Friday, May 18, 2012
Ruling stems from divorce case filed by a couple married in California in 2008.
UPDATED (5:12 p.m.)—Same-sex marriages legally performed out of state must be recognized by Maryland Courts, according to a decision issued Friday by Maryland’s highest court. “Maryland courts will withhold recognition of a valid foreign marriage only if that marriage is ‘repugnant’ to State public policy,” wrote Court of Appeals Judge Glenn Harrell Jr. in the 7-0 decision. Legal experts and Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler said the decision has both immediate and long-term effects—even as the state moves toward a possible referendum on the recently passed law allowing same-sex marriage in the state. Gansler, who in 2010 issued what he called “a forecast” opinion predicting the court would ultimately recognize out-of-state same-…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor calls budget package "good for all Marylanders." Republicans say burden to local governments may force county governments to increase taxes.
The Maryland House of Delegates gave final approval Wednesday to a package of three bills that increases taxes on some state residents, shifts part of teacher pensions to local governments and undoes the so-called "doomsday budget." The votes Wednesday afternoon capped the three-day special session called by Gov. Martin O'Malley in order to override more than $500 million in cuts made in a budget passed in early April. The Senate approved the same three bills Tuesday. As part of the package, legislators approved by a vote of 86-51 what amounts to a 50-50 split of teacher pension costs with local governments. The split will be phased in over the next four years beginning July 1 with the new budget year. That bill also includes a doubling of…
At the end of a Tuesday night Annapolis Housing Authority meeting, Snowden accused the newspaper of unfair and erroneous coverage.
Carl Snowden, the beleaguered civil rights director for the Maryland Attorney General's Office, implied that he would pursue legal action against The Capital at an Annapolis Housing Authority meeting Tuesday night. Snowden is also the chairman of the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners. The Capital journalist Elisha Sauers writes that Snowden delivered an unexpected 20-minute tirade against the newspaper, which he reportedly accused of providing unfair and inaccurate coverage of him. "When I see a newspaper recklessly print information without checking the facts … I move aggressively, and I use the courts," Snowden said at the meeting, according to Sauers' article. Tom Marquardt, editor and publisher of The Capital, told Patch that …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The schools superintendent rails against the county executive in a speech at the second budget hearing.
Hundreds of parents and teachers raised their voices in support of a fully funded school system at the Anne Arundel County budget hearing on Monday night. An estimated 800 people filled the auditorium at Old Mill High School with applause after dozens of parents testified before the County Council during the second hearing on the budget for fiscal year 2013. The County Council holds the purse strings for the school system, which takes up $572 million of the county's proposed $1.2 billion budget. Most who testified on Monday implored council members to fully fund the school budget, but had some additional projects in mind for their local schools. Some of these projects included a replacement for Edgewater Elementary, construction …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Now is the chance to speak up about the county's budget for the coming year.
The second public hearing on Anne Arundel County's fiscal year 2013 budget—which includes the school system's budget—will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at Old Mill High School. Sign-ups to speak at the public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. The members of the County Council will be present to hear testimony on the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Later this month, they will be reviewing and voting on the operating budget, which weighs in at $1,243,571,900 (see attached PDF). The first public hearing, held May 7, brought out many Severna Park High School parents asking to secure funding for a new school. The second hearing is expected to draw parents from other schools that need renovated or replaced. Much of the controversy over the …
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
In an interview on ABC News, the president says he supports same-sex marriage. The issue is likely to go to referendum in Maryland this fall.
President Barack Obama picked the day after a decisive vote in North Carolina to announce that his "evolution" on the issue of same-sex marriage was complete—he now supports it. In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Obama said: I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage—at a …
Plan to fix "Doomsday Budget" includes $247 million in tax increases and elimination of exemptions for single filers earning $100,000 or more and joint filers earning $150,000 or more.
UPDATE (5:59 p.m.)—Some Maryland residents will pay more taxes in the coming year under a plan worked out between Gov. Martin O'Malley and legislative leaders. O'Malley, accompanied by House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, announced the nearly $35.8 billion plan during a Wednesday morning news conference in Annapolis to discuss the upcoming special session. "To leave this budget incomplete, to leave this budget as it stands right now, would damage the very forward motion that all of us, together, have worked so hard to achieve for our state," O'Malley said. "Progress is a choice," O'Malley said. "Job creation is a choice. Building America's number one schools, making a college education affordable, …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The old rules allowed for an ice skating rink on open space, but not baseball fields.
The way open space in Anne Arundel County is treated will change after new rules were approved Monday night by the County Council, amid jeers from the audience. The sponsor of the open space bill, Councilman Jamie Benoit (D-4th District) of Crownsville, argued that the current rules governing open space in the county don’t make sense. After years of changes, Benoit said the rules had become a patchwork that allow for some uses but not others. Under the old rules, one could build an ice skating rink or a county wastewater treatment facility on open space—but not a baseball field. Golf was the only permitted activity on grass. "Our code as it's currently drafted creates these crazy results," Benoit said during a hearing in March. "You can …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
As part of our series on veterans and jobs, we're posting veterans' resumes on Patch. If you're a potential employer, we invite you to take a look.
If you're a veteran or have a veteran in your family, you know that the job market for those formerly in the military can be worse than for civilians. In Maryland, the 8.9 percent unemployment rate among the 28,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is higher than the state’s overall average. Veterans often get preference in hiring from government agencies but it's still tough out there. A lot of veterans face incredible hardships finding work to support their families. Patch has begun telling some of the stories of the struggles of veterans facing fewer employment opportunities, and the successes, too. We want to do more. If you are a veteran and are looking for work, we invite you to contact us so we can put your job search information on our…
Friday, May 4, 2012
Work will focus on balancing budget and eliminating $500 million in "doomsday" cuts.
Gov. Martin O'Malley Friday announced he will call state legislators back into session May 14 to deal with lingering state budget issues. “There is too much at stake not to move forward,” O’Malley said in a statement Friday afternoon. “I’m confident that we can come together with the Senate President and House Speaker to complete this most important work for the people of our State.” The session will focus on balancing the state budget and eliminating more than $500 million in cuts that were part of a so-called "doomsday budget" that passed at the end of this year's 90-day legislative session. As part of that session, some legislators expect the General Assembly will be asked to approve an income tax increase for some Maryland residents. …
Escariot
6:38 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Once again paul cries racism. People such as Paul are the reason why the racial divide has grown in the past 5 years. Anyone not agreeing to his rainbow world ideals must obviously be a racist or bigot. When obama loses in november paul will be the one screaming from the mountaintops about racism. more ›