Local news keeps the flame of community activism lit at every level, in Maryland and elsewhere. News You Can Use is a continuing part of the service Progressive Maryland staff and volunteers try to provide every week to make sure progressive Marylanders get the information they need to stay on top of events and not be distracted by gossip or disinformation (not that they aren't fun, but hey...).

Today is called Boxing Day in England and elsewhere -- a day when neighbors carry gifts to one another door to door. It's not a practice in the US because, alas, in many cases we have ceased to know our neighbors well, meaning they are unfamiliar to us, one step away from being suspicious. The unpleasant national government we are about to begin dealing with may be a result of that loss of connection. Local news can, and sometimes does, combat that national illness.

So do we make up all this stuff in News You Can Use? Nope, obviously, since we source each item. Our job is to select the good stuff, which we hope we succeed in doing. But where do we get these gems? Maryland has two invaluable sources of nonprofit news, Maryland Reporter and Maryland Matters, both of which are worth your donations at this time of year. Many of our larger counties have local efforts, profit or nonprofit, that keep an even closer eye on county councils, etc.; for instance the Patch online outlets. The excellent student reporting operation at Merrill College of Journalism at UMCP -- Capital News Service -- digs into Maryland issues as well as those encompassing state and national governance, politics and culture. How other states and local governments deal with issues that are also on our plates in Maryland can give us ideas about what (or what not) to do about them. We gather well-sourced articles in that area, as well, from operations like Pluribus, Stateline Daily and Route Fifty. We also pass along tidbits -- well-sourced gossip, actually -- that frequently turns up in newsletters like POLITICO Playbook, Semafor and other freebies. And you don't have to rely on our choices from this multitude of info-firehoses -- just check them out yourself on your favorite search engine. News You Can Use also regularly picks up the progressive federal/Congress perspective newsblast from People's Action, the national affiliate of Progressive Maryland.

We'll keep watching for News You Can Use as it goes by in 2025. Have a happy Boxing Day and give your neighbors a chance to show how they, like you, can be trustworthy allies in making things better.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Here are some of the new laws coming to Maryland beginning in 2025

Before the General Assembly meets for the first day of the session Jan. 8, some of its laws from last session are just beginning to come into effect. Many of the laws coming into effect Jan. 1 pertain to expanding health care, while some loosen zoning regulations and others change traffic ticket pricing. This Baltimore Sun article provides some highlights:

Work on new Key Bridge will start in January, Maryland officials say

Crews will start surveying the Patapsco River and the land near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in January to collect data for designing a new bridge, Maryland officials confirmed Monday. The pre-construction work starting in January will include activities such as topographic surveys, underwater surveys and soil sampling, said Bradley Tanner, a Maryland Transportation Authority spokesperson. A Coast Guard notice obtained by The Baltimore Sun alerts mariners to construction activity in the Patapsco River starting Jan. 7 through the state’s estimated completion of the new bridge in October of 2028. Baltimore Sun

D.C. Gets Control of RFK Stadium Land; Stage Set For Possible Commanders Move From Maryland: In a stunning win for the nation’s capital, the District is set to control the land surrounding RFK Stadium, possibly allowing the Washington Commanders to return to their old home from Maryland, after Congress passed legislation allowing the city to redevelop the federal property — a political miracle that unfolded in the twilight hours of the year’s congressional session and after almost every avenue for the legislation appeared exhausted. Meagan Flynn, Erin Cox and Sam Fortier/The Washington Post. The NYT sports section, The Athletic, raised headline eyebrows about the last-minute move and noted “Even with control of the RFK site, the District must construct a financing plan, which members of the D.C. City Council previously rejected even before the $515 million committed to Capital One Arena. … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other state officials are eager to maintain the status of having two NFL teams, the Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, and work with [Commanders Managing Partner Josh] Harris to build retail and commercial property in the connecting neighborhoods. Moore and Harris signed a Memorandum of Understanding that specifies the franchise’s community and re-developmental responsibilities if the Commanders move to another property outside the state. That didn’t mean Moore would concede losing the Commanders.” The following day, the WaPo’s detailed tick-tock of the deal’s conclusion acknowledged “At RFK, a new football stadium is not guaranteed and is likely to face hurdles in the D.C. Council should it involve taxpayer money and concern among some neighbors nearest the RFK site, east of Capitol Hill.”

More Enrolling In State’s Health Insurance Marketplace: Enrollment in the state’s health insurance marketplace has already risen during the current open enrollment period, and state officials are optimistic those numbers will increase before enrollment closes this month. Or next. Maryland Matters via Maryland Reporter

Sun Staff Confronts Owner David Smith: Watching their news organization’s daily drift to the right, increasing use of weird wire service copy and out-of-town TV station stories and the way their contract negotiations have stalled, Baltimore Sun staffers have lately taken to the streets to make their case against their new owner, David D. Smith.  Baltimore Brew via Maryland Reporter

Maryland tribe’s first female chief fights for identity, equality and preservation

The Nause-Waiwash tribe is one of the seven Native American tribes that are represented on the Maryland Commission of Indian Affairs, although the tribe is not state-recognized. The tribe, whose origins and traditions were once nearly lost but now are being revitalized, does statewide educational outreach to, as their chief says, “tell their story in their own words.” Chief Donna Wolf Mother Abbott is the first woman chief of a Maryland tribe in known recorded history.  Capital News Service via Maryland Reporter.

IN THE OTHER 49  

Some people need abortions later in pregnancy – many come to Maryland

Maryland is one of the few places in the United States serving people who need later abortions, home to two of the only clinics in the country that perform procedures into the third trimester. These clinics are becoming increasingly critical as abortion bans in other states make it harder to get the procedure earlier in pregnancy. In Maryland, after viability, which is usually between 22 and 24 weeks, qualified providers approve patients for abortion in certain rare cases, typically based on fetal abnormalities or health risks for the pregnant person. Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Maryland providers have seen an influx of out-of-state patients, including an increasing number needing later abortions. Data from the National Abortion Hotline shows that in 2022, the overwhelming majority of callers traveling to Maryland to get abortions were in their first trimester. That ratio has shifted since the Dobbs decision – by July 2024, more callers were at least 20 weeks pregnant.  Capital News Service/UMCP J-School

Cities, states say they’ll need more help to replace millions of lead pipes

A new federal rule will require water utilities across the country to pull millions of lead drinking water pipes out of the ground and replace them, at a cost of billions of dollars. States, cities and water utilities agree that the lead pipes need to go to ensure safe water for residents. But they say they may struggle to do so in the 10-year window required under the rule, and they fear some ratepayers will be hit with massive cost increases to pay for the work. State officials are urging Congress to provide ongoing funding for the lead replacement effort. Local leaders say they’ll need lots of help to meet the deadline. And environmental advocates are calling on states to issue bonds or provide other financial support to water utilities. Stateline via Maryland Matters

MAINE: A conservative legal group and two conservative political action committees are suing to block a new Maine law capping contributions to super PACs at $5,000 per year. Supporters of the law, backed by almost three-quarters of Maine voters in November’s election, had planned for a legal challenge. (Maine Public Radio) via Pluribus

State AGs, DOJ press McKinsey consultant firm on role in opioids

(AP) — McKinsey & Company consulting firm has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a federal investigation into its work to help opioids manufacturer Purdue Pharma boost the sales of the highly addictive drug OxyContin, according to court papers filed in Virginia on Friday. Since 2021, McKinsey has agreed to pay state and local governments about $765 million in settlements for its role in advising businesses on how to sell more of the powerful prescription painkillers amid a national opioid crisis. The firm also agreed last year to pay health care funds and insurance companies $78 million.