Politics

Maryland’s transportation agencies are in really bad shape fiscally. Soon, the roads the state builds and maintains could also be in bad shape because of those budgetary struggles. State transportation leaders met in Largo with members of the Prince George’s County Council on Thursday to talk about where money is and isn’t being cut, and where funding has been restored for the next year.

New Baltimore Sun owner and Sinclair Broadcast Group Executive Chairman David Smith has been quietly involved in a lawsuit accusing Baltimore City Public Schools of defrauding taxpayers, documents show. Smith has had several discussions with the plaintiffs and their attorneys about the suit and is behind a corporation paying the plaintiff’s legal fees, according to documents obtained by The Baltimore Banner. All the while, Baltimore’s Fox45, Sinclair’s flagship TV station, has covered the case extensively without disclosing Smith’s role.

Former Baltimore mayor and current mayoral candidate Sheila Dixon unveiled a plan Thursday to combat crime in Baltimore, recommending a return to strategies she credits for lower crime rates during her time in office. The plan, which Dixon rolled out at a news conference at a West Baltimore recreation center, calls for increased police recruitment efforts, expanded intelligence gathering through community intervention programs and a strong push on state and federal officials to better fund juvenile justice systems.

Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby on Thursday took the blame for the federal tax problems afflicting him and his now ex-wife, testifying at her mortgage fraud trial that he caused them to owe tens of thousands of dollars and lied about taking care of the debt to protect their family. Mosby, a Democrat who’s running this year for reelection, said he incurred significant tax liabilities from not withholding enough from his paycheck, receiving a severance check and withdrawing money from a retirement account. Later, he said, he entered into 4-5 payment plans with the Internal Revenue Service without her knowledge.

Maryland leaders are working on a plan to significantly boost the fine for speeding in a work zone. Under the legislation, called the Maryland Road Worker Protection Act, drivers caught on camera speeding in a work zone will be fined $290, up from the current fine of $40. Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller said the legislation will “better protect the men and women who do the vital jobs of building and maintaining the roads we rely on every day.”

Envisioning a not-so-distant future when public school budgets are on the chopping block and essential workers like probation officers lack the resources to do their jobs, a handful of state lawmakers and a coalition of advocates on Monday introduced a plan they say would raise $1.6 billion to plug a significant impending state budget hole. The new revenue — which would come mostly from expanded taxes on households earning more than $250,000 and on corporations — is designed to offset a multi-billion-dollar projected budget deficit that has so far dominated conversations in Annapolis during the annual 90-day legislative session, which began Jan. 10.

Haters are going to hate but Maryland lawmakers say they want to make it harder for scalpers to shake off anti-scalping laws and sell over-priced tickets in Maryland for the next Taylor Swift concert or other big event. House and Senate lawmakers are proposing additional protections meant to prevent state residents from being gouged by unscrupulous ticket resellers out for a quick buck. The bill is part of four wide-ranging consumer protection bills that legislative leaders are supporting during the 2024 session.

Almost two years after passing landmark youth justice reform, Maryland lawmakers are scrutinizing its impact on young offenders – and questioning whether they’ve done enough to make things better. The 2022 reforms were meant to help more young offenders avoid incarceration and get on the path to rehabilitation. But with spikes in auto thefts, carjackings and handgun violations by youth around the state, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are thinking about refining and updating the reforms this year.