AUDITS FOUND STATE IS OWED $42M IN UNRECOVERED PAYMENTS: The Office of Inspector General for Health conducted almost 1,400 audits and investigations over the last four years that found more than $42 million in improper or unrecovered payments — but those reports have only recently been posted for public review. Those findings by the Office of Legislative Audits came in its first evaluation of the inspector general’s office since it was made independent from the Department of Health in 2022. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
OCEAN CITY DRAWBRIDGE OMITTED FROM $21.9B TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Maryland’s proposed $21.9 billion transportation plan includes a multibillion-dollar Bay Bridge replacement and smaller Lower Shore safety and transit projects but no money to replace Ocean City’s aging U.S. Route 50 drawbridge. The plan for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 focuses on safety, maintenance and economic growth. Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE PROPOSES AI REGULATIONS: Gov. Wes Moore announced a series of proposals to regulate the artificial intelligence industry in the state on Tuesday, joining the national conversation about what government should do about the rapidly improving technology. “With the speed with which AI is moving, Marylanders deserve guardrails that safeguard their rights, privacy, and dignity,” Moore said in a statement Tuesday morning as he headed to New York City to speak about AI on a Clinton Global Initiative conference panel. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
AS VOTING BEGINS, WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THE PROCESS? As Maryland voters begin casting their ballots this week, state Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis is working toward a smooth elections process. Here’s a rundown on what to expect from voting, by mail or otherwise, and key dates this year. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE, UM OFFICIALS CELEBRATE OPENING OF QUANTUM RESEARCH CENTER: State officials, University of Maryland leaders and quantum research representatives celebrated the opening of the Microsoft Quantum Research Center in the university’s Discovery District Tuesday. The lab is the latest step in the state’s Capital of Quantum initiative, launched in January 2025 to accelerate investments in quantum computing research through a public-private partnership between the state, the university and the private sector. Pera Onal/Maryland Matters.
ATTY GENERAL TO REPRESENT MOORE IN SMITH DEFAMATION LAWSUIT: The Maryland Attorney General’s office is representing Gov. Wes Moore in a defamation lawsuit brought against him by David Smith, co-owner of The Baltimore Sun. Maryland law provides state officials with a state-funded legal defense under certain circumstances, but Smith’s lawyers contend Moore was acting as a private citizen when he made the statements. Smith alleges that Moore falsely said during a June 16 appearance on MS NOW that Smith “was invested in by Jeffrey Epstein.” Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
NEXT GEN NUCLEAR POWER PLANNED FOR APG: Aberdeen Proving Ground could become home to a commercial nuclear power plant and natural gas generation under an Army project that would bring next-generation nuclear technology to Maryland while adding electricity to the regional power grid. Karl Hille/The Baltimore Sun.
POLL: GERRYMANDERING OPPOSED BY MOST MARYLANDERS: An effort by Democrats to rewrite the standards for future congressional redistricting efforts apparently isn’t sitting well with a plurality of Maryland voters, according to a new poll conducted by Republican and Democratic polling firms. The poll also found 57% of voters surveyed oppose gerrymandering in Maryland and there is support for letting unaffiliated voters cast ballots in primary elections. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
BALTIMORE COUNTY EXTENDS MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS: Baltimore County will extend its pause on data center development through the end of 2027, giving county officials more than a year to continue weighing community concerns and potential guardrails on the facilities. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
BA CO COUNCIL OKs CITY INCINERATOR AGREEMENT: The Baltimore County Council on Tuesday narrowly approved an agreement that will keep sending massive quantities of garbage to be burned in a city incinerator for years, possibly another decade. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE MAYOR APPEALS RULING ON TURNING OVER CITY RECORDS TO IG: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is appealing a court decision ordering his administration to hand over city records to the inspector general. A notice of appeal was filed late Monday, just hours after retired Baltimore Circuit Court Associate Judge Pamela White set deadlines for the city to begin producing records in the dispute. A filing with the Appellate Court of Maryland is expected Tuesday. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.
AFTER EACH SETBACK, HARBORPLACE REDEVELOPMENT FOES REGROUP: They lost at the ballot box. Their effort to put another question before voters failed. A planned lawsuit fizzled. But opponents of Baltimore’s $900 million Harborplace redevelopment have kept fighting, regrouping after each setback and now joining forces again in a lawsuit challenging the project and proposed demolition of the landmark waterfront pavilions. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
INDIGENOUS COUNCIL WITHDRAWS FROM BAY PROGRAM TALKS: The Indigenous Conservation Council, which is made up of representatives from the seven federally recognized tribes in Virginia, announced that it will withdraw from talks with the state-federal partnership that guides the Bay cleanup effort. The tribes will no longer hold discussions with the Chesapeake Bay Program after nearly two years of exploring how the ICC could become a fellow governmental signatory, or voting member, on the program’s top policymaking body, the Chesapeake Executive Council. Lauren Hines-Acosta/The Bay Journal.
