By ADAM HUDACEK

Capital News Service

There’s a little-known conservative power player in the nation’s school board elections, and it has endorsed more candidates in Maryland than in any other state. 

The 1776 Project PAC, which says on its website that it supports “reform-minded conservatives who oppose political indoctrination and believe in parental rights,” has endorsed 19 Maryland school board candidates in nine of the state’s 24 school districts. The endorsements come as the state’s Democratic Party announces strategic targeting of 24 “extreme” conservative candidates.

This isn’t the 1776 Project PAC’s first foray into Maryland’s election. In 2022, the political action committee campaigned for at least three Maryland school board candidates, but not without incident. 

A year ago, the state prosecutor and the Maryland State Board of Elections fined the PAC more than $20,000 for its campaign practices during the 2022 school board elections. The fine stems from what the 1776 Project PAC did in November 2022, when it sent 13,879 text messages to Carroll County voters urging them to vote for certain candidates.

“Stop indoctrination in our schools, early voting has started [sic] vote for the pro-parent ticket for school board Tara Battaglia, James Miller and Steve Whisler,” one message read. Battaglia and Whisler won election to the school board.

In Maryland, the law requires campaign messages sent on behalf of candidates to record who paid for the information to be distributed, regardless of whether it is a yard sign, a pamphlet or a digital advertisement. The 1776 Project PAC text in 2022 lacked such a provision and therefore deserved to be sanctioned, said Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard in announcing the fine a year ago.

“Being able to identify the source of information for campaign material is essential to honesty and transparency in our electoral process,” Howard said . 

This year, the 1776 Project PAC has spent a total of $75,409.58 on 13 Maryland school board candidates across Cecil, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Calvert, Somerset and St. Mary’s counties. Other candidates endorsed by the group did not receive direct funding as of the latest campaign finance filing deadline.

The political action committee is the brainchild of former political consultant and journalist Ryan James Girdusky, who founded the organization in 2021. A letter from Girdusky on the PAC’s website explains that he was spurred to start the 1776 Project when his godson’s teacher read his class two books about police brutality and white privilege. 

“Progressive activists within our public education system were using their positions to indoctrinate children,” Girdusky wrote in the letter. 

“I created the 1776 Project to change public education by reforming school boards and electing reform-minded conservatives who wanted to improve public education in this country, he added.

The Maryland Democratic Party calls the 1776 Project PAC a “radical ring-wing group”, alongside the conservative parental rights organization Moms For Liberty, which successfully banned 21 books from public school libraries in Carroll County earlier this year. The involvement of the two organizations has prompted the state Democratic Party to invest directly in Maryland’s school board races, a move the party referred to as “unprecedented.” 

“The Maryland Democratic Party is committed to defending our students from the dangerous fringe agenda that extremist candidates and the far-right groups are hoping to bring to our state,” said Ken Ulman, chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, in a press release. “We won’t allow radical activists dedicated to banning books and discriminating against students to take over our schools.”

In its X account bio, the 1776 Project PAC boasts that it has helped elect over 200 “un-woke,” or conservative, school board members since its founding. According to its website, the Project 1776 PAC has focused its endorsements on four states – Maryland, Tennessee, Florida and Arizona – after its successes in three Wisconsin races in April.

To date, the organization has endorsed six candidates in Tennessee, 15 in Florida and 17 in Arizona this election cycle.

The 1776 Project PAC did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the specifics of its policy proposals on school library regulation or preferred pronoun use in public schools. However, some of the candidates it endorsed – such as Elena Brewer of St. Mary’s County – did.

“My main priority is to promote excellence in education and not indoctrination,” Brewer said in response to a Local News Network questionnaire. “Our public schools should in no way become avenues for various special interest groups to promote their political agenda, such as radical gender theory, which attacks the children’s God-given identity and robs them of their innocence. I intend to promote age-appropriate teaching materials, stop the sexualization of children, and promote learning, and the building of character.”

On the 1776 Project PAC website, the organization writes that “biological sex is real and must be taken into account in schools” and that so-called “gender ideology” has been popularized among youth in recent years, something the 1776 Project PAC views as a threat against young girls.

On the topic of book bans, Girdusky stated  in a post on his X account that “the 1776 Project PAC does not take a position on which books are offered in school libraries.” He listed the organization’s priorities as fiscal transparency, improving academic standards, promoting classic education and patriotism, safe classrooms and parental involvement in public schools.

Specifically, the 1776 Project PAC opposes critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, stating on its website that they “subordinate the liberal arts to indoctrination.” 

That’s the kind of conservative agenda that some candidates want to stop.

“In recent years, I have become increasingly concerned with the politicization of public education,” Amanda Jozkowski, a Carroll County school board candidate who lost in 2022 and who is running again this year, said in response to the LNN questionnaire. “Decisions that impact our children should be driven by data, best practices and the needs of our students and educators – not by partisan agendas. I want to eliminate division and distraction and refocus the board’s efforts on what matters most: ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that prepares them for life after graduation, whether that means college, career or other pursuits.”

Local News Network reporter Tolu Talabi contributed to this report.

By CALEY FOX SHANNON

Capital News Service

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Early voting began Thursday in Maryland, with some voters lining up before sunrise to cast their votes when the polls opened at 7 a.m. for president, Senate, House, ballot initiatives and various local races.

In Montgomery County, early birds formed a line at dawn outside the Silver Spring Civic Building.

Campaign volunteers set up tables on the plaza and unpacked sheafs of sample ballots to hand out. Inside, election judges plugged in ballot scanners, opened boxes of pens and laid out “I Voted” stickers.

“It’s a festive time,” Alan Bowser of Silver Spring told Capital News Service. Bowser was first in line at 6 a.m., and said he’s held that honor in every cycle since early voting became an option in Maryland.

Early voting began in the state in 2010 after Marylanders overwhelmingly favored a 2008 ballot question empowering lawmakers to write early balloting into law. In the intervening years, the Maryland General Assembly has voted four times to expand the number of early voting sites.

State Board of Elections Deputy Administrator Katherine Berry told CNS that as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday, more than 90,000 voters had turned out to cast their ballots. That pacing is on par with early voting turnout in 2020, Berry said, but far higher than the 2024 primary.

Bowser, a precinct chair for the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, told CNS the voters he speaks with are feeling motivated to elect the two women of color running close races at the top of the ticket: Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for Senate.

