LABOR SECTY RAISES CONCERN OVER SOLVENCY OF STATE JOBLESS TRUST FUND: Maryland’s unemployment insurance trust fund faces potential solvency issues that could worsen in the wake of massive federal employee layoffs or a recession. Labor Secretary Portia Wu told members of the Joint Committee on Unemployment Oversight that the state’s insurance trust fund of $2 billion currently meets federal solvency requirements. But she said that picture could change dramatically with new analysis reflecting economic downturns and unemployment levels that more closely reflect rates during those times. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.

STATE TRANSPORTATION PROJECT GROUP DISBANDED AS IT GOT STARTED: If Maryland wants to build the Baltimore Red Line, replace the American Legion Bridge across the Potomac River on the D.C. Beltway or even just maintain a steady flow of smaller projects that keep roads in good shape and buses going, it needs a long-term plan. The Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs was supposed to help come up with one. But after just a handful of meetings and a set of modest recommendations, lawmakers mysteriously disbanded the group. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.

LOBBYISTS POUR MONEY INTO MESSAGING IN ANNAPOLIS: Corporations, trade groups and nonprofits combined to spend $58 million on lobbying state lawmakers in the last two months of 2024 and the first four months of 2025 — a period that includes the annual 90-day lawmaking session. That was $2.76 million more than the previous year and $9.1 million more than two years ago. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.

AS VISITOR NUMBERS SOAR, MARYLAND PARKS ADDS IMPROVEMENTS: Maryland state parks are in their busy season, with yearly attendance still millions more than before the Covid-19 pandemic. The state’s more than 60 state parks — including beaches, forests, mountains, and historical sites – saw 18.5 million visitors in 2024. That’s down 14% from the pandemic high of 21.6 million in 2020, but 24% above the 14.9 million visitors in 2019. The influx has led the Maryland Park Service to make changes, including a new reservation system at five parks and added responsibilities for park rangers. Katherine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.

WITH TRUMP BILL NOW LAW, MARYLAND TO REASSESS USE OF SETTLEMENT FUNDS: The recent federal budget signed into law by President Donald Trump last week cuts more than a billion dollars from federal addiction and mental health services, forcing Maryland officials to consider tough options about the future of opioid settlement funds. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.

GOV. MOORE ANNOUNCES $50M IN GRANTS TO CUT B’MORE VACANT HOMES: Gov. Wes Moore has announced the organizations that will receive $50 million in grant awards to help reduce the number of vacant properties in Baltimore City. These grants are through the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative, a program that helps redevelop vacant properties. Aliza Worthington/Baltimore Fishbowl.

UNDER ARMOUR CAMPUS AND BGE’s HIGHER RATES: Baltimore Gas and Electric believes that Kevin Plank’s Under Armour campus — now called Baltimore Peninsula — will one day become a pulsating metropolis. To prepare for this possibility, BGE is spending more than $130 million on a massive new substation and related infrastructure, public filings show. Spread among BGE’s 1.3 million customers, this spending will be almost imperceptible on the average bill. But it’s these kinds of expenses that are largely driving rates higher, consumer advocates and elected officials say. Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.

WOODLAWN COMMUNITY TURNS OUT AS COUNCIL CONSIDERS REDISTRICTING: As Baltimore County representation expands, the Woodlawn community wanted to make sure it’s kept in the conversation. Tuesday night a revolving door of people spoke to Baltimore County Council members in an effort to make sure the Woodlawn community isn’t lost in the midst of a redistricting. Raven Payne/WMAR-TV News.

• Engel Burns, pastor of a church near Woodlawn, said, “We want to make sure we have a strong voice saying, ‘Yes, we need better grocery stores, yes, we need better banks, not in the Randallstown part of the district, not in the Pikesville part of the district, not in the Catonsville part of the district, but in the Woodlawn part of the district.’ ” Khiree Steward/WBAL-TV News.
• “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but everybody in this room is not gonna get what they want,” Councilman Julian Jones, a Democrat from Woodstock, said at the outset of a public hearing Tuesday. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.

MARYLAND SUMMER CAMPS REASSURE PARENTS OF SAFETY PROTOCOLS: Overnight summer camps throughout Maryland have been emphasizing their emergency weather safety protocols to parents and have been showing support for the victims in the wake of the deadly Texas flooding Friday. Brendan Nordstrom/The Baltimore Sun.

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