Wednesday, August 15, 2007

20070815 News Clips

News Clips

August 15, 2007

STATE NEWS

Running on empty, Maryland Republican chairman stays upbeat
http://www.examiner.com/a-880562~Running_on_empty__Maryland_Republican_chairman_stays_upbeat.html
Times are tough at Maryland Republican Party headquarters. Weak finances have withered the staff to a skeleton crew of two: an executive director and a business manager who are splitting duties. But James Pelura, an early rising veterinarian from Davidsonville who became party chairman in December, is upbeat.His reason: Gov. Martin O'Malley and other leading Democrats, he believes, are fast becoming Republicans' biggest allies by discussing a litany of tax increases to address that state's $1.5 billion budget deficit. That, he predicts, will cause a backla sh to bring voters back to Republicans. House Minority Leader Anthony O'Donnell said it's important to take a broad view. He said the Democratic Party was facing a similarly bleak scenario when Ehrlich won election in 2002. "They were reducing staff," O'Donnell said. "They were having a hard time raising money. It's a very similar situation, and it took them a while to get their house back in order and it's a transition period."

Report makes case for Md. slots
O'Malley official says state is losing millions, horse racing needs aid
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.slots15aug15,0,2392971.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
The O'Malley administration released a report yesterday that concludes slot machines are n ecessary to protect Maryland's racing industry, giving the strongest indication yet that the governor intends to make expanded gambling part of his plan to close a projected $1.5 billion budget gap.Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Thomas E. Perez made the finding after visiting racetracks in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware, examining revenue statistics, and counting Maryland license plates in their parking lots. "Tens of thousands of Marylanders are voting with their feet and traveling to West Virginia and Delaware to play slots," Perez wrote in his report to Gov. Martin O'Malley. "By not having slots, Maryland has already left hundreds of millions of dollars in potential general fund revenue on the table. "Del. Anthony J. O'Donnell, the minority leader from Southern Maryland who was briefed by O'Malley on the report last night, said there is potentia l for common ground between Republicans and the governor on slots. "I think there is a growing recognition that raising $1.5 billion in new taxes or cutting $1.5 billion of the state budget cannot be the solution by itself," O'Donnell said. "The only other proposal on the table is slots. In very real terms, I think there is growing recognition that it has to happen."

City loan to Baer school raises concern
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.loan15aug15,0,3088533.story
It seemed like a simple, good-news announcement: The city gives a loan so that a public school serving severely disabled children can renovate its kitchen and cafeteria. But the effort by Mayor Sheila Dixon to assist the William S. Baer School - and a similar loan by the city to help with renovations at the Baltimore School for the Arts - is raising questions about whether it's fair for public schools with wealthy or influential backers to jump ahead of others more in need of repairs just because they can raise the money themselves.

O'Malley grants union rights to child care, home aides
Governor's executive orders contradict General Assembly
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.orders15aug15,0,186570.story
Without fanfare, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed executive orders this month giving collective bargaining rights to home health aides and child care workers whose pay is subsidized by the state, despite the General Assembly's rejection of those proposals. "The long and the short of it is, he's do ing something by executive order that the legislature did not agree with, and he's done it at a quiet time when he was on vacation so nobody would even know about it," said Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, the minority whip from Howard County. "Why wouldn't he do a press release? I can only imagine it was because it would be seen as what it was: paying back the unions that supported him at the expense of low-income families," Kittleman said.

Cassilly elected head of national group
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.cassilly12aug12,0,7187433.story
Harford County State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly was elected president of the National District Attorneys Association last month in Portland, Ore. He will be president-elect until July, when he will become president of the 7,00 0-member organization. He also has held several offices with the Maryland State's Attorneys' Association and has served two terms as its president. "He is a true American hero and highly respected by his peers," said Tom Charron, the national group's executive director. Cassilly said that in his new post he will work to educate citizens and government officials on the problems of victims of and witnesses to violent crimes.

Additional facilities at Fort Meade could bring more families and jobs to Carroll County.
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/08/15/news/local_news/newsstory3.txt
The Anne Arundel County military base's growth is likely to have a positive effect on Carroll County, Carroll's economic development chief told the county commissioners in a presentation Tuesday. Fort Meade's gro wth under the military's Base Realignment and Closure program could bring more than 400 new households into Carroll by 2015, Director of Economic Development Larry Twele said.
BRAC is a military program designed to periodically analyze where the military's assets are distributed and see if they can be redistributed more efficiently.

Officials Support 3rd Nuclear Reactor
Agency Describes Process to License Calvert Cliffs Plant
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401671.html
More than 300 people filed into a hotel conference room in southern Calvert County last night for a meeting on the licensing process of a proposed nuclear power reactor in nearby Lusby, a project that could become the first of its kind in the United States in about 30 years. Based on aud ience reaction, which included vigorous applause for statements made by nuclear supporters, Calvert appeared to remain hospitable to nuclear-generated electricity.