Webb Smedley was out in the brisk morning sporting a Harris Walz cap in woodland camo, paired with an Alsobrooks t-shirt featuring the candidate’s portrait.

Smedley, who is retired, said that this is the first time he has volunteered for a campaign.

“I think that it’s the most important election of my lifetime, and I’ve voted since…for a long time,” he said.

Also on the Democratic ticket in Montgomery County is Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is running to keep his seat in Maryland’s 8th Congressional District.

Raskin arrived at the polls himself just after 7 a.m., greeting supporters with hugs and shaking hands with officials from the local board of elections. The Hill projects Raskin has a 99% chance of beating out Republican opponent Cheryl Riley to stay in Congress.

Walking in the front door of the polling place, Raskin told CNS, “I can’t wait to vote for Kamala.”

Of the many campaign signs dotting the parkway in front of the Civic Building, there was only one for Donald Trump, an unsurprising reality in deeply blue Montgomery County.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t Republicans at the polls in Silver Spring.

Michael Fletcher, a Republican from Olney, was reprising his role as a poll watcher, a designated individual approved to observe election activities.

Fletcher told CNS that he became interested in being a poll watcher after the 2020 election, when, in his words, “there were so many allegations and innuendo and things like that. So I thought I’d get more involved and see how the process worked.”

Although Trump continues to repeat false claims of fraud in the 2020 election, a lie spread by FOX News and prominent Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Fletcher said that he hasn’t seen anything concerning at the polls in his county.

“I think the Board of Elections in Montgomery County does a really good job of training their judges,” Fletcher said. “But I also like to think that just my presence here maybe makes everybody get up a little higher on the step, you know, do a little bit better job.”

For Montgomery County Board of Elections Secretary Amie Hoeber, a Republican, it’s frustrating that so many within her party continue to cast doubt on the voting process. She told CNS, “I find it fair and reasonable, and object to the people who consider it a problem.”

Hoeber has already cast her ballot by mail and wants to reassure the public that mail-in voting is another option that is “completely secure.”

Montgomery County Board of Elections President David Naimon said many voters like to wait until the last minute, but he urged the public to resist the “real human tendency to procrastinate.”

Polling places specially designated as early voting centers in Maryland are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Thursday October 31. More information about early voting can be found on the State Board of Elections website.

BY: MARISSA YELENIK

Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS – Top state officials have approved a $3.4 million bond to revamp affordable housing in Columbia while maintaining their commitment to sustainability and clean energy.

The project targets Maryland citizens in Columbia who make between 30% and 60% of the area’s median income, with a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units in the apartment complex, said Gov. Wes Moore.

“This is really revolutionary work that’s already showing significant impacts for a lot of families,” Moore said. “We are working this, united, to address an issue that we know is a very real issue for a lot of families and a lot of communities all throughout the state.”

The project will demolish the existing 62-unit housing in Waverly Winds, replacing it with a new 68-unit apartment complex for rent, according to Board of Public Works documents. The board gave its approval at its meeting on Wednesday.

The community, located in Howard County, serves to provide affordable housing to underserved communities that have fewer housing opportunities. 

As of 2018, Howard County had the highest cost of living index, as well as the second-highest median sale price of a home, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce. State officials are working to combat these high numbers with expanded access to and support for affordable housing.

“[It is] based totally on considerations of merit and need, and they are being distributed equally across communities all across the state,” said Moore. “It’s a very targeted program about the families that we’re hoping to build for and that we’re hoping to serve. And it’s going to do a great deal to be able to address the affordability challenges that we know a lot of families continue to face.”

Maryland has spent over $132 million in state bonds to expand access to affordable housing in the state, said Moore, creating almost 4,000 units of affordable housing since his inauguration as governor in January 2023. 

Moore has worked to improve affordable housing in Maryland in response to the 96,000 unit housing shortage in the state. He has signed multiple bills into law that worked to reduce the instability of prices, increase the affordability of units and improve renters rights.

State funding for the Waverly Winds project makes up one of 13 funding sources, amounting to $31.4 million in total, according to Board of Public Works documents. 

The project intends to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the new apartment building, as well as save energy and promote water conservation. It will use energy-efficient materials, stay in compliance with energy guidelines, restrict the use of certain chemicals and install solar panels to be used in addition to common area electricity.

“It includes a number of sustainability measures that would align with the state’s commitment for reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Moore, “Continuing to show that … we do have an ability to be aggressive when it comes to adding additional housing options, and that does not mean compromising a larger idea that the state needs to move forward and make sure that you have a cleaner and greater state as well.”

By SHAUN CHORNOBROFF

Capital News Service

WASHINGTON – Despite having “Republican” under his name on Maryland’s ballots, former Gov. Larry Hogan has been running for the U.S. Senate on the notion that he’s more of an independent, someone who can work on either side of the political aisle. 

That messaging hasn’t stopped Hogan’s campaign from receiving significant campaign support from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, as well as two Republican senators vying to replace him as the next GOP Senate leader: John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota. 

Hogan, who was recruited to run in the election by McConnell, is pitted against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in what is likely to be one of the country’s most pivotal elections. The Maryland seat is being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin.

The Hogan campaign declined to respond to questions by phone and email about the contributions.

Hogan’s campaign has received more than $235,000, including a $75,000 contribution on Sept. 25, from the Cornyn Victory Committee, according to Federal Election Committee reports filed on Tuesday. 

Politico reported that Thune’s super PAC, New Heights Action, has given $1 million to PACs to help Hogan’s campaign.  

New Heights Action has given $750,000 to Maryland’s Future, a super PAC supporting Hogan, according to the FEC filings. 

A McConnell-linked super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, gave $2 million to Maryland’s Future in July. 

Maryland’s Future has been behind a wave of advertising engulfing the state and had $16 million left to spend as of Sept. 30. 

At the end of September, Axios reported that WinSenate, a Democratic PAC linked to Chuck Schumer, was launching $1.1 million worth of ads for Alsobrooks over the first two weeks of this month.

With the aid of four independent senators who caucus with them, Democrats hold a two-seat advantage in the Senate. Hogan swinging a seat in Maryland, a deeply Democratic state, would represent a major political coup for the Republicans.  

“I think there’s always one race that people aren’t paying attention to that we end up picking up. I think that could be Maryland this time,” Cornyn said in a Sept. 24 conversation with Capital News Service. 

