EASTERN SHORE UNITES OVER NOT BEING A PAWN FOR GERRYMANDERING: On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the divide between Democrats and Republicans largely reflects the bitter partisanship seen across the country. But even with a high-stakes midterm election on the horizon, rural residents by the Chesapeake Bay, no matter their party, seem united on one front: They don’t want to see their congressional district become a pawn in the game of political gerrymandering. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
OBAMA CUTS AD PROMOTING QUESTION 3: Democrats are turning to their heaviest hitter to convince Maryland voters to support a redistricting ballot question: President Barack Obama. The 44th president recorded a 30-second TV ad in which he speaks directly to the camera, urging Marylanders to vote yes on Question 3, which he says will stop a “Republican power grab.” Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
A QUIET ELECTION YEAR FOR MARYLAND, EXCEPT ON THE LOWER SHORE: Even with most Maryland contests a foregone conclusion, there are still a handful of races for state House and Senate seats that are considered competitive and merit attention. The hardest-fought House races are largely in subdistricts, with a smaller universe of voters – which potentially makes them more volatile and easier to influence. One of those is District 38B in Wicomico County, where County Councilmember Josh Hastings (D) is challenging appointed Del. Barry Beauchamp (R). Democrat Kamala Harris carried the district by 7 points in the 2024 presidential election. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- When many Marylanders go to the polls this fall, they are not likely to cast their ballots in competitive races for the State House — and experts say that has long been the case in the largely Democratic state. Joe Wicke/Capital News Service.
BALTIMORE BANNER’s VOTERS GUIDE: With early voting under way and Election Day just next week, here’s the Baltimore Banner’s statewide Voters Guide. Staff/The Baltimore Banner.
UNDER BLUEPRINT, ATTENDANCE IS UP BUT OTHER BENCHMARKS ARE NOT: The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future dedicated substantially more money and support to high-poverty schools as part of a broader effort to improve student performance, close achievement gaps and reduce barriers, including chronic absenteeism. Five years into the state’s $30 billion, 10-year education overhaul, attendance is improving faster at many of those schools than statewide. But most are not keeping pace with gains in English and math proficiency, a Baltimore Sun analysis found, raising questions about whether the investment is translating into the stronger academic performance legislators promised. Konner Metz/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND STILL CAN’T SAY HOW MUCH IT SPENDS ON OUTSIDE COUNSEL: Maryland officials still cannot say how much taxpayer money the state spends on private lawyers, three months after the Comptroller’s Office said it would try to add up those costs. In July, the Comptroller’s Office said it would review financial records to produce what would’ve been the first statewide estimate. But spokesman Bruce Nilson said that the office “found no records the office compiles that could provide an official approximation” because agencies track their own expenditures. Konner Metz/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND LAWMAKERS TARGETED WITH OMINOUS LETTERS: Almost every member of Congress from Maryland, as well as the state’s elections office, received ominous letters filled with what turned out to be a nontoxic powder at one of their offices in the last week. It makes Maryland offices the latest in a string of such attacks nationwide, just weeks before the Nov. 3 elections. Pera Onal/Maryland Matters.
BAY STATES STRUGGLE ON GLASS RECYCLING EFFORTS: In the European Union, about 80% of food and beverage containers made from glass are recycled. The United States lags far behind, with barely 30% of its glass being turned into new products. That figure may sound low, but many states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed still struggle to achieve it. Jeremy Cox, Lauren Hines-Acosta and Carolyn Beans/The Bay Journal.
DALI CREWMAN TRIES TO RETURN TO U.S. AS REQUIRED; BARRED BY U.S.: One arm of the federal government demands that he stay in the U.S. Another, apparently, won’t let him back into the country. The only Dali crew member facing federal charges in the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster is required to remain in the Baltimore area but was recently allowed to visit his home in India, so long as he returned by last Monday. When he went to an airport, he was barred from boarding his flight — apparently by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to his attorney. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
PG COUNCIL’s FINAL VOTE ON SPHERE FUNDING TOMORROW: In mid-October, the Prince George’s County Council unanimously authorized $215 million in bond financing to support the proposed Sphere project, a 6,000-seat venue that will bring thousands of jobs to the growing National Harbor corridor, bringing the idea one step closer to fruition. A final vote is expected tomorrow, Oct. 27. County Executive Aisha Braveboy has estimated the annual tax revenue from the project to be $63 million. Richard Elliot/The Washington Informer.
LAWMAKERS PRESENT $2M FOR NEW ESSEX LIBRARY: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski took a trip to Essex on Thursday to present a check for $2 million to the Baltimore County Public Library. The funding will help support a new Essex Branch Library, which is being relocated. Baltimore County Republicans Sen. Johnny Ray Salling and Del. Richard Metzgar secured half a million dollars for the project, bringing the combined federal and state funding to $9.5 million. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
MO CO TO REQUIRE POLITICAL APPOINTEES TO SIT ON COMMUNITY MEDIA BOARDS: Community media organizations that contract with Montgomery County will soon be required to have political appointees — but not elected officials — on their boards of directors. The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to pass Bill 33-26, which will currently only impact Montgomery Community Media — the Rockville-based news organization that also has a contract to manage the county’s public access television channels. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
BCPS ENDED SUBSTITUTE TEACHER CONTRACT, SCRAMBLES TO FILL NEED: Baltimore County Public Schools is struggling to find enough substitute teachers just months after ending an outsourcing contract, forcing teachers, administrators and other school employees to cover classes. The system ended its four-year contract with Kelly Education to manage substitutes on July 1. The decision to bring substitute teacher staffing back in-house was among the cost-cutting measures approved last year under former Superintendent Myriam Rogers, Bill Heiser’s predecessor. Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
