DESPITE SERIOUS CASES, B’MORE OVERDOSES CONTINUE DECLINE: The mass casualty event in Penn North that saw at least 25 people hospitalized on Thursday underscored the persistence of Baltimore’s overdose crisis, despite a recent drop citywide. Mathew Schumer/The Baltimore Sun.
- A suspected “bad batch” of street drugs swept through West Baltimore on Thursday morning, leaving men and women slumped and unconscious in the streets and sending rescue crews scrambling to search the back alleys and vacant homes for more victims. Alissa Zhu, Darreonna Davis, Clara Longo de Freitas, Aline Behar Kado and Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner.
GOVERNOR OFFERS STATE WORKERS $20K PLUS $300 PER YEAR OF SERVICE TO QUIT: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration is offering state workers a lump sum of $20,000, plus $300 for each year they’ve worked, as an incentive to resign. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
GARCIA COULD BE DEPORTED TO MEXICO OR SOUTH SUDAN: The Trump administration hasn’t decided where it would deport Kilmar Abrego-Garcia if he is freed from a Tennessee jail, but a U.S. immigration official said Thursday that Mexico and South Sudan could be willing to accept the El Salvador native. Ben Finley and Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press/The Baltimore Banner.
- A top U.S. immigration official testifying in federal court Thursday did not give details of the Trump administration’s plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he is released from pre-trial detention next week in Tennessee. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.
GRIM FUTURE FOR FOOD BENEFITS WITH SNAP CUTS: It won’t happen immediately but advocates and state officials are predicting that changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the budget reconciliation bill signed last week will deliver “a devastating blow” to many of the 680,000 Marylanders who get SNAP benefits. Sam Gauntt/Maryland Matters.
MD MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK ABOUT INSIDER TRADING: Maryland lawmakers’ decisions about proposed stock trading restrictions are personal because many are invested in the market. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
SENATE VOTES TO FUND GREENBELT FBI HEADQUARTERS: The Senate Appropriations Committee voted on Thursday to preserve $1.4 billion in funds for use at the Greenbelt site for the new FBI headquarters, disrupting President Donald Trump’s administration’s plans to use the funds to move the headquarters to downtown Washington, D.C. Ben Mause/The Baltimore Sun.
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen fought back against the Trump administration’s plans to keep the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., by hitting them right where the money is — in Congress. For the moment, he won. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- The Trump administration’s plan to relocate the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters to the Ronald Reagan building in the District of Columbia, and not a previously selected location in suburban Maryland, hit a roadblock Thursday. Jennifer Shutt/Maryland Matters.
RAVENS COACH HARBAUGH AND BROTHER MEET WITH TRUMP: Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his brother, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, met Thursday with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, a White House official confirmed. Jonas Shaffer/The Baltimore Banner.
THIRD COVID FRAUD REPORT ISSUED IN BALTIMORE CO.: Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan has found that a third county corrections officer with ties to Nigeria committed fraud by obtaining a federal COVID loan for a business that did not exist. Rona Kobel/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE CITY SCHOOLS DON’T USE WATER FOUNTAINS DUE TO LEAD: Nearly twenty years ago, Baltimore City schools shut off the majority of its drinking fountains to eliminate the risk of lead poisoning — instead opting to use five-gallon water jugs. That switch has caused a lot of relief, but it also comes with a new set of issues. Bri Hatch/WYPR-FM.
AACO BOAT RAMP CLOSES TO PUBLIC DESPITE $2 MILLION INVESTMENT: Arundel County residents can no longer use a boat ramp that cost taxpayers $2 million to build and maintain over the past decade. Jeff Morgan/WMAR- TV News.
WHO IS RUNNING FOR REELECTION TO MO CO COUNCIL IN 2026?: With the Maryland gubernatorial primary less than one year away, races for local offices are heating up, offering the possibility that the membership of the Montgomery County Council could look very different by the end of 2026. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Today.
U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR TOUTS TRUMP BUDGET IN B’MORE: U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler visited Checkerspot Brewing Co. in Baltimore on Thursday, touting several measures in President Donald Trump’s budget. One measure touted by Loeffler was a tax break for workers who get tips or overtime. Breana Ross/WBAL-TV News.
INTEREST REVIVED FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS IN SAVE PROGRAM: About 13.5% of Maryland residents carry student debt, a fairly typical number among states, according to the Education Data Initiative. But the average debt carried by those residents was second-highest in the nation, trailing only the District of Columbia. Shauneen Miranda /Maryland Matters.
