OPINION: The Case for the Orange Ballot in Frederick County’s School Board Race
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews This is a commentary piece and reflects the view of its author. The Board of Education race...
Frederick County
Frederick ICE Clash: Neighborhood Calms as Warrant Claim Surfaces, No Arrests Confirmed
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Frederick, Md. — A routine-sounding vehicle stop turned into one of Frederick County's...
A Federal Court Just Admitted the Piedmont “Emergency” Might Be Fake. It Let PSEG Bulldoze Your Land Anyway.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | Part of The New Land Wars series Charlotte Hetterick runs an organic farm in Carroll...
Maryland Has 240 Bridges Rated “Structurally Deficient.” None of Them Was the Key Bridge.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Two and a half years after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River,...
Fitzwater vs. Holtzinger: Money and Data Centers Define Frederick’s Fall Race
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Frederick County voters will decide in November whether Jessica Fitzwater gets four more...
Brunswick Sworn In Two Council Members Without a Vote. Here’s the Rule That Allowed It.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Brunswick did not hold a city election this August. It did not need to. Three candidates...
Frederick and Carroll’s District 4 gets an open House seat as the GOP’s longest-serving delegate steps aside
By MDBayNews Staff Legislative District 4, covering parts of Frederick and Carroll counties, is not seeing much drama at...
No primary losers in Frederick’s District 3 — despite what the ballot history might suggest
By MDBayNews Staff Legislative District 3, which covers the city of Frederick, is nominally competitive territory in a...
A late GOP swap headlines Maryland Legislative District 2
By MDBayNews Staff Legislative District 2 — covering east Washington County, including Hagerstown, along with a slice of...
Robin Ficker Won the GOP Primary With $401 Left in the Bank. Now What?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Robin Ficker is the Republican nominee for Maryland's 6th Congressional District this fall....
Two Regulators, One Gas Company: DC and Maryland Both Weigh Washington Gas Pipe Spending This Week
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Washington Gas is facing scrutiny from utility regulators in two jurisdictions this week,...
Maryland’s Highest Court Kills the Frederick Data Center Referendum — 21,029 Signatures, Zero Votes
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The Supreme Court of Maryland on Tuesday ended the largest citizen petition drive in...
MD-6 Primary Delivers a Clear Democratic Winner — and a GOP Puzzle Heading Into November
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Staff Incumbent April McClain Delaney won the Democratic nomination in Maryland's Sixth...
Frederick County’s School Board Race: 14 Candidates, 4 Seats, and a Clear Ideological Divide
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Early voting is open through June 18, and the primary is June 23. Frederick County voters...
The Field Nobody’s Covering: Ten Candidates Running in MD-6 While Everyone Watches the Billionaires Fight
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | Election 2026 · Maryland's 6th Congressional District Maryland's 6th Congressional...
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...
Frederick Officials Push for Signature Verification in Data Center Ballot Fight — Raising Stakes Over Election Trust
By MDBayNews Staff Frederick County leaders are stepping in early as a referendum effort targeting the county’s data...
Trone Money Flows Into Frederick County: Fitzwater’s Campaign Backed by Trone Family Donations
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Campaign finance records continue to reveal a familiar pattern in Maryland politics: when...
Frederick County Executive Race 2026: A Competitive County at a Crossroads
By MDBayNews Staff The 2026 race for Frederick County Executive is officially set — and it’s shaping up to be one of...
Frederick Man Charged With Violating National Defense Airspace: What It Means for Security and Civil Liberties
By MDBayNews Staff Frederick, MD — A 66-year-old Frederick man made his first federal court appearance this week on a...
Governor Moore Celebrates Frederick Hotel Groundbreaking—But Questions Linger Over Priorities, Risk, and Results
By MDBayNews Staff Governor Wes Moore joined Plamondon Hospitality Partners this week to break ground on a new downtown...
Opinion | Courage Isn’t Party Abandonment — It’s Representation
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The latest letter to the editor in the Frederick News-Post arguing that Joe Adkins should...
Frederick Man Sentenced to Federal Prison in Firearms Trafficking and Machine-Gun Case
By MDBayNews Staff Baltimore, Maryland — A federal judge has sentenced a Frederick resident to more than four years in...
High School Program at Monocacy Valley Montessori Suspended, Raising Questions About Transparency and Educational Stability
By MDBayNews Staff Frederick County, Md. — The Board of Trustees at Monocacy Valley Montessori (MVM) has voted to suspend...
Frederick’s Zoning Amendment Should Empower Small Entrepreneurs — Without Hurting Neighborhoods
By MDBayNews Staff Frederick City’s Planning Department and Board of Aldermen are considering a zoning text amendment...
Residents to Rally at Winchester Hall Over Massive Data Center Expansion Concerns
By MDBayNews Staff Residents in Frederick are planning a rally at Winchester Hall to protest what they describe as a...
Montgomery County’s Rent Stabilization Pitch Lands in Frederick—And Sparks Familiar Concerns
By MDBayNews Staff Frederick County leaders are facing renewed pressure to consider rent stabilization—this time with...
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins Launches Bid for Sixth Term in Frederick County
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews FREDERICK, Md. — Chuck Jenkins formally launched his campaign this week for a sixth...
Frederick County Spending, Property Taxes, and the Populist Revolt: Dan Cox Takes Aim at Democratic Leadership
By MDBayNews Staff Former Maryland state delegate and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Daniel L. Cox is once again...
Explosion, Underground Electrical Fire Knock Out Power in Downtown Frederick
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews FREDERICK, Md. — A loud explosion was heard in downtown Frederick late Monday before...
Open Seats and High Stakes: A Look at Maryland’s 2026 County Executive Races
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The 2026 election cycle is shaping up to be one of the most consequential years for local...
Frederick Officials Condemn Federal Enforcement — But Offer Few Answers on Local Responsibility
By MDBayNews The City of Frederick this week issued a joint statement from Michael O’Connor and the City Council...
Explainer: How Pass-Through Contracting and “Place of Performance” Rules Apply to ATI Government Solutions
By Michael Phillips | Thunder Report Recent reporting by Thunder Report and MDBayNews has raised questions about how ATI...
A Quiet Basement Suite and a Trail of Federal Contracts: Revisiting ATI Government Solutions’ Maryland Footprint
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews / Thunder Report When investigative journalist James O’Keefe released undercover footage...
Frederick Residents Question Planning Commission Appointment as Data Center Debate Intensifies
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A recent appointment to the City of Frederick Planning Commission is fueling renewed debate...
Katie Nash’s Dual Roles Raise Renewed Conflict-of-Interest Questions in Frederick
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When Frederick voters amended the city charter and moved to a modern City Council...
When Local Government Fails, Taxpayers Should Have a Nuclear Option
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews | Right-of-Center Commentary Local government is supposed to be the closest to the people...
Breaking: Two Shot During Large Fight in Ballenger Creek Neighborhood
November 2, 2025 — Frederick, MD A violent altercation in the Ballenger Creek area erupted into gunfire Sunday night,...
Opinion: Frederick’s Crossroads — Trott’s Case for Fiscal Sanity Over O’Connor’s Managed Growth
Eight years into Michael O’Connor’s tenure, Frederick’s budget has ballooned 60 percent while population grew only 20...
The Silence of the System: How Frederick County Public Schools Failed Its Most Vulnerable Students
When a 22-year-old special education aide stands accused of sexually abusing disabled and non-verbal children inside a...