Tessa Bentulan

Investigative Journalist, Spotlight on Maryland | @foxbaltimore @7newsdc @baltimoresun | Story idea? email [email protected]

[The National Press @NationalPressHQ]

Maryland’s transit agency has issued 141 ban notices since last October, nearly half of them to juveniles. But MTA employees told @TessaBentulan of @FoxBaltimore they don’t know the names or faces of anyone who’s banned.

One 18-year-old allegedly banned for assault jumped a turnstile on camera with an MTA employee just feet away.

Watch: https://t.co/hycX2zCqVD

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

Thank you for having me!

[The National Press @NationalPressHQ]

For Baltimore bus drivers, death threats and fear of assault are a daily occurrence. One driver told @tessabentulan he prays the same words before every shift: “Please God, bring me home.”

@tessabentulan of @foxbaltimore tells @lyndsaymkeith the dangers drivers are facing on the job.

Watch the full story: https://t.co/hycX2zCqVD

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

@jojolyn179 @SpotlightMDNews @FOXBaltimore @baltimoresun Send me an email at [email protected].

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

I’d like to speak with a Maryland family about affordability. DM me or email me at [email protected].

@SpotlightMDNews @FOXBaltimore @baltimoresun

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

What is MTA doing about fare evasion?

Spotlight on Maryland's months-long investigation found the state's transit system has a widespread fare evasion problem and that MTA could be losing $79 million on buses alone.

Reporter @TessaBentulan has learned the agency plans to form a task force, step up targeted enforcement and consider new fare gates.

Get the full story at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on @FOXBaltimore or read more Thursday morning in the @baltimoresun.

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

For the rural town of Snow Hill, the one pharmacy it has is crucial. Despite losing money, the owner has no plans to close: “I committed to the town to be their pharmacy.”

@SpotlightMDNews @FOXBaltimore @baltimoresun

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

👀👀

[ESPN @espn]

The Miami Heat accidentally posted, then deleted, a scheduled YouTube livestream titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” for July 27.

A team spokesperson told @ShamsCharania the link was mistakenly published while preparing for a possible James signing. https://t.co/FeH7tgdB9D

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

Only 5% of Maryland commuters use public transit.

But 53% of the state's transportation spending goes there.

Meanwhile, more than 75% of commuters drive or carpool.

Should transportation dollars follow how Marylanders travel today or where leaders want them to travel tomorrow?

Watch @TessaBentulan's latest story here:

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

Maryland's crabbing season is in full swing, but the math behind the harvest has become as precarious as the tides. Rising fuel costs are squeezing watermen and hitting consumers at the register.

Spotlight on Maryland reporter @TessaBentulan has the full story at 5:30 p.m. on @FOXBaltimore. Read more tomorrow in the @baltimoresun.

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

@SpotlightMDNews merch came in the mail 😮‍💨

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

The Short-Calabria family reached out to us after watching our series of stories, “Moving Out of Maryland.”

They’re not alone. Viewers/readers reach out to share they are making the jump to leave. Usually for the same reasons: rising taxes and fees and the cost of housing.

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

One family. Three exits from Maryland.

A mother preparing to leave the Baltimore home she's lived in since 1979.
A son who moved to Pennsylvania for affordable housing.
A daughter who says lower taxes made New Hampshire possible.

As costs rise, some families say leaving Maryland no longer feels optional.

Spotlight on Maryland reporter @TessaBentulan has the full story. Watch on @FOXBaltimore and read more tomorrow in the @baltimoresun.

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

Dena was very kind to share why she plans to leave Maryland. She's from the state and has many wonderful memories here but she says it's time to move out. Why? To save money.

FYI - she is getting an award from her bank for being one of the top customers saving money.

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

Leaving Maryland to afford life?

One Baltimore woman says rising taxes, utility bills and fees are forcing her out after 40-plus years.

"I think, for me, the taxes ... everything has gotten really high."

Spotlight on Maryland reporter @TessaBentulan has the full story on why Delaware is drawing some Maryland retirees.

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

Marylanders are leaving.

After 40-plus years in Baltimore, one woman says rising taxes and costs are forcing her out.