King picked for vacant state Senate seat
http://www.gazette.net/stories/081507/montnew83958_32369.shtml
Del. Nancy J. King of Montgomery Village was nominated Tuesday night by the county's Democratic Central Committee to the District 39 Senate seat. King's name will be forwarded to the governor, who has 15 days to appoint her to the seat vacated by Patrick J. Hogan (D) of Montgomery, who resigned Aug. 10 to work as the University System of Maryland's top lobbyist.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Death 178 seems to bring out outrage
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.kane15aug15,0,456734.column
At exactly what point should the number of homicides in a city make your jaw drop?
In Baltimore, we didn't get outraged until the number of homicides hit 178, and only then because we feared that, at 178, we were drifting back toward the dreaded three-oh-oh in the number of killings for one year. No one has demanded that Mayor Sheila Dixon resign because of the soaring number of homicides, although former Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm did get the ax. Here's a more sobering thought, one that many of us may be thinking, but few of us would dare say out loud: Is it who is being killed on Baltimore's streets that makes us so accepting of homicide numbers that people in other cities find appalling? Street justice Baltimore-style is brutal, cold, remorseless, relentless and oh-so-final. Those choosing to engage in the chess match of Baltimore street crime pretty much know how that end game is going to be played.
So our jaws don't drop when the number hits 60. They don't drop when the number reaches 80 or 90. But let the number drift toward the dreaded three-oh-oh too quickly, and we're sure to get concerned.
How many killings would there be in Baltimore if our jaws did drop when the number hit 60?

Taxpayers deserve a break
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/08/15/news/opinion/editorial/editorial924.txt
Students are getting ready to go back to school, but their families are already losing out.
While other places are giving families a break on sales tax for back to school shopping, Maryland again is not.
And there's precedent for such a move in Maryland, too. Legislators have provided for tax-free weeks in the past, the most recent being last August, when clothes and shoes worth less than $100 were tax free for four days. But the legislation wasn't renewed, and this year there's no relief for families.
Perhaps it's because of the looming budget deficit. State officials are already warning of drastic cuts to come next year. But this year's budget was as robust as ever, and lawmakers easily could have found a way to give working families a break. And that would be the right thing to do. But instead, they were more concerned with lining the state coffers. That speaks volumes about who government is really working for in Maryland.

Budget Busters
http://wbal.com/commentary/defilippo/story.asp?articleid=61846
So here's the dilemma: Nobody wants to pay higher taxes. But everyone wants the benefits from the programs tha t taxes provide. It's okay, downright fair game, to cut another group's spending. But keep your grubby little paws off my money. So goes the thinking in the government budget-making roundelay. Thank the gods, and whoever designed the executive budget system (Robert Moses, 1917), that legislators can't shift money within Maryland's budget. So comes now Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), floating all manner of taxes and combinations to pay down the projected $1.5 billion structural deficit, and then some - greater progressivity in the income tax, an increase of a penny (2o percent) and a broadening of the application of the sales tax, an increase in the corporate tax, a limited number of slot machines and an increase (with indexing) in the gasoline tax.
Safe bet when the governor and legislative leaders eventually get their stuff together: A combination of all of the above.
Yet O'Malley, on the matter of taxes, is behaving like a reluctant debutante a t a Junior League tea. He has yet to present a comprehensive tax plan, apparently preferring instead, a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach - first the $300 million in budget cuts, then announcing his support for increasing taxes on corporations and wealthy taxpayers, which may or may not be redundant, and, finally, saving the most punishing burden piecemeal for last.

NATIONAL NEWS

Bartlett to hold open-door meeting in Hagerstown
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=172465&format=html
U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett will hold an open door meeting with constituents Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon at his Hagerstown district office at 11377 Robinwood Drive, according to a press release from Bartlett's office in Washington, D.C.
It is one of a series of meetings that Bartlett, R-Md., will hold with constituents through the 6th District, according to the release.

Duck will try again to challenge Bartlett
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.sbriefs15aug15,0,2971031.story
Democrat Andrew J. Duck filed yesterday as a candidate for the 6th Congressional District seat held by eight-term incumbent Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett. The race will be Duck's second consecutive attempt to unseat Bartlett in the Western Maryland district. He lost a three-way race last November in which Bartlett received 59 percent of the vote, Duck got 38 percent, and Green Party candidate Robert Kozak received 3 percent.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

20070814 TVNewser Daily Feed for Tuesday Aug 14 2007

TVNewser (Daily) Feed - 8/14/2007

mediabistro.com's DAILY TVNEWSER FEED

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ -- Visit TVNewser throughout the day for breaking news and inside info.

