HOGAN PUSHES TO FAST-TRACK MOBILE SPORTS BETTING: Gov. Larry Hogan wants the state gaming panel to fast-track dozens of mobile sports betting licenses. In a letter to the state Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, the two-term Republican called for sports wagering to begin by Sept. 8. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record.
- Hogan urged the panel to “immediately accelerate and intensify your efforts” to grant mobile licenses. Currently Marylanders can gamble on sporting events only by traveling to a handful of casinos. A small number of sports bars have also been approved and are in the process of getting their betting operations open. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
ANGELOS WIFE: CLAIM THAT SON WOULD MOVE O’s IS ‘FALSE …DIVISIVE:’ Claims that the Baltimore Orioles might leave the city are “false and intentionally divisive,” said Georgia Kousouris Angelos, wife of longtime former Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and mother of the team’s current chairman and CEO John Angelos. In a statement Wednesday, Georgia Angelos said she wanted to “set the record straight” regarding the “false and painful” allegations made by her son Louis Angelos in a lawsuit he brought against Georgia and John last Thursday. Marcus Dieterle/Baltimore Fishbowl.
TOP COURT TO WEIGH CASE ON AMMONIA EMISSIONS: Maryland’s top court will consider whether the state’s environmental agency validly rejected a request from environmentalists that it impose ammonia emissions standards for all poultry feeding operations to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Steve Lash/The Daily Record.
FULL COFFERS, DEM GOV HOPEFULS EXPECTED TO LAUNCH AD BLITZES: Democrats in a crowded race for governor are about to unleash their war chests to vie for the attention of voters who have yet to tune in. Six candidates have the resources to mount significant television ad campaigns before the July 19 contest, according to campaign finance reports released this week. Ovetta Wiggins and Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
- Wes Moore raised $1.9 million from donors and had $1.7 million left in the bank to spend, campaign finance records filed on Tuesday night shows. Peter Franchot raised $301,282 from donors over the past six months and previously garnered $1.6 million through early January. Franchot had $355,104 cash on hand. Tom Perez raised $767,706 from donors and had $375,359 cash on hand. Kristen Mosbrucker/WYPR-FM.
OPINION: ODD COX EXPENDITURE REPORT: Anytime you look at the expenditures for a campaign finance entity, you can get an insight as to how a campaign is being run and what the campaign is prioritizing. In the case of Dan Cox and his campaign, his expenditure report is a case of questionable choices and bad bookkeeping. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
THE YOUGH: AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHOR EXPLORES, AGAIN: Tim Palmer is eager to revisit Garrett County this fall as he researches for an update to his 1984 book, “Youghiogheny: Appalachian River.” Palmer talked of sections proposed for trail development along protected areas of the Yough, which is considered a Scenic and Wild River by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. This year, the Maryland General Assembly set aside $4.7 million for trails. Palmer said the precautionary principle should apply. Teresa McMinn/The Cumberland Times News.
CARROLL JUDGES REFUSE TO HEAR CASES OVER CREDIBILITY ISSUES: The Carroll County legal community is reeling over a decision by the county’s four circuit court judges to refuse to hear cases presented by acting State’s Attorney Allan Culver and the resignation of Deputy State’s Attorney Edward Coyne. The move came after one judge expressed outrage during a hearing that revealed both Coyne and Culver had knowledge that a Carroll County Sheriff’s deputy had potential credibility issues — information that was not shared with other prosecutors or defense attorneys. Lilly Price/The Carroll County Times.
COMPETITIVE FUND-RAISING IN COUNTY EXEC RACES: Some of the most hard-fought elections in Maryland this year will be races for county executive in the state’s largest jurisdictions, including Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Harford. Fund-raising is going strong. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- In the crowded race for Anne Arundel County executive, County Council member Jessica Haire, an Edgewater Republican, leads all candidates with $600,000 on hand. County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Davidsonville Democrat, has $550,000, and former Del. Herb McMillan, an Annapolis Republican, has about $185,000, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday, which track contributions and expenditures between Jan. 13 and June 7. Dana Munro/The Capital Gazette.
- Potomac businessman David Blair is leading the crop of candidates to unseat incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich in fundraising, with a war chest built on $2.95 million in self-financing, campaign filing reports released this week show. Karina Elwood/The Washington Post.
ANALYSIS: ROOMS WITH A HISTORIC VIEW: Sen. Amy Klobuchar noticed right away as the male senators glanced around, wondering how their bipartisan prayer breakfast meeting room had all these pictures of women, powerful women. Where, they wondered, did all this come from? “Well, this is the Barbara Mikulski room now,” the Democrat from Minnesota told them. For the first time in more than 230 years of Senate history, two rooms were formally named last week in honor of women, including Maryland’s former senator, Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving female senator. Paul Kane/The Washington Post.
MOSBY FUND-RAISING LAGGING: In the race to be elected Baltimore City State’s Attorney, two-term incumbent Marilyn Mosby is not raising nearly as much money as Ivan Bates or Thiru Vignarajah, her two Democratic primary challengers, according to campaign finance reports filed late Tuesday. Lee O. Sanderlin and Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
- Mosby brought in just $38,738 in contributions from January through June, a campaign season that was overshadowed by her federal indictment on perjury charges. Vignarajah raised a whopping $600,784, while Bates raised $449,328. Madeleine O’Neill/The Daily Record.
- The Mosby campaign scrambled today to fix the finance report it submitted last night to the State Elections Board, avoiding a potential violation of Maryland election law, but revealing that the campaign raised even less money than previously disclosed following her federal indictment. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
SUPPORTERS OF BA CO SUPER SPEAK OUT: Public figures and community members spoke up at the Tuesday night meeting amid debate over whether Darryl Williams should continue as Baltimore County Schools superintendent, with many acknowledging their support for Williams. Sabrina LeBoeuf and Lillian Reed/The Baltimore Sun.
- State Sen. Charles Sydnor told the board that Williams is being blamed for issues that are affecting school systems across Maryland. “The public would love to understand where he uniquely fell short, and I don’t think the council nor the people who have been trying to make this case have made the case,” said Sydnor, who represents Baltimore County in District 44 as a Democrat. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
