Maryland needs this podcast. Now.

Does the world need another podcast? In Maryland, some folks improbably think the answer is YES.

Three longtime colleagues and friends – Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz and David Nitkin – are joining forces to launch Maryland Now, a new podcast that will go beyond the headlines to explore the forces shaping Maryland’s politics, policy and public life.

Hosted by veteran journalists and public‑affairs leaders with more than 60 years of combined experience, the show brings depth, context and historical perspective to the issues facing Maryland today. Each episode will blend reporting, interviews, and insider knowledge for a unique perspective on major topics. Listeners will hear directly from those shaping decisions in Annapolis and across the state: agency heads, lawmakers, advocates, strategists, and longtime policy experts.

Nitkin, Kurtz and Henry draw on their decades covering and working in Maryland government to connect past decisions to current debates — revealing how we got here, what’s been tried before and what’s at stake now. And each week, you’ll be able to find the podcast and read a transcript of key portions here at Baltimore Fishbowl, which is the media partner for Maryland Now

Season One will provide deep dives into housing, energy, the state budget, public health, and more – many key issues facing the 2026 General Assembly session. The conversations are smart, candid, and grounded in real reporting — not hot takes.
If you want to understand Maryland — its politics, its communities, and its future — Maryland Now is for YOU.

Please take a moment to listen to the intro episode, and to subscribe. You can find Maryland Now wherever you get your podcasts.

More about the hosts

Dori Henry

Dori is senior vice president of Blended Public Affairs, which is the sponsor of Season One of Maryland Now. Previously, she was chief of staff and communications director for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. She has served in senior communications roles in state and federal government, including as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Tom Perez during the Obama Administration. Dori started her career as reporter covering the General Assembly and state government for the Daily Record. 

Josh Kurtz

Josh Kurtz is best known as the founder of Maryland Matters, the nonprofit news website focusing on state and local government and politics. Maryland Matters has been around since 2017, but Josh has been writing about Maryland for one news outlet or another for 30 years now. He has also been an editor at Capitol Hill publications, Roll Call, and Environment and Energy Daily, as well as a reporter for newspapers in New York, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

David Nitkin

David’s name became known years ago when the then-governor of Maryland banned all of state government from speaking to him because of reporting he was doing at The Sun. He went on from State House Bureau Chief to become the Sun’s state political editor, White House correspondent and then head of all Maryland news operations. He then turned to policy and politics, working for Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Attorney General Brian Frosh. He’s been the executive editor at Baltimore Fishbowl since 2017.

Swimming Halfway: Maryland's Blueprint for Education Reform – Maryland Now

Maryland Now — brought to you by Blended Public AffairsThis episode, Josh Kurtz takes a deep dive into the Blueprint for Maryland's Future — the state's roughly $4 billion, 10-year education reform plan — now about halfway through its run, with a formal progress report due out by the end of the year. Drawing on interviews with eight educators and political leaders, Josh traces the Blueprint's roots back to a 1990s ACLU lawsuit over underfunded Baltimore City schools, through the Thornton and Kirwan Commissions, Governor Hogan's 2020 veto and the legislature's override, and into where the plan stands today — including a look at what's working, what isn't, and the funding fight that's about to define its next chapter.In this episode:How Maryland's decline in national education ratings alarmed policymakers and educators and prompted bold but complicated actionThe five "pillars" of the Blueprint, and why the law also created an unusual new oversight agency, the Accountability and Implementation BoardAll 24 Maryland school districts have now hit $60,000 starting teacher salaries — but neighboring states are catching up fast, and some districts had to sacrifice other priorities to get thereWhy a court ruling striking down Maryland's digital advertising tax has frozen over $535 million earmarked for the BlueprintThe push from advocacy groups and the teachers' union for progressive revenue measures — and the pushback from counties already stretched thinA candid, skeptical take from a former Baltimore City school board member on whether the Blueprint tried to do too much, too fastA powerful official's case for staying the course, told through two sports metaphors — a college athletic program still waiting to win games, and a swimmer who covers 26 miles without ever completing the crossingGot a question or topic you want covered this season? Reach us at marylandnow@blendedpublicaffairs.com, and find us now on Facebook too.Technical support by Nate Carper, Carper Creative. (00:00) – Welcome and Setup (00:44) – Why the Blueprint Matters (04:15) – New School Year Stakes (07:18) – Blueprint Goals and Players (08:31) – Early Results and Patience (10:01) – Origins Thornton to Kirwan (14:08) – Passing the Blueprint (16:17) – Accountability Board Explained (23:30) – Teacher Pay and Tradeoffs (30:43) – Other Pillars PreK Careers (33:33) – Funding Fights State and Local (39:42) – Worcester County Case Study (41:18) – Inflation and Bigger Questions (42:45) – Will Leaders Stay Committed (45:49) – Wrap Up and Credits

1. Swimming Halfway: Maryland's Blueprint for Education Reform 47:42
2. Downy Ocean: Inside MACo Week with Maryland's Power Players 01:32:50
3. Reading the Room: Pollster Adam Carlson on What Marylanders Really Want 49:45
4. Season 2 Announcement 01:21
5. Primary Election Special Episode – Maryland is Wakanda? 59:38