Both Cornyn and Thune have flexed their well-established fundraising muscles as they, along with Rick Scott, R-Florida, seek to succeed McConnell, who is relinquishing his leadership post at the end of the year.

On Sept. 24, Cornyn sent out a letter to donors detailing that he has raised more than $400 million since he joined the Senate in 2002.

The Cornyn Victory Committee has raised nearly $16 million in this election cycle, according to Open Secrets. The money has been spread out among a number of candidates, with Hogan being near the middle of the group in terms of total donations from the Texan’s PAC. 

The Hill reported last month that Thune announced at a political strategy meeting that he would transfer $4 million from his personal campaign to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in an effort to chip away at the large fundraising advantage held by Democrats. The donation was the largest ever by a Senate Republican, doubling the previous record, set by Thune in 2016.

The Alsobrooks campaign has held a fundraising advantage over Hogan’s campaign in recent months. 

Alsobrooks’ principal campaign committee raised more than $13.4 million in the last cycle from July 1 through Sept. 30, significantly more than Hogan, whose campaign committee raised $3.3 million in the same period, according to FEC filings.

Both Hogan and Alsobrooks have joint fundraising arrangements with party committees that provide their campaigns with cash and raise money for the parties.
The Alsobrooks Victory Fund, created by her campaign and the Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland, raised nearly $3.8 million during the reporting period. Similarly, the Hogan Victory Fund, set up between his campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign, raised $5.4 million. 

Alsobrooks’ principal campaign committee had almost $3.4 million in cash on hand at the end of last month, while Hogan’s principal committee reported nearly $1.6 million in cash on hand.

Hogan is Maryland’s first two-term Republican governor in over 60 years and remains fairly popular. 

A University of Maryland Baltimore poll released on Oct. 9 said 53% of likely Maryland voters had a favorable opinion of Hogan, compared to 49% for Alsobrooks.

However, the poll gave Alsobrooks a nine-point lead in a race that was neck-and-neck only a month ago. 

Some analysts believe a major reason for Alsobrooks’ advantage could be Hogan’s party allegiance: the former governor is sharing the ticket with former President Donald Trump. Even though Trump endorsed him, Hogan is not returning the favor, saying he will not vote for the GOP standard-bearer. 

Hogan’s party ties were a major focus in his Oct. 10 debate with Alsobrooks, with the Prince George’s county executive repeatedly warning of the dangers of a Republican-controlled Senate. 

More than 30% of those surveyed in the UMBC poll cited either support for Democratic control of the Senate or reproductive rights as their reason for voting for Alsobrooks.

“We are facing an election where the future of our country and our freedoms are at stake,” Alsobrooks said during the debate. “The Republican Party has declared war on women’s reproductive freedoms, we recognize that this party of chaos and division led by Donald Trump can not lead this country and also has severe consequences for Marylanders.” 

Throughout the debate, Hogan characterized himself as someone who could overcome partisan politics. 

“I think what we need desperately in Washington are people that are willing, that have the courage to put country over party and to put people over politics, and to stand up to the leaders of their party,” Hogan said. “I don’t think there’s anyone in America who has done that more than me.”

By MARIJKE FRIEDMAN

Capital News Service

WASHINGTON – An influx of federal and state dollars is helping fund additional electric vehicle charging stations in Maryland.

In August, the Biden-Harris administration announced the winners of $521 million in grants to help build electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the United States. The Maryland Equitable Charging Infrastructure Partnership will receive more than $33 million of this funding to install electric vehicle charging stations at 29 sites along highways in the state.

The Maryland Clean Energy Center — an organization created by the state in 2008 to advance clean energy sources — is leading the partnership, which includes local governments, a local electrical workers union and other organizations. The center applied for the federal grant on behalf of the partnership and coordinated closely with the Maryland Department of Transportation.

“In order for us to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction targets and help us mitigate the impacts of climate change, we are facilitating a transition to cleaner transportation solutions,” Katherine Magruder, the executive director of the center, told Capital News Service.

There are currently 118,682 electric vehicles registered in Maryland, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The more than $33 million will help to increase electric vehicle charging access in “rural, urban, and underserved communities,” according to the center.

“We’re very conscientious about equitable access to clean energy technologies and solutions,” Magruder said.

Workforce development and job creation are also crucial parts of the project, Magruder said. Apprentices and electricians with IBEW Local 24 will be trained to build and maintain the new charging stations.

Earlier this year, the Maryland Clean Energy Center received $15 million to build 58 electric vehicle community charging stations from an earlier round of federal transportation grants.

The funds come from a grant program set up by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021, and money set aside in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, which was created by that law.

Under the formula program, states may access funding for obtaining and installing charging equipment. The program requires funds be used first on alternative fuel corridors, a network of highway systems with alternative charging and fueling stations, and then in communities.

Deron Lovaas, the chief of environment and sustainable transportation at the Maryland Department of Transportation, emphasized the importance of building out highway charging so that other funds can go toward community charging.

Maryland also received $12.1 million in federal funding from the NEVI program in July to expand charging sites, according to Gov. Wes Moore’s office.

It has been an unprecedented decade for funding for electric vehicle charging, Lovaas said. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have funneled large amounts of money to local governments, he explained.

In 2015, there were just 419 electric vehicle charging stations in Maryland. As of June 30, there were more than 1,600, according to data from the state Department of Transportation.

Maryland will continue to seek federal funding to expand its electric vehicle infrastructure, Lovaas said. He also noted that Moore has put millions of Maryland’s dollars into climate investments, including $23 million for building charging stations in historically underserved communities.

“A future where the (state’s) fleet is electric is within sight, thanks to these federal investments and thanks to partners that are competing for them as effectively as possible here in Maryland,” Lovaas said.

The state is also focusing on increasing the number of electric vehicles on the road and expanding charging infrastructure for trucks, Lovaas said.

A rule adopted in Maryland in 2023, called Advanced​​ Clean Cars II, is requiring auto dealers in the state to increase the percentage of electric vehicles they are selling, he said.

Maryland is also collaborating with other states to expand charging stations. The Clean Corridor Coalition, which includes Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and New York, is receiving nearly $250 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to build out electric vehicle charging facilities for trucks along the I-95 corridor.

