Several communities have urgent issues coming before local officials, where commercial interests -- that are trampling community interests -- MUST be opposed. In Baltimore, it's small cell wireless facilities; a hearing on the dangers is Thursday, Jan. 31. And in Prince George's, the concrete batch plant permit is back to threaten Bladensburg and its neighbors, with hearing Monday, Feb. 11. See more below.

In one of the top issues facing legislators in Annapolis this session, 61% of Maryland voters favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and almost half (47%) strongly favor the idea, according to a new poll for MarylandReporter.com by Gonzales Research & Media Services. Len Lazarick of Maryland Reporter has the story.

Residents along the proposed track of the high-speed Maglev project between Baltimore and Washington are showing increasing concerns about the effects on neighborhoods from Baltimore to Prince George's and the (likely ultra-rich) passengers who might breeze past them without serving their needs. Maryland Matters reports on the Assembly Black Caucus's skeptical response and concerns about the best use of transportation funds and what power the project has to disrupt those neighborhoods without their consent.

“Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s plan to widen the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 could be pushed back for a year if the General Assembly adopts a bill that would require the state to complete an environmental assessment before moving forward,” a report today in Maryland Matters details. As we see here, it's just the latest in a cascade of pushbacks against the proposed "Lexus Lanes."

The Assembly session is under way and we've set Monday, March 4 as a mass Lobby Day for Progressive Maryland members across the state. Find out more below. And we have a one-day training session coming up this weekend that will sharpen your skills at turning your activist passion into results and building power for your community. Plus all the events and actions in our chapters across Maryland -- all in the Memo.

The Kirwan Commission’s educational reforms would make deep improvements in our children’s education but would cost a good deal. How to fund them? “Marylanders are facing an important choice. We can continue to spend our resources on ineffective tax breaks that benefit limited special interests and don’t help our economy, or we can fix our schools and support thriving communities across the state,” says the director of a state-based economic policy think tank. Danielle Gaines in Maryland Matters explains the tax-reform proposal.

Progressive change sometimes seems like one step forward, two steps back, but People's Action leader James Mumm shows how over time power has been steadily, doggedly gained by organizing -- and with the help of three excellent books he discusses here, he further shows that activists today have these "how-to" tools for organizing more at their disposal than ever in history. Together these works show that, as one says, it IS possible "to scale grassroots participation to a height that could actually let us go toe to toe with the billionaires and win.”

Lawmakers, advocates ― and even some small business owners ― gathered in Annapolis on Monday evening, vowing to push for a $15 minimum wage bill. Ricarra Jones of Maryland Fight for $15 said more than 70 legislators have already signed a pledge to support a “Clean 15” bill, which would not include exemptions for some workers, carve-outs for certain industries or proposals floating around the State House that would establish different geographical minimum wages within the state. [Progressive Maryland is an active member of the coalition]. Danielle Gaines of Maryland Matters has the story and we include other info from media coverage.

Four progressive groups in Montgomery County -- who campaigned separately and together for endorsed candidates last Fall -- met recently to celebrate success. In particular they welcomed new County Executive Marc Elrich, a persistent left voice in the county, now in charge of a jurisdiction larger than ten US states. Hal Ginsberg describes the celebration.

The Maryland General Assembly has opened its 2019 session (last Wednesday) and Progressive Maryland, in harness with many progressive allies, is working to advance a progressive agenda within the session-- but meanwhile, local governments move forward on a general path to completing their local operating budgets by June; early town hall meetings for public information and input are shown below under our individual chapter links.