Sunshine Week
We are featuring amazing examples of investigative journalism by our news media members that demonstrate the ideals of Sunshine Week in action!Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.
This year’s efforts are coordinated by Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. And supported by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and thrive with a growing list of partners.
Sunshine Week is about the public’s right to know what its government is doing, and why.
Recent investigative and transparency reporting from MDDC members
During Sunshine Week, MDDC will feature important investigative pieces that show the power of local reporting and transparency in our communities. Please tag your own work with #SunshineWeek2025 to be part of the conversation.
- A place for ‘men of means’ – Jack Hogan – The Daily Record
Nestled in the Western Maryland woodlands and accessible only by a winding, mile-long gravel driveway is a hunting lodge that has served as a rural escape for generations of “men of means.” - More than half a billion opioid pills in 14 years: How prescriptions contributed to a crisis in Baltimore – Madeleine O’Neill
More than half a billion opioid pills permeated the Baltimore area between 2006 and 2019 as pharmaceutical companies targeted doctors with aggressive marketing campaigns, underplayed their products’ addictiveness and failed to block suspiciously large orders of painkillers, according to a trove of court records made public as part of the city’s lawsuit against some of America’s top drug companies. - Baltimore police sent expired misconduct cases to city civilian oversight body, meaning officer discipline was impossible – Darcy Costello – The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Police Department has sent at least eight and perhaps as many as 20 expired misconduct cases to the civilian oversight body that renders disciplinary decisions, records obtained by The Baltimore Sun show. - Baltimore’s Overdose Crisis – Alissa Zhu, Jessica Gallagher and Nick Thieme- The Baltimore Banner
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Almost 6,000 dead in 6 years: How Baltimore became the U.S. overdose capital
People in Baltimore have been dying of overdoses at a rate never before seen in a major American city. -
They entered treatment. Drugs, overdoses and deaths followed.
Amanda Vlakos had been living for years in rat-infested abandoned buildings in Baltimore, fighting an addiction to opioids, when she learned of a possible escape: a drug-treatment program that offered patients free housing.
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- Black women speak on motherhood during Black Maternal Health Week – Alexis Taylor – AFRO
Cristina Easton was 34 when she found out she miscarried her very first child.
The first issue? She never even knew she was pregnant. - Carroll County’s transgender policies clash with Maryland Department of Education guidelines – Daranee Balachandar, Shaela Foster and Dylan Jaffe – Capital News Service
In Carroll County, schools are required to notify parents if a student wishes to change their pronouns or otherwise identify as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth, according to guidelines published by Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS). - City worker details her allegations against Markham: ‘You don’t get on your knees for me,’ former mayor told her – Josh Shannon – The Newark Post
The last straw came in mid-August when a city employee was in a colleague’s office, kneeling at a table to fill out a receipt form. - Disarray in firefighting ranks leaked – Matt Wynn – Southern Maryland News
A scathing internal report on the mishandling of a recent fire in Waldorf was leaked to the media, saying that it is a “miracle” that firefighters have not been seriously injured or killed in Charles County. - Downtown office vacancy rate to soar after major employer’s exit – Melody Simmons – Baltimore Business Journal
The already ailing central business district has an office vacancy rate of 22.4%. Read more about what JLL predicts will happen in the coming months. - Emails: Rehoboth board raised Tedder pay after losing prospects – Jacob Owens – Spotlight Delaware
When Rehoboth Beach’s then-city manager resigned from his post last year, Commissioner Patrick Gossett said the news left him “devastated.” - Emails: Wilmington PD pressed city to cancel police accountability rally – Brianna Hill – Spotlight Delaware
Four days before activists were set to hold an event in Wilmington highlighting police violence, a local detective from the city’s Real Time Crime Center sent an email to other city officials alerting them to the gathering. - Fatal crashes prompt scrutiny of police pursuits, alarm Maryland AG – Cassidy Jensen – The Baltimore Sun
On a Sunday in early April, Dimeka Thornton told relatives that if death came for her that day or the next, she was spiritually ready. She knew her heart was with God.
- Gore-Tex maker polluted some Marylanders’ drinking water with ‘forever chemicals,’ officials say. The question is how many. – Christine Condon – The Baltimore Sun
The maker of the renowned Gore-Tex waterproofing for outdoor gear polluted groundwater near two of its plants in Northeastern Maryland with a hazardous “forever chemical,” according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.- As Maryland investigates PFAS pollution, W.L. Gore transitions outdoor clothing to new material
In 2014, W.L. Gore & Associates stopped using a harmful chemical called PFOA in the technology it makes for waterproofing raincoats, hiking boots and other gear.