These investments are crucial to protect the climate, clean the air and transition away from fossil fuels, Lindsey Mendelson, the senior clean transportation representative with the Maryland Sierra Club, told CNS.

“We’re really excited about more federal dollars flowing in to support EV charging,” she said. “It’s important that we continue to take advantage of every opportunity that we can.”

By JACK BOWMAN

Capital News Service

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The issue of Republican Senate hopeful Larry Hogan’s party allegiance took center stage in the first, and perhaps only, debate with Democratic opponent Angela Alsobrooks on Thursday. 

As he has throughout his campaign, Hogan, who moderator Chuck Todd mentioned was recruited to run by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, spent much of the debate distancing himself from the GOP on several issues and attempting to establish himself as an independent. 

“You’re going to hear nothing but red versus blue,” Hogan, the former Maryland governor, said early in the debate, which will be televised on Maryland Public Television, WBAL in Baltimore and WRC in Washington Thursday at 7 p.m. “I care a lot more about the red, white and blue.” 

Hogan also pointedly rejected the premise of being a party-line Republican, saying that he has a “proven track record” of standing up to former President Donald Trump, McConnell and the Republican Party. He also said that the country needs more “mavericks” in the Senate. 

Alsobrooks, for her part, took aim at those claims. Specifically, she asserted that Hogan’s personal stance on abortion, and his promises to support the codification of Roe v. Wade, wouldn’t matter if the Republicans gain control of the Senate. 

“I believe the governor when he said that he would like to vote with Roe,” said Alsobrooks, currently Prince George’s County executive. “But, you know what? The fact is, if the Republicans have a majority in the Senate, there will be no vote on Roe.”

Foreign policy

The through line of partisanship continued as the debate shifted to foreign policy and specifically the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

When questioned about her stance on the conflict, Alsbrooks echoed the position held by many national-level Democrats, emphasizing both her support for Israel and her concerns surrounding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need for a two-state solution. 

“I believe in this moment, we have an obligation to make sure that we’re getting those hostages home to their families,” Alsobrooks said, referring to hostages taken by Hamas during an attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, “and that we get to a ceasefire, making sure that…we get aid into Gaza for the Palestinians who are suffering.”

Hogan used his time also expressing unequivocal support for Israel, a view he has repeated throughout the campaign. He noted he did not differ with the retiring Democrat whose seat he and Alsobrooks are campaigning for.

“I’m going to be a strong supporter of Israel, as I always have been,” Hogan said, “and I’m going to be more like a champion for Israel, like Ben Cardin.”

The Supreme Court

As the debate shifted to the topic of the Supreme Court, Alsobrooks pushed for reform of the nation’s highest court, referencing term limits or expansion of the number of justices. 

“I think we’re going to have to do something to reform the Supreme Court,” Alsobrooks said. “Again, looking at the decisions they’ve made, everything from overturning Roe, I think there are ethical problems with the Supreme Court.” 

Alsobrooks went on to say, “this is another place where me and Mr. Hogan disagree.” 

Hogan did draw a contrast between his position and that of his opponent, saying that the pushes for reform are politically motivated. 

“I think if there’s one thing that we should not be politicizing, it’s the Supreme Court,” Hogan said, “and yet it has been politicized by both sides. And I think trying to change the rules to jam things through on a party line vote is not the right way to go about it.”

Abortion

As it has been throughout the campaign, abortion was a major issue in the debate. 

One difference between the two candidates was their strategies for passing legislation to codify Roe v. Wade, the right to an abortion. 

Alsobrooks advocated abolishing the filibuster, a Senate procedure that allows debate on a measure to continue until 60 senators vote to stop it. Many critics of the Senate, including some senators, consider the filibuster an impediment to passing bills that have the support of a majority of lawmakers. 

“We’ve seen the filibuster has been used in ways that have been very destructive, and it really has not been in the interest of the people,” Alsobrooks said.

Hogan, in response, cited bipartisanship in his opposition to removing the filibuster. 

“I like the idea of continuing to have to find people across the aisle, find that bipartisan compromise,” Hogan said. 

He also compared Alsobrooks’ stance to that of Trump, saying that both of them want to change “long standing rules that require bipartisan cooperation.”

Gun control and crime

Both candidates, in their general comments on gun control, said they supported “common sense gun legislation.” 

Hogan, for his part, said he would support a “bipartisan, commonsense assault weapons ban.” 

He also accused Alsobrooks of pulling safety officers out of schools, a point that Alsobrooks disputed. 

Alsobrooks said that she would be in favor of “eliminating assault weapons” and “removing ghost guns from our streets.” 

She also said the former governor “in fact, vetoed legislation that would have created a waiting period for long guns and outright refused to sign the ban on those guns.”

On the issue of crime, Hogan trumpeted his “refund the police initiative,” while saying that Prince George’s County has cut its police force under Alsobrooks’ leadership. Hogan charged that “crime is out of control” in the county. 

Alsobrooks insisted otherwise, saying that she “oversaw a 50% lowering in crime.” 

“I not only support law enforcement, I was law enforcement,” Alsobrooks said. 

Personal voting 

In perhaps her most direct attack on Hogan’s embrace of bipartisanship, Alsobrooks took aim at Hogan’s write-in vote for Ronald Reagan in the 2020 election and his refusal to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 election despite the former governor’s opposition to Trump. 

“For a person who says he could see a bipartisan way forward,” Alsobrooks said, “but was unable to do the most bipartisan thing ever in an election where he says he despises (Trump), but cannot bring himself to even vote for Vice President Harris … will have forfeited the chance to vote in three different elections rather than stand up, do the right thing, choose a tough vote and vote for a Democrat.” 

Hogan explained his reasoning: “I’ve never voted for someone I didn’t believe in.” 

He went on to say, “that’s why we have the ability to write-in and take whatever decision you make.”

By KATHARINE WILSON

Capital News Service

WASHINGTON – When Darlene Butler-Jones, a 66 year-old shop steward for Giant, walks into a store, people listen. 

Butler-Jones is part of a group of grocery store workers assigned by her union – United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 400 – to explain the organization’s political endorsements to her fellow employees. 

As she walks through the store, talking to employees at cash registers and counters, Butler-Jones hears their concerns about fair scheduling, retirement, and dignity in the workplace.

“People want change,” Butler-Jones said. 

