Moore’s Office Disputes Dialog Ties. The Record Doesn’t.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When a data leak exposed the internal membership records of Dialog — a secretive,...
Tag: government transparency
Audits Flag $1.2 Billion in Questionable Maryland Spending. Moore Says the Number Is Wrong.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland state agencies have collectively accumulated more than $1.2 billion in...
Moore Vetoed Five Bills After Session. Here’s What He Killed — and Why It Matters.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews The 2026 General Assembly session produced more than 860 new Maryland laws. Governor Wes...
Maryland Is Still Hiding Its Missing Foster Children — We’ve Been Asking for Seven Months
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews On Wednesday morning, Maryland's Department of Human Services confirmed to Spotlight on...
Ferguson’s Chamber, Ferguson’s Rules
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — At 11:59 p.m. on April 13, as the Maryland General Assembly's 2026 session...
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...
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...
The “Poisoning the Sky” Narrative: What’s Real, What’s Speculation, and Why Americans Don’t Trust the Answer
By MDBayNews Staff For decades, claims that governments are “controlling the weather” or “spraying chemicals in the...
The Airpark Influence Network: Donations, Oversight, and the Questions Facing Montgomery County
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews GAITHERSBURG, Md. — What began as a local dispute over aircraft noise and safety at the...
Maryland Counties Warned: New Data Privacy Rules Could Reshape Local Government Operations
By MDBayNews Staff Maryland county governments are being warned to prepare for a growing wave of data privacy obligations,...
Brandon Scott vs. The Watchdog: What Is Baltimore’s Mayor So Desperate to Protect?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Baltimore has seen corruption before. It has seen indictments. It has seen guilty pleas. It...
Maryland’s Redistricting Pressure Cooker: Closed-Door Politics and the 50-Day Clock
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Annapolis is no stranger to hardball politics. But when members of Maryland’s...
Green Party Ticket Presses Moore on Sewage, Oversight, and AI Transparency
By MDBayNews Staff The Ellis/Andrews Green Party gubernatorial campaign is attempting to seize an opening in Maryland’s...
Moore’s “Working With Judges” Comment Fuels Scrutiny After $147M Court Contract
By MDBayNews Staff As Maryland voters prepare for another heated election cycle, Governor Wes Moore is once again facing...
Maryland’s Unrecorded Virtual Meetings Problem
When Maryland local governments moved meetings online during the pandemic, officials promised accessibility and...
Maryland Inspectors General Push Back on OAG Advice as Baltimore Dispute Escalates
By MDBayNews Staff A growing dispute between Baltimore City’s Inspector General and Mayor Brandon Scott’s...
AG Opinion Raises Alarm Over Inspector General Powers Across Maryland
By MDBayNews Staff A new legal opinion issued by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is drawing sharp criticism...
Mayor Scott’s Attack on Baltimore’s Inspector General Raises Red Flags on Transparency
By MDBayNews Staff Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is drawing renewed scrutiny after launching a public attack on the...
When Public Policy Meets Private Capital: Fundrise, Federal Detention Plans, and Accountability in Maryland
By MdBayNews Staff The recent disclosure that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased a large industrial...
Prince George’s County Residents Sue Council Over At-Large Appointment, Alleging Power Grab
By MDBayNews Staff A group of Prince George’s County residents has filed a lawsuit challenging the County Council’s...
Why HB 304 Matters: Maryland’s Public Records Law Needs a 21st-Century Fix
By MDBayNews Editorial BoardHearing: January 27, 2026 — House Government, Labor, and Elections Committee On Tuesday,...
Baltimore Councilman’s Dual Role Raises New Questions About Oversight and Accountability
By MDBayNews Staff A new report from The Baltimore Sun is renewing debate at City Hall over transparency, ethics, and...
Why So Many Marylanders Feel Powerless Dealing With Institutions Right Now (And Why Everyone Feels It)
Across Maryland, residents are running into the same wall—whether in courtrooms, schools, zoning disputes, or state...
Have Your Say: MDBayNews Launches 2025 Reader Poll
As 2025 comes to a close, MDBayNews is asking readers to weigh in on the stories, institutions, and decisions that most...
Annapolis Accelerates Left as Power Shifts Raise Red Flags for Moderates and Republicans
By Michael Phillips | Maryland Bay News Annapolis is entering a period of rapid political change, and for many moderates...
House Report Alleges D.C. Police Chief Manipulated Crime Data, Raising New Questions About Public Trust
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A Republican-led U.S. House committee has released an interim report alleging that outgoing...
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...
Maryland’s Voter Rolls Face Dual Federal and GOP Lawsuits — And Courts May Soon Decide What “Election Integrity” Really Means
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s election system is now the target of two major federal lawsuits, filed just...
A Parting Gift: Annapolis Council Approves 18–58% Pay Hikes for the People Replacing Them
FACTS FIRST:On November 18, 2025, at one of its final meetings, the outgoing Annapolis City Council voted to increase the...
Maryland’s Buyout Blunder: How a Cost-Cutting “Win” Became a Payroll Nightmare for 293 State Workers
In a state already staring down a multibillion-dollar budget gap, Governor Wes Moore’s Voluntary Separation Program (VSP)...
The $190,000 Coffee: How a One-Hour Meeting Exposed Baltimore County’s Culture of Cronyism
What started as an innocent coffee meeting in a Towson café turned into one of the most expensive “chats” in Baltimore...
Anthony Brown’s Tenure as Maryland AG: A Case Study in Partisan Politics Over Public Accountability
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has proven to be less of a watchdog for Maryland citizens and more of a partisan...
Carroll County Lawmakers Push Back Against PSEG Land Access: “No Approval, No Trespassing”
By Michael Phillips The Carroll County Delegation of the Maryland General Assembly has formally demanded answers from...