The University System of Maryland, the Maryland Independent College and University Association and the Maryland Association of Community Colleges are responding to requests to delay tuition payments by families who were affected by problems with accounts overseen by a state agency to fund their children’s education. A group of state senators, led by Democrat Sarah Elfreth of Anne Arundel County, sent a letter Monday to those institutions, as well as Morgan State University in Baltimore and St. Mary’s College of Maryland in Southern Maryland, on behalf of almost 500 people who have said they were unable to access their full account amounts with Maryland 529.

When a Maryland governor is elected by the kind of landslide margin that Democrat Wes Moore received in November (22 points) and his party gained seats in both legislative chambers (three in the House of Delegates and two in the state Senate), one should expect big changes in Annapolis after eight years of a Republican governor. After all, the voters have spoken. But in Maryland, transitions and 90-day legislative sessions are a funny thing. Governor Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller will have the disadvantage of being sworn into office one week after the start of the General Assembly session Jan. 11. That means much of their time in the weeks ahead will have to be devoted to forming their government — including naming a thus-far lightly populated cabinet, shepherding a state budget that predecessor Larry Hogan has actually put together and generally finding their footing in the State House.

Maryland saw more than $478 million in mobile sports bets in December, the first full month where gamblers could place wagers from their phones. According to Maryland Lottery and Gaming data, gamblers placed a total of $497,121,656 worth of mobile and in-person bets at the state’s nine retail and seven mobile sportsbooks, with the vast majority coming from wagers placed from bettors’ mobile devices. Last month, the state reported a total of roughly $219 million in total sports bets, but mobile sports betting was only available for nine days at the end of the month.

Wes Moore is inheriting a serious crisis the Hogan administration failed to address. We are neglecting children and youth who have high-intensity behavioral health needs because of insufficient therapeutic residential care options. Many in foster care are relegated to boarding for weeks or months in emergency rooms or to living in short-term psychiatric hospital wards with no end in sight because of the shortage. Others are being “placed” in hotels with gift cards for fast food and 24-hour supervision by contractors. This is an act of pure desperation for the local departments of social services and their case workers, who are charged with providing for the well-being of these children and youth and held accountable by the juvenile court and state and federal agencies.

Anne Arundel County and its visitors bureau, along with a consortium of other waterfront jurisdictions and nonprofits, are exploring the possibility of reestablishing a ferry system across the Chesapeake Bay. As tourism begins to reemerge following nearly three years of pandemic restrictions, the group, which also includes governments from Calvert, St. Mary’s, Somerset and Queen Anne’s counties and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation, is hoping a network of ferries would boost tourism, support local economies and allow residents and visitors to better familiarize themselves with the state and its history, said Kristen Pironis, executive director of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Darryl L. Williams presented the proposed operating budget for the fiscal year 2024, which comes to a subtotal of $2.131 billion. Williams proposed the funds go toward salary packages, targeted student support and transportation, among other items. The proposal details the use of funds from Baltimore County, the State of Maryland and other federal sources. This is the last full year federal pandemic aid will be available for use. The school system will also see $32.3 million in funding from the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, legislation that will disperse billions to school systems over the next decade.

A wistful Gov. Larry Hogan (R) gave a farewell address to Marylanders Tuesday evening, then became even more emotional as he watched the unveiling of his official portrait in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State House. Hogan’s 10-minute speech, broadcast from the Old Senate Chamber and aired on Maryland Public Television and social media platforms, contained many of the governor’s familiar boasts about policy victories and the state’s reversals of fortune during his eight-year tenure. But it was delivered with several doses of humility and wonder at the honor of serving as governor, along with abundant hope for the future.