As Democrats and Republicans argue over which party truly represents working people and who will secure their vote, Maryland union leaders say it’s not about party, it’s about policy. 

Capital News Service spoke to six Maryland-based union presidents and political leaders to better understand how union endorsements work and the impact of unions on politics in Maryland.

What the unions, and their members, want

Maryland union leaders said they are focused on improving the lives of their members, which most said comes down to their ability to organize. 

Donna S. Edwards is the president of the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO, a federation of more than 50 unions. To get union backing, Edwards said, politicians need to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, commonly known as the PRO-Act, and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, a bill to guarantee the right to organize for public sector employees.

The PRO-Act, a bill promoted by the labor movement, aims to protect the right to join and form a union by prohibiting common employer intimidation tactics and requiring employees represented by collective bargaining units to pay their fair share of representation fees. 

This Congress, 263 Democrats, three Republicans and two independents sponsored the PRO-Act. The bill has not been put up for a vote in either chamber. The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act has seen no action.

To get an endorsement from the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO, candidates must first fill out surveys detailing their stances on nearly every issue in some way related to labor. Then top candidates are interviewed by union members and leaders before a final selection is made. 

The top three factors union officials making the AFL-CIO endorsements consider are the candidate’s views on issues, viability and voting record, according to Kayla Mock, the political and legislative director for the local food and commercial workers union, which falls under the state’s AFL-CIO. 

Unions are focused on fundamental issues important to working people, like healthcare, child care, and the right to organize, Mock said. These issues, many union leaders say, typically favor Democratic candidates. 

In the 2024 election, the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO only endorsed Democratic candidates for Congress.  

“I tell my members this all the time, please bring me a pro-labor Republican. I would love to talk to them. I would love to endorse them,” Mock said. 

While many major unions in Maryland endorsed Democrats for local and federal office, as they have continuously done for decades, this isn’t true among all unions and union endorsements aren’t always followed by rank-and-file members. 

Maryland-based Teamsters Joint Councils 55 and 62 endorsed the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, breaking from the national union’s decision to not endorse a candidate. However, in a Teamsters member poll from July 24 to Sept. 15, 49.4% of Maryland members wanted the national union to endorse Trump, compared to 46.5% for Harris.

In the 2020 election, around 60% of union households voted for President Joe Biden, Axios reported. 

Jason Ascher, the Mid-Atlantic Pipe Trades Association’s political director, said he has some union members who will vote for former President Donald Trump regardless of what Ascher and other union leaders recommend.

This trend, particularly among the building trades, Ascher said, followed the 1994 implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement — a pact among the United States, Mexico and Canada — that the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank affiliated with the labor movement, says led to the loss of thousands of union jobs. 

The trade agreement, combined with social issues promoted by Democrats, pro-gun attitudes and the populism of Trump, created hard-line Republican voters within the union base, Ascher said. Now he and others are working at the local level to draw more of their union members back into voting for endorsed Democrats. 

“It's a fight every day,” Ascher said. “We have to convince our members, at least in the trades, that the Democrats are the ones helping us right now.”

Ryan Whittington, the president of the Ocean City Career Firefighters Paramedics Association, leads one of a dozen first-responder unions endorsing the Senate candidacy of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. 

When his union’s board of directors decides to get involved in a state or local election, Whittington said, they open up a poll to every member of the union to select their preferred candidate. In the 2024 Maryland Senate race, Whittington said only two members of his union, which has more than 70 people, did not want the union to endorse Hogan. 

“Within our local we have individuals who are Democrats, we have individuals who are Republicans,” Whittington said. “For us, it's about looking at a candidate who is going to listen to the needs of our firefighters, our public safety officials, and make sure that they have our backs.” 

Who looks at union endorsements

While union members made up just 10.7% of the Maryland working population in 2023, union leaders say their impact stretches beyond their membership.

“We are members of the same communities that we're working in and living in. We're the next door neighbors,” said Paul Lemle, the president of the Maryland State Education Association. “It's natural that people trust us.”

Union popularity has seen record highs nationwide in recent years. In an August Gallup poll, 70% of Americans said they approved of labor unions.

Part of this increase can be attributed to younger Americans. 

Around 88% of people under 30 supported unions in an August 2023 poll by the Democratic polling and research firm GBAO, conducted on behalf of the AFL-CIO. 

Mock said she has seen first-hand a rise in young people embracing unions.

Her chapter of UFCW – which includes 35,000 workers across six states and the District of Columbia –  held two successful union membership votes for cannabis dispensary workers within one week in Montgomery County, Maryland. 

Mock, who was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said this attention from younger voters could be behind the Democratic strategy to boost the union vote.

“We're kind of the cool kids club,” Mock said. “Democrats, very smartly, are going ‘oh yeah, we actually do need labor.’”

In the 2022 statewide election, Maryland State Education Association members voted at a 24 percentage point rate higher than the rest of the state, according to the director of the union’s political and legislative affairs, Samantha Zwerling. In every election, she said, politicians endorsed by the education association have more than an 80% chance of success. 

“Unions are inherently part of the democratic fabric of our society...That's what's meant by freedom of assembly and freedom of speech… they encourage participation and democracy,” Lemle, the union president, said. 

What unions want the public to know

“Unions are not these big bosses. Look at me. I'm the union,” Edwards, the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO president said. 

The talkative, charismatic union leader was sitting in an emptying event space during the Democratic National Convention in August, showing her union friends in the Maryland delegation a photo of her holding a “Union Yes!” sign during the convention the night before. 

Edwards, a social-worker by trade, grew up in a union home. She first joined a union while working for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services in the 1970s. 

Her union leadership was able to get a pay raise for her unit of social workers — kicking off her passion for labor activism. 

The union “is the only institution, in my view, that holds the line on a democracy in this country,” Edwards said. “It allows for workers and their families to be involved in the political process, but it also gives you the financial security… to be able to be a contributing part of your community.”

By TAYLOR NICHOLS
Capital News Service

The months since Kamala Harris announced her candidacy have been filled with viral social media moments. Since her campaign began in July, it was as if a spigot turned on, and the internet was awash in memes and TikTok videos about her, often created by and for young people.

But is that enthusiasm translating to more engagement on the ground from young voters?

That spike, in part, was due to a swell of voters under 30. Three of the best weeks for young voter registration in Maryland this year happened post-Kamala – nearly 11,000 voters under 30 registered in the weeks after her July 21 announcement.

