HOGAN TO MAKE RUN FOR THE U.S. SENATE: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Hogan, a Republican, announced his campaign on Friday via social media, releasing a video just nine hours before Maryland’s candidacy deadline and surprising a lot of political observers. Brennan Stewart, Yesenia Montenegro, Torrence Banks, Lisa Woelfl and Angel Gingras of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
- So far the race had been mainly a Democrats-only affair, with U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks duking it out in that party’s primary. Now the Republican primary has a star, too, with Hogan’s name recognition and campaign skills. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- His decision to become a candidate instantly transforms the race to replace departing U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D) — a seat the Democrats felt confident they would hold in November but now will have to defend in a general election that is likely to be costly and nasty. Hogan will also have to revisit some issues he was able to sidestep as Maryland governor. Topping that list is abortion. Josh Kurtz and Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
AN ‘IN CHARGE’ EXECUTIVE PERSONALITY DECIDES TO RUN FOR SENATE: Nobody expected Larry Hogan would run for U.S. Senate. Having covered the man closely for the last decade, I took him at his word two years ago when he said he was not interested in being a U.S. senator. That was fully consistent with the Larry Hogan I had come to know since he launched Change Maryland in 2011. Larry Hogan has an executive personality. He likes being in charge, making things happen. He doesn’t like negotiating or even consulting with legislators, even with members of his own Republican Party. Len Lazarick/MarylandReporter.com.
HOGAN EXPECTED TO HAVE LITTLE GOP SUPPORT: On his newly minted U.S. Senate campaign website, former Gov. Larry Hogan barely utters the word “Republican.” Not in Democratic-dominated Maryland. Not with a state GOP organization that has had almost no interaction with the former two-term Republican governor in recent years. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
OPINION: A THREE-PRONGED FORMULA FOR OUR YOUTH: In pursuing a just and equitable legal system as state’s attorneys in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County, our legislative agenda focuses on necessary changes to existing juvenile laws, and innovative measures that reflect our commitment to progress and prioritizing victims’ rights. Our recommendations are grounded in the three key principles of the juvenile justice system: rehabilitation, accountability and public safety. Ivan J. Bates and Aisha Braveboy/The Baltimore Sun.
PATIENTS TESTIFY ON MEDICAL-AID-IN-DYING BILL: Lynn Cave of Silver Spring is one of several patients with aggressive cancers and other severe illnesses who shared their challenging medical situations with the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Husbands, wives, and long-time friends of those who died from fatal illnesses shared difficult stories of supporting their loved-ones in their final moments of life. Some supported and some opposed the medical aid in dying legislation. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MO CO COP HOPES HIS EXPERIENCE WILL HELP STOP RECKLESS DRIVING: Less than four months after losing his legs in an attempt to stop a reckless highway driver, a Montgomery County police officer is at the forefront of a movement to crack down on negligent driving in Maryland. Sgt. Patrick Kepp plans to testify on two bills in Annapolis this session – traveling from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, where he is still in active recovery from last October’s incident. Lydia Hurley of the Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
AFTER LEAD POISONING, FAMILIES SEEK STRICTER TESTING ON BABY FOOD: Rudy Callahan had dozed off by the time Maryland lawmakers took up the bill bearing his name, a proposal that would set state requirements on baby food testing that are stricter than the Food and Drug Administration’s. The chubby-cheeked redhead, now 17 months old, was among hundreds of people who reported lead poisoning to federal agencies after eating apple puree pouches with contaminated cinnamon. Jenna Portnoy/The Washington Post.
FIVE EDUCATION-RELATED BILLS TO WATCH IN ANNAPOLIS: Among five education-centric bills in Annapolis to watch, the Maryland General Assembly will decide whether to approve Gov. Wes Moore’s budget proposal, which includes a $500 million increase for K-12 public schools. Maryland’s school choice program, called BOOST, would include private school scholarships for low-income families in the state’s general fund each year starting in fiscal year 2026. Lilly Price/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE ISSUES 40-PAGE ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDANCE: Nearly 13 months into his administration, Gov. Wes Moore (D) unveiled a white paper Thursday that he said will serve as a guiding set of principles for his administration and a way to judge how he is measuring up to his own goals. The 40-page document known as the State Plan — sometimes shorthanded as “the plan” by Moore and his aides — is a bureaucratic set of matryoshka dolls with measurements nested within objectives within 10 overarching priorities. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- It was part Ted-talk, part government geek-out, part inspirational speech to Maryland’s 46,000-strong workforce as he laid out how to begin taking his 10 huge policy goals into reality. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
STATE RETIREES TO SEE CHANGES IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLANS: Late last month, thousands of retired state workers received a letter from Maryland’s Department of Budget and Management alerting them that major changes are coming to their prescription drug plans. Many retirees are not happy. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
NEIL PARROTT SEEKS GOP NOMINATION TO 6th CONGRESSIONAL SEAT: Former state Del. Neil C. Parrott (R-Washington) hopes the third time is the charm. The two-time Republican nominee in the 6th congressional district entered the GOP primary for the open seat just a few hours before the filing deadline Friday, joining six other Republicans in the race to replace U.S. Rep. David Trone (D), who is running for Senate. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
WILL UPGRADES IMPROVE B’MORE INCINERATOR OUTPUT? The trash incinerator that towers over I-95 as motorists drive in or out of Baltimore has a reputation for spoiling the air and spewing out toxic chemicals and had been identified as the largest single source of pollution in the city. But upgrades made to the incinerator, now operated by the company WIN Waste Innovations, could challenge that reputation. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
HARFORD COUNCIL OVERRIDES CASSILLY VETO ON HOTEL TAX DISTRIBUTION: The Harford County Council overturned County Executive Bob Cassilly’s veto of the new spending formula for distributing hotel tax revenue. In a meeting last Tuesday, the council 5-2 voted to override, saying that tourism needs to continue its growth with reinvestment from hotel tax revenues. Tony Roberts/The Aegis.
KAREN HOSLER, FORMER ACE SUN POLITICAL REPORTER, DIES AT 75: Karen Hosler, a Baltimore Sun correspondent whose beats included Congress and the White House, died Feb.1. She was 75. Wrote former Sun deputy editorial page editor Barry Rascovar, “She loved reporting on politics, be it Annapolis city government, the governor and General Assembly or the White House and Congress.” Frederick Rasmussen/The Baltimore Sun.
