Politics

As states scramble to find reliable sources of electric power amid ever-growing demand for energy, Gov. Wes Moore and three fellow Democratic governors are seeking more say in the regional electric grid operator’s future planning. Moore, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, have written to PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for 13 states and the District of Columbia, seeking a “robust” planning process, that includes the states, for using more carbon-free electricity.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is among the latest cohort of governors and senators to break bread, so to speak, with journalist Alexander Heffner on the second season of his docuseries, “Breaking Bread with Alexander.” In a roughly half-hour episode being released this summer, Moore and Heffner talk politics while feasting on stadium fare — including hot dogs garnished with crab dip — at an Orioles game.

Hundreds of bills that were passed by Maryland lawmakers in session this year will become law in on July 1, covering everything from banning vaping indoors to benefits for uniformed service members and diversity efforts in higher education. This follows a wave of laws that went into effect in January and precedes another batch that will be put in place in October.

A Virginia commission’s decision to strike down a ban on the winter dredge harvesting of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay drew sharp criticism from Maryland officials and regional environmentalists, who say it will further jeopardize the crab population and undermine efforts to protect the bay’s ecosystem. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), a state agency responsible for the commonwealth’s marine life, voted 5-4 Tuesday to repeal the prohibition on winter crab dredging in Virginia waters and to explore the establishment of a year-round crab fishery.

The idea of adding two members to the Baltimore County Council could be on the ballot in November, though its success hinges upon a “fragile” coalition, according to Council Chair Izzy Patoka. Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, introduced legislation June 3 that would allow voters to approve two new council districts and council members to what is currently a seven-person legislative body.

Border control issues loom over Thursday’s presidential debate following the apprehension of a suspect in a Harford County murder case who entered the United States unlawfully. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presumed nominee at next month’s convention, will meet Thursday night in Atlanta in the first debate of the campaign.

A Baltimore City program that provides $1,000 a month to parents in need will come to an end next month, and the mayor is calling the program a clear success. The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund was a pilot project that gave 200 young city parents $1,000 a month over a two-year period. The final payment will go out in July.

Baltimore City Del. Robbyn T. Lewis (D-Baltimore City) had hoped she would be riding Baltimore’s Red Line Rapid Transit System by now. Lewis, an unabashed transit advocate, likes to boast that she is the only state legislator who does not own a car. She remains bitter with the decision in 2015 by then-Gov. Larry Hogan to cancel the Red Line, a proposed light rail project that he called a “wasteful boondoggle.”