Maryland voter registration data shows July, the month Harris announced her campaign, was the strongest month for voter registration this year, according to an analysis by Capital News Service.

The biggest jump in young voter registrations was seen in Baltimore City, with a 63 percent increase in registrations for people under 30 in the weeks after Biden dropped out.

Most counties saw a roughly 20-25 percent increase in registrations in the month after Harris announced her candidacy. Montgomery County saw a 40 percent jump and Worcester County saw a 32 percent increase.

“Younger people are excited about having a new candidate in Kamala Harris,” said Montgomery County resident Sean Quiroga, 22, who recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s in government and politics. “We need to have a new voice.”

Quiroga said that he initially was nervous about the chaos it could cause if Biden dropped out. Now, he’s reassured by the support she’s garnered.

“She’s able to get out the message in a way that Joe Biden, I think, had difficulty doing,” he said.

Voter registrations began to trend upwards after a lull in May, just after the deadline for registering to vote in this year’s primary election.

Registrations for voters from every age group increased in July, including for future voters under 18 years old who are able to pre-register in the state of Maryland, which many young people do when they get their driver’s license.

Young Democrats of Maryland, and local chapters of the organization throughout the state, say they’re seeing a swell of energy from young voters looking to get involved after the Harris campaign announced her candidacy.

When the election was between President Biden and former President Trump, it was hard to drum up enthusiasm for more of the status quo, Frederick County Young Democrats President Violet Williams said. 

But having a younger woman of color – Harris is 59 years old, Black and Indian – running a historic campaign has brought new energy to the election, especially for young women, Williams said.

“We’ve been seeing a trend where a lot of young people feel like they’re not being represented, they’re not being talked to, and they’re not having the same say that they feel that older voters are having,” Williams said.

Frederick County, which was won by Biden in 2020 after decades of voting Republican, saw a 23 percent increase in registrations for voters under 30 in the four weeks following Harris’ July 21 announcement. 

Rachel Janfaza, a journalist who covers young voters and politics on her website The Up and Up, agrees. She said young voters are excited to see someone who looks and sounds more like them running for president.

“The history of what her candidacy represents is really important, and I think a lot of young people are feeling excited by that,” Janfaza said. “She represents a new generation of leadership.”

Janfaza said that for many young adults, who have really only seen the last two elections play out, it’s the first time they feel they can vote for a candidate they’re excited about.

While the Harris campaign has galvanized young voters to get involved, it may take more than a Taylor Swift endorsement to sway young voters to go for Harris. Janfaza said young adults are still waiting to hear what her policies are and how they will differ from Biden’s.

“Young people are really looking for values over virality,” Janfaza said. “They want to hear her speak about the issues that matter to them.”

Abortion, gun violence and climate change are three hot button issues for young voters, but research from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, at Tufts University, shows the top issue for young people is the economy.

Inflation, the cost of living and jobs that pay a living wage are all primary concerns for young voters, said CIRCLE researcher Ruby Belle Booth.

“I think that a lot of young people are ready to see things get done and they want a plan that's going to show success and clear achievements on the issues that matter to them, because they’ve seen so many things get held back by hyper partisanship,” Booth said. “Young people are just ready for action on these things.”

Emily Condon helped with reporting for this story.

By SOFIA APPOLONIO

Capital News Service

The state of Maryland is spending millions of dollars to settle lawsuits every year, and top elected officials aren’t happy about it. 

At a meeting of the Board of Public Works on Wednesday, two officials questioned why the state was being asked to approve yet another payout – this one having to do with strip searches by public safety employees. 

Although the board approved the $50,000 settlement request, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis questioned the prison agency’s decision to settle instead of heading to trial. 

“If somebody has been wronged, we should be paying that person and the employees should be retrained or released, but we can’t have strip searches that were done properly cost the state $50,000 each,” Lierman said. 

The request stems from a lawsuit alleging misconduct by employees during a strip search, but the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services did not detail the case at the public meeting. 

Joseph Sedtal, the agency’s deputy secretary of administration, told the board that the employees involved in the suit followed proper procedures regarding strip searches.

But, Sedtal said, it’s difficult to go to trial and prove this because, due to privacy concerns, there are no cameras allowed in the strip search room.

Often, he said a case is the defendant’s word against that of the facility.  

Even though the board voted to approve the settlement, Lierman asked that the agency come back with more information. 

She asked for follow-up on how many such cases are filed, how often the state fully litigates them and how many result in complete dismissals.

State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis questioned the logic, asking whether juries would be more inclined to believe the defendants over the correctional officers if the officers proceeded with proper protocol. 

“I would like to think settlements are more of a rarity as opposed to a regularity,” Davis said. “It bothers me because this is money, public dollars that I know could be put to good use.”

By MARISSA YELENIK

Capital News Service

Top state officials approved a $2.75 million settlement on Wednesday after a federal investigation turned up evidence of discriminatory hiring practices by the Maryland State Police.

The U.S. Department of Justice conducted a two-year investigation into state police hiring practices for a violation of Title VII, which prohibits discrimination against employees or applicants based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. 

The investigation found that the state police engaged in discriminatory practices against Black and female applicants, agency officials acknowledged in a meeting of the Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday. 

The DOJ said that MDSP written tests disproportionately impacted Black candidates, while their physical fitness tests disproportionately impacted female candidates. The tests discriminated against candidates while failing to “meaningfully distinguish between applicants who can and cannot perform the position of Trooper,” according to a Department of Justice press release.

“Discrimination in any form has no place within the Maryland State Police, and it will not be tolerated,” Col. Roland Butler Jr., superintendent of MDSP, told the board Wednesday. “We’re committed to making meaningful and lasting change … [and] to develop new policies and procedures that ensure equitable treatment for all applicants.”

The board – made up of Gov. Wes Moore, state Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis – signed off on the settlement. The agreement must also be approved by a federal court before moving forward.

In response to the investigation, MDSP will change its current testing methods to prevent future discrimination in hiring, but the new practices will not be ready until after the next two MDSP classes start, Butler said. To adapt, he said, MDSP intends to change existing standards, including eliminating time requirements from different portions of the physical fitness tests. 

Members of the Board of Public Works raised concerns about this interim period, with Davis questioning whether the unclear guidelines would lead to more discrimination.

