Politics

Gov. Wes Moore has proposed competitive grant funding of up to $10 million annually for communities across the state with high rates of child poverty, but those eligible will first need to establish comprehensive local plans for combating generational poverty. The governor has proposed $15 million for the first year of the grant program in the state’s $63 billion budget and is planning to bolster the grant funding with private and philanthropic investments.

Before the Baltimore Ravens fell to the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spent some time working the crowds outside M&T Bank Stadium and pumping up support for the home team. His tailgating adventures included chanting, hugging and shotgunning what appeared to be a Hoop Tea alcoholic beverage with a group of Ravens fans.

Efforts to ease congestion along Maryland portions of the Capital Beltway took a hit this week when the U.S. Department of Transportation denied the state’s application for a grant. State transportation officials said last year they would seek a total of $3 billion in federal aid to help pay for replacement of the American Legion Bridge as well as the widening of Interstate 270 through the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant.

Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez, who announced last summer that she would be seeking the Sixth District U.S. House seat this year, has received the endorsement of National Organization for Women Political Action Committee. Her campaign announced the endorsement last week. “As the first Black Mayor of Hagerstown, Tekesha Martinez has leveraged her lived experience and professional experience as a mediator to improve the lives of women in her hometown,” NOW PAC Chairwoman Christian F. Nunes said in a statement.

Two Baltimore County Council members are pushing back against efforts by County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., which they see as a threat to their authority, to make it easier to repurpose aging strip malls and empty office buildings and speed up housing production. The Democratic county executive introduced legislation Jan. 16 to permit multiple-use developments without council approval in certain areas that would be targeted for redevelopment in the 2030 Master Plan. The bill would also offer incentives to developers who build affordable housing.

The race to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger received its first Democratic primary challenger three days after Ruppersberger said he would not run for reelection. Del. Harry Bhandari, a Baltimore County Democrat, told The Baltimore Sun in an exclusive interview that he would run to succeed the outgoing Democrat in the May 14 primary. Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District encompasses parts of Baltimore and Carroll counties, and part of Baltimore City.

Maryland crabs, crab pies and Old Bay are on the line during the Ravens’ matchup against the Chiefs on Sunday with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wagering some of their hometown favorites against their Democratic counterparts in Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. Scott, who has bet numerous times in the past on football games against his personal friend and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, has this year wagered two dozen crabs from Captain James Seafood, a can of Old Bay seasoning and a video of Scott in a Chiefs jersey.