State government

A new Fells Point business is teaching people how to cultivate cannabis and selling plants. Is it legal? That answer isn’t so simple.

Surrounded by union workers in Baltimore on Saturday, the governor and mayor pledged to refill the ranks of government employees but offered little evidence of the progress they’re making.

A federal jury found this week that two Anne Arundel County politicians owe a former worker at a gym they co-own nearly $5,000 after she said she was improperly fired.

A key state board approved a revised contract for Maryland’s vehicle emissions stations on Wednesday, allowing the stations to implement a change in the program: New cars, trucks and SUVs will be exempt from testing for the first six years instead of the first three years.

As Democrats under Gov. Wes Moore have remained on track with an approach to governing that allowed them to reclaim single-party rule in Maryland, Republicans continue to grapple with all that went wrong, says Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics and associate professor of political science at Goucher College.

When Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play at Oriole Park on Saturday, the Orioles will be keeping the revenues after the Maryland Stadium Authority opted out of their contractual share. It could be a sign of how the Orioles and the stadium authority will operate when a new lease gets done.

The Public Service Commission decided that residents could choose whether the regulators, which maintain a set pressure in a gas system, can be located outside or inside their homes.

Currently, owners of brand-new vehicles don’t need to go through the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program for the first three years after purchase. That is likely to soon stretch to six years, as the state implements new rules that were adopted earlier this year.

Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones offered up her support to U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks this week, with an announcement at Gwynn Oak Park, the historic park in Baltimore County that was the site of an amusement park that was desegregated 60 years ago.

Taking the guesswork out of eligibility for what’s called social equity licenses, the state will post a verification portal on Sept. 8 where entrepreneurs can check for free prior to paying thousands of dollars to apply for a license.

In court documents, Adam Michael Nettina admitted to sending anti-LGBTQ messages to lawmakers in Maryland and Virginia. One of them was Del. Nick Allen, a Democrat from Baltimore County.

“I want to make sure that this is going to not just produce a winner on the field, but it produces winners off the field — that it’s Baltimore and it’s Maryland that are going to benefit from the deal that’s being done,” Gov. Wes Moore told reporters Wednesday.

Officials with Gov. Wes Moore’s administration say they are “confident about getting to terms” with the Baltimore Orioles for a long-term lease at Camden Yards that could also serve as a catalyst to revitalize the city’s downtown.

The MHEC had previously approved Towson University’s plans, but Attorney General Anthony Brown on Aug. 17 determined that the commission didn’t have enough members present when it voted to overturn a decision by a state official who rejected the program.

Maryland Capitol Police charged the group with refusal to leave public grounds and misdemeanor failure to obey an order. Anne Arundel County District Court Judge Danielle Mosley dismissed all the charges at the request of the county’s state’s attorney, CASA announced this week.

Advocates say it’s a step in the right direction, but more work is needed. Nine percent of all newborns exposed to alcohol or drugs were removed from their parents in 2020, compared to 6% in 2022.

This year 10 lawsuits have been settled at a median amount of $280,000, according to data from the Board of Estimates settlement tracker. At this time last year only 8 settlements involved police misaction, with a median settlement amount of $109,500.

Gov. Wes Moore and the Orioles' chairman are assuring fans a lease deal will get done. And, when that happens, here’s how the team could spend the $600 million.

“I’m going to be transparent and clear-eyed about what we have and what we’re up against,” the Democratic governor said. “I’m going to tell you what it will take from every single one of us in order to come out stronger."

The state has launched a website for people who want to apply for one of Gov. Wes Moore’s signature initiatives, a community service program for young adults.