“Now it becomes subjective, so doesn’t that lend itself, potentially, to be more discriminatory?” Davis asked. “Now we don’t know what’s good or what’s not as it relates to that time.”

Butler assured Davis that strict monitoring of who passes and fails the tests would be in place, allowing MDSP to monitor areas of improvement. 

“We won’t have the other test in place at this time,” Butler said. “However, we’re relaxing the standards that we have … We will be allowed to use those tests under the condition that we provide strict monitoring to see what the results are, to see who’s passing, who’s failing and we do think that we’ll get a larger pool of applicants when we start to look at how we measure that test and how we evaluate it.”

Officials said the new tests would emphasize fairness while maintaining safety requirements, including a test that would receive ongoing validation to guarantee it was modern, fair and relevant, as well as an aptitude test to look for integrity, self-motivation, critical thinking and judgment skills.

The settlement involved 48 Black and female individuals who were prevented from becoming state troopers due to the discriminatory practices, according to Butler.

Since his appointment in 2023, Butler said, he has worked to evaluate and modernize the agency’s practices.

“I remain steadfastly committed to cultivating a culture that will ensure inclusiveness,” Butler said, “one that allows the fulfillment of our mission, of values centered around integrity, fairness, and service.” 

By MADISON KORMAN

Capital News Service

Classrooms across Maryland are a bit more quiet this fall, with students under new rules to keep their phones off and out of sight.

At least a third of Maryland public schools have tightened up the rules this fall, according to a Capital News Service survey conducted this month.

Meanwhile, public schools in and around Baltimore are cracking down on phones during instruction – and, in some cases, even on the bus. 

In Caroline County, on the eastern shore of Maryland, public schools have a new pilot program in two middle schools. It requires students to place their phones in locked pouches. The pouches stay with the students but remain locked until the end of the school day.

“Today’s youth battle constant distraction caused by cell phone alerts and messaging that interrupt their ability to focus,” Supt. Derek L. Simmons said in a recent notice to students and parents. He said this “creates a negative impact on school culture and learning.” 

Elsewhere, administrators are getting creative about persuading students to go along with the plan. 

In St. Mary’s County, Supt. Scott Smith recently released a video describing the district’s new plan to limit the distractions caused by cell phones. 

In the video, he comically stops midway through his presentation of the new rules to take out his phone and text, showing students how difficult it can be to have a conversation when they are disengaged and on their phones. 

“Hold on, just wait a second, I’m just going to text him real fast,” Smith said in the video, pretending to send a message. 

“That’s really rude isn’t it?” he then pointed out. “We’re supposed to be having a conversation, and I’m interrupting myself and I’m getting on my phone and I’m texting.” 

“I’m not really here right?” Smith said. “I’m kind of distracted.”

Since the start of the school year, in St. Mary’s County, they have confiscated around 30 cell phones per day, Smith told the school board in a recent meeting. That’s out of 10,000 students, he said at the meeting. 

“We have had many conversations about the joy of being in a classroom without the distraction of cell phones,” Smith said, adding that he and his staff “continue to work with our secondary students about the joy and some of the challenges of cellular devices and how we can maximize our joy and fun in life.”

By: Nathan Schwartz

Capital News Service

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. – Maryland farmers are expressing concerns over plans to construct 70 miles of power lines that would traverse Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick Counties.

If the proposed plan is adopted, the project would destroy decades of crop growth. Farmers say that would upset their business models and family traditions.

By MENNATALLA IBRAHIM and ANDREA DURÁN

Capital News Service

WASHINGTON — Chesapeake Bay is cleaner than it used to be but is falling short of 2025 targets for reducing pollution, federal and state officials and most of Maryland’s congressional delegation said on Wednesday.

“The short version is that it’s going in the right direction. The longer story is that we’re still behind,” Adam Ortiz, administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mid-Atlantic region, said at a Capitol Hill press conference.

The bay failed to meet the agreement’s main target, known as the total maximum daily load, which measures the total pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said.

“The point of the 10-year plan is to create a pollution diet to reduce the amount of phosphorous, nitrogen and other pollutants in the bay,” Van Hollen said. “That’s a measurable target. That’s how we know we’re not going to hit it this year, so we need to redouble our efforts.”

Despite missing the targets set in 2014 through 2025, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, said he  remained hopeful that the delegation can work together with experts at the EPA and other agencies to ensure the bay’s health continues to improve.

Maryland Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, Kweisi Mfume and Jamie Raskin joined Cardin, Van Hollen, representatives from the EPA and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the Chesapeake Bay an overall grade of a C+ in July, the highest grade the bay has received since 2002.

“I know that nobody would be thrilled with bringing home a grade of a C+, but the fact of the matter is, it is the highest grade we’ve seen in a long time,” Van Hollen said. “We all want to do better, but I do want to stress that without the collective effort we see today, the bay would have died a long time ago.”

The Chesapeake Executive Council signed the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement in 2014 and established five strategies for the restoration and protection of the bay, its tributaries and surrounding lands.

Local, state and federal governments are required to enact the plan’s management strategies and work with academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, watershed groups and businesses and individuals, according to the 2014 agreement.

“You need cooperation between the federal government and the states, among the states, among state governments and private industry,” said Van Hollen. “There are all sorts of sources of pollution today, and so we need to make sure everybody cooperates in producing pollution reduction.”

Ortiz said that groups committed to improving the bay were in disarray when President Joe Biden’s administration began almost four years ago.

“The states were suing the federal government, and states were pointing the fingers at each other for not making…progress,” he said.

But since then, he said, the EPA has been able to bring the states together and hold them accountable.

“The Chesapeake Bay isn’t just a bay,” Cardin said. “The Chesapeake Bay has been one of the highest priorities for our Maryland congressional delegation. We’ve been focused on not only preserving but expanding our role and partnership with states, local governments and stakeholders.”

Van Hollen emphasized the importance of identifying “measurable targets” of pollution reduction for long-term success, especially as climate change concerns surrounding the bay grow.

“I think we’ll have to have a discussion about what the length of time for the next agreement should be. It may make sense to look at shorter time horizons,” the senator said.  “But you have to have a measurable target to hold people down.”

By KATHARINE WILSON

Capital News Service

WASHINGTON – Before his landing craft reached Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day, 21 year-old Army Cpl. Waverly Woodson Jr., a combat medic, was injured by intense shell fire.

