corp. Lee O. Sanderlin, Emily Opilo and Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.
