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Politics

Trone Claims Seven Point Lead

Congressman David Trone has released an internal polling memo that claims he has a seven point lead over Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the U.S. Senate race. The polling memo from Hickman Analytics can be found here. Its text is reprinted below.

 

Montgomery County Board of Elections president explains why it will no longer follow social media users

Citing concerns about appearing partisan, the Montgomery County Board of Elections announced Nov. 20 that it will no longer follow social media users. Board of Elections President David Naimon explained the body’s reasoning in an interview with MoCo360 Friday. “The reason for the decision was that we didn’t want to follow some people and not others and have someone interpret who we follow as an endorsement of some sort,” Naimon said.

Read More: MOCO360
White House urged to hold off on FBI HQ move to Maryland while review continues

Virginia lawmakers are asking the Biden administration to “pause” work on a new headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation until a government watchdog can complete a review into how a Maryland site was selected. The letter from 11 members of Virginia’s congressional delegation to Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, urges her agency to place a temporary hold on the project.

Moore administration targets $2 billion cut to Md. transportation projects

The administration of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is proposing to tackle a multibillion-dollar, long-term budget shortfall by imposing drastic cuts on transportation spending that would slow highway construction, reduce transit service and increase the cost of airport parking, according to a summary of the plans. The six-year plan, expected to be announced next week, calls for an 8 percent cut in the annual budgets of the state’s highway, transit, ports and airports agencies, along with the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Construction budgets at most of the agencies would face even deeper cuts, according to the summary, parts of which were obtained by The Washington Post.

Cardin, state environment secretary heading to international climate conference in Dubai

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D) and state Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain are the top Maryland officials headed to the annual international climate conference now underway in the United Arab Emirates. The two-week confab, known as COP 28 (officially the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), brings together policymakers, business leaders and environmental activists to set international goals for fighting climate change, discuss ways to finance clean energy development, and look at technology demonstrations — along with good, old-fashioned political advocacy and protest.

Alsobrooks, Trone show mutual disregard at Senate candidate forum

Maryland’s leading Democratic Senate candidates met in a public forum for the first time Sunday afternoon, broadly agreeing on a range of topics, including immigration policy, LGBTQ+ rights, education spending and economic priorities. But the 90-minute discussion generated some surprising heat, as Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks took issue with U.S. Rep. David Trone’s frequent and not-so-subtle digs at “career politicians” and also pointed out that Trone, a wealthy businessman, has made campaign contributions to “dangerous Republicans” in the past.

Delegation opposes mileage tax idea

Members of the Western Maryland legislative delegation voiced opposition Friday to the idea of switching to a miles-driven basis to raise money for roads instead of the current gas tax method. Discussion on the proposed mileage-based tax took place at the annual Pre-Legislative Breakfast hosted by the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the Rocky Gap Casino Resort which, along with Verizon, sponsored the breakfast.

Developers, environmentalists voice thoughts on proposed energy standards

The time for public input on County Executive Marc Elrich’s proposed Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) closed this week, and environmentalists and developers have been vocal about their support of or opposition to the new rules. “Efficient building electrification will be one of the most effective ways to reduce energy demand and carbon pollution from the built environment as the County tackles its ambitious climate change goals,” Elrich wrote in a press release announcing the standards earlier this month.

 

Read More: MOCO360
Women attorneys in Maryland reflect on O’Connor’s impact and legacy

“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone… and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.” Noelle Newman said she distinctly remembers first hearing that quote from Sandra Day O’Connor, reminding her to embrace the help of others. O’Connor died Friday at 93 of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, according to the U.S. Supreme Court in a news release.

Inspector general launches probe of decision to move FBI HQ to Maryland

A federal watchdog will investigate how the Biden administration chose a site in Greenbelt for a new FBI headquarters following a contentious competition marked by allegations of conflict of interest. The Inspector General for the General Services Administration is probing the decision to locate the Maryland facility over a site in Virginia., according to a letter released Thursday by Virginia lawmakers. The new building would replace the FBI’s crumbling headquarters in nearby Washington, D.C.

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