MOORE, FERGUSON JOSTLE FOR POLITICAL ADVANTAGE IN REDISTRICTING FIGHT: Gov. Wes Moore has a difficult, but not insurmountable, path to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts. With the House of Delegates apparently on board with the governor, Moore needs to find 24 votes in the 47-member Senate to add Maryland to the list of states redrawing their congressional maps to gain partisan advantage ahead of the 2026 elections. But Senate President Bill Ferguson put his 34-member caucus on record against redistricting on Oct. 28 with a three-page letter outlining a series of arguments against it. Bryan Sears and Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
MANY SPEAK AGAINST CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING: Members of Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting advisory commission sat stone-faced Friday as dozens of Marylanders weighed in for two hours, most suggesting that redrawing the state’s congressional boundaries is a bad idea. Some residents supported redistricting.The majority, however, argued the existing maps should remain as they are. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
‘SAIL LOCAL GUY’ TO CHALLENGE SEN. BILL FERGUSON IN PRIMARY: Baltimore social media influencer and small-business owner Bobby LaPin — known to his followers as the “Sail Local Guy” — will challenge one of Maryland’s most powerful politicians, Senate President Bill Ferguson, in the Democratic primary in June. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND SHERIFFS ASSISTING ICE AT FAST RATE: Sheriffs in Maryland are assisting President Donald Trump’s administration in carrying out his immigration policy at a faster clip than almost every other part of the country. Maryland sheriffs have transferred at least 119 people from their local jails to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since Trump’s inauguration back in January. Aline Behar Kado, Haley Parsley and Raphael Romero Ruiz of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
CAREGIVER SAYS SHE THOUGHT FOSTER YOUTH WAS SLEEPING: A caregiver contracted to watch a 16-year-old foster youth who died in a Baltimore hotel room told police that when she initially couldn’t wake up the girl, she thought it was because she was a “heavy sleeper,” according to a Baltimore police report. Almost five hours later, the caregiver said she tried again, but found Kanaiyah Ward with “no visible signs of life.” Jean Marbella/The Baltimore Sun.
SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND TO GET $65.5M ATHLETICS FACILITY: At $65.5 million, the largest construction project in the Maryland School for the Blind’s 172-year history revolves around a new athletics facility, which will have a combined gym and auditorium for both sports and theater, a strength-training room, a new changing room and two pools, bringing swimming back to the school for the first time since the pandemic. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.
EDITORIAL: FEDERAL TAX CODE GOES AFTER GAMBLERS: Annapolis, like state governments across the country, has cracked open Pandora’s Box with sports betting. … Whether you’re a die-hard gambler or just trying to watch the game, the pressure to wager is nonstop. And for a lot of impulsive gamblers, especially men in their 20s and 30s, it’s become a costly habit. … But … we’re not here to bash the legalization of sports betting. Starting Jan. 1, the federal tax code is about to quietly turn on gamblers. Editorial Board/The Baltimore Sun.
OP-ED: SEIU LOCAL 500 ENDORSES MOORE, FOR STRONG LEADERSHIP: Whether it’s in our school cafeterias or institutions of higher education, the good work our members of SEIU Local 500 do is under constant attack from Washington. That’s why we care so deeply about who represents us in Annapolis, and why we put so much effort into deciding who to endorse for state and local office. That’s also why our union has chosen to endorse Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller for a second term. Pia Morrison and Travis B. Simon/The Baltimore Sun.
COLUMN: VAN HOLLEN, ALSOBROOKS AVOID TALK OF REPLACING SCHUMER: Neither Maryland senator is getting in front of calls to replace Chuck Schumer as Senate minority leader. As criticism of Schumer’s leadership rises after Democrats’ collapse on the shutdown, you have to strain to hear anything but loyalty from Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
OP-ED: MARYLAND DOESN’T NEED ANOTHER UTILITY MONOPOLY: Baltimore families are struggling to keep up with soaring electricity bills. Over the past decade, BGE rates have nearly doubled, leaving residents, small businesses and local governments paying more and more each month. Instead of focusing on improving reliability or reducing costs, BGE’s new CEO is pushing for something even riskier: getting into the power generation business. Make no mistake, this is not about lowering bills. It’s about expanding monopoly power. Del. Brian Chisholm/Maryland Reporter.
