If the Preakness Bet Fails, What’s Maryland’s Plan B?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — Maryland on the Map, Part 4 Maryland does not have a Plan B. That is not an accusation....
Author: Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips is a journalist, editor, creator, IT consultant, and father. He writes about politics, family-court reform, and civil rights.
The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #10–1
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 3 of 3 | The Top 10...
Moore’s Victory Lap Can’t Outrun Maryland’s Fiscal Reality
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Governor Wes Moore emerged from the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session...
Maryland Senate Unanimously Passes Kanaiyah’s Law on Final Day of Session
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Senate voted unanimously on Monday to pass House Bill 980, known...
What $400 Million Bought: Mapping the Prestige Gap Between the Masters, the Derby, and the Preakness
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | Maryland on the Map, Part 3 The numbers are not flattering, and they are worth sitting...
The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #25–11
SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 2 of 3 By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews From the...
Maryland’s $400 Million Question
By Mike Phillips | MDBayNews — Maryland on the Map, Part 2 At some point, Maryland needs to have an honest conversation...
The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #50–26
SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 1 of 3 By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The 449th session...
The Most Exciting Two Minutes vs. The Most Exclusive Weekend in Sports
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | Maryland on the Map, Part 1 This weekend, roughly 40,000 patrons — not fans, patrons,...
Maryland’s New Voting Rights Act: Who Gets to Sue, and Why Counties Are the Only Target
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland lawmakers are imposing a legal standard on counties that they explicitly refused...
Maryland Is Racing to Tie Law Enforcement’s Hands on ICE. Sheriffs Say They’ll Push Back.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Three days before the Maryland General Assembly adjourns for the year, Senate...
Maryland Just Passed a Deepfake Law. A Federal Court Already Struck Down the Same Thing.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland House of Delegates passed HB 145 on Friday by a vote of 95-36,...
Maryland Celebrates Balanced Budget While Staring Down a $4 Billion Cliff
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Governor Wes Moore signed Maryland's fiscal year 2027 budget into law...
Maryland’s Mental Health Workforce Is Half Empty — And Getting Worse
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland has roughly half the behavioral health workers it needs right now. Nine counties...
Before the Endorsement: Jawando’s Senate Committee Gave $115,000 to Working Families Party PAC
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Editor's Note: After publication, MDBayNews became aware that Montgomery Perspective...
Moore’s Taxpayer-Funded Spokesman Attacks Journalist While Governor Spends $120K on Social Media Influencer Director
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — When a journalist asks Maryland's governor uncomfortable questions, there are...
Maryland Built Its Economy on Washington. Now Washington Is Shrinking.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | An accountability analysis and economic report The federal government shed roughly 18,000...
Federal foster care watchdog quietly rewrote the rules — then sent Maryland a smaller bill
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews On November 14, 2025, a senior official at the federal Children's Bureau — signing as...
Jawando Taps Public Financing — and a Parallel Big-Money Committee
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Editor's Note, April 8, 2026: This article has been updated to reflect federal campaign...
The Absent Delegate: Why Is Bouchat the Only One Facing Expulsion?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The Maryland House of Delegates voted 102 to 14 this week to advance a resolution expelling...
Who Was Running Total Wine? Records Contradict Trone’s Claims of Arm’s-Length Management
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews For years, David Trone has offered voters a reassuring story: when he went to Congress, he...
Republican Moves to Expel Bouchat — From Her Own Party
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The Maryland House of Delegates has never expelled a member for failure to act. It has come...
Bouchat Speaks: ‘I Am a Very Bad Republican’
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat has a lot to answer for right now — or so his critics would...
Three Bills Nobody Is Talking About — And Why They Should Be
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Before we get to the bills, a word about the messenger. Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat of...
Frederick County Is Being Remade. Who’s Paying for It?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Frederick County is changing faster than almost anywhere else in Maryland — and new...
Maryland’s Top 10 Policy Battles of 2026: What Annapolis Doesn’t Want You to Notice
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Most Marylanders can name their favorite NFL team's starting lineup. Far...
The Montgomery Shadow Over Maryland’s 6th
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The numbers are simple. In 2024, Republican Neil Parrott carried Washington County by 22...
Maryland Passes Budget With $126 Million in Disability Cuts. Advocates Say the Damage Is Done.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — It is official. Senate Bill 282, Maryland's fiscal year 2027 budget, passed...
Maryland’s Disability Rate Is Rising — And the Increase Is Statewide
Most counties saw higher percentages of residents with a disability in 2024 than in 2023, according to new federal data....
She Slipped the Cuffs, Fought Two Officers, Drove Impaired — Then Walked Away Clean. Years Later, Under Oath, She Said She Didn’t Remember.
A deposition transcript obtained by this outlet reveals that Sarah Hornbeck admitted under oath to a...
Maryland’s psychiatric hospitals are running out of room — and the data shows why
Two years of internal state reports reveal falling admissions, collapsing releases, and a system increasingly unable to...
The Welder-Philosopher: Why Christopher Eric Bouchat Left Aristotle in His Place
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews There is a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates that has been occupied, lately, by a...
Power & Optics: What a Police Presence at a Protest Does—and Doesn’t—Mean
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Photos from a Hagerstown rally show a visible police presence near a political candidate....
Reality Check: Who Is Maryland Government Actually Built For?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland is often described as a well-run state. Strong economy.Highly educated...
Exclusive Photos: 6 Police Officers Flank Former Rep. David Trone at Hagerstown ‘No Kings’ Rally — Rival Candidate Reports ‘Data Center Dave’ Heckling
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Hagerstown, Md. — Photos obtained exclusively by MDBayNews show former U.S. Rep. David...
Reality Check: What Are #NoKings Rallies Actually Doing?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews There’s something strange about the rise of “#NoKings” rallies. The United States...
Reality Check: Maryland Looks Functional—Until You Need It
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland looks like a well-run state. On paper, it checks every box: strong schools, high...
Stars and no-shows: grading every Maryland House delegate on the current 2026 session
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — Maryland Watch Some Maryland House delegates showed up for virtually every vote this...
Maryland Counties Revolt Against Moore’s Disability Cuts as $150M Reduction Sparks Statewide Backlash
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A rare bipartisan backlash is building across Maryland as counties push back against...
Two Airports, Two Standards: Why Accountability Exists in Baltimore County—But Not Montgomery
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews In Maryland, aircraft noise is not a new problem. For years, communities living near...