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Tuesday, Aug 14

THE TICKER: CNN, CBS, CNBC...

The NABJ presented CNN with its "Best Practices" award during their convention in Las Vegas last weekend. The net was cited for its commitment to diversity both on and off air. >On assignment for 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper, has just returned from Africa. He and his team went to the interior of Niger: an "odyssey through primitive villages where most mothers have lost a child to malnutrition." The story will air this fall. >Want...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/the_ticker/the_ticker_cnn_cbs_cnbc_65056.asp

FOR HEMMER, AROUND THE WORLD TO FNC

When he's not in the studio, or reporting from around the world, you might find Fox News Channel anchor Bill Hemmer in Sag Harbor, where he has a home. A reporter from The Sag Harbor Express sat down with Hemmer recently to chat about how he got his start in the biz. An internship with Cincinnati's WLWT, turned into a sports reporting job. "But by 25 or 26," while working at another Cincy station, WCPO,...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/for_hemmer_around_the_world_to_fnc_65083.asp

FNC, #7 ON CABLE LAST WEEK

The basic cable channel rankings for last week are in. Fox News Channel is the seventh most-watched network. CNN is #25. The rankings are here......

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/fnc_7_on_cable_last_week_65082.asp

EVENING NEWS RATINGS: WEEK OF AUG. 6

World News with Charles Gibson continues as the evening news leader. ABC says for the "15th Time in 16 Weeks ABC is #1 in all categories." Worth noting: the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric gained 300+ thousand viewers week to week, and went back above the 6,000,000 average for the first time in five weeks. Total viewers: ABC: 7,810,000 / NBC: 7,490,000 / CBS: 6,020,00025-54 demo: ABC: 2,390,000 / NBC: 2,260,000 / CBS: 1,790,00025-54...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/evening_news_ratings_week_of_aug_6_65065.asp

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Tuesday, Aug 14

BILL PLANTE ON HIS FAMOUS QUESTION

CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante speaks out today, on CBS's Public Eye, about the much-discussed "If he's so smart, why did you lose Congress?" question he directed at President Bush after Karl Rove's departure announcement yesterday. Plante says, "There was no time to frame that question because the event [that] morning was a statement, not a news conference. So I asked a more direct one. I thought it unlikely that they would answer,...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cbs/bill_plante_on_his_famous_question_65073.asp

WHEN FIRST IS REALLY SECOND

Oh, those games cable networks play. This morning, at 10:42am ET CNN interviewed Matell CEO Bob Eckert about their toy recall. The net branded it a "first on CNN" interview. Only problem: Eckert was a guest on CNBC 18 minutes earlier at 10:24am ET....

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/when_first_is_really_second_65067.asp

TODAY'S FOURTH HOUR: "SPONTANEOUS, INFORMATIVE, DYNAMIC"

With just weeks until its launch, NBC has officially taken the wrapping paper off the plans for the fourth hour of the Today show. As previously reported Ann Curry, Natalie Morales, and Hoda Kotb will host, with a roster including Amy Robach, David Gregory, Giada DeLaurentiis, Jenna Wolfe, Nancy Snyderman and Tiki Barber making "regular appearances as co-anchors." Says Steve Capus, President of NBC News: "We never anticipated when we launched the third hour that...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/todays_fourth_hour_spontaneous_informative_dynamic__65063.asp

"I-CAUGHT": THE NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW

Today's New York Times reviews ABC News' "i-Caught", hosted by Bill Weir. Times writer Mike Hale asks, "Do enough people care about the stories behind viral videos to make this a viable prime-time television concept? Maybe - the premiere drew a tolerable number of viewers for a summer fill-in." "And there are signs," Hale continues, "that ABC News is willing to flex some reportorial muscle on the show's behalf: tonight's episode is scheduled to include...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/abc/icaught_the_new_york_times_review_65060.asp

Tuesday, Aug 14

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN & SPIKE LEE TELL KATRINA STORIES, THROUGH TEENS' EYES

With the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching, CNN has teamed up "with 11 New Orleans-area teenagers for a documentary that captures what their lives have been like since the storm." The special was filmed almost entirely by the teens with handheld digital video cameras. "The teens discuss loss, depression, inspiration and redemption in their own words, diary-style." Children of the Storm premieres Wednesday, August 29, at 8pmET. The full press release is after the...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/soledad_obrien_spike_lee_tell_katrina_stories_through_teens_eyes_65059.asp

IF I DID IT, READY FOR THE PRESS(ES)

