Maryland
Federal Disaster Declaration Issued Following April Freeze: New Resources Available for Maryland Agricultural Producers – Washington County
This federal designation makes critical financial assistance available to agricultural producers who experienced significant crop losses due to the sudden freeze. The event caused extensive damage to perennial crops across Maryland, with losses exceeding the 30 percent threshold required for a federal disaster declaration. Many growers are now facing substantial expenses related to crop recovery, plant health, labor, and ongoing maintenance despite having little to no harvestable yield this season.
In addition to freeze-related impacts, many areas of the state continue to experience prolonged drought conditions, further increasing the financial challenges facing Maryland’s agricultural community.
As a result of the disaster declaration, producers in Washington County and 11 other designated primary counties, as well as eligible contiguous counties, may qualify for low-interest emergency loans and other assistance programs through the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). These resources are intended to help producers recover losses, maintain operations, and support the long-term viability of Maryland agriculture.
Affected producers are encouraged to contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency office as soon as possible to discuss available assistance programs and begin the application process.
The assessment of agricultural losses in additional Maryland counties remains ongoing. Additional information, resources, and updates are available through the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Washington County remains committed to supporting our agricultural community and encourages producers impacted by the freeze event to explore the assistance programs available through this federal disaster declaration.
Click here to view Governor Wes Moore’s announcement.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Gov. Wes Moore, who has anchored his political identity in a narrative of military service and the creed to “leave no one behind,” is facing mounting national pressure to provide a full accounting of his career after his office’s explanations failed to match available records.
The scrutiny — driven by a months-long investigation by veteran Army colonel and reporter Drew Sullins for the Spotlight on Maryland series in The Baltimore Sun — centers on a growing disconnect between Moore’s public storytelling and his official military documentation.
Spotlight on Maryland reporting by Drew Sullins, featured in The Baltimore Sun. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)
As Sullins continues to parse the governor’s record, Moore’s team has had to defend the authenticity of his biographical claims while grappling with requests from journalists to release his complete personnel file and be transparent with the Marylanders the governor is paid to serve.
Moore, who has refused to answer most of Spotlight’s questions, has instead provided interviews to a local news site and national outlets.
When asked last week during a CNN interview if he had provided a full accounting of his military history, Moore said he “never” mischaracterized his military career.
“I’m very proud of the service we did,” Moore said.
Spotlight’s reporting has largely focused on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and interviews with military experts and veterans who served with Moore. Investigative stories have been published weekly since April and will continue for several more weeks.
RELATED | Analysis: Moore’s problem isn’t the media. It’s his record.
Sullins, who served for more than 30 years in uniform, said that understanding Moore’s records requires military experience and knowledge of the awards process.
To really understand Governor Moore’s military records, or any veteran’s military records, you need a certain level of expertise,” he said.
Sullins has led soldiers, held command and staff roles across multiple levels of the military and has investigated retroactive awards — like the Bronze Star Medal that Moore received in late 2024.
His deep dive into public records and fact-checking stemmed from the governor’s abrupt award of a Bronze Star decades after he had claimed he earned it, Sullins said.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 12: Wes Moore, governor of Maryland attends the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Legislative Conference National Town Hall at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on September 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)
FOX45 News first reported in 2022 that Moore had inaccurately claimed the military honor in his application for a White House Fellowship before his run for governor — something Moore initially denied and blasted as a smear campaign and later described as an “honest mistake.”
“We originally started out looking for anything related to the Bronze Star award in 2006 that he allegedly received in Afghanistan, or should have received and didn’t,” Sullins said.
The Bronze Star controversy resurfaced in 2024 after the New York Times reported on the issue.
ALSO READ | ‘They shouldn’t be’: Moore dodges question on poll concerns due to dishonesty, leadership
Moore said at the time that he included the award in a 2006 White House Fellowship application after being advised by a senior officer that it had been approved, though in an August 2024 press release, Moore acknowledged that he was disappointed to learn, before leaving Afghanistan, that he had not received the Bronze Star.
The medal was ultimately awarded to Moore in December 2024, nearly 18 years after his deployment.
Sullins said his analysis expanded beyond the medal to broader claims Moore has made about combat, training, leading soldiers and his time purportedly in harm’s way.
We wanted to validate all of that,” Sullins said. “So we were looking for any records that could basically support or validate any of those things.”
According to Sullins, Spotlight filed four separate FOIA requests with the Army. None, he said, has been fully completed. The Army has released about 41 pages of documents to Spotlight while withholding records in each request. Spotlight is considering litigation against the Army to force the release of some documents.
Moore’s office has separately released one record to Spotlight.
HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND – MARCH 23: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (C), accompanied by Rep. April McClain-Delaney (D-MD) (L) speaks to members of the media following a roundtable on March 23, 2026 in Hagerstown, Maryland. Moore and McClain-Delaney held a meeting with Washington County community leaders to discuss their concerns about a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention warehouse near Williamsport, Maryland as part of the Trump administration’s expansion of holding facilities across the country. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
In March, Spotlight on Maryland pressed the governor at an unrelated event in Hagerstown to publicly release all records the newsroom had requested.
We continue to show transparency on everything and all things,” Moore said in March.
When asked why his office had released fewer records than other public figures who have faced scrutiny over their military records, Moore spokesman Ammar Moussa said the governor’s team was in “active negotiations” with Spotlight on Maryland over the records.
“We will come back to you with those records,” Moussa said.
Spotlight on Maryland does not negotiate for public records or for disclosure in the public interest. The dispute has since widened beyond the original reporting.
