News or Noise: Blueprint Pressure, AI Surveillance, and College Sports

Summer Conference is in the rearview mirror, but many of the conversations shaping Maryland policy are just getting started.In the latest round of News or Noise, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson are joined by Sarah Sample for a look at the headlines, policy debates, and emerging issues that could follow county leaders from #MACoCon into the 2027 legislative session.The conversation starts with a look back at MACo’s Summer Conference before turning to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and whether an upcoming evaluation could lead lawmakers to reconsider pieces of the sweeping education reform plan amid mounting fiscal pressure. The group also digs into Maryland’s growing school construction needs, the funding gap facing counties, and the increasingly difficult prospect of local governments forward-funding major projects while waiting for the State to catch up.Then, the conversation turns to technology and privacy, where Sarah breaks down Maryland’s existing approach to automatic license plate readers as AI-powered surveillance tools draw growing scrutiny. Are Maryland’s existing safeguards enough, or will rapidly evolving technology force policymakers to revisit the rules? Finally, in true News or Noise fashion, the episode closes outside the policy arena with college football, NIL, revenue sharing, and a bigger question: are college sports still amateur sports at all?From education funding and government surveillance to the changing economics of college athletics, the team sorts through what’s news, what’s noise, and what Maryland’s counties should keep watching. Follow us on Socials!MACo on TwitterMACo on Facebook