The controversial book about the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, will be coming to a book store near you, after all. Last month, Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father won the rights to the controversial O.J. Simpson project. A publisher for the repackaged book will be announced today. TVNewser contributor Diane Clehane, talked with "O.J. aficionado," CNN's Jeffrey Toobin about the project earlier this month. Public outrage led News Corp. to cancel...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/court_cases/if_i_did_it_ready_for_the_presses_65053.asp

DON KING'S THING FOR LIZ CLAMAN

We know Chris Matthews likes his business babes, but who knew Don King has it for former CNBCer Liz Claman. According to the NYDaily News Claman was having lunch with Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia, when "Don King came barreling across the Michelangelo bar shouting how much he loved 'the most beautiful anchorwoman in America,' and offered Claman a job on the spot." The job? "co-hosting a country-music special with him, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw...

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnbc/don_kings_thing_for_liz_claman_65040.asp

OF KOOL-AID & CHOREOGRAPHERS

The NYPost follows up on Friday's story about a thriller of an afternoon at the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric....

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cbs/of_koolaid_choreographers_65039.asp

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20070814 TimesWatch Tracker

TimesWatch Tracker

Documenting and Exposing the Liberal Agenda of the New York Times

TimesWatch Tracker: Our Latest Analysis

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Today in TimesWatch: (Headlines link to online postings with links to cited articles & sources)

Karl Rove, Polarizing, Divisive Right-Winger

The headline to Tuesday's lead story by Jim Rutenberg and Steven Lee Myers on the impending resignation of Karl Rove, Bush's chief political advisor, included the subhead "A Bare-Knuckle Style of Politics."

Rove as ruthless partisan brawler was indeed a theme that permeated both Tuesday's lead story and chief political reporter Adam Nagourney's accompanying analysis.

From Rutenberg and Rove's lead:

"With his voice breaking at times, and with President Bush at his side on the South Lawn of the White House, Karl Rove said Monday that he would resign as a deputy White House chief of staff at the end of the month. The decision ends Mr. Rove's role as the president's longest-serving and closest aide, and the one who most personified the bare-knuckle brand of politics Mr. Bush favors."

Rutenberg and Myers did note Rove drew heat from both right and left, quoting blogger Michelle Malkin criticizing Rove's second-term policy pushes that alienated conservatives, such as what Malkin called the "illegal alien shamnesty" (Bush's amnesty program for illegal immigrants) and the Medicare prescription drug plan.

Adam Naguorney missed this nuance in his accompanying "news analysis," "Legacy Laden With Proteges."

In Nagourney's view, Rove apparently invented negative campaigning.

"Certainly, Mr. Rove has to a considerable extent changed the way presidential politics are played. Modeled on his example, campaigns have become more disciplined in driving simple, often negative messages. They begin in trying to identify the vulnerabilities of potential opponents, and they do extensive negative research as they prepare to exploit those vulnerabilities early and often."

[...]

"If some of Mr. Rove's signature achievements have been eagerly imitated, others -- including an emphasis on turning out Republican base voters by focusing on polarizing issues like same-sex marriage -- have been discredited by polls suggesting that the base is shrinking in Mr. Bush’s second term.

"Not incidentally, Mr. Rove also leaves the White House as an extraordinarily polarizing figure, as was evident on Monday in the way some conservative bloggers joined Democratic ones in expressing delight at his departure."

(Would it have killed Nagourney to say "liberal bloggers" to balance out the reference to "conservative bloggers"?)

Nagourney ended his Monday afternoon web column on Rove's resignation with a scolding.

"Many wonder if a strategy aimed entirely at methodically identifying and stoking the party's conservative base, with issues like gay marriage, abortion and terrorism, was ever a recipe for long-term political dominance, much less for governing a country."

That summary conveniently ignored other issues which angered conservatives and that had Rove's handiwork all over them, such as the failed illegal immigration amnesty program, the failed Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers, and the successful Medicare drug bill. But including those in the Rove legacy would have ruined Nagourney's convenient shorthand of Rove as right-wing divider.

The Times Embraces Religious Activists -- on the Left

A Sunday Magazine story by contributing writer Daskha Slater, "Resolved: Public Corporations Shall Take Us Seriously," profiled Sister Patricia Daly of the order of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell, N.J. The blurb on the cover: "The Nun Who Would Turn ExxonMobil Green." No surprise where this story is going, then.

Slater has written for left-wing magazines Salon and Mother Jones and is clearly comfortable with these left-wing religious activists in a way you can hardly imagine a Times writer being with, say, a vigorously anti-abortion religious group.

