DEEPER DIVE INTO FOSTER CARE REVEALS DISTURBING STATISTICS: Four foster children younger than 5 were sent to live in a hotel. In one month, children who were admitted to psychiatric hospitals ended up staying an average of 107 days after doctors said they were ready to leave. On average, three-fourths of foster children aren’t in a permanent placement after a year, and they tend to move to new ones every 161 days. That is some of the ground-level intel discerned about Maryland’s foster care system as it and other parts of state government go through an annual budget review process over Gov. Wes Moore’s $71 billion spending plan for fiscal 2027. Jean Marbella/The Baltimore Sun.
BILLS WOULD ADD MORE GUIDANCE TO STATE’s HANDGUN ROSTER BOARD: Two bills are set to be introduced in the Maryland legislature would revamp the way the state handgun roster board works, adding what advocates of the bills say are structure and guidance to the process of deciding which guns can be bought and sold in the state. A Second Amendment supporter, however, sharply criticized the bills as unnecessary. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.
DEADLINE LOOMS FOR SENATE TO PASS MOORE’s REDISTRICTING MEASURE: As pressure to redraw congressional district lines builds and the candidate filing deadline looms, State Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, continues to rebuke the proposed maps that could eliminate the only Republican-majority district open the state to unknown legal scrutiny. Katherine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
- He won’t say it in so many words, but Ferguson indicates that legislation to redistrict Maryland’s congressional map mid-cycle might as well be dead, despite growing pressure from some state and national Democrats. “Given the timeline of where things stand, the window of opportunity had closed,” Ferguson told reporters during a Friday news conference. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
- The apparent loss, which Gov. Wes Moore vehemently does not concede, draws a sharp contrast between himself and another potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who swiftly persuaded his state’s legislators and voters to redraw five more Democratic-leaning seats in retaliation for Republican gerrymandering done at Trump’s behest in Texas. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
SNOWSTORM COULD HAMPER CANDIDATE FILINGS: Candidates hoping to file for the 2026 election risk being frozen out by a winter storm that blanketed the state in snow, closing schools and leading the an emergency declaration. Gov. Wes Moore declared state offices closed a little after 7 p.m. Sunday, before backing up an hour later and declaring the state would be open, but on a liberal leave policy. The announcement came with just over 48 hours left before a key filing deadline for the 2026 elections — 9 p.m. Tuesday. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
IMMIGRANT ADVOCATES SAY BAN ON ICE AGREEMENTS DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH: A ban on immigration enforcement agreements in Maryland that was signed into law this week ended years of struggle for immigrant advocates, but they were back in Annapolis Friday to say the struggle is not over when it comes to protecting immigrant communities. Specifically, they said, it is time to end all collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND POLITICS TAKES ON A NATIONAL VIBE: Last year, Maryland’s governor and state lawmakers wrangled over raising taxes, cutting spending and rolling back parts of the state’s public school improvement plan. Maryland politics in 2026 have had a decidedly more national vibe. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
COLUMN: ‘SAVE’ ACT DOES NOT: Republicans in Annapolis want to SAVE Maryland from voter fraud. In Washington, the GOP wants to SAVE America by forcing voters to prove they are citizens. The basic concept sounds reasonable. Right? Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
CARROLL OFFICIALS WORRY STATE HOUSING BILLS COULD CURB LOCAL CONTROL: Carroll County officials are worried that several housing-related bills being considered by the Maryland state legislature — including two that are part of an effort by Gov. Wes Moore to address the state’s affordable housing shortage — could limit local control over housing growth. Lily Carey/The Carroll County Times.