MO CO EXEC HOPEFULS WEIGH IN ON HOUSING, SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE: Candidates for Montgomery County executive staked their positions on issues ranging from economic development and housing affordability to aging public school infrastructure during a Saturday forum organized by the Montgomery County Civic Federation. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
HARFORD COUNCIL PREZ VINCENTI CHALLENGING CASSILLY FOR EXEC: Patrick Vincenti, who has served on the Harford County Council since 2014, launched his campaign for county executive in September with the goal of being a “great uniter” in Harford County, following what he says has been three years of “controversy, division and disrespect” under a fellow Republican, County Executive Bob Cassilly. Matt Hubbard/The Aegis.
FREDERICK EXEC ASKS FOR $2.5M FOR SHUTDOWN HELP: Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater is asking the county council to approve $2.5 million for a new nonprofit grant and emergency funds for food banks to keep shelves stocked amid an increase in service-use caused by the federal shutdown. Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
RELIABILITY PROJECT SEEKS TO STOP LANDOWNERS FROM HUNTING: The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project’s developer wants federal courts to give it the authority to temporarily ban landowners from hunting on their own properties. The electric company is concerned this year’s hunting season poses a threat to their land surveyors. The MPRP is a controversial 70-mile power line that could cut a 150-foot-wide tract across Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties. Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
MacKENZIE SCOTT AGAIN DONATES TO MARYLAND HBCU; BOWIE GETS $50M: MacKenzie Scott has continued her gift-giving spree at historically Black colleges in Maryland. The billionaire philanthropist gifted $50 million to Bowie State University, the largest contribution in the school’s 160-year history, officials announced Friday. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
UNDER TRUMP, HOPKINS DOUBLES SPENDING ON LOBBYISTS: As the Trump administration last spring cut research grants and foreign aid funding, the Johns Hopkins University escalated its spending on federal lobbyists. The university, which has seen losses of around $1 billion since President Donald Trump took office in January, has nearly doubled its lobbying budget, spending nearly $1.3 million in the first nine months of this year. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
BOB ERLANDSON, SUN FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, POLITICAL REPORTER, DIES AT 94: Robert A. “Bob” Erlandson, a retired London correspondent for The Baltimore Sun who also covered Maryland political corruption in the 1970s, died of a stroke Nov. 7 at Sinai Hospital. The Towson resident was 94. Jacques Kelly/The Baltimore Sun.
Bill Ferguson and his caucus are the only level headed Dems Talking about redistricting. Everything he said is accurate and correct. But there’s all these people letting their emotions get the best of them because “We must do something!” Well gerrymandering our state even moore is not the solution. We alrady did do something we gerrymandered a state of 7-1. If we anted true “Fair Maps” we would have a map of 4 solid dems, 2 sold repubs and 2 purple districts. That’s what a “fair map” would look like. This idea has already been accomplished pre-Texas being a-holes. Now people want to double down and make it worse? It’s completely ignorant to go this route. Bill Ferguson KNOWS its a waste of time, waste of money, and highly likely to be unconstitutional under Maryland Law and constitution. Period. I dare the Dems to redistrict, because the Repubs have a higher chance to gain out of this action than the Dems have to gain an 8th seat and for the court to find them to be legal as well.
People may be upset about BGE wanting to build Nuclear Power Plants, but no one else is doing! We need power generation and at this point we don’t have time to sit here and be all like well we want more cheaper power but not that company. The DEMS screwed us with these shitty electric laws, we’re here because of that. we need someone with the balls and resources to build more power plants or we are going to end up like California with regular Brown Outs and who wants that?