(BALTIMORE – REVISED – June 9, 2026) – As Baltimore voters prepare to head to the polls on June 23rd, another voice is stepping forward with serious allegations about the leadership of Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen — and this one comes from the inside. Ryan Watson, a concerned citizen with direct knowledge of the sheriff’s office, says what he has witnessed goes far beyond politics. According to Watson, the agency under Cogen has been defined not by professionalism or stability, but by a culture of retaliation, intimidation, and dysfunction that has affected multiple employees across multiple years. “I have…

(BALTIMORE – June 8, 2026) – Three days after Christmas 2022, Sabrina Tapp-Harper received something no veteran law enforcement officer expects after 36 years of service: a termination letter. Imagine it. The holidays are ending. A new year is around the corner. You’re looking ahead with optimism, reflecting on a career spent protecting others. Then comes the news that changes everything. For Tapp-Harper, a decorated law enforcement executive with decades of experience and no known disciplinary record during her eight years with the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, that moment was more than a job loss. She says it was the…

“When they show you who they are, believe them.” (OWINGS MILLS – June 7, 2026) – One of my favorite politicians of all time is the Mayor for Life. I don’t even have to say his name. If your family lives anywhere along the Baltimore-Washington corridor, you already know who I’m talking about. Before he was a politician, he was known as “the jobs man.” If you were Black and needed work, Marion Barry was the person people called. His efforts helped build a Black professional and business class in Prince George’s County that would later gain national recognition. Another…

Two precedents. One choice for Maryland’s 41st District. (BALTIMORE – June 7, 2026) – Area pastors delivered their final sermons before early voting begins this week. The last Khutbah was on Friday at Juma. The last D’var Torah was delivered yesterday at Shabbat. And now that we have given proper homage to God, let the voting begin. But before we get to the ballots, let’s talk about precedent. Because the 41st District has been here before. Not in exactly the same way. History never repeats itself perfectly. But it often rhymes. And the voters of the 41st District have before…

(BALTIMORE – June 3, 2026) – I was coming down Garrison Boulevard the other day and couldn’t help but notice. Signs everywhere. At Garrison and Liberty Heights. Up Rogers Avenue. Through Park Heights. Past the Caribbean restaurants that have become anchors of this community. Toward Pimlico. Along Northern Parkway. Big signs. Small signs. Clusters on corners. Enough to make you think somebody already won something. But I’ve been covering Baltimore politics since 1994, and I know what campaign signs are. They are a tactic. They are a show of strength. They are money planted in the ground. And sometimes they are…

(BALTIMORE – June 3, 2026) – There are moments in politics when the most important question is not who is running. It is why. Why would a career law enforcement professional spend decades serving the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, rise through the ranks, earn the respect of her peers, and position herself for continued leadership within the agency—only to turn around and challenge the sitting sheriff? That question deserves an answer. Sabrina Tapp-Harper is not a political tourist looking for a title. She is not an outsider parachuting in for a campaign season. She is a veteran insider who has seen the…

BMORENews recently received a research packet that raises concerns about the environmental and economic impacts of data centers in Maryland. The claims are under review, and responses are being sought from policymakers, utility officials, developers, and community stakeholders. The purpose of this series is not to advocate for or against data centers. It is to determine what they mean for Baltimore residents and whether the public is receiving complete information about their benefits, costs, and long-term impacts. (BALTIMORE – May 31, 2026) – BMORENews recently received a detailed research packet examining the rapid expansion of data centers in Maryland and…

(BALTIMORE – May 31, 2026) — Maybe I got this whole thing wrong. I’m talking about public service. I thought it was about getting out there, fighting for healthcare, jobs, voting rights — good, wholesome causes. Clearly, I’ve missed this whole new era where politicians no longer have to earn our vote. Apparently, we live in an age where video editing and deepfakes are the new strategies for replacement. Instead of mapping out real solutions, you just hire someone to splice together funky clips of your opponent looking awkward, let it go viral, and voilà — you’re a leader. LMAO.…

Black People, We Have to Show Up (LOCHEARN – May 30, 2026) – Dear Family, Do you remember where you were on Tuesday, November 4, 2008? I do. That morning, around 7 a.m., I walked around the corner to my polling place and saw something I had never seen before. The line was out the door. For a little perspective, I live in Sandtown. Zip code 21217. A community that has endured concentrated poverty, undereducation, addiction, violence, and mass incarceration. Baltimoreans make up 40% of the state’s prison population, while the city represents only 9% of the state’s population. Yet…

(BALTIMORE – May 28, 2026) – I get it. No! I really do get it. You see the position. You see the power. And somewhere in the deepest fathoms of your mind, you tell yourself — I want the crown. You see the elder and you think that you, of all people, have what it takes to hold the throne. You believe you have that pop, that je ne sais quoi. But don’t forget — the crown is not given. It is taken. One of the most telling depictions of this truth is the Clay-Liston fight in Miami. The younger…