"The ring tone on Sister Patricia Daly's cellphone is the 'Hallelujah' chorus from Handel's 'Messiah,' which makes every call sound as if it's coming from God. On the particular May afternoon, however, David Henry, who handles investor relations for the ExxonMobil Corporation, was on the line. Henry wanted to know if Daly planned to attend the annual shareholder meeting later that month -- a rhetorical question, really, since Daly had been at every one of them for the past 10 years. At each she posed roughly the same question: What is ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, planning to do about global warming?"

Slater adopted Daly's moral fervor, casting doubters of global warming as immoral. One can't imagine a Times writer adopting the crusade of a conservative anti-porn crusader so avidly. It's a 5,000-word article, but this excerpt should give sufficient flavor of the complete article:

"For a certain kind of shareholder, particularly a religious shareholder, ExxonMobil poses a quandary. By every conventional measure, it is an exemplary investment. The company made $39.5 billion in profits in 2006, earnings that keep the value of its stock at around $85 per share and make it the most profitable American corporation, with a market value that is larger than the national budget of France. It is also the most technologically advanced of all the world's oil companies, and it has an admirable record of workplace safety and spill reduction.

"But these days, corporations are increasingly judged not only by their quarterly earnings but also by their commitment to social and environmental values, and by governance standards like openness and accountability. By these standards, ExxonMobil is a mess. The company retains a reputation for environmental skullduggery that dates from the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. Its skeptical stance on global warming has earned it the disapprobation of everyone from the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific academy, to Senators Olympia Snowe and Jay Rockefeller. The company is known to be insular and hostile to the press (its representatives declined to be formally interviewed for this article), and its rumored and oft-denied participation in Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force did nothing to increase its popularity….Whether the company's seeming indifference to the impact its emissions have on global climate change will affect its profitability remains to be seen, but a growing number of analysts suggest that it could."

Quotes of Note

Will Affliction Melt Justice Roberts' Cold Conservative Heart?

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Monday, August 13, 2007

20070813 News Clips

News Clips

Aug. 13, 2007

STATE NEWS

O'Malley Encouraging Utilities Commission To Assert Its Powers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/12/AR2007081201065.html
The hearing on the 16th floor of the state government building in Baltimore was as charged as a cross-examination. Two Verizon officials were called to appear before Maryland's utility regulators to explain a 50 percent increase in customer complaints about their phone service. And from the first moment, it was clear a grilling was in order. Officially, the five-member panel that regulates gas, electric, telephone, water and sewage disposal services in Maryland is a lot less prominent than Cabinet agencies with larger staffs, budgets and portfolios. The new commission faces soaring energy costs, increasing demand for electric ity and pressure to increase power from renewable sources such as solar and wind. Although state lawmakers delayed the BGE hike, rates jumped 50 percent July 1 after a 15 percent increase last summer. Many blame deregulation of Maryland's electricity markets, which has failed to create competition. Instead, it brought a backlash from consumers and a potential political problem for O'Malley.The governor has acknowledged that his administration could find no legal basis to roll back the recent rate increase, a political setback the commission has no power to address.

Counties Envision Cutbacks in State Funding
Governments 'Have to Be a Part of the Solution' as Md. Confronts $1.5 Billion Shortfall, Delegate Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/11/AR2007081101027.html
Hu ndreds of county officials from across Maryland are convening this week in Ocean City for an annual conference typically remembered as much for its golf tournament, crab feast and late-night outings to watering holes as for its panel discussions.
But belying this year's merriment is a growing concern that county governments could take it on the chin as state lawmakers confront a $1.5 billion shortfall in the budget they must balance next year. Lawmakers are also mindful that in recent years many county employees have enjoyed raises more generous than their state-level counterparts' and that many jurisdictions are sitting on far healthier reserve funds than the state's. Republican leaders in Annapolis have yet to offer a long-term budget fix but say that in coming weeks they will present options that do not require tax increases on the state level.

Operation Welcome Home draws a crowd
http://www.hometownglenburnie.com/vault/cgi-bin/gazette/view/2007G/08/11-30.HTM
Crowds of local volunteers have been welcoming homeward-bound troops at BWI Thurgood Marshall airport since March, but this week they were joined by a throng of TV news crews and reporters. Though several groups have been organizing the events - flag-waving volunteers greet debarking troops with thunderous cheers, bags of snacks and bottles of water - Wednesday's crowd assembled under the aegis of a newly formed nonprofit, Operation Welcome Home. w"We want, over time, to really grow this group so all our troops can get the welcome they deserve," said John Flynn, who started the group with Navy Capt. Kathy Thorp of Annapolis.He rejected the idea that Operation Welcome Home was an attempt to improve the GOP's image. "This is not something I'm doing in my professiona l capacity," Mr. Flynn said. "I've been involved in volunteer service all my life. This has nothing to do with the Republican Party." Capt. Thorp emphasized the group's grass-roots nature.

