20070620 News Clips

News Clips

June 20, 2007

STATE ARTICLES

Thousands turn out to greet Ripken
Harford names a day in former Oriole's honor, preceding his Hall of Fame induction
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/ripken/bal-md.ha.parade20jun20,0,1118978.story
The Iron Man hobbled up the stage showing a bit of rust.
A knee injury during a recent pickup basketball game was responsible for Cal Ripken Jr.'s slight limp. But the former Oriole great knows a little about playing with pain.
"I did have nagging injuries when I played. And in the same spirit, there was no way I was going to miss coming out here today," Ripken told a cheering crowd of thousands in Bel Air yesterday after a parade in his honor down Main Street.
It was Cal Ripken Jr. Day in Harford County, and the Aberdeen native returned t o his roots for an event put on by the county government to celebrate Ripken's coming induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and mark opening day for his minor league team, the Aberdeen IronBirds.

A drug-war setback
Red tape, doctors say, cuts buprenorphine prescriptions
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-md.bupe20jun20,0,3588367.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
Faced with Medicaid's low payments and bureaucratic red tape, some Maryland doctors are reluctant to prescribe buprenorphine for heroin addicts, even though the drug has been promoted as a potential magic bullet in the war against addiction, according to a survey set for release today.
The survey, commissioned by the Center for a Healthy Maryland Inc., found that doctors were not always sufficiently reimbursed for their time and services and that there were other "hassles," including medication preauthorization, a process that in some cases can take 48 hours, and varying and confusing protocols among Medicaid providers.
The report comes as state officials are deciding how to spend an extra $3 million earmarked for buprenorphine treatment in the budget year that starts July 1.

Mayor seeks spending changes
Charter amendments would lessen power of council and public oversight of funds
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.ci.dixon20jun20,0,6488318.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon wants to make several changes to the city charter that would make it easier for the city to buy goods and services - but that also would lessen City Council and public oversi ght of how taxpayer money is spent.
Two charter amendments Dixon introduced in the City Council would reduce public notice requirements for purchases over $25,000, allow the city to adjust spending controls more freely and make it easier for the administration to win approval for over-budget spending.
The legislation comes a year after Dixon faced criticism for her spending practices as City Council president.

Dixon, police meet over crime plan
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.ci.police20jun20,0,3271376.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
Facing increases in homicides and shootings and a dip in police morale, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon outlined yesterday her plan to reduce violence in a closed-door presentation before roughly 500 city officers who were ordered to attend.
"You hear rumors that people don't understand the [crime] plan," she said in a briefing to reporters after her 30-minute meeting with officers at the downtown police headquarters. "I just wanted to make it very clear what the plan is. ... Communicate the mission. Sometimes there's a breakdown."
The meeting, however, drew criticism from union officials who dismissed the mayor's plan as a "PowerPoint presentation," a political opponent who charged the meeting was a publicity stunt and former police chief Edward T. Norris, who introduced his own crime plan on his talk radio program.

Dixon Tells Police Her Crime Plan; Critics Blast It
http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=59517
During a half-hour, closed door meeting with some 500 police officers who were required to attend, Mayor Sheila Dixon described her plan to cut violence in a city dealing with increasing homicides and shootings.
The meeting was criticized by a union official, who called Dixon's plan little more than a PowerPoint presentation. And a political opponent said the meeting was a publicity stunt.

It's Ed Norris, armchair commissioner by Laura Vozzella
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella20jun20,1,5163921,print.column?coll=bal-home-columnists&ctrack=3&cset=true
In Baltimore, even the felons have crime plans.
And if the felon also happens to be the only guy in memory to knock down the city's horrific homicide numbers, Baltimore apparently is willing to listen.
Ex-commish/ex-con Ed Norris unfurled his prescription for a safer city on his radio show yesterday, and no fewer than seven reporters and four TV camera guys flocked to the WHFS studios for the occasion, The Sun's Julie Bykowicz reports.