"I'm bothered by what they do with our taxes," she said.

Spotlight on Maryland reporter @TessaBentulan talked to her about why she's moving to Delaware. Watch the story on @FOXBaltimore or read more tomorrow in the @baltimoresun.

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

In this story we highlight Ebony Peacock. A mom of who lived in a DV shelter when she first started receiving $200 of TANF cash. It was her only source of income.

Today she’s in a much better place but believes families deserve more cash benefits to get them off their feet.

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

‘IT’S NOT ENOUGH’: Maryland receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year to help its lowest-income families through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, but only a portion of that funding in the state reaches families as direct cash assistance.

Find out more about how the state says it’s helping to reduce poverty through tax credits, as TANF recipients say the higher cost of living makes it harder to stretch their benefits.

Spotlight reporter @TessaBentulan has the story on @FOXBaltimore and in the @baltimoresun.

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

Words from @SpotlightMDNews executive producer and managing editor on the story, that has not yet been published, about @iamwesmoore’s military record:

[Candy Woodall @candynotcandace]

Democrats sure are putting in a lot of work to discredit a series before it's even started running. That alone should raise a question: why?

In January, I was warned directly that if Spotlight continued its investigation into Gov. Wes Moore's military records—and one of his superiors—that his office would send files to every media reporter to try and discredit us. 

We saw the same playbook in 2022 when a FOX45 reporter asked why Moore allowed claims that he had received a Bronze Star that he didn't have at the time. His team accused the reporter and media outlet of bias and a smear campaign. Two years later, after the New York Times wrote about the Bronze Star Moore hadn't received, the narrative changed, and the governor said it was "an honest mistake." In an August 2024 statement on his military record, Moore acknowledged he knew before leaving Afghanistan that he had not received the award. 

Spotlight's reporting digs deeper into Moore's military records and more, and our investigative series will begin to publish soon. This is standard journalism to scrutinize the words and records of elected officials and candidates who hold positions of power and public trust. Our loyalty is to the Maryland public we serve — not any public official or political party. 

Our work has been fair. We've sent hundreds of questions. Most have gone unanswered. We've offered multiple sit-down interviews with the governor and his staff. They have declined repeated requests. 

Moore's office hasn't seen a word of this series yet, but the governor and his communications staff are actively campaigning and peddling a narrative to smear it. In fact, his director of media strategy said this week of us, "They don't deserve to be treated like a news outlet and nothing that comes out of Sinclair should be taken seriously." They continued this effort last night in an interview on MSNOW with Jen Psaki, Biden's former press secretary. 

The real questions you should be asking right now: Why don't they want you to read the series? What is it they don't want you to know? And if we're so wrong about everything, why not just release the records and prove it?

If you want to know more, keep reading The Baltimore Sun, a 200-year-old newspaper that has survived many governors.

[Spotlight on Maryland @SpotlightMDNews]

A caller says you missed jury duty - and you'll be arrested if you don't pay NOW.

Police say it's a fast-growing scam spreading across Maryland, and it's fooling people.

Spotlight reporter @TessaBentulan has the full story at 10 p.m. tonight on @FOXBaltimore. Read more tomorrow in the @baltimoresun.

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

@FOXBaltimore @SpotlightMDNews @7NewsDC From the pilot on my flight: “Thanks for your patience. Something was going on with the Washington tower with fumes and smoke. That’s about all we know.” @FOXBaltimore @7NewsDC @SpotlightMDNews

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

Just got to the airport for my 7:35pm flight. 4 hour TSA wait, 1 hour for CLEAR.
@FOXBaltimore @7NewsDC @SpotlightMDNews

[Tessa Bentulan @TessaBentulan]

@FOXBaltimore @SpotlightMDNews @7NewsDC Ground stop has officially ended. Flight times are being updated. @FOXBaltimore

[Pete Muntean @petemuntean]

🚨 BREAKING: Potomac TRACON, the key radar facility handling D.C. airspace, has been evacuated to “ATC ZERO” according to FAA alerts. The FAA is now implementing ground stops for flights to Reagan National, Dulles, BWI, Charlottesville and Richmond airports.