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Lee O. Sanderlin

Lee O.

Lee O. Sanderlin is an enterprise reporter with a focus on power — political and otherwise. Before The Banner, he worked at The Baltimore Sun and newspapers in Mississippi and his native North Carolina.

The latest from Lee O. Sanderlin

Maryland Democrats settle for less after bitter redistricting fight
Lawmakers are holding a special session on redistricting, but it’s too late to affect Trump’s agenda.
From left, Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Gov. Wes Moore and Senate President Bill Ferguson all took different views of congressional redistricting over the past year, but they all ultimately ended up at the same place: revising the state constitution to make map-drawing easier going forward.
Maryland wrongly paid SNAP benefits to $2M lottery winner, incarcerated people
Most eye-popping among the findings was the state’s failure to terminate SNAP benefits for a person who won a $2 million lottery prize in July 2023.
FILE - SNAP EBT information sign is displayed at a gas station in Riverwoods, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)
Sinclair’s David Smith threatens to sue Wes Moore as feud intensifies
An attorney for Smith sent Moore and his communications staff a letter on June 29 demanding that Moore retract a statement and apologize.
David Smith, owner of the Baltimore Sun, is interviewed by Sun photographer Amy Davis on his way to eat at the Atlas Quarter in Baltimore, Md. on Friday, December 20, 2024. Members of the Baltimore Sun’s unionized workforce were there to hand out informational flyers about Smith and his plans for the newspaper.
Downtown Baltimore’s big pit could finally get filled in
The Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development recently issued a code violation to the owner of the former site of the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in downtown Baltimore.
Artificial grass covers the site at 1 W. Baltimore St., where the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre once stood. It’s been a pit for 12 years.
Justice Department sues Maryland over immigration policies
The lawsuit, one of several President Donald Trump’s administration has brought against Democratic-led states and cities, takes issue with the newly passed Community Trust Act.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is named in a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit challenging the state’s Community Trust Act, an immigration law that took effect this year.
Bill Ferguson says he’s learned from his close call. Now comes the hard part.
Bill Ferguson held off Bobby LaPin, but not without a scare. The Maryland Senate president says the race humbled him and exposed weaknesses in how he connected with constituents.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson door knocks in South Baltimore earlier this month. Ferguson says a primary challenge taught him he needed to reconnect with his district.
What we learned from Maryland’s 2026 primary election results
Tuesday’s elections were — mostly — decisive, with winners declared for governor, Congress, county executive and contested House of Delegates races.
Bill Ferguson is interviewed by reporters following his victory speech at his primary election night watch party at the Firefighters Union Hall in Baltimore on Tuesday evening.
Bill Ferguson beats Bobby LaPin in Baltimore state Senate primary
Should Ferguson lose, which polling from both camps shows is unlikely, it would set off a scramble within the General Assembly to fill his role running the state Senate.
Bobby LaPin, left, and Senate President Bill Ferguson.
An insider’s guide to watching Maryland’s 2026 primary results
Maryland’s 2026 primaries feature key battles in Baltimore, major congressional races, and decisive moments for Democrats and Republicans.
A voter leans into their booth  while filling out a ballot on Election Day at Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, MD on November 5th, 2024.
Maryland will own Preakness brand after matching Churchill Downs’ $85 million offer
Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement that his administration has made “historic investments” to ensure the future of Maryland’s racing industry and the $85 million decision will secure a “vital asset for our state.”
Fans watch the Preakness Stakes from the apron at Laurel Park in May.
Case dismissed against great-aunt who hid missing Baltimore child Tristan King
Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said he considered Denise Day’s humanity in the decision.
Denise Day, the great-aunt of 9-year-old Tristan King, had been the only person facing accountability for Tristan’s case.
Wes Moore’s military service is not in doubt. His storytelling is.
Wes Moore’s Army service is central to his political identity. Questions about the Maryland governor’s stories have opened a new fight over facts and credibility.
Wes Moore gives a farewell address to the corps of cadets after serving as regimental commander.
An influencer has Bill Ferguson stressing. Should he be?
Bill Ferguson, long seen as unbeatable, confronts challenger Bobby LaPin in a closely watched Baltimore Democratic primary.
Bobby LaPin, left, speaks with Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson following a 46th District candidate forum in Baltimore earlier this month.
Who is Nasire Best? Alleged White House shooter killed by Secret Service was Dundalk HS grad
The man Secret Service officers shot and killed Saturday near the White House was a Baltimore County resident who struggled with mental health and had shut out those closest to him in recent months, according to friends and court records.
A photo of Nasire Best, shared by a former teammate, shows Best in 2024.
Maryland moves closer to special session on congressional redistricting
Maryland Democrats are in discussions to hold a special legislative session this summer to address legal roadblocks to redrawing the state’s congressional districts.
Senate President Bill Ferguson says he’s having “active conversations” about bringing lawmakers back to Annapolis to take up redistricting.
New documents suggest straw contributions as motive in Attar sextortion case
There have been few clues from federal prosecutors about why a former campaign manager worried the state senator and co-defendants so much — until now.
Maryland State Senator Dalya Attar speaks on the phone in the cafeteria of the Edward A. Garmatz Courthouse after pleading not guilty in federal court to extortion and conspiracy charges in 2025.
Moore and Ferguson had a deal. Then the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.
When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore rolled out dozens of election endorsements Thursday, one name was conspicuously off the list: Senate President Bill Ferguson. A disagreement over redistricting tanked a deal the two Democrats had to endorse each other.
State Senate President Bill Ferguson and Gov. Wes Moore talk during a bill-signing ceremony in April. Their rocky relationship could be getting rockier, because Moore yanked a planned endorsement of Ferguson as they continue to disagree about redistricting.
Kiewit-built Key Bridge could have cost $9 billion
Maryland worked closely for over a year with hired contractor Kiewit on plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge. But at the negotiating table, the parties were billions of dollars apart.
Crane barges are idle at sunrise at the Francis Scott Key Bridge site on the second anniversary of its catastrophic collapse.
After years of sitting on Baltimore’s big pit, will this developer finally get a tax break?
After years of sitting empty, a pit in downtown Baltimore might finally get redevelopment thanks to a new tax break program.
After years of sitting empty, this pit in downtown Baltimore might finally get redevelopment thanks to a new tax break program.
How Maryland special agents started investigating the Attar sextortion case
The details of how Maryland authorities first approached Joseph “Jay” Attar as part of their investigation were revealed in newly unsealed federal court documents.
Sen. Dalya Attar walks to the front of the Senate chamber at the Maryland State House earlier this month.
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