Lawyer tries to exclude tapes
Bromwell attorney says FBI recordings won't allow fair trial
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.bromwell20jun20,0,1321438.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
A new lawyer appointed to represent indicted former state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell Sr. says that hours of secret FBI tapes peppered with the politician's racial and sexist epithets are irrelevant and should be excluded from his trial because they could impair a jury's ability to reach a fair verdict.
"The vast majority of the recordings simply have nothing to do with the core issues in the case," said Barry J. Po llack, repeating arguments that he made in recent court filings in the case.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, whose office is handling the prosecution, countered that the tapes of phone conversations and dinner chatter are vital to prove the bribery accusations lodged against Bromwell, a Baltimore County Democrat who served in the General Assembly for more than two decades.

Plan for expanded MARC urged
Metro leaders call on governor to develop strategic study on train service
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.marc20jun20,0,3040189.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines
Top elected leaders from the Baltimore region have called on Gov. Martin O'Malley to begin developing a strategic plan for the expansion of MARC train service to prepare for growth expected from military base realignment.

State fees for assisted living may increase
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_20-26/GOV
Proposed state fee increases for assisted-living facilities could have those businesses paying much more for a license.
Under proposed new regulations for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene published on May 11, license fees for the estimated 1,280 assisted-living facilities in the state could increase by hundreds of dollars. There are 92 such facilities in Anne Arundel County.
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council - made up of Mayor Sheila Dixon and leaders from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties - wrote the governor asking him to work with them to increase service on the commuter rail system. Among other things, they suggested that Maryland look into the pos sibility of laying additional track to expand the Maryland Rail Commuter system.

Elected school board bid fails
Petition drive for ballot question falls a bit short
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.petition20jun20,0,7870410.story?coll=bal-local-arundel
A grassroots effort to get more say in selecting Anne Arundel County's school board has failed after a petition drive to put the issue on the Nov. 6 general election ballot came up 275 names short.Citizens for an Elected School Board in Anne Arundel County and freshman state Sen. Bryan W. Simonaire collected 6,726 signatures between the end of the legislative session April 9 and May 30, said Mary Cramer Wagner, director of voter registration for the Maryland Board of Elections.
The group was required to submi t 6,264 -- a third of the total required -- by the deadline

County limits emergency aid to schools
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.transfer20jun20,0,4986819.story?coll=bal-local-arundel
Tensions between elected officials and school leaders were aggravated this week when the Anne Arundel County Council approved an $18.9 million budget transfer that fell $3.7 million short of the school system's request and leaves key objectives unfunded.
The emergency legislation backed by County Executive John R. Leopold does not include money for a human-resources computer system, administrative trainees and substitutes for assistant principals. The transfer also does not reimburse the school system $2.6 million for charter schools.
Others concurred with the c ounty executive. Council Chairman Ronald C. Dillon Jr., a Pasadena Republican, said he doesn't want to establish a "use-it-or-lose-it mentality."

Draft transportation plan unveiled for U.S. 1
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.planning20jun20,0,2765467.story?coll=bal-local-howard
With efforts to rejuvenate a long-maligned but potential-laden section of U.S. 1 creeping forward, Howard County officials and the State Highway Administration unveiled a draft transportation plan that calls for adding paths, sidewalks, side roads, bike lanes, bus lanes, car lanes and a median to deal with increased traffic and use as the corridor grows.

Howard County councilman pushes living wage bill
http://www.examiner.com/a-789608~Howard_Cou%20nty_councilman_pushes_living_wage_bill.html
Howard County Council Chairman Calvin Ball is taking steps to require county contractors to pay its workers a sufficient minimum wage - a move he calls "the right to do."
"We should set a higher standard," said Ball, D-District 2.

Commissioners object to power line placement
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=61572
The Frederick County Commissioners will write a letter to the federal government objecting to a designation that could lead to an expedited process for building large power lines.
In a report released in August, the Department of Energy included Frederick County in a draft about the Mid-Atlantic Area National Interest Electric T ransmission Corridor. All of Maryland except Somerset County, and other states in the region, will also be designated in the corridor, according to the draft plan.

Natural Gas Company Seeks to Run 1st Pipeline Under Chesapeake Bay
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901909.html
A Delaware natural gas company has proposed building the first pipeline under the Chesapeake Bay, to pump gas from Cove Point in Southern Maryland to Delaware starting in winter 2009, according to a federal official
Eastern Shore Natural Gas's $93 million project is in the early stages of the state and federal approval process, but some environmental groups and a state legislator are raising questions about its environmental effects.

