MARYLAND DEMS HOPE NEW VOTING LAW HOLDS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING: Maryland Democrats expressed relief Wednesday that they were able to maneuver the Maryland Voting Rights Act of 2026 into taking effect Tuesday, just one day before the U.S. Supreme Court gutted racial redistricting aspects of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. But they were also apprehensive that the high court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could wind up hindering the full impact of the new state law, which was designed to protect against a ruling like the one the court handed down Wednesday. Rhiannon Evans/Maryland Matters.
- On Wednesday, the Supreme Court delivered an opinion sharply weakening a major portion of the federal Voting Rights Act. Even before the decision, Republicans and Democrats across the country were scrambling to get ahead of the court’s anticipated ruling. Jonathan Shorman/Maryland Matters.
END OF BRIDGE CONTRACT RAISES QUESTIONS ON PROJECT’s FUTURE: A high-stakes reset of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild is raising fresh doubts about when — and at what cost — the project will be completed, after Maryland officials abruptly cut ties with a major contractor and declined to provide details about what went wrong. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
HEALTHCARE-SOCIAL AID IS A LEADING JOB CREATOR, BUT FACES STRAINS: Healthcare and social assistance is the largest industry and leading job creator in Maryland, employing about 427,000 people with 51,000 new jobs added since 2022, but there are strains on the industry, says a new report from Comptroller Brooke Lierman’s office. Among them are an aging workforce, high vacancy rates in some professions and likely cuts in federal funding when the state’s population is aging and needs more care. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
UMCP ELIMINATES 150 JOBS, INSTITUTES HIRING FREEZE: The University of Maryland, College Park, will eliminate up to 150 jobs and enact a hiring freeze this year as a result of reduced state funding and uncertainty about federal research funding. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE HOUSE CANDIDATES FOR CHARLES COUNTY SEATS PACK ELECTION FORUM: They only got 30 seconds for introductions, closing remarks and answers to about a dozen questions, but even at that it took two hours to work through the 14 State House candidates who showed up for a candidate forum in Charles County Wednesday night. The forum, hosted by the Charles County Chamber of Commerce, drew the bulk of the 18 candidates for state Senate or House of Delegates seats from the county, with less than eight weeks to the June 23 primary. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
PENSION BOARD SEEKS PUBLIC TRUSTEES: The Board of Trustees for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) is seeking two trustees, one each from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County. Public Trustees serve a three-year term, from July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029. The Board holds fiduciary oversight of the ERS for the sole benefit of members and beneficiaries. County residents interested in serving must submit a statement of qualifications and resume, by 5:00 p.m. on May 27, 2026 to [email protected]. For more information, contact [email protected] or (301) 454-1415 or
visit us at ers.mncppc.org.
BALTIMORE COUNTY EXEC CANDIDATES SPAR OVER ISSUES: Baltimore County executive candidates sparred over experience, ties to housing developers and the county’s overall direction during a forum at Goucher College on Wednesday. Participating candidates included Democrats Julian Jones, Izzy Patoka, Nick Stewart, Pat Young and Mansoor Shams, as well as Republican Kimberly Stansbury and unaffiliated candidate Rob Daniels, who is seeking nomination by petition for the general election. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
TWO YOUNG BLACK MAYORS FORM A UNIQUE BOND: Brandon Scott, 42, of Baltimore, and Justin Bibb, 39, of Cleveland, are some of the youngest Black mayors ever elected to lead their cities. They’re part of a “natural brotherhood,” the Baltimore mayor said. Of the nation’s 50 most populous cities, 14 are led by Black mayors, according to the African American Mayors Association. This month, Scott was sworn in as president of organization, which includes more than 500 leaders of cities of all sizes. John-John Williams/The Baltimore Banner.
SAN FRANCISCO PROSECUTORS DECLINE TO CHARGE 4 B’MORE COPS: San Francisco prosecutors declined to bring charges against four Baltimore Police officers who have been under investigation in the California city after a woman says she reported a sexual assault that took place there. Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Banner.
TWO STATE HIGHWAY WORKERS KILLED THREE DAYS APART: Two Maryland highway workers were killed in separate crashes three days apart — and the union representing them is blaming the state, saying roadside safety has been treated as optional until someone dies. The first worker was killed Saturday morning as he was setting up safety cones on Interstate 495 in Prince George’s County. Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
- A highway worker died Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a car on Route 13 in Somerset County, according to Maryland State Police. The worker was sitting inside his work vehicle parked at a highway maintenance project on the northbound side of the roadway at about 12:40 p.m. when, “for reasons unknown,” a woman driving a Dodge Caravan collided with the rear of his car. She and her passenger were taken to the hospital; the worker died at the scene. Shayla Colon/The Baltimore Banner.
HER CELLS MAY CURE MONTGOMERY MOTHER OF SICKLE CELL DISEASE: Over a half hour, a pale pink collection of stem cells immersed in a preservative dripped from a small bag through a line into Jessica Ceja’s arm. They were her cells, reengineered in a New Jersey lab with one goal in mind: a cure for her painful and destructive sickle cell disease. About 5,000 people in Maryland are living with the disease, the fifth-highest number of cases in the nation that has about 100,000 cases total. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
