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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

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.
Wes Moore loves going fast. Government doesn’t.
Moore’s claims about rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge — part of his political persona as an outsider who can get big things done — seem to be slipping from his grasp.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks earlier this year at the Francis Scott Key Bridge site on the second anniversary of the bridge’s collapse.
Prosecutors drop abduction charge against Tristan King’s great-aunt
Denise Day now faces only a misdemeanor charge after allegedly helping Tristan hide for nearly six months while he was considered missing.
Denise Day, right in a photo from 2015, now faces only a misdemeanor charge after allegedly helping Tristan King, left, hide for nearly six months while he was considered missing.
Son of former Baltimore City Councilman Robert Stokes killed in apparent murder-suicide
The son of Robert Stokes Sr., who represented East Baltimore on the City Council, was killed in Washington, D.C.
Robert Stokes Jr., 42, was killed in the early hours of April 9, 2026, in Northwest Washington.
Winners and losers of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session
From Senate President Bill Ferguson to Gov. Wes Moore and the poor megalodon, here are those who came out on top and those wishing things went differently at the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session.
Plenty happened at the State House over the past 90 days. Who is thrilled and who is wishing things went differently?
Chaos in Annapolis as time runs out on 2026 General Assembly session
It was a sour end to a General Assembly session that saw lawmakers pass a balanced budget without tax increases, clamp down on cooperation with federal immigration authorities and provide modest relief on electric bills.
Del. Jason Buckel, House minority leader, left, yells into his microphone during a chaotic screaming match in the final minutes of the House of Delegates’ session at the Maryland State House on Monday.
Lawmakers approve Utility RELIEF Act, saving Marylanders $150 on power bills
Top Maryland Democrats outlined a deal Monday to offer consumers swift relief on soaring energy bills.
From left, Del. Marc Korman, House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Gov. Wes Moore, Senate President Bill Ferguson and Sen. Brian Feldman hold a press conference to announce an agreement to advance the Utility RELIEF Act through final passage on Monday.
Maryland legislature passes major foster care reforms after teen died in hotel
Maryland lawmakers on Monday voted to prohibit the use of hotels and other unlicensed settings for children under state care, part of a series of foster care reforms.
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025 — Residence Inn Baltimore at The Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, 800 N Wolfe St.
Maryland Democrats turned Exelon into a punching bag. The real fight is just starting.
Exelon, whose subsidiaries include Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and Potomac Electric Power Co., became a punching bag — in one case literally — for Democrats looking to establish populist bona fides in an election year defined by affordability.
The 21-story, mixed-use Constellation Building serves as the headquarters of Constellation Energy and a regional office for the Exelon Corporation.
Ivan Bates claims Brandon Scott endorsed him. But did he?
One Baltimore Democrat endorsing another is usually a nothing burger, but in this case, there’s so much beef.
Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates and Mayor Brandon Scott chat on October 17, 2024 before sitting on a panel discussion about gun violence at the historic Clifton Mansion.
Proposed Baltimore soccer stadium will not receive state funding in 2026
Plans to bring professional soccer to Baltimore took a hit after legislation to build a soccer stadium stalled out in Annapolis.
The Maryland Stadium Authority studied the possibility of building a soccer stadium on the Carroll Park Golf Course.
Baltimore Police arrest Tristan King’s great-aunt on abduction charges
Denise Day, Tristan King’s great aunt, was charged with abduction of a child under age 16 by a relative and with harboring a child.
Tristan King.
Missing Baltimore boy Tristan King was found. What happens now?
Tristan is now in a specialized foster home, his grandmother said.
Tristan King was taken to a Baltimore hospital for an evaluation and has since been sent to what’s known as a treatment foster home in Prince George’s County, according to his grandmother.
After nearly 6 months, missing Baltimore boy Tristan King is found
The monthslong search for missing Baltimore boy Tristan King ended Friday morning in the Curtis Bay neighborhood, several people familiar with the case said.
Tristan King.
Everyone has seen Baltimore’s missing boy. So why can’t authorities find him?
Tristan King ran from a caseworker in Baltimore and has been missing since September. Brooklyn residents have seen him, but authorities can’t find him.
Finding Tristan King top priority as officials pledge accountability
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called it “tragic.” Mayor Brandon Scott said the situation has him “pissed.” Baltimore Schools CEO Sonja Santelises is “heartbroken” because of the Tristan King story.
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