They Came for the Watchdog
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming made a mistake last weekend. She shared...
Tag: investigative journalism
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...
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...
Built to Comply, Designed to Dominate
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland did not accidentally end up with one of the most restrictive alcohol regulatory...
The Case That Wouldn’t End
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s judiciary often presents itself as a model of stability, professionalism, and...
Blind Date at the Ballot Box: Inside the Money Network Behind Montgomery County’s Judicial Elections
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Most voters can name their governor. Some can name their state delegate. Fewer can name...
What the Defendant Admitted Under Oath
By Michael R. Phillips | MDBayNews | Thunder Report Investigations A long-running custody and legal battle between Maryland...
Baltimore City Can’t Say How Much Taxpayer Money Goes to Nonprofits — And That’s a Problem
By MDBayNews Staff A new investigative report from The Baltimore Sun has exposed a troubling reality in Baltimore City...
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...
Maryland Admits Nearly 1,000 Foster Children Missing Since 2020 — Most Are Teenage Girls
In a letter released on October 22, 2025, Maryland’s Department of Human Services (DHS) confirmed what advocates had long...
A Department in Decay: How Prince George’s County Police Became a Case Study in Institutional Failure
Prince George’s County, Maryland, is often described as the crown jewel of majority-Black prosperity: nearly one million...
Preferential Protection: Baltimore’s Double Standard on School Security
Once again, Chris Papst and the Project Baltimore team at Fox45 News have pulled back the curtain on hypocrisy inside...
Passport to Nowhere: How Child Support Enforcement Blocks Parents from Working
In an age where we’re told that work is the path to independence, one Virginia parent discovered that the very attempt to...
When “Protect and Serve” Fails: The Alarming Case of Frederick Officer James Dodson
By Michael Phillips The public trust in law enforcement hinges on a simple principle: those sworn to uphold the law must be...
Where Did the Billions Go? Wes Moore Turned Hogan’s Surplus Into a Deficit Disaster
ANNAPOLIS, MD — When Governor Wes Moore took office in January 2023, Maryland was riding high on a $5.5 billion...
Preakness Parties on the Public Dime: Pimlico’s Rebuild and the Forgotten Cost to Taxpayers
When Maryland announced the long-awaited approval to demolish and rebuild Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness...