In his first three months in office, Gov. Wes Moore has demonstrated an uncommon skill at communicating with his audience, at building coalitions and at navigating the complexities of state government — especially for a first-time elected officeholder. He’s also shown himself to be something of an optimist. Example A: His self-assessment, published on these pages, that the recently concluded Maryland General Assembly session proved one of the most productive for “any Maryland governor at any time.”

In 2020, Montgomery County adopted Question C, expanding the County Council from nine seats to 11. In Montgomery County, seven council members (five before 2020) are elected by district and four are elected at-large. Question C was competing with Question D, which would’ve instituted nine districts and no at-large seats.

The Maryland General Assembly concluded its work this week in a session that dealt with important, weighty matters, as well as more mundane concerns, as it always does. Newly elected Gov. Wes Moore had a successful first session, getting almost his entire agenda approved, as would be expected when a Democratic governor has an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature with which to work.

 

Baltimore doesn’t have celebrity home tours like in Los Angeles — and even if we did, it would be bad because they’re creepy stalker bait. But between the movies and TV shows filmed on location, the city’s professional athletes and just random folks hanging out here, we’ve got a lot of stories of just running into celebrities. Sometimes literally.

On a sunny spring afternoon, tourists and visitors flock to the National Aquarium and other Inner Harbor attractions while upscale restaurants in nearby Harbor East prepare for the dinner crowd. A few blocks away, in the heart of Baltimore’s downtown, it’s a different story. The few pedestrians traversing downtown on a weekday have few places to choose from for lunch or coffee, and by 2:30 p.m., they may be out of luck, as the neighborhood all but shuts down.

Outside of Common Market Co-op’s Buckeystown Pike location on Saturday, local businesses captured the attention of shoppers and passersby with sweets, seedlings, flowers and sustainability techniques. At one table was a representative from South Mountain Creamery, dishing out scoops of fresh ice cream, and at another was the director of a Frederick County-based environmental education center, speaking with interested parents about the school’s programs.

 

Low-income families living in the rural areas of Carroll County will receive more funds from the county and state to help purchase food for their school-age children this summer. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners unanimously agreed to submit a state grant application for $65,376 and to provide a required county match of $45,431 for the fiscal 2024 Summer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) roamed the stage of an auditorium at a senior citizen retirement complex in Gaithersburg, giving little indication that he has any plans to become a retiree himself. During an hour-long town hall at Asbury Methodist Village the other day, the 79-year-old lawmaker spoke fluidly about gun safety, abortion rights, border security, climate change, and foreign policy challenges in Central America, Eastern Europe, Asia and Haiti.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown wants to protect renters from discriminatory landlords in the Old Line State, but so far, the law has tied his hands. “Up until now, the Office of the Attorney General in Maryland had a very small role in enforcing federal and state civil rights laws,” Brown told WTOP after 100 days in office.

 

Six applicants for an open delegate seat representing District 39 in the Maryland General Assembly made their case for why they should head to Annapolis during a public forum hosted by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) Wednesday. The candidates–including a current member of the central committee–answered questions submitted by members of their district. There are three delegate seats in the district representing parts of Germantown and Montgomery Village.