MOORE OUTLINES STATE EFFORTS FOR LAID-OFF FED WORKERS, INCLUDING HIRING: Gov. Wes Moore on Friday announced new resources for federal workers who lose their jobs, including an effort to recruit them to state jobs, amid Trump administration cuts that could leave more than 10,000 Marylanders out of work. “This is not patriotism,” Moore said, referring to the firing of thousands of federal workers in recent weeks. “This is cruelty.” Katie Shepherd and Katie Mettler/The Washington Post.
- The announcement is on top of an online public servants resource hub launched two weeks ago by the state after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management advised federal agencies to sack probationary employees. Moore said as many as 10,000 probationary employees in Maryland could be on the chopping block. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- Moore also called on local governments to absorb the influx of workers. Shortly after, Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier announced that the county will host its ‘first-ever pop-up career fair.’ The March 6 event will feature 15 county departments hiring for various positions. Wambui Kamau/WYPR-FM.
HOUSE EJECTS LANGUAGE FROM BILL THAT WOULD CUT EDUCATION FUNDS: Lawmakers in the Maryland House of Delegates on Friday removed legislation that strips all school funding cuts from a bill pushed by Gov. Wes Moore, potentially complicating the governor’s efforts to deal with the state’s long-term budget crisis. Katie Shepherd and Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.
STATE DEFICIT, TRUMP ACTIONS SPUR MARYLAND LAWMAKERS: The usual race-to-the-finish mentality of the General Assembly’s annual session is about to kick up a notch. A $3 billion state budget deficit, a mid-March federal budget deadline and President Donald Trump’s flood of executive actions have spurred lawmakers’ warnings that the last five weeks will be the most difficult of the 90-day sprint. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
SENATE KILLS CONDOM BILL: The House spent days in floor debate last week on a bill that Republicans said would expose kindergartners to condoms, a claim supporters said blatantly misrepresented a measure aimed at decriminalizing access to contraception. A Senate committee spent all of 10 seconds Friday morning killing House Bill 380. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: THERE IS HELP FOR RISING GAS BILLS: In 2025, the average BGE bill for a home that has a gas furnace, will be an astounding $3,750. In 2021, the same bill was about 50% less. There’s a practical legislative bill that will slow the rise of home heating bills. Laurel Peltier/Maryland Matters.
COLUMN: OH, MY 17-YEAR-OLD SELF WOULD PAINT SUCH A PICTURE: U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, who last week voted for deep cuts to Medicaid, wants you to know that the annual congressional art contest for high school students is accepting submissions. Oh, how I wish I were still 17. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
SEN. LAM SEEKS MORE HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FOR OFFICERS, AT JAILS: Last fall, Howard County settled with the family of Richard Hall for $1.25 million, after his family and estate brought a suit against the county alleging that he died in their care from medical neglect, after being arrested in the midst of what officers perceived as a mental health crisis. Now, state Sen. Clarence Lam and Hall’s family are calling for more education of officers on the front lines and more stringent oversight of the jail system’s health care for prisoners. Kate Cimini and Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
ECONOMIC CRISIS LOOMS OVER CROWDED FIELD FOR PRINCE GEORGE’S EXEC: Among the 11 candidates vying in a pair of special elections Tuesday to become Prince George’s County’s next top elected official, a consensus has emerged: Maryland’s second-largest county is on the edge of an economic crisis. Lateshia Beachum/The Washington Post.
AG PROBING POLICE-INVOLVED DEATH: A motorist fleeing a Hyattsville police officer struck and killed a pedestrian Friday night, said Maryland’s attorney general’s office, which is investigating the incident. Steve Thompson/The Washington Post.
MAJOR BALTIMORE REDEVELOPMENT COULD BE ON HOLD: Years of work to redevelop the Poe Homes, which were home to some of Baltimore’s poorest residents, could be on hold with the Trump administration and top advisor Elon Musk slashing the federal budget. Giacomo Bologna and Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
AS FORT McHENRY CELEBRATES, SOME PROTEST PARK SERVICE FIRINGS: Crowds of people gathered at Fort McHenry to celebrate its 100th anniversary as a national park. Some of those gathered also were there to protest their firing from the National Park Service by the Trump administration. Six of them had worked at Fort McHenry. Abby Zimmardi/The Baltimore Banner.
NEARLY 300 GATHER TO PROTEST ELON MUSK AT TESLA DEALERSHIP: Nearly 300 protesters gathered outside the Tesla dealership in Owings Mills on Saturday, waving homemade signs as drivers slowly passed by beeping their horns in a show of support. Demonstrators gathered outside Tesla stores across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the automaker’s billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, and his push to slash government spending on behalf of President Donald Trump. Eileen Holliday/The Baltimore Banner.
VAN HOLLEN BLASTS LAYOFFS AT NOAA: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen slammed a decision by the Trump administration to carry out mass layoffs Thursday at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is headquartered in downtown Silver Spring. “I want to say to all the NOAA employees that we’re fighting like hell to reverse these illegal actions,” Van Hollen said. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Today.