State GOP is almost broke
Treasurer's report shows $4,615 in cash and $50,500 in debt
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.gop11aug11,0,3472461.story
The Maryland Republican Party, reeling from the loss of the governor's mansion, is nearly broke, according to a copy of its financial statement obtained by The Sun."It's no secret that the Maryland Republican Party is having financial problems" in the wake of Ehrlich's loss, said state GOP Chairman Jim Pelura. "Why do big donors give a lot of money? It's for access. I'd be the first to admit that access is limited right now, but that will change. With every piece of lousy legislation that comes out of the General Assembly, our position will strengthen."

County Leaders to Meet This Week at Annual Conference
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0807/447031.html
Leaders of Maryland's counties will meet for a conference later this week in Ocean City. The annual summer conference of the Maryland Association of Counties will be held Wednesday through Saturday at convention center. The featured speakers include Governor Martin O'Malley, Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger and Attorney General Doug Gansler.

Baltimore schools touted for BRAC influx
http://www.washingtontimes.com/ apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/METRO/108110039/1004/Metro
City public schools should be an option for families moving to the state as a result of the military's base reorganization plan, schools Chief Executive Officer Andres Alonso said yesterday. "There are existing and unused opportunities in the city schools for families who might want to move into the city," Mr. Alonso said at a meeting of the military Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) subcommittee, led by Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown. "We have some of the best magnet high schools in the state. There is an opportunity to expand on what those high schools already offer."

CSX, city plan to repair 5 bridges
Two sides to decide in a month which will pay for them
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.bridges11aug11,0 ,5211010.story
The Baltimore Department of Transportation and railroad conglomerate CSX agreed yesterday to a one-month deadline to decide which entity will pay for improvements needed on five "structurally deficient" bridges in the city.
"We've essentially agreed to agree," said Jason T. French, a spokesman for CSX Transportation. "We today are committed to working with the city of Baltimore, despite what has happened in the past." The effort toward cooperation between CSX and the city comes shortly after the conclusion of a 4 1/2 -year dispute, in which the two entities argued about which was responsible for a train derailment and fire in the Howard Street tunnel. The dispute ended with CSX paying $2 million of the city's costs resulting from the accident, and neither side admitting responsibility.

Leopold appointee resigns to seek elected office
During 8-month tenure, Taylor oversaw county services for seniors, disabled
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-taylor0810,0,5734082.story
A member of County Executive John R. Leopold's Cabinet abruptly resigned this morning after eight months at his post, saying that he wants to pursue elected office. Wayne M. Taylor who was publicly reprimanded four months ago for announcing a nonexistent policy decision, stepped down as director of the Department of Aging and Disabilities. Leopold said in a prepared statement: "As an elected official for over 30 years, I can fully appreciate Mr. Taylor's desire to resume a career as an elected official."

Manchester: Residents question charter
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/08/07/news/local_news/newsstory3.txt
The recent dismissal of Police Chief Charles Lewis is causing some Manchester residents to question the town's charter.
Town charters include the duties of elected officials, but most don't include what happens when those duties aren't being met or when the town is no longer happy with the decisions of an official.
On July 23, Manchester Mayor Chris D'Amario requested Lewis' resignation for the second time without the consent of the Town Council. According to the Manchester town charter, the police chief works at the pleasure of the mayor, so this is within D'Amario's rights. Though the request for resignation was legal, it is not sitting well with some Manchester residents who want to see the mayor dismissed for his actions.

Dems question suspect's political donations
http://www.examiner.com/a-878248~Dems_question_suspect_s_political_donations.html
Maryland Democrats are questioning tens of thousands of dollars donated to Republican candidates by Maryland businessman Alan Fabian, who was indicted last week in a $32 million fraud case. Fabian, who served as former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's finance director during his 2006 bid for U.S. Senate, has donated more than $44,000 to the state's Republican Central Committee and various GOP candidates since 2001, the year federal prosecutors say he began one of the largest fraud schemes in Maryland history.

Harford water inadequate for BRAC
http://www.examiner.com/a-876106~State__Harford_water_inadequate_for_BRAC.html
Harford and Cecil count ies must expand their water supplies to accommodate growth surrounding Aberdeen Proving Ground, state officials said Friday. Harford has a "limited" supply of drinkable water, while Cecil's supply is "inadequate" for the residential growth projected through 2015 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure, said Stephen Pattison, MDE assistant secretary for the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Lawmaker expenses add to cost of session
Some county legislators rent rooms instead of driving home
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/08_12-115/GOV
Lawmakers representing Anne Arundel County filed for more than $134,000 in expenses during this year's legislative session, according to an examination of state financial records. From meals to mileage, from Maryland flags to nights at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, the expens e reports provide a glimpse into the smaller ticket items that contribute to how much the General Assembly costs taxpayers. Some of the delegation, however, spent far less or didn't even apply for eligible expenses. The bottom five all live close to or in Annapolis: Sen. Janet Greenip, R-Crofton; Del. Ron George, R-Arnold; Sen. John Astle, D-Annapolis; Sen. Ed DeGrange, Sr., D-Glen Burnie, and House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, who only filed for $314.01 worth of expenses. Mr. George spent the least out of the county's eight freshmen, filing for $3,234.70, and said it is result of his fiscally conservative beliefs. "It's just a principle thing," he said. "You have got to live by what you preach."

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Time for a national primary
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/08/13/news/opinion/editorial/editorial926.txt
The oneupsmanship that some states are displaying in order to hold the "first" presidential primary or caucus is getting out of hand, and the time has come to set a national Primary Election day. Many states in recent years have been moving their primaries earlier and earlier. The moves are a direct response to presidential elections in which the party candidates are essentially chosen early on by a few states which may or may not reflect the thinking of the entire party. The political process is out of control, and states jockeying to try and be the first to hold a primary is just one of the problems that needs immediate fixing.

Early primaries lead to fatigue
The first 2008 primaries could happen this December
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070813/OPINION01/708130328
At one time the two major political parties had a cadre of elder statesmen -- wise old veterans removed from the daily battle who could step in when the overly zealous began to run off the rails. Such adult supervision is badly needed at the moment.
In a race for attention and importance, the states have been moving their primaries and caucuses earlier and earlier in the year, and thanks to the latest escalation, there's a possibility the Iowa caucuses could be held before Christmas -- this Christmas. There's the problem of candidate fatigue, but an even greater problem of voter fatigue, people becoming so numb to the nonstop campaign that they tune it out.

NATIONAL NEWS

Cardin puts partisanship aside to back Schrader
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-ho.politics12aug12,0,7809497.story
It seems that the partisan bickering that Washington is infamous for does not apply in every situation, as Howard County Republican Dennis R. Schrader, learned on his way to a new high-ranking federal job. Schrader, a former county councilman and Maryland's homeland security director under Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week to be deputy administrator for national preparedness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - with a big boost from a Maryland Democrat, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin.

Dividends being realized
Solar energy system receives praise from FSU professors
http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_224105426.html
Frostburg State University Professors Oguz and Hilkat Soysal are pleased by the efficiency of the solar array system installed atop the FSU Fuller House on Braddock Road.
"The solar array is producing more than we were expecting - the efficiency of the system is excellent," Hilkat Soysal said of the 2-kilowatt solar panels that began to generate electricity June 8. Community members are invited to attend a renewable energy symposium and expo Sept. 14 and 15 at FSU's Compton Science Center. During the event, renewable energy papers will be discussed and presented, a variety of products and projects will be displayed, and the FSU renewable energy system will be viewed. "The symposium attracted big interest. Keynote and invited speakers include Gibralter, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett and Chancellor of the University System of Maryland William Kirwan - they are activel y working on renewable energy climate and greenhouse mitigation issues," said Hilkat Soysal.

20070813 CCBOC Agenda for the week of August 6th, 2007

Carroll County Board of Commissioners Agenda for the week of August 6th, 2007

Please Note: This weekly agenda is subject to change. Please call 410-386-2043 to confirm a meeting you plan to attend. All meetings will be held at the Carroll County Office Building

Room 311. (Unless otherwise noted)