- As Maryland investigates PFAS pollution, W.L. Gore transitions outdoor clothing to new material
- Home improvement scams plague region – Melissa Steele – Cape Gazette
After paying nearly $100,000 for a new deck and landscaping and never hearing from the contractor again, Angola resident Betty Barney said she soon learned dozens of other homeowners in the area had similar experiences. - How a ‘climate of chaos’ went unchecked at Maryland’s max-security psych hospital – Katie Mettler – The Washington Post
Tension had been building inside Maryland’s maximum-security psychiatric hospital when the news began to circulate among employees: Scott Moran, their CEO, had been banished from the facility. - How crumbling buildings, improper practices caused a Dover nonprofit to lose federal money – Amanda Fries – The News Journal
A Delaware nonprofit that provides emergency shelter and services to the homeless is in jeopardy of losing public funding amid a myriad of problems including deteriorating buildings, understaffing and asking clients to perform jobs without pay. - Indicted Anne Arundel register of wills’ financial history shows more than $30K in contract claims, eviction, records show – Luke Parker – The Capital
Since 2003, Erica Griswold, Anne Arundel’s register of wills indicted Friday for theft, has accrued $30K worth of contract violations, court records show. - Law firm hired by city after DPW worker’s death represents companies seeking to weaken national workplace heat standard – Fern Shen – Baltimore Brew
The D.C. law firm that Mayor Brandon Scott hired to investigate safety practices after a sanitation worker died of heat stroke specializes in representing companies involved in mining, oil and gas, chemical manufacturing and other areas as they try to avoid running afoul of workplace safety laws. - Living shorelines gain ground around the Chesapeake Bay but face hurdles – Timothy B. Wheeler – Bay Journal
When a 2-foot chunk of shoreline washed away from their waterfront property in Portsmouth, VA, the Berners decided it was time to prevent further erosion at their home of 15 years. - More than 15 foreign priests could be forced to leave archdiocese after recent visa law changes – Lisa Harlow – The Catholic Review
Unless a recent change in U.S. visa law is reversed, more than 15 priests from other countries who now serve in the Archdiocese of Baltimore may be forced to go home – uprooting their ministries and leaving parishes, schools and Catholic institutions scrambling. - On the inside: Rehabilitation programs key in successful reentry and anti-recidivism efforts – D. Kevin McNeir – AFRO
On a warm August night, several dozen citizens from the Greater Washington Area, mostly African-American men, gather at the Busboys and Poets in the Southeast D.C. community of Anacostia. The topic of discussion: the ongoing challenges facing the formerly incarcerated and the need for more programs that support their successful reentry into society. - Opioid grants mostly funded prevention, but also raised questions – Nick Stonesifer
Last year, 527 people died from an overdose in Delaware.
And while that total marked a small year-over-year decrease for the first time in a decade, it’s still one of the highest number of deaths on record in Delaware. That sparked a sense of urgency to get millions of dollars from a new fund to support organizations on the front line. - Prior to arrest of school therapist, local children’s hospital staff had raised concerns – Isabel Hughes – The News Journal
Months before a Brandywine School District therapist was arrested on charges of raping a child, a parent and employees at Nemours Children’s Hospital raised concerns to district officials about the man, according to interviews and documents obtained by Delaware Online/The News Journal. - SAFE AT HOME?: Cambridge’s Bradford House management keeps changing but problems persist – Maggie Trovato – The Star Democrat
When Linda Johnson moved to the Bradford House Apartments in May 2000, things were different. - ‘Stop traffic on the Bay Bridge right now’: Inside a ship’s steering issue and a rare bridge closure – Hayes Gardner – The Baltimore Sun
As a ship approaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge experienced a steering problem last month, audio recently obtained by The Baltimore Sun shows that its pilot urgently requested that the Maryland Transportation Authority halt vehicle traffic on the span to avoid the remote possibility of a tragedy similar to the one that killed six people on the Francis Scott Key Bridge this spring. - Suicides at Harford County Detention Center – Ben Conarck – The Baltimore Banner
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Why is the suicide rate so high at this Maryland jail?
Behind security gates and heavy metal doors at the Harford County Detention Center, messages of despair are scrawled on the cell walls. -
System failure: How a man killed himself on suicide watch in the Harford County jail
The nurse who was supposed to be watching Tommy Wayne Pardew on a video monitor was on her third day of employment, still in orientation.
