Advertise on podcast: Maryland Capital with Jayne Miller

The 2026 midterm elections campaigns were marked by ugly rhetoric, racism, and way too personal attacks. And attempts to deter and suppress voting. Voters rejected all of it. Now there's new control of Congress. I covered elections my entire career. This is my take on what happened nationally and locally.

The plan to redevelop Harborplace is facing some hurdles. A group of residents has filed a lawsuit to challengethe process that led to the selection of a developer, MCB Real estate. An effort is underway to save the two pavilions from  demolition. A big tax break is in the works which is drawing public pushback. And the big question: are therealternatives to turning over more public park space to a private developer. The plan includes moving  the Constellation. And closing  streets. My conversation is with Michael Brassert, founder of the Inner Harbor Coalition, and Bill Pencek, Coalitionchair and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit

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.

Ever wonder why authors use a pen name? Where they get their material? My latest podcast is a conversation with Maryland based author Dylan Allen (a pen name). She has written 18 romance-suspense novels.She started writing them to have characters that looked like her. (She’s not white). Dylan is a West African immigrant. And immigration influences her writing. Her latest book released this summer is “To Catch A Sinner” which she writes under the name Lucy Wilson-Tagoe. Who gets to tell the story. The sinner who lived it orthe saint who steals it.

More than 700,000 new titles will be published this yearby traditional publishers. And what better time to read a book than in the summer. Sara Goodman Confino is a Maryland author whose new bookis titled “Off the Record.” It is set in the 1960’s during the Cold War when the main character– a young female reporter-- hada very difficult time breaking into the male dominated profession of journalism. Sara is a former high school teacher who taught Englishand journalism in Montgomery County. The state of journalism is also part of our conversation.

It's been nearly three years since the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy. This was as the Child Victim's Act went into effect which lifted the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims against the church. Currently, the Archdiocese and thecommittee of sex abuse survivors are meeting weekly this summer to resolve competing plans to settle the bankruptcy on behalf of more than 900 people who have filed claims. The gap is wide. The committeeproposes $740 mil. The Archdiocese proposes approximately $246 mil. $44 mil of which is from the Archdiocese, the rest from insurance. The bankruptcy judge has set adeadline of early August for a potential resolution. My conversation is with attorney Jonathan Schochor, anattorney who represents sex abuse survivors who have sued the church. And he representsa member of the survivors committee.

"Dirt bike culture is Baltimore culture." From my conversation with Brittany Young, founder of B-360, a non-profit organization that sees opportunity in young people who ride dirt bikes. Its 2026 summer camp is starting now where young people learn auto mechanics, STEM, and safety. Baltimore police are cracking on dirt bike riders. B-360 has a different plan to keep people out of traffic.

Baltimore is just one of two cities that is independent. No governance relationship with its surrounding counties like Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh. The list goes on. Would more regional alliances in the Baltimore areadeliver better services in a more cost effective way? Housing, transit, public safety, education, water—all areregional services in other parts of the country. Plus – a land value tax might help level the playingfield. My conversation is with Zac Blanchard, member of theBaltimore City Council, District 11.

Closing the gap between wages and the rising cost of living. More than 60 years ago, when Lyndon Johnson was president, he signed the Economic Opportunity Act which created Community Action Agencies. They grew out of the War on Poverty and are funded by Community Service Block Grants. There are 19 of them across Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. But they are under threat by cuts to federal funding. My conversation is with Angela Martin, executive director of Maryland Community Action Partnership.

The 151st running of the Preakness is in Laurel due to the reconstruction at Pimlico. The future holds questions. What will the new Pimlico look like? What other purposes might the new facility serve? Should the date be changed so Derby winners don't skip it? Is the state subsidy too much or too little? Conversation is with Bill Knauf, president Maryland Jockey Club.

Legislators gave consumers a small break on their utility bills. in the 2026 session. But it may be progress on solar energy that’s a bigger winner. Changes in permitting should make it easier forresidential rooftop and plug-in solar. Challenges remain to hit clean energy goals—includingconvincing legislators that renewable energy is faster and more cost efficient to deploy. And getting past the culture of big fossil fuel powerplants. Plus..stop raiding the clean energy fund into which weare all paying My conversation is with Emily Scarr, MarylandPIRG andJosh Tulkin, Maryland Sierra Fund.