Local government

COLUMN | If Mayor Jared Littmann picks acting Chief Amy Miguez, she would not only be the first woman to hold the job permanently but she would be the first chief to rise through the ranks since Bernard Kalnoske died of a heart attack in 1980. It is not a sure thing.

Days after a judge ordered ICE to allow unannounced congressional oversight, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin toured an “overcrowded” holding area in downtown Baltimore — and said the conditions he saw were a “bad situation.”

When performer costs went over budget, Baltimore City officials did not submit the new cost to the Board of Estimates for approval.

New research concludes the problem is likely a localized issue and that Baltimore is a “dramatic outlier” in Maryland.

Many of the more than 100 people who testified on the county executive’s capital budget proposal said it underfunds schools and parks.

IG Isabel Cumming said 104 of her 324 investigations would have been affected by new records rules put in place by Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration.

Baltimore County Councilman Wade Kach said he regrets missing meetings, but added: “If I thought for one minute that I was shortchanging my constituents in my district, I would resign.”

Facing multiple questions from the community about why he fired former Annapolis Police Chief Ed Jackson, Mayor Jared Littmann said he hates the optics of firing the city’s second Black police chief during Black History Month.

After more than an hour of pointed back and forth, the Annapolis City Council voted 6-2 on Monday night to approve legislation that will allow the mayor to hire a deputy chief of staff.

The Wilde Lake Village board chair canceled another public meeting, so Columbia residents held their own.

Montgomery County Council members say the bills to limit ICE are constitutionally sound, but the group is prepared for federal pushback.

Washington County commissioners declared support for the conversion of a sprawling warehouse outside Hagerstown into a proposed federal immigration detention facility on Tuesday.

The bill comes as other jurisdictions across Maryland have grappled with a push to increase the state’s immigrant detention capabilities.

The Edmondson Community Organization in 2024 filed a lawsuit that challenged Baltimore’s tax sale system.

While the savings would vary from resident to resident, property owners who see moderate growth in the value of their homes would benefit most.

Baltimore Gas and Electric has called on Maryland leaders to pass legislation allowing the utility to build and own power plants — an ask it’s underscoring with ads during NBC’s Olympics and Super Bowl coverage.

Despite the federal government’s targeting of blue states, Jamie Raskin is touting a small victory after securing more than $16.5 million in federal funding for Montgomery County.

Advice from the Office of Attorney General says that inspector general access is limited by Maryland public records law.

The bill, championed by City Council President Zeke Cohen during his tenure as a council member, went into effect Jan. 1.

The Howard County Council unanimously voted Thursday night to block a private immigrant detention center nearing completion in Elkridge.