Pamela Wood - Reporter

Pamela Wood - Reporter Reporter for The Baltimore Banner. I expect respectful and productive debate on this page.

I will immediately block anyone who engages in profanity, name-calling, discrimination or who posts off-topic comments.

The effort to ban ICE cooperation agreements (known as 287(g)) in Maryland has gained Senate Presdient Bill Ferguson as ...
11/14/2025

The effort to ban ICE cooperation agreements (known as 287(g)) in Maryland has gained Senate Presdient Bill Ferguson as a supporter.

ICE is “not something we can aid and abet,” Ferguson told me. The Senate is where the ban fell short last session.

“This is not something we can aid and abet here in the state of Maryland,” Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said.

Maryland's U.S. Senators -- Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, both Democrats -- voted against the deal to end the ...
11/10/2025

Maryland's U.S. Senators -- Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, both Democrats -- voted against the deal to end the government shutdown.

Recap from the Associated Press and my colleague Brenda Wintrode:

As the Senate held a rare Sunday session, the Republican leader said a potential deal was “coming together” on the government shutdown. But there was no guarantee it would end an impasse now stretching to 40 days.

Marylanders waiting to get SNAP benefits on their EBT cards will start to see the state-funded 50% portion starting Tues...
11/07/2025

Marylanders waiting to get SNAP benefits on their EBT cards will start to see the state-funded 50% portion starting Tuesday, Nov. 11.

The Trump administration is still fighting in court over whether and how much it will pay for SNAP in November.

Maryland Gov. Moore: “If there are two things that we have all come to know about President Trump, it’s that he hates judges and he loves chaos. I’m not going to spend my time waiting for the president to get it right. We’re going to move. We’re going to act.”

Marylanders who have been waiting for food assistance amid the government shutdown and legal fights will start to see state-funded benefits in their accounts starting Tuesday.

Maryland and Prince George's County officials contend it's illegal for President Trump to move the FBI to the Ronald Rea...
11/06/2025

Maryland and Prince George's County officials contend it's illegal for President Trump to move the FBI to the Ronald Reagan building in DC, instead of to Greenbelt.

They're suing, and they're confident they'll prevail.

The State of Maryland and Prince George’s County are suing President Donald Trump for interfering in the long-planned relocation of the FBI to Greenbelt.

Paul Pinsky is retiring as director of the Maryland Energy Administration, which he led for 3 years after decades in the...
11/05/2025

Paul Pinsky is retiring as director of the Maryland Energy Administration, which he led for 3 years after decades in the Maryland General Assembly.

“I’ve been fighting for social, economic and environmental justice for 39 years,” he told me.

After nearly 40 years of pushing for progressive change on environmental and educational policy, Maryland Energy Administration leader Paul Pinsky is retiring from public service.

We're expecting that Maryland officials will announce a lawsuit over the FBI headquarters project tomorrow. The federal ...
11/05/2025

We're expecting that Maryland officials will announce a lawsuit over the FBI headquarters project tomorrow. The federal government picked Greenbelt, but President Trump wants the Ronald Reagan building instead.

A press conference is scheduled in Prince George’s County on Thursday afternoon with officials including the attorney general, governor, county executive and state and federal lawmakers.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is continuing a push for redistricting, setting up a commission to make recommendations and putt...
11/04/2025

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is continuing a push for redistricting, setting up a commission to make recommendations and putting a key political ally in charge.

“My commitment has been clear from day one — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” Moore said in a statement Tuesday.

In Maryland, SNAP benefits usually go out starting on the 4th (tomorrow) and rolling through the 23rd, in alphabetical o...
11/03/2025

In Maryland, SNAP benefits usually go out starting on the 4th (tomorrow) and rolling through the 23rd, in alphabetical order by last name. I'll be watching the court actions today and what it all means for Marylanders who rely on SNAP.

Maryland's state government, as of now, IS NOT planning to step in to guarantee benefits if they don't come through from the feds, which would cost ~$125M per month. Gov. Moore promised $10M in extra aid to food banks and pantries.

The latest:

President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders that it continue to fund SNAP.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is sending $10M in state money to food banks and pantries that are seeing demand from federal wo...
10/31/2025

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is sending $10M in state money to food banks and pantries that are seeing demand from federal worker layoffs and furloughs, and the looming cutoff of SNAP benefits.

Moore's announcement on Thursday did NOT include state funding to cover SNAP benefits for the 680,000 Marylanders who receive that federal aid to buy groceries.

Read more:

Food banks and pantries say they already are seeing unprecedented demand for help. They expect demand to increase with the loss of federal food aid.

I’ve covered many cases of alleged wrongdoing by Maryland politicians over the years. None are quite like the case laid ...
10/31/2025

I’ve covered many cases of alleged wrongdoing by Maryland politicians over the years.

None are quite like the case laid out against state Sen. Dalya Attar, her brother and a Baltimore cop.

My colleague Lee O. Sanderlin and I put this case in context:

Analyzing blackmail allegations against Maryland State Sen. Dalya Attar.

Maryland state lawmakers put pressure on Gov. Wes Moore today to use some of the state’s $2B+ Rainy Day Fund to pay for ...
10/29/2025

Maryland state lawmakers put pressure on Gov. Wes Moore today to use some of the state’s $2B+ Rainy Day Fund to pay for SNAP benefits that are due to run out in November.

One senator likened the situation to not just a rainy day, but a hurricane.

Maryland state lawmakers pressed Gov. Wes Moore and his administration to keep food benefits intact during the federal government shutdown — even if that means tapping the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson officially says he won't support Congressional redistricting, saying it's too le...
10/29/2025

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson officially says he won't support Congressional redistricting, saying it's too legally and politically risky.

Gov. Wes Moore and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones have been supportive.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson says of redistricting: "The legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is too dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined."

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