Maryland Capital with Jayne Miller

Recent polling by UMBC shows 88% of Maryland voters have declining trust in government and want big money out of politics. My latest podcast from Maryland Capital – what voters are thinking as their head to election day.The economy: fair to poor.Data Centers: NO.Open primaries: Most say yes.Redistricting: Most say no. My conversation is with Mileah Kromer, director of the UMBC Institute of Politics and assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. She notes GOP in Maryland has a bench problem. And “voters aren’t stupid.”

There is a campaign underway in Howard County Maryland to increase the supply of housing and make it more affordable.  Currently more than 50% of teachers, as an example,live elsewhere because they can’t afford to live in the county. Median homes price is more than$600,000. Median rent is $2100.Barriers: zoning, the stigma of affordable housing (even in a progressive county), layers of regulation, and slow progress on new construction. The county will have a new county executive after November. Housing activists have a playbook ready.My conversation is with Nikki Highsmith Vernick, Presidentand CEO of the Horizon Foundation, located in Columbia Maryland.And Jessamine Duvall, executive director of Bridges toHousing Stability, also located in Columbia.

Solar energy is on its way to becoming the energy of the future. It is surpassing fossil fuels in some countries. It is getting cheaper. Buy solar panels today, you’re buying your own energy.  Despite resistance from the Trump administration, the states mostly control its use and expansion. In this podcast we talk about cost, the politics, community solar and multi gigawatt solar fields. Might the Maryland legislature achieve greater strides to cleaner, renewable energy in the next session?My conversation is with Sachu Constantine, executive director of Vote Solar, a non profit organization that advocates for solar energy around the country.

After years of sitting increasingly vacant, the two pavilions at Harborplace are set to be demolished later this year. It will clear the way for the planned redevelopment of the site by MCB Real Estate.But questions remain about financing, the need for more apartments in Baltimore, and the state of downtownBaltimore.Plus, where will the hundreds of millions of dollars in public investment come from to redesign downtown streetsand stabilize the infrastructure. And private investors still ask –what about The Wire?My conversation is with someone whoknows the plan and the questions – Melody Simmons who covers real estate and investment for the Baltimore Business Journal.

Donald "Donny" Stepp was defendant in the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force scandal that surfaced 9 years ago. He was a bail bondsman who helped GTTF ringleader Wayne Jenkins sell stolen drugs. He now works to connect people to substance abuse treatment. His is a story of managing life's challenges and taking advantage of a second chance.