BA CO EXEC OLSZEWSKI ANNOUNCES RUN FOR RUPPERSBERGER’s SEAT: Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said Tuesday that he would run for Congress, ending widespread speculation about his ambitions for higher office and launching what he says will be a campaign focused on continuing his county-level work and uplifting Baltimore County’s “incredible story.” Lia Russell/The Baltimore Sun.
- Olszewski kicked off his campaign by releasing an announcement video online, introducing himself by his nickname, “Johnny O,” and pledging that in Congress, he’d work to forge compromise “without compromising our values.” Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
MAN WHO WON CASES AGAINST FED AGENCIES RUNS FOR 6th CONGRESSIONIAL: Small-business owner and Hagerstown resident Altimont Mark Wilks — who successfully sued two federal agencies that he said discriminated against him because of his criminal history — is seeking the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s 6th District in Congress. Ceoli Jacoby/The Frederick News Post.
LAWMAKERS TO ADDRESS YOUTH CRIME WITH MORE ACCOUNTABILITY: On Wednesday, top lawmakers in Annapolis will provide their answer to the outcry for public safety when it comes to crimes committed by children and unveil their plans to build more accountability into the juvenile justice system. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
FERGUSON TELLS BUDGET PANEL TO USE SCALPEL: Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said he has instructed the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee to “pull out the scalpel” as it reviews Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget. Moore proposed the $63.1 billion budget two weeks ago and claimed millions in “rebasing” — he deftly avoided the word cuts. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
HOUSE PANEL TALKS GUARANTEE COLLEGE ADMISSION: Less than a week after a Maryland Senate committee reviewed a proposal that would require four-year public colleges and universities to guarantee admission for first-year students, a House subcommittee discussed the same issue Monday during an overall review of higher education in the state. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE PUSHES $15M TO ADDRESS CHILD POVERTY: In 2022, approximately 160,800 Maryland children lived in poverty across the state, according to data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center. Gov. Wes Moore (D) is pushing legislation in the 2024 session to provide $15 million in state funds to help bolster communities with higher rates of child poverty. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MOORE, MILLER TALK TO STUDENTS ON GUN VIOLENCE: Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller visited Glen Burnie High School Monday afternoon to tour the campus and speak with students about their exposure to gun violence and what could be done to make their communities safer. At a private roundtable discussion, Moore, a Democrat, heard directly from students who have personally experienced the effects of gun violence. Brian Jeffries/The Capital Gazette.
IF ALSOBROOKS WINS CARDIN’s SEAT, REPLACING HER BECOMES INTERESTING: Depending on the outcome of this year’s U.S. Senate election, there could be a special election in Maryland for a county executive position in early 2025. If Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) wins the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D) in November, there are three scenarios for replacing her in county government. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
NICK MOSBY TESTIFIES TO LYING TO WIFE ABOUT DEBT: Nick Mosby, while serving as a member of the Baltimore City Council in 2014 and 2015, falsely claimed thousands of dollars of charitable deductions on his taxes, federal prosecutors told a judge Monday. Mosby claimed he gave a total of $36,000 to charity in those tax years, but federal prosecutors said an expert reviewed his and his former wife Marilyn Mosby’s financial records and found they didn’t have enough money between the two of them to give that much away. Alex Mann and Jean Marbella/The Baltimore Sun.
- Nick Mosby must convince the jury he lied to his now ex-wife for years about mounting debt and a concealed IRS lien – thereby establishing his wife’s “innocent spouse” defense for signing false mortgage applications – but he also must persuade jurors that he’s now telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Fern Shen and Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
PARK SCHOOL CANCELS ISRAEL-GAZA WAR ASSEMBLY, ZOOM DISCUSSION: Students at The Park School of Baltimore were five minutes into a Zoom call with two Swarthmore College professors – one Palestianian and the other a Jewish Israeli citizen – on Friday when the screen went black. School leadership had shut down the internet. The video call was an attempt by some students to take matters into their own hands when school leaders abruptly canceled an assembly on the war in Israel and Gaza. The school’s leadership wasn’t having it. Kristen Griffith and Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
GENE NEFF, LONGTIME PUBLIC WORKS OFFICIAL, DIES AT 91: Gene L. Neff, a veteran public works official who once oversaw Baltimore City’s garbage collection, sewers and street maintenance, died Jan. 24 at the Gilchrist Towson Center after suffering a fall in 2023. The Timonium resident was 91. In 1976, he went to work for Public Works for Baltimore County. In 1986 he was named the county director and chief engineer and he worked under county executives Ted Venetoulis, Dennis Rasmussen, Dutch Ruppersberger and Roger Hayden. Jacques Kelly/The Baltimore Sun.
FORMER SUN COLUMNIST PETER JAY DIES AT 83: Peter A. Jay, a Harford County farmer, writer and a longtime Baltimore Sun columnist who was active in environmental issues, died of heart failure Tuesday at the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. The Churchville resident was 83. Frederick Rasmussen/The Baltimore Sun.