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- Survey: Delaware schools face 1K+ repair needs – Julia Merola
As Delaware begins to grapple with how to change funding of public education to improve student support, another major funding hurdle is emerging: deferred maintenance that is piling up at schools statewide. - The former firefighter and the soon-to-be Congressman – Mark Reutter and David Plymyer – Baltimore Brew
The Baltimore County Council is set tonight to authorize $200,000 more in legal fees – on top of $350,000 already allocated – to handle a Public Information Act lawsuit seeking information about a secret payment made by the Johnny Olszewski administration to a retired firefighter. - The new Big Ten is resulting in sharply higher carbon emissions – Shaun Chornobroff – Capital News Service Wire
Carbon dioxide emissions from Big Ten football team travel for regular-season conference games more than tripled in 2024 compared to 2023 after after the addition of a quartet of West Coast schools, a Capital News Service analysis found. - They left Maryland for Mecca. They didn’t all make it home. – Staff – The Washington Post
Even before Nemata Kamara set foot on a plane bound for Saudi Arabia, she started to see a pattern of broken promises from the tour operators she trusted to get her from Maryland to Mecca. - This Delaware child care center failed to report abuse concerns. What happened next? – Kelly Powers and Amanda Fries – The News Journal
Samantha Dello Buono watched a happy toddler splashing in front of her, not quite 2 years old, when her eyes returned to the soft skin of his inner arms. Already a mom of two, she hesitated. Toddlers will be toddlers, she cautioned, as her son looked up at her from the water, unable to elaborate. - Uncovering abuse at Greater Grace church – Julie Scharper and Justin Fenton – The Baltimore Banner
The guys drove up to the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains that brisk November day, set up their tents, lugged coolers from the car and started a fire. That was one thing they had learned in the church — how to work together, heads down, focusing on the shared task.
During Sunshine Week, MDDC will feature important investigative pieces that show the power of local reporting and transparency in our communities. Please tag your own work with #SunshineWeek2024 to be part of the conversation.
- Management tries to solve problems at Altair Apartments, but is it enough? – Maggie Trovato – The Democrat Star
In August, everything came to a head at Altair Apartments. - Delaware’s Untold Role in the Opiod Crisis – Hannah Edelman – Delaware Online
- The opioid addiction crisis: How it started, who’s involved and what else you need to know
Opioids: In the last 20 years, they’ve spread through every corner of the country. - From patent to Percocet: How this powerful opioid got its start in Delaware
There are nearly 60 of them, added one by one to a file in her phone’s notes app. - How this Delaware woman made her fortune off opioids
They hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony on a cloudy Thursday in October. - Timeline: How Percocet got its start in Delaware
Endo Pharmaceuticals and its flagship drug Percocet have played a major role in the deadly opioid epidemic.
- The opioid addiction crisis: How it started, who’s involved and what else you need to know
- Investigation: Where do inmates in Maryland prisons go as they finish their time? – Dwight A. Weingarten – The Herald-Mail Media
The Maryland department that oversees the state’s 13 correctional facilities showcases “local reentry agreements” with nearly half the state’s counties, but an investigation into those memorandums show the overwhelming majority of state prisoners are staying put. - Recycling costs are mounting on Eastern Shore. Here’s how counties are handling it – Kristian Jaime – Delmarva Now
The mounting stress of plastic pollution, costs and other challenges have led Maryland Counties to double down on recycling programs as new laws could come to their aid. - 25 years after ‘shaken baby’ conviction, Baltimore County man once again tries to prove his innocence– Madeleine O’Neill – The Daily Record
He’s already convinced one court that he is not guilty of the charges - Westminster nonprofit discontinues youth programs after founder is investigated for alleged sexual solicitation of minor – Thomas Goodwin Smith – The Baltimore Sun
The Westminster-based nonprofit Together We Own It has terminated all youth programs and begun laying off staff as of April 6, after Carroll County Public Schools, the county commissioners and the county’s Department of Citizen Services canceled contracts with the group late last month. - Market House lease extension raises questions for project’s developer, Annapolis mayor – Rebecca Ritzel – Capital Gazette
Market House, a city-owned downtown Annapolis landmark, has been leased for another five years by a team that includes Mayor Gavin Buckley’s business partner. - Maryland State Police Disciplinary Action – Darcy Costello – The Baltimore Sun
- A Maryland trooper shared an offensive meme a week after police killed George Floyd. His punishment: retiring 3 years later.
