Maryland state government and elections news- The Baltimore Banner
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State government

    Students and other attendees hold signs during a joint bill hearing for Gov. Wes Moore's proposal to scale back a statewide education plan.
    Moore’s effort to reshape statewide education plan hits major opposition
    The strong opposition leaves little chance that Moore’s legislation — which would reduce the total increases in spending by $1.6 billion over four years — will remain unchanged before it gets a legislative vote.
    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore takes questions from reporters on the first day of the General Assembly session in the Maryland State House in Annapolis in January.
    President Trump appoints Gov. Moore to governor’s council
    The delegation advises on state and federal partnerships for the country’s disaster response efforts, support for military families, cybersecurity and federal budgetary decisions.
    The Iron Bridge Wine Co. in Columbia currently has a Class D liquor license, which allows sales for both on- and off-premises consumption, but co-owner Steve Wecker wants to experiment with shipping a selection of wine bottles to clients’ homes.
    Should Howard County expand liquor laws for movie theaters and taverns? State lawmakers are considering it
    Maryland lawmakers are weighing an expansion to Howard County’s liquor laws that would pave the way for movie theaters to serve alcohol as well as for licensed taverns to offer delivery service.
    A Montgomery County Police Department drone — with four blades and cameras — rests on top of a heavy plastic case.
    As Baltimore County Police eye drones, delegates consider restrictions
    Other jurisdictions in Maryland use drones to assist police work, but not as first responders.
    The child care industry struggles to attract educators.
    How Maryland legislators would fix the child care workforce shortage
    Since the pandemic, Maryland has hemorrhaged day care and preschool teachers. These are some of the ways the state can rebuild its early childhood workforce.
    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, shown at his State of the State speech this month, needs the buy-in of lawmakers for his plans to revamp the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education plan.
    Moore’s proposed education revamp faces key test
    On Wednesday, Maryland lawmakers will begin reviewing Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed revamp of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s plan to improve public schools.
    The Old Treasury Building lights up and early winter evening in Annapolis with the State House dome illuminated behind it. The state is restoring the colonial building.
    It’s the Maryland tax hell argument again. This time, it might be different.
    Is Maryland a tax hell? This question has defined the conversation about taxes and spending in Maryland for decades.
    A’Nya Lucas, a senior at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, rides the bus across Baltimore, MD on Nov. 14, 2024. Lucas’ bus ride takes over an hour.
    We tracked every MTA bus Baltimore students ride to school. Here’s how.
    This first-of-its-kind analysis shows it’s nearly impossible for city students to get to school on time every day on public transit.
    Del. Kathy Szeliga, a Baltimore County Republican and vice chair of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, speaks during a press conference hosted by the caucus in Annapolis on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.
    Maryland’s MAGA Republicans like what they’re getting so far from Trump 2.0
    Maryland’s own Freedom Caucus says so far, so good on Trump agenda
    A Union member with the International Longshoremen’s Association and Local 333 leads chants outside the Dundalk Marine Terminal during a strike on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 in Baltimore, MD. Chants included, “What are we gonna do? Shut it down!” And “We want our money!”
    Letter: Maryland needs a constitutional amendment to protect workers' rights
    A proposed bill to allow Marylanders to vote on a constitutional amendment to allow workers to collectively bargain would protect them against anti-union actions, both locally and nationally.
    Illustration of two sets of prison bars and door to solitary cell overlapped by silhouette of trans woman with a ponytail.
    Maryland inches toward reforming trans prisoner policies as it pays out legal settlements
    Trans prisoners make up a fraction of Maryland’s incarcerated population, but nearly half of its settlement payouts last year. Efforts to reform policy have been slow.
    Then-Del. Frank S. Turner at the 2014 dedication ceremony of the fields at Blandair Park in his name.
    Frank Turner, Howard County’s first Black delegate, dies at 77
    Frank Turner, who served as Howard County’s first Black delegate for over two decades, died early Friday morning. He was 77.
    The Maryland House of Delegates on opening day of the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, Md., on Wednesday, January 8, 2024.
    Maryland House passes bill on health, sex education requirements
    The largely party-line vote represented the third year in a row that state delegates have sought to weigh in on curriculum.
    Gov. Wes Moore responding to questions during an event at Bowery Farming in Nottingham, MD. 03/06/2024
    Gov. Moore posts job help for Maryland’s federal workers
    The digital hub lists legal resources, job hunting support and ways to get financial help, and it reminds job seekers that the state of Maryland is hiring.
    Members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus hold a press conference in Annapolis to discuss their proposed energy legislation on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.
    Live coverage: Trump backers support cutting Maryland’s federal jobs
    Now in the sixth week of the legislative session, lawmakers face several lengthy bill hearings as they consider policy changes large and small.
    Marando Warthen looks down the row at his lawyers and others who accompanied him to Wednesday's Board of Public Works Meeting.
    State apologizes, awards $3 million to man wrongly imprisoned for murder
    Marando Warthen won an official apology and $3 million in compensation from the state of Maryland on Wednesday, after serving decades in prison for wrongful murder convictions in 1984.
    Violent assaults in Maryland prisons jumped by more than 50% last year.
    Violent assaults are spiking in state prisons. Could body cameras be a solution?
    Drugs? Staffing? Lack of air conditioning? Maryland corrections officials and union members differ on reasons behind surge in violence.
    A new housing complex in Bowie.
    Poll: Maryland voters cite housing as top concern
    Two polls in the last month found housing was the top concern.
    One of the two concrete-encased reactor vessels at Constellation’s Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center in Lusby.
    Constellation to spend $100 million upgrading Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant
    The Baltimore-based energy company is looking to relicense its Southern Maryland reactors beginning in the 2030s.
    WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 07: U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is expected to attend Super Bowl this weekend in New Orleans between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
    Maryland agencies checking access to federal funds daily under Trump
    Access to funding from bipartisan Biden administration initiatives has also been paused, officials say.
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