Baltimore's public safety committee will consider bills to require police to record ICE encounters and to ban private immigration detention centers in the city.

A replica of the Christopher Columbus statue toppled and dumped into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in 2020 has been installed inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Italian American groups signed a loan to move the piece to the White House complex.

Dorchester County’s state’s attorney race closed with no candidates after the incumbent declined to run, leaving party committees to pick nominees for November. The empty ballot spot highlights a small office with a heavy caseload.

Top Democrats say pausing the gas tax would gut hundreds of millions in road and transit funding even as pump prices surge nearly 90¢ in a month. The split leaves lawmakers weighing short‑term relief against longer‑term budget harm.

MONSE director Stefanie Mavronis defended the SideStep pilot after an inspector general report raised questions about invoices, billing and data tracking.

The Maryland Senate passed SB 334 to bar future sales of pistols that can be converted into automatic weapons. The measure now faces the House and likely legal fights.

A federal appeals court sent the long-running negligence suit against DeRay McKesson back to a jury, reviving claims tied to a violent turn at a 2016 Baton Rouge protest. The order deepens a test of how state tort law and the First Amendment collide.

A Commerce report says Maryland incentive programs supported about 24,000 jobs in fiscal 2025, with manufacturing taking the largest share of the gains.

Prince George’s Del. Adrian Boafo has launched a bid to replace Steny Hoyer and already holds Hoyer’s endorsement. The crowded Democratic primary heads to a June 23 vote.

State engineers say they found gaps and a pattern of falsified inspection records tied to a former BGE inspector, and consumer advocates want a broader PSC probe. City leaders want answers on safety and whether ratepayers were billed for unverified work.

Baltimore approved a $1.6M contract with McAfee Election Services to staff the 2026 elections — an emergency, no‑bid deal officials say will be the last of its kind amid warehouse and reporting concerns.

House Bill 1418 would bar Maryland schools and contractors from hiring or keeping employees charged with certain serious crimes after local reporting exposed vetting gaps. Sponsors point to a state audit and Harford County cases as the rationale for a statewide fix.

Maryland’s comptroller has launched a state study to quantify the fiscal costs of greenhouse‑gas driven damage and adaptation; draft briefings start this spring and a final report is due late 2026.