On a Tuesday night in June 2020, a corporal in the Maryland State Police texted a meme to members of the task force he helped supervise. - Maryland State Police fired a Trooper of the Year over a ‘false report.’ He says investigators lied under oath.
When Maryland State Police honored Kashef Khan as its Trooper of the Year for performance “above and beyond” expectations, it called his work an example of the “highest standards” in law enforcement.
- A Maryland trooper shared an offensive meme a week after police killed George Floyd. His punishment: retiring 3 years later.
- How many MCPS families want to remove their students from LGBTQ+ class discussions? – Em Espey – McCo360
The volume of Montgomery County families asking to opt their elementary students out of classroom discussions on LGBTQ+ inclusive content became too overwhelming for schools to manage, the district alleged in legal documents. - Exclusive: BGE is quietly pushing to control Baltimore’s underground conduit system – Mark Reutter & Fern Shen – Baltimore Brew
- EXCLUSIVE: BGE is quietly pushing to control Baltimore’s underground conduit system – Mark Reutter
Baltimore Gas & Electric is working with the Scott administration to find a way to circumvent voters’ wishes and take control of the publicly owned conduit system. - DOCUMENTS: Charter amendment blocking sale of Baltimore’s conduits, and BGE’s proposal to end its franchise fees to the city – Mark Reutter Friday, January 13, Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) sent to city officials a draft document that would upend 120 years of governance of Baltimore’s cable system that routes electric, fiber-optic and telephone lines under city streets.
- Scott confirms talks with BGE amid more criticism of his conduit plan – Mark Reutter
Mayor Brandon Scott has confirmed that his administration is “in discussions” with BGE as a second former Baltimore mayor condemned the plan to transfer financial control of the city’s underground conduit system to the electric company. - EXCLUSIVE: Staff report says BGE conduit deal is not in city’s best interests – Mark Reutter
Calling the proposed agreement with BGE “completely lopsided in all aspects,” the Baltimore conduit division has quietly written a scathing response to Mayor Brandon Scott’s plan to end the franchise fees paid by the utility in favor of promised investments in the underground system. - BGE offers more money to clinch conduit deal as City Council announces a hearing.– Mark Reutter
BGE has upped the ante in its bid to win functional control of Baltimore’s conduit system – a 700-mile underground transmission system that voters said three months ago should remain in public hands. - Scott administration releases conduit agreement reached with BGE – Mark Reutter & Fern Shen
A day after the City Council formed an investigative committee to review the deal that the Scott administration is negotiating with BGE over management of the city’s underground conduits, Mayor Brandon Scott released what he describes as “the next iteration” of the agreement. - Conduit deal with BGE decried by lawmakers and questioned by Comcast and other users. – Mark Reutter & Fern Shen
A dozen users of Baltimore’s conduit system are asking that Mayor Brandon Scott respond to their concerns before signing a deal that would turn over future conduit improvements to Baltimore Gas & Electric. - Robocalls and texts of unclear origin are the latest feature of Baltimore’s conduit fight – Fern Shen & Mark Reutter
The seemingly obscure issue of who should control Baltimore’s underground conduits has moved from in-your-face factional fighting at City Hall to a burst of anonymous phone calls and texts reaching across the city. - Documents show Scott administration backed away from demanding minority participation and oversight of BGE conduit funds – Mark Reutter
Minority and women’s business participation goals for tens of millions of dollars in future contracts: Not applicable. - Once impassioned, the battle over the BGE conduit deal peters out amid peals of laughter – Mark Reutter
There it was back on the agenda . . . the issue that had sparked open City Hall warfare between Mayor Brandon Scott on one side and City Council President Nick Mosby and Comptroller Bill Henry on the other: - BGE’s conduit financing memo should be made public, the PSC says – Fern Shen
An internal memo related to the conduit deal that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE) struck with Mayor Brandon Scott earlier this year must be made public, Maryland regulators have ruled.
