SEN. OAKS FACES NEW CHARGE: State Sen. Nathaniel Oaks, already facing allegations of fraud and bribery, was charged Wednesday with obstruction of justice in a new federal indictment in which prosecutors say he reneged on a deal with the FBI, reports Michael Dresser in the Sun. Prosecutors say Oaks, a Baltimore Democrat, tipped off the target of another investigation that FBI agents had in their sights.

Heather Cobun in the Daily Record reports that new indictment accuses Oaks of agreeing to cooperate with the FBI in January by recording his conversations with the target of a new investigation but then tipping off the target, “thus thwarting the FBI investigation and obstructing justice,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

STATE WORKFORCE DOWN: A Maryland budget analyst says the state workforce is understaffed in some agencies, the AP is reporting. David Juppe, a Department of Legislative Services analyst, told lawmakers Tuesday the executive branch has abolished nearly 8,000 positions since 2002, leaving it with less than 50,000. He etimates agencies are understaffed by about 1,300 positions. That’s in addition to vacant positions that are simply not filled at this time.