His shrapnel wounds quickly dressed, Woodson worked tirelessly for 30 hours to save the lives of an estimated 200 soldiers as German shots and shellfire raked the crowded sand.

On Tuesday, Woodson received posthumous recognition for his actions on that day in June 1944 after decades of advocacy from his family. The Army honored Woodson, who lived in Clarksburg, Maryland, after the war, with the Distinguished Service Cross, the highest honor the Army can bestow on its own authority, in a ceremony on Capitol Hill.

The medal was laid on Omaha Beach before being presented to his widow, Joann Woodson, now 95.

His son, Stephen Woodson, 66, said this award has given the family closure.

“All throughout the years, my dad never really complained about never being honored for what he had done, he considered that to be his duty,” Stephen Woodson said. “To have him receive an honor of this stature is just absolutely incredible.”

The family has fought tirelessly for over 20 years for Woodson to be recognized for his devotion to duty on D-Day. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, joined the effort in 2015.

“We’ve been working to right this wrong,” Van Hollen said. “This is an example of people coming together to help make our country strong.”

But Woodson’s bravery, as his family and Van Hollen argue, merits even more. The senator and Woodson’s family have campaigned for years to push for the veteran to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Woodson was recommended for the Medal of Honor after his service in World War II, but the honor was never bestowed. Woodson left the service in 1952, eventually rising to the rank of staff sergeant.

Van Hollen told the packed audience at Tuesday’s ceremony that there is only one reason Woodson was denied the honor: the color of his skin.

Woodson was a member of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only all-Black battalion to storm the Normandy beaches during Operation Overlord, the massive Allied assault on German defenses along France’s Normandy coast.

No Black soldiers who served in World War II were given the Medal of Honor until 1997, when seven servicemen were finally recognized for the honor. By that time, Woodson’s crucial military paperwork was destroyed in a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in Overland, Missouri.

Without that crucial paperwork, the Army determined that there was not enough evidence to upgrade Woodson’s honors.

It wasn’t until the work of historian and journalist Linda Hervieux, who wrote the book “Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Black Heroes, at Home and at War,” gained popularity that the Army took notice.

Capt. Kevin Braafladt, First Army Support Command historian, took up where Hervieux left off to uncover enough evidence of Woodson’s service to open the door for the Distinguished Service Cross and, as the Woodson family hopes, may eventually allow for Woodson to receive the Medal of Honor.

“Many of us thought this day would never come,” Hervieux said. “It’s very hard to write history. It’s very hard to give the Army the proof that it wants. It’s nice to know as a reporter, sometimes you can do something that makes a difference.”

Woodson didn’t talk about his experiences in the Army until 1994, the 50th anniversary of D-Day. The French government had sponsored a trip for Woodson and his wife, Joann, to visit Normandy.

“I was wondering how he was going to take it, you know, to be walking right back over the ground where there was so much fighting and everything,” Joann Woodson said.

The trip was emotional, she said. Her husband was surprised to receive such a recognition from the French government who, she remembers him saying, paid more attention than the Americans did.

It was hard for his father to speak about D-Day with anyone, including his own son.

In the few instances Waverly Woodson talked about the beaches of Normandy, his son recalled, one story was always repeated more than any acknowledgement of the hundreds of people he saved.

When his father got to shore, Stephen Woodson said, there was one soldier calling out for a doctor. The soldier was dying quickly, his body blown in half.

“My dad could do nothing for him, other than console him,” Stephen Woodson said.

Woodson stayed with the soldier and performed last rites.

“That is the most emotional thing that he talked about in all of D-Day,” Stephen Woodson said.

His father never sought recognition and never talked about how he was overlooked, Stephen Woodson said. Instead, his son said, he was driven to save lives.

After the war, Woodson and his family moved to Clarksburg from their home state of Pennsylvania.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Stephen Woodson said, there were very few doctors in the area open to serving Black patients. His father stepped in to help once again.

Affectionately called “Doc Woodson,” Waverly Woodson would perform medical checkups for families who lived nearby.

While he was never able to become a licensed physician due to limited medical school options for Black Americans, Woodson with his strong medical experience and training in the Army was able to provide medical care for dozens of families.

Woodson died in 2005 at the age of 83.

Although he did not live to see his service properly recognized, his widow said her husband would have loved an event – with family and friends mingling – like the ceremony that was held on Tuesday.

“He was so good to everybody,” Joann Woodson said. “Our house was always open to all of the family. So if he were here, he’d love this.”

As Army Lt. Gen. Mark Landes looked at a photo of Woodson, propped up next to him at the Capitol Hill ceremony, he said that Woodson embodied “the greatest legacy of our Army and our nation: ordinary Americans who become extraordinary.”

“For the better part of eight decades, his contributions to one of the most iconic operations of modern military history, D-Day, have remained unrecognized and forgotten,” Landes said. “It may have remained unsung for far too long, but a legacy it still is.”

Stephen Woodson said his father is living through him and the rest of the family every day.

“He deserved to know what his country thinks of him,” Stephen Woodson said. “Even 80 years later, he’s smiling down on us right now.” 

By: STEVEN JACOBS JR.

Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS–A new report shows the state of Maryland collected more than $22.3 million in cannabis sales tax revenue between April and June – a 52 percent increase over receipts of the prior three months.

As Marylanders take advantage of legalized personal use of cannabis over the age of 21, the recent spike shows the industry’s potential impact on the economy, Comptroller Brooke Lierman said in a press release announcing the report.

“The market for cannabis continues to grow in Maryland and has shown capacity to create new jobs, new investment and new opportunities, particularly for areas that are marginalized and left behind by a changing economy,” Lierman said.

Maryland voters approved a ballot referendum in 2022, supporting legal possession and use for people age 21 or older. Then the Maryland General Assembly passed the Cannabis Reform Act in 2023 and Gov. Wes Moore signed it into law that same year. 

Now it’s Lierman’s job to collect the taxes and disperse them to different funds supporting public health, business assistance and other public purposes. 

The new industry is growing, the report shows, and state officials see the potential for more public benefit.

For example, 5 percent of the quarterly sales tax revenues go to a fund helping small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses break into the industry. 
“These revenue numbers are a clear indication of the potential for Maryland’s cannabis industry to drive economic growth while prioritizing equity,” said Audrey Johnson, executive director of the Office of Social Equity.