- EXCLUSIVE: BGE is quietly pushing to control Baltimore’s underground conduit system – Mark Reutter
- Court docs: From sex trade to boosting, couple made hundreds of thousands – Melissa Steele – Cape Gazette
For more than nine years, federal officials say, a couple with access to homes in the greater Lewes and Rehoboth areas used those properties to run a lucrative sex trafficking operation in Sussex County and into Maryland. And when their main social media advertising source was shut down, investigators say the two developed a theft ring that brought in even more cash. - Former Allora employees allege delayed, short paychecks amid restaurant group’s growth – Morgan Simpson & Phil Davis – Baltimore Business Journal
The restaurant group behind Allora has announced several high-profile expansions in recent months, including into the new City House Charles development in Mount Vernon and in the Alexander Brown building downtown. - Heart disease: Black Baltimore’s number one killer – Megan Sayles – AFRO News
In the United States, the scourge of coronary heart disease (CHD) devours a staggering $108 billion in annual health care costs, according to a recent Deloitte analysis. - More Than a Year Later, Friends of Library Chapters Having Trouble Turning the Page– Suzanne Pollak
Silver Spring Friends of the Library (FOL) voted to dissolve two months ago and currently is in the process of doing so. - Contracted out: How Maryland school districts do business – Local News Network Staff – Capital News Service
Maryland’s school districts are required by law to tell the state how they spend their money — and the Local News Network at the University of Maryland took a close look at that data. The records include every business or individual contractor that got $25,000 or more from a school district in a single fiscal year. - Gambling on Campus – Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism Staff – Capital News Service
As states legalize sports betting, universities weigh risks to students, rewards for athletic department budgets - New investigation shows few campuses have rules restricting sports betting. – Ross O’Keefe
College students are in the highest risk group for problem gambling, yet universities have been slow to create policies, educational programs or restrictions on sports betting, according to a survey by The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland. - Colleges’ betting agreements are often hidden from the public. – Shane Connuck & Blake Townsend
College campuses increasingly are striking deals with sports betting companies eager to promote their brands in stadiums, on radio broadcasts and on athletic department websites — places where they can be seen and heard by students. But the terms of those agreements are opaque despite the high-dollar and societal stakes. - At University of Colorado, a betting playbook aims its pitch at students – Josh Caplan & Shane Connuck
PointsBet, a Denver-based sports betting company that is a corporate sponsor of the University of Colorado Boulder’s athletics program, says it is pitching its brand to alums in Colorado and other states where fans are old enough to bet legally. - Towson University is trying to get ahead of the lure of sports betting – Julian Esau Basena & Derek Ohringer
When Towson University students pick up their phones on campus and open a designated app, they may see an ad seeking to teach them about responsible gambling. - On game day, sports betting is the new normal for some Colorado fans
- Moore appointee to Stadium Authority board has troubled financial past – William F. Zorzi – Maryland Matters
One of Gov. Wes Moore’s appointees to the board of the Maryland Stadium Authority – an agency charged with overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars in projects and leases – has a troubled 35-year financial history that includes a $7.2 million personal bankruptcy and scores of lawsuits filed against her for unpaid debts, records show. - Tax sale nightmare: How an unpaid bill can cost Baltimore homeowners thousands, or even their homes – Nick Thieme & Sophie Kasakove – The Baltimore Banner
Arnita Owens-Phillips had always promised herself one thing: She would hold onto her simple brick rowhome in East Baltimore. - 6 key takeaways from The Baltimore Banner’s tax sale investigation – Sophie Kasakove & Nick Thieme – The Baltimore Banner
In the city of Baltimore, the consequences of a missed property tax bill can ripple through families and communities. - How Baltimore property tax sales work: an illustrated guide – Laila Milevski – The Baltimore Banner
The city mails Roger his property tax bill on July 1. - How to protect your home from a tax sale – Sophie Kasakove & Nick Thieme – The Baltimore Banner
In Baltimore City, one missed property tax bill can quickly land a home in a tax sale, forcing homeowners, often low-income and elderly, to come up with thousands of dollars to pay off third-party lienholders or face the loss of their homes. - How a small group of investors turned distressed Baltimore neighborhoods into profit centers – Sophie Kasakove & Nick Thieme – The Baltimore Banner.