NATIONAL NEWS
Evangelical voters may not help GOP
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.schaller20jun20,0,7390936.column?coll=bal-oped-headlines
Here's a bold prediction: Evangelicals will present few if any obstacles for the Democrats in next year's presidential race, but may prove problematic for the Republican nominee.
I'm not suggesting that a majority of evangelicals will vote Democratic next year. What I am saying is the 2008 presidential race could be a turning point for evangelical politics in America.

Bartlett releases 'earmark' list; Capito and Shuster have not
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=168384&format=html
U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., on Tuesday released his list of fiscal year 2008 pet-project requests - $322.51 million worth - after The Herald-Mail asked for it.
"I am proud of my requests," Bartlett said in the statement. "In previous years, I followed the established procedure and waited until appropriations bills were finalized to distribute news releases with my lists of requests that received funding.
"With greater public interest and the support of Republicans to reform the Congressional budget process, I am releasing the requests for funding that I have submitted."

Progressive Maryland, citizens speak out on Gilchrest voting record
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/NEWS01/706200345/1002
Several co mmunity leaders joined a liberal grassroots organization Tuesday to praise and protest Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest's voting record across the street from his District 1 office.
Gilchrest signed a letter Monday siding with the president if he vetoes a Democratic-majority version expected to help Maryland with $31 million in Community Development Block Grants, $6.6 million for home heating assistance and $50.8 million for education, including 20 teachers in Gilchrest's district, according to Progressive Maryland's analysis of the unfinished budget proposals

House Primaries Come Early for Three Maryland Incumbents
http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/06/house_primaries_come_early_for.html
In most states, congressional primaries in 2008 will be held from March to as late as mid-September. So even most incumbents who face the possibility of primary challenges next year must view full-scale campaigning as still a quite distant prospect.
That, however, is not as true in Maryland, where next year's congressional primaries - dragged along with the "front-loaded" presidential primary contests - will be held on Feb. 12, the earliest-ever date in the state.
The sped-up process has already produced primary challenges, of varying degrees of risk, to Democrat Albert B. Wynn of the 4th District and two Republicans, Wayne T. Gilchrest of the 1st and Roscoe G. Bartlett of the 6th. At this juncture, eight-term incumbent Wynn faces the most serious threat, in the form of a rematch with a challenger who came close to upsetting him in 2006.

NAACP inauguration hosts top politicians
http://www.hometownglenburnie.com/vault/cgi-bin/gazette/view/2007G/06/16-09.HTM
The gala planned by the county's NAACP branch tonight has drawn RSVP's from the state's top politicians, organizers said.
The inauguration gala celebrating Wayne Jearld's ascendancy to the presidency will be attended by Gov. Martin O'Malley; U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin; House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer; Reps. Wayne Gilchrest, Dutch Ruppersberger and John P. Sarbanes; and Maryland Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch, among others.

Cardin still working to close Oak Hill
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_19-10/CWC
In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin said he is still working to close the Washington D.C.'s Oak Hill Juvenile Detention Center in Laurel.Mr. Cardin is still pursuing a bill he introduced with Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski in March that would transfer parts of the prison land to Anne Arundel County, the National Park Service and the Army. Part of the county's land would be turned into a park and others could be open to development.

House bill puts border security over immigration
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA062007.1A.Immig.3a158f7.html
Republican leaders bucked President Bush on Tuesday and filed an enforcement-only bill in the House that calls for shoring up the Southwest border before guest worker and earned legalization programs can be offered.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he wasn't opposed to breaking up the bill, but signaled difficulties in passing sweeping reform legislation. "I am for a comprehensive bill if we can work out the appropriate provisions in that bill," he said.

Magnet program eyed for Ft. Meade
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_19-26/TOP
Congressional and local officials want to tap into the technical expertise at Fort George G. Meade and create a math and science magnet program at the public schools on post.
Still in the conceptual stages, the magnet program would concentrate on math and science at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The idea is to create standout students who are interested and qualified for the post's civilian jobs, said Heather Moeder Molino, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Baltimore County.