RELATED | As Wes Moore demands transparency, his own records remain hidden
In response to questions Monday about Moore’s recent military record disclosure to a small local online-only news outlet, the governor’s office did not answer the substance of Spotlight on Maryland’s questions, including whether Moore would release his records publicly. Instead, a spokesperson responded with multiple questions about David Smith, co-owner of The Baltimore Sun and the executive chairman of Sinclair, Inc., the parent company of FOX45 News.
Moore has repeatedly defended his record, saying he is proud of his service and the soldiers he served with.
But a central question of transparency remains unresolved. Why hasn’t the governor released his full military personnel file to the public?
Meanwhile, two veterans and GOP gubernatorial candidates, Ed Hale and John Myrick, have authorized the release of their full military records.
Sullins said full disclosure would end the dispute.
“It would put everything to rest,” he said. “There is a story, an untold story, and we don’t know all of the elements of that untold story because he will not be transparent and forthright.”
Do you have any tips or information related to this story? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
ANNAPOLIS — As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Maryland State House stands as a symbol of the nation’s transition from colonies to a country. The building is the oldest active state legislative building in the country and is open to the public as a self-guided museum.
Construction began under British rule, and the building opened under a new, free nation.
“This building really was built entirely during the years of the Revolutionary War—before it and then after it. The cornerstone was laid in 1772 by Maryland’s last royal governor, Robert Eden, and by the time the building was finished through fits and starts during the years of the American Revolutionary War, in 1779, it was presided over by Maryland’s first popularly elected Democratic governor,” said Elaine Rice Bachman, the Maryland State Archivist.
Inside America’s oldest capitol: The Maryland State House’s Revolutionary War legacy
Maryland’s State House stands as a symbol of the revolution
History has been written inside these walls. George Washington resigned his post from the Continental Army in the Old Senate Chamber.
“This was an unprecedented event really in world history—that a military leader would give over all of their power to the civilian authority—and it is the original peaceful transfer of power that was established in the United States. So when Washington came into this room, he delivered a speech. He read a speech that he drafted himself, folded up that piece of paper, and handed it to a member of Congress. And today we have that original speech on display here in the rotunda,” Bachman said.
The Treaty of Paris was also ratified at the State House. It is the only state legislative building to serve as the nation’s Capitol.
“So in these spaces, you really learn about Maryland’s role during the Revolutionary War all the way up to the present day. In these chambers, we talk about the events of Congress meeting here in 1783 and 1784, the use of the rooms by the early Senate and House of Delegates,” Bachman said.
The impact of Maryland’s Capitol extends into the Revolutionary War with the Maryland 400, a group of soldiers who marched from Annapolis to Brooklyn to join the fight.
“The Maryland Line, ‘the old line’ as it came to be called, took the brunt of the force from the British army and literally enabled George Washington to escape with 9,000 other men while they covered that retreat. And because of that, Washington really looked upon the Maryland men as a very valiant force. He noted that he would lose many brave men that day. They went down in history as the Maryland 400,” Bachman said.
The State House now displays these crucial pieces of American and Maryland history in its historic sections. It is open to the public and operates as a self-guided museum.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The heat was relentless. With temperatures pushing toward 100 degrees, athletes from Southern Maryland’s HYROX community spent the weekend battling more than sleds, burpees and miles of running. They were battling conditions that forced them to rethink goals, adjust expectations and lean on one another in ways that no training session could fully prepare them for.
And when it was over, coach Gretchen Thomas wasn’t talking about race times. She was talking about people.
“What I’m most proud of is how much the team grows and supports one another,” Thomas told The BayNet.
In a sport built around individual effort, the Southern Maryland team found strength in something bigger than competition. One moment that stood out came when athlete Caitlin Lomazzo completed a doubles race before rushing to join her relay team, arriving just in time to jump directly into the burpee station.
For Thomas, the moment wasn’t memorable because of the physical effort involved. It was memorable because it represented the mindset the team has worked to build. A willingness to keep going. A willingness to show up for one another. A willingness to adapt when things don’t go according to plan.
And plenty didn’t go according to plan. The heat forced athletes and coaches to abandon parts of their original race strategy. Water breaks became a necessity. Pacing changed. Expectations shifted. The goal stopped being perfect. The goal became taking care of each other.
“It was so hot,” Thomas said. “We knew we would need extra water breaks and we couldn’t outpace the heat.”
Instead of chasing personal records, the team focused on something more important. Getting everyone across the finish line safely.
“No one in medical. No heat stroke. No hospital,” Thomas said.
The experience reinforced a lesson that had little to do with fitness.
“A single moment cannot define you,” Thomas said. “It’s the whole ride we are on together, not a single point in time.”
For many athletes, that lesson may be the most valuable thing they brought home from the competition. Because HYROX, like life, rarely unfolds exactly as planned. There are setbacks. There are injuries. There are days when conditions are less than ideal.
Thomas knows that firsthand. After recently recovering from a major injury herself, she entered the event grateful simply for the opportunity to compete.
“I had two weeks coming off a major injury to ramp up, so I was just happy to be at the starting line,” she said.
As the Southern Maryland HYROX community continues to grow, Thomas hopes athletes remember one message above all else:
“Trust the process—the training, the grind, and deviating as life twists and turns. Life happens. Train for life.”
When the weekend ended, patches earned and finish times were recorded. The team came home with two podium flags. But the memories Thomas carried home had little to do with either.
“What a privilege to race,” she said. “What an honor to be there with my team.”
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