Indicates Outside Activities

Monday – August 13, 2007

1:00 p.m. Carroll County Farm Museum Board of Governors

Westminster, MD

Commissioner Zimmer

Tuesday – August 14, 2007

10:00 a.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Session

Bid Approval

Upgrade Existing Software for Dispatch Operations

Bureau of Purchasing ~ Mr. Rich Shelton

Office of Public Safety ~ Mr. Scott Campbell

Update on (BRAC) Base Realignment and Closure

Department of Economic Development ~ Mr. Larry Twele

Consideration & Possible Adoption ~ Amendment to Chapter 223

to Allow Business parks in the (IR) Industrial Restricted Zone

Department of the County Attorney ~ Ms. Kimberly Millender

Department of Economic Development ~ Mr. Larry Twele

Tuesday – August 14, 2007 ~ Continued

Request to Consider Exercising the Option to Purchase a

County Held Land Preservation Easement for Doris G. Zimmerman

Department of Planning ~ Mr. Steve Horn

Review of Draft ~ Maryland Department of Transportation Priority Letter

Department of Planning ~ Mr. Steve Horn

Letter for Signature ~ Builders for the Bay Roundtable

Department of Planning ~ Mr. Steve Horn

Report on Recycling & Update on Solid Waste

Department of Public Works ~ Mr. J. Michael Evans

Chief of Staff Time ~ Mr. Steve Powell

Wednesday – August 15, 2007

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference

Ocean City, MD

Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer

Thursday – August 16, 2007

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference

Ocean City, MD

Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer

Friday – August 17, 2007

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference

Ocean City, MD

Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer

Saturday – August 18, 2007

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference

Ocean City, MD

Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer

Sunday – August 19, 2007

8:05 a.m. “The Commissioners’ Report” – WTTR

Commissioner Gouge

2:00 p.m. Eagle Scout Ceremony

Manchester, MD

Commissioners Gouge & Zimmer

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to the Carroll County Government and its programs, services, activities, and facilities. If you have questions, suggestions, or complaints, please contact Ms. Jolene Sullivan, the Carroll County Government Americans With Disabilities Act Coordinator, at 410-386-3600/1-888-302-8978 or TTY No. 410-848-9747. The mailing address is 225 North Center Street, Westminster, Maryland 21157.

Posted: 07/07/06

CARROLL COUNTY

a great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to play

20070812 Burglar steals computer equipment from Westminster business

“Burglar steals $2900 of computer equipment from Westminster business”

Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, August 12, 2007

---- At approximately 7:40 PM, Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a reported burglary at Sel Tec Incorporated located in the 800 BLK of Klees Mill Road. Arriving for work Sunday evening, the owner discovered several doors leading into the business open and notified police.

The Sheriff’s Office’s initial investigation revealed that intruders “kicked-in” a side entry door leading into the office, removing several computers and an assortment of electronic equipment valued in excess of $2900. The Sheriff’s Office investigation continues…

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit at 410-386-2900, or the toll free anonymous TIPS Hotline at 1-888-399-TIPP (8477).

# # #

20070813 Quote of the day - Got Weeds?

Quote of the day - Got Weeds?

Monday, August 13, 2007

“When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun with nettles.”

Horace Walpole (1717-1797) Writer

Thanks TC

20070813 COMMENTARY by Paul Gigot: The Mark of Rove

COMMENTARY by Paul Gigot: The Mark of Rove

'The Mark of Rove'

By PAUL A. GIGOT

Mr. Gigot is editorial page editor of the Journal.

August 13, 2007; Page A15

Washington

These are the days of Republican doubt, with President Bush fighting an unpopular war, Congress in opposition hands, and a 2008 presidential field trailing Democrats in nearly every poll. But don't tell that to Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's political alter ego, who even as he prepares to resign from the White House after six and a half years sees recovery ahead.

Sitting in the book-lined living room of his townhome on Saturday afternoon, a relaxed, cheerful and typically rambunctious Mr. Rove hands over two sheets of paper on which he has tapped out a pair of outlines. One says "Up to Now," and summarizes what he thinks are the achievements to date of the Bush presidency. The second, "Months Ahead," lays out an agenda for the next year and a half.

"He will move back up in the polls," says Mr. Rove, who interrupts my reference to Mr. Bush's 30% approval rating by saying it's heading close to "40%," and "higher than Congress."

Looking ahead, he adds, "Iraq will be in a better place" as the surge continues. Come the autumn, too, "we'll see in the battle over FISA" -- the wiretapping of foreign terrorists -- "a fissure in the Democratic Party." Also in the fall, "the budget fight will have been fought to our advantage," helping the GOP restore, through a series of presidential vetoes, its brand name on spending restraint and taxes.

As for the Democrats, "They are likely to nominate a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate" by the name of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Holding the White House for a third term is always difficult given the pent-up desire for change, he says, but "I think we've got a very good chance to do so."

If that quinella pays off, however, Mr. Rove will have to savor it from somewhere other than his West Wing office. He's resigning effective Aug. 31 -- 14 years after he began working with Mr. Bush on his campaign for Texas governor, 10 years after they began planning a White House run, and after 79 months in the political cockpit of a tumultuous presidency.

Read the rest here: 'The Mark of Rove'

20070813 Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove to Resign at the End of August

Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove to Resign at the End of August

Karl Rove to Resign at the End of August

By a WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter

August 13, 2007 4:00 a.m.

Karl Rove, President Bush's longtime political adviser, is resigning as White House deputy chief of staff effective Aug. 31, and returning to Texas, he said in an interview with Paul Gigot, editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page.

(See related editorial.) 'THE MARK OF ROVE'

Read the editorial by The Wall Street Journal's editorial page editor, Paul Gigot, on his interview with Karl Rove.

Mr. Rove, who has held a senior post in the White House since President Bush took office in January 2001, told Mr. Gigot …

Read the rest of the article here: Karl Rove to Resign at the End of August

The Wall Street Journal published the interview Monday.