Homeowners across Baltimore are scrambling to respond to a threatening letter they received last month: If they don’t pay their past-due property taxes, the letters said, their tax debt could be sold at the city’s annual tax lien sale. - Delaware agencies paid out more than $3M in 3 years for injuries by police. Here’s why – Xerxes Wilson – Delaware Online
In the past three years, Delaware’s four largest police departments have quietly paid out more than $3.2 million in legal settlements to people who claimed physical harm by police, according to a review of agreements turned over through state public records law. - A Delaware Online investigation pieced together the series of missteps by 911 employees and Delaware State Police’s handling of the incident. – Isabel Hughes – Delaware News Journal
The call came in just as the school day was about to end. - He was cited for giving police the finger. Video shows troopers knew charge wouldn’t stand – Xerxes Wilson – Delaware News Journal
Dash camera footage shows Delaware State Police officers conspiring to manufacture a traffic charge for a man who flipped them off as well as the officers musing on video about locking the man up, impounding his dog and having the state take guardianship of his child. - State police paid to end middle-finger traffic ticket lawsuit. Were officers disciplined? – Xerxes Wilson – Delaware News Journal
The Delaware State Police officers who issued a ticket to a man who flipped them off were not disciplined by state police leadership for the citation that cost the department $50,000 in a court judgment earlier this year. - Delaware has a chance to step toward meaningful police reform. We must take it – A News Journal Editorial
For years now, since the start of our national conversation on social justice and racial equity, we have opined again and again on the need to speed police reforms in Delaware that will hold officers to greater account and compel our public safety community to greater transparency. - Lawmakers tried for years to increase Delaware police transparency. It’s finally been done – Isabel Hughes – Delaware News Journal
Two major police reform bills that passed the Delaware General Assembly in the final days of this year’s legislative session have been signed into law, culminating a years-long effort to make sweeping changes to police accountability and transparency statewide. - Nick Mosby violated city ethics law on gift solicitations – Mark Reutter – Baltimore Brew
The Baltimore Board of Ethics today ruled that Council President Nick Mosby violated ethics rules by accepting cash from “controlled donors” – persons doing business with the city – through the Mosby 2021 Trust, also known as the Mosby 2021 Defense Fund. - Baltimore Ethics Board: Don’t make a mockery of Maryland’s Public Information Act – David A. Plymyer – Baltimore Brew
A Baltimore City agency has once again denied the public access to information that it has the right to know. - Baltimore ordered to release Mosby legal defense fund donor names to The Brew – Fern Shen – Baltimore Brew
Responding to a complaint by The Brew, the Maryland Public Information Act Compliance Board has ordered Baltimore’s Board of Ethics to release the list of donors to a legal defense fund set up for City Council President Nick Mosby and his wife, former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. - Fighting the release of Mosby donor names is a bad look for the Scott administration – David Plymyer – Baltimore Brew
There is really only one takeaway from Acting City Solicitor Ebony Thompson’s statement that the city will appeal the decision by the Maryland Public Information Act Compliance Board ordering Baltimore’s Board of Ethics to turn over the unredacted list of donors to the Mosby 2021 Trust to the Baltimore Brew and Baltimore Sun. - Conflicts abound at an Ethics Board that relies on a political appointee for legal advice – Fern Shen & Mark Reutter – Baltimore Brew
Unprecedented is one way to describe the announcement by Baltimore’s top lawyer, Ebony Thompson, that she will fight a state order requiring the city’s Board of Ethics to release the names of donors to a legal defense fund set up for Nick Mosby, president of the City Council, and his wife, former State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. - Acting City Solicitor has no authority to appeal a state order to release the Mosby donor names to media – David A. Plymyer – Baltimore Brew
Acting City Solicitor Ebony Thompson appears determined to create an unnecessary problem for herself. - Scott administration appeals state order to release Mosby legal defense fund donor names to the media– Fern Shen – Baltimore Brew
Baltimore’s Acting City Solicitor Ebony Thompson has made good on her vow to fight an order by the Maryland Public Information Act Compliance Board that the city release the names of the individuals who contributed to a legal defense fund for City Council President Nick Mosby and former State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
Public education is in the news almost daily, and parents, teachers and even the system’s own administrators, are eager to learn more about what’s happening in their school systems. For 2023’s Sunshine Week, MDDC is offering a package of stories and graphics that examine what type of information the public school systems in D.C., and Maryland, and a sampling in Delaware, make available through their most public facing venue: their websites. It’s a mixed picture, as you might expect. Veteran reporter Miranda Spivack, working with MDDC board member Andy Schotz and MDDC administrator Sam Savage, evaluated 29 websites, to find out.
There will be a panel discussion on Wednesday, March 15, about the results of this project. The panelists will be moderated by Rebecca Snyder, Executive Director of MDDC The panel is free and open to the public. Register here.
With the passage of Anton’s Law in 2021, many details about internal police discipline could be released to the public. But so far, journalists, advocates and others seeking to find out more about how police agencies handle complaints about misconduct are learning that getting the records is proving to be, at best, a mixed experience.
Led by Andy Schotz, editor of Bethesda Beat, and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, MDDC’s public policy intern and UMD Merrill College of Journalism graduate student, MDDC conducted a one-month test of government agencies in Maryland. This project revealed a patchwork of approaches in how public records are tracked and how requests for access are filled.