AMID PRESIDENTIAL SPECULATION, MOORE LAUNCHES REELECTION BID: Gov. Wes Moore formally launched his reelection bid Tuesday, casting himself as “a person of action” and promising to serve a full four-year term and not launch a widely speculated 2028 bid for president. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.

• The announcement, which was widely expected, will be made in a campaign video in which Moore recounts his historic 2022 campaign, which made him the first Black governor in state history, as well as his efforts on crime, budgeting, taxes and the middle class since being elected. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
• The video, narrated by Moore, takes aim at President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. “The president of the United States is bending over backwards for billionaires and big corporations, firing federal workers, gutting Medicaid, raising prices on everything from electricity to groceries,” Moore says in the video. “The games of Washington are exhausting, and worse, they’re hurting people.” Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
• You can view the video by clicking here.

ANONYMOUS GROUP RAMPS UP ANTI-MOORE CAMPAIGN: An anonymous group that spent the last seven months lambasting Gov. Wes Moore in campaign-style social media posts has started raising money to spread its message even further, though who’s behind the effort remains shrouded in mystery. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.

HITACHI RAIL OPENS ‘LIGHTHOUSE DIGITAL FACTORY’ IN HAGERSTOWN: Hitachi Rail has officially opened its “lighthouse digital factory” in Hagerstown – adding that the move represented a strategic investment by Hitachi Group in North America. The company revealed that its new carbon neutral factory (which features over $30 million in digital enhancements) will deliver railcars for customers across North America, including metros in the Washington DC area, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Rosie Crampton/Rail Business Daily.

WHEN IS A HAND GUN REALLY A RIFLE WITH A SHORT BARREL? A number of guns are classified as handguns under Maryland state law — but really, Maryland Handgun Roster Board members and gun experts say, they’re short-barreled rifles, measuring up to 2 feet in length. All have come before the gun roster board in 2025 under the above names, with petitioners asking the board to approve them for sale in the state. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.

FORMER STATE OFFICE BUILDING TAPPED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT: A former state office building on Guilford Avenue in Baltimore has a unique honor: It is the only surplus state land that has been targeted for new affordable housing development after three years of trying under current state law. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.

MO CO’s HOUSING PROGRAM ‘KIND OF SUCKS,’ ELRICH SAYS: The Moderately Priced Dwelling Units program in Montgomery County “actually kind of sucks” and there will be legislation introduced to expand it, County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said Monday morning at a District 18 Breakfast Club meeting where he also discussed safety and immigration enforcement. Ashlynn Campbell/Bethesda Today.

WHAT HAPPENS TO USDA BELTSVILLE’s 6,500 ACRES? Six weeks after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that its premier research facility in Beltsville would be vacated over multiple years, it’s unclear what plans are in store for the 6,500-acre site that has been home to discoveries that have improved food safety, human health and nutrition since the early 20th century. Dana Munro/The Washington Post.

US WIND: TRUMP PLANS TO KILL ALL OFFSHORE WIND: US Wind, the company behind plans to build a wind farm off the Delmarva coast, claims that a federal government plan to rescind permits for its project is a result of “political pressure” from President Donald Trump. In a counterclaim filed Wednesday in response to a federal lawsuit originally brought by Ocean City, attorneys for US Wind said the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind its permits “are inextricably tied to a wider plan to hinder or kill outright offshore wind projects.” Nick Stonesifer/Maryland Matters.

DAVID SIMON BLASTS USE OF ‘WIRE’ TO JUSTIFY TROOPS IN B’MORE: Television producer David Simon has a message for Republican lawmakers who are pushing sending National Guard Troops to Baltimore — they should keep “The Wire” out of their mouths. “Anyone citing a television narrative as a means to justifying this astonishing [stupidity] is either a political hack, committed moron, or both,” Simon wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun on Sunday. Mary Carole McCauley/The Baltimore Sun.

COMMENTARY: FEDS ALREADY WERE HELPING B’MORE, NO THANKS TO TRUMP: For years, the federal government has worked closely with Baltimore cops to get criminals off the streets. The National Guard was not needed. It won’t matter to the Trump regime — facts are of little interest to fascists. In 2002, during the George W. Bush administration, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Neighborhoods to reduce gun violence. Since then, each U.S. Attorney who served in Baltimore has been responsible for the collaboration of federal, state and city law enforcement in getting shooters off the streets. Dan Rodricks/Substack.

CECIL EXPECTED TO EXPAND ENTERPRISE ZONES: Cecil County’s Enterprise Zone is expected to grow soon with the addition of 80.605 acres in Elkton. Sandra Edwards, director of the Cecil County Office of Economic Development, said some of the properties are also being annexed into Elkton town limits while others have an Elkton ZIP code but are not in the town’s corporate limits and are not seeking annexation. The Cecil County Council will vote on Resolution 53-2025 at its Sept. 16 meeting. Jane Bellmyer/The Cecil Whig.

SAVE ACT SUPPORTERS STOP IN ANNAPOLIS: Supporters of federal legislation that would impose requirements for voters to prove they are U.S. citizens stopped in Annapolis for a rally Monday. About 60 people attended a rally for the SAVE Act — Safeguard American Voter Eligibility — in the shadow of the Maryland State House. The bill would mandate that state elections officials require and document proof of U.S. citizenship from new voters before they could vote in federal elections. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.

CAREFIRST EXEC TO BE MOORE’s NEXT CHIEF OF STAFF: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield executive Lester Davis will be Gov. Wes Moore’s next chief-of-staff, Moore’s office said Monday. Davis will start later this fall. Current Chief of Staff Fagan Harris, who last month was named the next president of the the Abell Foundation, an influential Baltimore nonprofit, will remain in his post until the end of the year. Lee O. Sanderlin and Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.

The post State Roundup: Moore Launches Reelection Bid; Handgun Board Wrestles Over Short-Barreled Rifles; What Will Happen To Beltsville 6,500 USDA Acres? appeared first on citybiz.

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