A POTOMAC SEWAGE SPILL FUELS FIGHT BETWEEN TRUMP AND MOORE: Northern Virginians couldn’t have imagined the mess that would ensue when they flushed their toilets over a month ago: one of the largest sewage spills in American history and a bitter fight between the U.S. president and Maryland’s governor. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
- Officials at DC Water, the independent District authority that owns the pipe, believe that workers had to disturb a large amount of rock when they laid this section of pipe more than 60 years ago, rocks they piled back on top of the completed pipe when they covered it with earth. Little did they know, workers in 2026 would be paying the price. When the pipe collapsed last month, many of those rocks tumbled inside. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
SOME MARYLAND BUSINESSES LINE UP TO SEEK TARIFF REIMBURSEMENT: When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs Friday, it opened the door for companies – including those in Maryland — to seek substantial refunds from the federal government for trade levies already paid. Over 1,000 companies have lined up for reimbursement in recent months, including Harford County-based Chesapeake Spice Co. Hayes Gardner and Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND CONGRESSPEOPLE TO BOYCOTT STATE OF THE UNION: Maryland Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Sen. Chris Van Hollen are among a group of Democrat lawmakers who will boycott President Donald Trump’s Feb. 24 State of the Union address and instead attend a “People’s State of the Union” event on the National Mall. Julie Greene/Hagerstown Herald Mail.
ANNUAL BIRD FLU IN EASTERN SHORE CHICKEN FARMS ‘THE NEW NORMAL:’ The poultry industry can anticipate yearly outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza, known as bird flu, as pockets of the highly contagious respiratory virus keep showing up on chicken farms on the Eastern Shore and in other states each year. “Unfortunately, this is the new normal,” said Grayson Middleton of the Delmarva Chicken Association. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
WILL BA CO’s DOUBLED PENSIONS FOR COUNCIL BE REPEALED? Weeks after public outcry emerged about previously approved changes to the Baltimore County Council’s retirement system that would essentially double council members’ pensions, one councilman is seeking to repeal it. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
HARFORD SHERIFF GAHLER FILES FOR REELECTION: Harford Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler has officially filed for reelection, seeking his fourth term as the county’s top law enforcement officer. Gahler, a Republican who has served in the role since 2014, filed election paperwork Tuesday. He said he stands behind his results during his first 12 years in office and that he wants to “make sure our community remains as safe as can be.” Brendan Nordstrom/The Aegis.
HAMILTON CHALLENGES WICOMICO SHERIFF MIKE LEWIS: Scott W. Hamilton has officially announced his candidacy for sheriff of Wicomico County, challenging Sheriff Mike Lewis in his bid for re-election. Keith Demko/The Salisbury Daily Times.
MO CO SCHOOLS, PARENTS SETTLE LAWSUIT ON LGBTQ+ CONTENT: Montgomery County schools and a group of parents who objected to their children receiving LGBTQ+-themed instruction without their consent have reached a settlement of the parents’ lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The settlement includes a $1.5 million payment and new provisions alerting parents to content in course materials, to provide alternative instruction and to give parents an opportunity to opt their children out of the standard instruction. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
- The Montgomery County school board must notify families in advance when the schools plan to use one of the books at the heart of the case — or any similar book — in a lesson. The parents are also entitled to reasonable attorneys’ fees, the order states. Talia Richman/The Baltimore Banner.
COMPLAINTS AGAINST POLICE IN CARROLL DOUBLED BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025: In 2025, 51 complaints were filed against county and municipal police officers in Carroll County — more than doubling the number from the year prior. In 2024, 20 complaints were filed. William Wade, chair of the county’s Police Accountability Board, said he thinks the increase is “not an indicator of a trend,” and is instead due to more people being aware of the accountability board and its function. Lily Carey/The Carroll County Times.
When I was a child, my parents had to sign off on any instruction that was “sexual” in nature. My parents always signed the permission slip. Whether it was instruction on STDs or reproductive systems, ect. Why did Mo Co die on this hill and waste taxpayer dollars defending it? Our schools should be teaching the reproductive system. Not different sexuality preferences of individuals. Even so, if it is taught, just like those other educations it should be signed off by a parent. We shouldn’t be pushing preferences of sexuality in school. Just teach the the basics. This is how your body works. This is the dangers if you engage in sexual activity. This is how a baby is born. Let people discover their sexual preferences on their own. That’s a part of life is discovering who you are.
I really hate that our state continually tries for a one size fits all laws for the state. We used to be very much let the locals run their counties how those communities would like to live. But more and more so our state officials want to implement policies on a state wide basis, local interests be damned. That’s used to be what was so great about our state and part of why i loved living here. The older I get and see more and more draconian democrat policies, freedom is fading more and more in this state. And they say only the repubs do stuff like this, no Dems do it too, it’s just “OK” when its their policies and things they want to push. Don’t fall for that BS. Both parties want to restrict your freedom, just in their own ways.