HIGHER GAS TAX COMING AMIDST INFLATED PRICES: Marylanders will be paying slightly more at the pumps next month as an increased state gas tax goes into effect on July 1. The tax will rise by roughly six-tenths of a penny to 46.6 cents per gallon, according to a release from the comptroller of Maryland’s office, signaling a modest increase and reversal from the slight decline seen in 2025. Motorists will be paying that on top of a federal tax that amounts to 18.4 cents per gallon. Shayla Colon/The Baltimore Banner.
VAN HOLLEN SENDS WARNING ABOUT OUTSIDE MONEY IN 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACE: Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is warning voters in the open 5th Congressional District race about millions in special interest money backing state Del. Adrian Boafo. The race is one of Maryland’s most competitive after U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer announced earlier this year that he was stepping down following four decades in Congress. John-John Williams IV/The Baltimore Banner.
TRUMP TO PUMP $700M INTO COAL POWER IN THE STATES, BLASTS RENEWABLE ENERGY: The federal government will spend $700 million on building or refurbishing coal power infrastructure across the country in a boost to “clean, beautiful coal,” President Donald Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office. A defunct plant in Maryland would also be restarted. Those projects would be funded with $200 million in Department of Energy grants. Jacob Fischler/Maryland Matters.
RISING COST OF FUEL, OTHER GOODS SQUEEZE ALREADY STRAINED ABORTION FUNDS: The increasing costs of fuel for cars and airplanes are adding extra strain to abortion funds, including Maryland, that help people pay to travel for care in other states, leaders of several funds said this week. Abortion funds can help when someone must travel from their home state to a state where care is available. Kelcie Moseley-Morris/Maryland Matters.
SOME MD FEDERAL WORKERS LOSE CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTION WITH NEW ORDER: Federal workers in Maryland will lose civil service protections after President Donald Trump signed an executive order reclassifying some employees’ status. The executive order converts about 8,000 federal workers into at-will employees, which means they can be fired without any reason. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
PERKINS PATIENTS MISTREATED, REPORT CLAIMS: Patients at Maryland’s Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center are frequently restrained for hours and struggle to receive proper, timely medical care, a watchdog report published Wednesday found. Luke Parker/Baltimore Sun
COURT FILING SHOWS ATTAR SOUGHT TO USE CASE EVIDENCE IN CAMPAIGN: Maryland Sen. Dalya Attar, a Baltimore Democrat facing federal conspiracy and extortion charges, sought permission to publicly acknowledge confidential evidence from the case as part of her reelection campaign, according to a court order filed this week. A federal judge rejected the request. Maggie Trovato/The Baltimore Sun.
MEET THE EIGHT REPUBLICANS VYING FOR GOV. MOORE’S REELECTION BID: Maryland’s Republican gubernatorial primary race is a crowded one, with eight candidates competing to go head-to-head with likely Democratic nominee Gov. Wes Moore in November. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
AA CO ORPHAN’S COURT JUDGE REMOVED BY STATE SUPREME COURT: The Supreme Court of Maryland removed Judge Marc Knapp from the Anne Arundel County Orphans’ Court on Thursday, effective immediately. Knapp was accused of arguing with a fellow judge, demonstrating implicit biases and undermining confidence in the judiciary. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
MO CO SCHOOL BOARD CUTS 415 POSITIONS TO CLOSE $36M MCPS BUDGET GAP: In a 7-1 vote during a contentious school board meeting, the Montgomery County school board on Thursday adopted a $3.72 billion fiscal year 2027 budget for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), agreeing to cut 415 positions to close a $36 million spending gap. Ashlyn Campbell/Bethesda Today.
QUEEN ANNE’S CO. JOINS FIVE OTHERS IN FIGHT AGAINST DATA CENTERS: Queen Anne’s County is joining five other Maryland jurisdictions in fighting against data center development. On Thursday, the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners approved a temporary 12-month moratorium on the approval and processing of applications for data centers. The measure went into effect immediately. JT Moodee Lockman/CBS- Baltimore .
ANNE ARUNDEL LIFTS SEWER MORATORIUM: Anne Arundel lifted a sewer moratorium that had blocked development in North County since early March, Democratic County Executive Steuart Pittman announced Wednesday. Pittman’s announcement stated that the county, along with the Maryland Aviation Administration, will “borrow unused wastewater treatment capacity” from BWI Marshall Airport to divert sewage as the county works to build a solution. Sanya Wason/Baltimore Sun
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