WILL GOV MOORE SEND MARYLAND DOWN THE SCHOOL VOUCHER ROUTE? Gov. Wes Moore will soon face what could turn out to be one of the most influential education decisions he’ll make as governor. Should he should sign up Maryland for a federal tax credit program that begins in January, which has the potential to raise tens of millions of dollars for both private and public schools without adding to the state’s expenditures? If he opts Maryland into the program, state taxpayers will owe nothing. But deciding to allow the Trump administration’s school voucher program, some experts said, could upend the way we fund schools — even public schools — and launch the state into an experiment with unknown consequences. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
CANDIDATE HALE CALLS FOR A SECOND MAIL-IN BALLOT DO-OVER: Ed Hale, a Republican candidate for governor, is calling on the Maryland State Board of elections to send out yet another round of mail-in ballots, saying the first attempt to fix more than 400,000 ballots just lead to more confusion. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND WOMAN ARRESTED BY ICE GETS HER PASSPORT: The Maryland woman arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in December and held for 25 days despite offering proof of citizenship has been issued a U.S. passport and removal proceedings against her in immigration court have been halted, her lawyers said in a statement Monday. Joe Heim/The Washington Post.
WHEN ICE ARRESTS YOU, WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR CAR? Whenever you leave your house, tell your wife, girlfriend, uncle, mother or father the roads you’re going to take.That way, when ICE arrests you, your family will know where to look for your car. There are plenty of them out there lately, all across Maryland – ghostly relics of immigration raids that happened when there was no one left behind to drive the vehicle home. Haley Parsley of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism/MarylandReporter.
DRIVERS TO SEE ALMOST A PENNY INCREASE IN GAS TAX: Maryland motorists will face an increase in the state gas tax rate starting next month, but whether they notice the change is another thing entirely. New tax rates released Monday by the Office of the Comptroller set the new tax rate on gasoline at 46.6 cents per gallon, a net increase of six-tenths of a penny more than this year’s rate, and the first increase after two year of slight declines. The tax is in addition to the federal tax on gas of 18.4 cents a gallon. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
COLUMN: WHAT JUSTICE CAN & CAN’T DO FOR THE KEY BRIDGE FAMILIES: The long quest for accountability in the Key Bridge disaster took another turn Monday. A federal judge postponed indefinitely a civil trial for the remaining parties seeking to recover economic losses they suffered after a cargo ship destroyed the bridge in 2024, killing six construction workers and disrupting commerce. While Baltimore City, Baltimore County and some businesses will have to wait for any hope of economic restoration, arguably the most aggrieved group — the families of the men killed and the bridge’s lone survivor — settled last week for an undisclosed sum. Leslie Gray Streeter/The Baltimore Banner.
WILL POLITICAL TRUISMS HOLD UP IN THE HOWARD COUNTY EXEC RACE? “Signs don’t vote,” is an old saying in politics. But they sure help a candidate get noticed. “Money talks,” is another old saying. The candidate with the most money often wins. But not always. “Endorsements matter, only when they bring money and manpower,” is another political truism. Will they prove true in the race for Howard County executive. Len Lazarick/Maryland Reporter.
B’MORE, STATE REMAIN DIVIDED OVER JUVENILE JUSTICE APPROACH: Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino remain divided over a sweeping new juvenile justice law that will send more teen offenders into the juvenile system rather than adult court. But during a televised town hall Monday night, both officials delivered the same message: Maryland’s success will depend on agencies working together. Maggie Trovato/The Baltimore Sun.
2nd MARYLAND ENVIRO GROUP SNUBS SEN. KING ON ENDORSEMENT: A second Maryland environmental group has snubbed veteran District 39 Sen. Nancy King (D-Montgomery Village) in favor of her primary challenger, engineer/entrepreneur Amar Mukunda of Germantown, in the June 23 primary election. Louis Peck/Bethesda Today.
MANGIONE SWORN IN AS BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER: The Baltimore County Council is back to seven members after former state Del. Nino Mangione took the oath of office Monday evening to represent the northernmost council district, filling a vacancy after former Councilman Wade Kach resigned in early May. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
ATTY GEN CHARGES REAL ESTATE FIRM WITH DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES: The Maryland Office of the Attorney General has charged a Florida-based real estate firm with deceptive trade practices and other consumer protection-related counts, accusing MV Realty of misleading Maryland homeowners into predatory loan agreements with intentionally obscure terms. Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
The post State Roundup: Will Maryland sign up for federal school voucher program?; candidate calls for second mail-in ballot do-over; Maryland woman, held by ICE for 25 days, gets her passport appeared first on MarylandReporter.com.
