20070404 Text of the consent agreement between Westminster Maryland and Maryland Department of the Environment

20070404 Text of the consent agreement between Westminster Maryland and Maryland Department of the Environment

(For other posts on "Soundtrack" - www.kevindayhoff.net about Westminster and Carroll County water and sewer issues click on: "Water and Sewer.")

Text of the consent agreement between he City of Westminster, Carroll County Maryland and the Maryland Department of the Environment

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

STATE OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

1800 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21230

SECRETARY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

WATER MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATION

v.

THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF WESTMINSTER *

PO Box 710 *

Westminster, Maryland 21158 * *

CONSENT ORDER

This Consent Order is entered into between the State of Maryland, Department of the Environment ("MDE" or "Department"), pursuant to the powers, duties, and responsibilities vested in and imposed upon the Secretary of the Environment by Title 1, Title 5, Subtitle 5, and Title 9, Subtitles 2 and 5 of the Environment Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, as delegated to the Director of the Water Management Administration (the "Administration") and The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster, ("City") regarding the provision of a safe and adequate water supply for the City and surrounding areas in Carroll County dependant on the City’s water supply.

WHEREAS, the City owns and operates two Water Supply Systems ("Water Supply Systems") serving the City of Westminster and portions of Carroll County, Maryland. They are known as the Cranberry and Wakefield Valley Water Systems. These water systems, under drought conditions, are not sufficient to serve all existing connections and all properties that have been issued building permits. During the drought of 2002, the City enacted mandatory water restrictions, trucked in water to serve existing users and connections, and violated a condition of one of its water appropriation permits requiring the City to cease withdrawals at certain locations when stream flow is below minimum levels. As a result of this water supply inadequacy, there was a moratorium on the issuance of new building permits and approval of subdivision plats for properties that would be served by the City’s water systems; and

WHEREAS, the City is taking certain measures to bridge the gap between its water supply demand during drought conditions, including utilizing water from Medford Quarry,

employing water restrictions as an interim measure, and developing plans to reduce water losses and increase water conservation. The City is also preparing a plan to appropriately manage and allocate its water resources. To address the City’s long-term water needs to supply water for new growth, the City is investigating the feasibility of alternative sources and preparing a plan to bring one or more of these alternatives to fruition. The purpose of this Consent Order is to allow the City to meet its existing water needs while remedial measures are being developed and put on-line, accommodate a limited amount of interim growth and establish an effective system for managing future capacity in accordance with MDE guidelines.

Regulatory Scheme

WHEREAS, the General Assembly has enacted a comprehensive permitting and regulatory scheme governing the provision of safe and adequate drinking water to the citizens of Maryland; and

WHEREAS, the Secretary of the Department is charged with the responsibility for regulating the operation of Water Supply Systems in a manner that will protect the public health and comfort, and for enforcing State Laws regarding corrections to public Water Supply Systems or the operations of such systems in order to abate risks to the public health or comfort; and

WHEREAS, Title 1, Subtitle 3, of the Environment Article authorizes the Secretary of the Environment to carry out the statutes and regulations promulgated under the Article; and WHEREAS, under Title 9, Subtitle 2, of the Environment Article, MDE is responsible for overseeing and assuring the adequacy of Water Supply Systems; and

WHEREAS, Section 9-252 of the Environment Article provides that the Secretary may require any public water system "to be operated in a manner that will protect public health and comfort" and that the Secretary "has supervision and control over the sanitary and physical condition of the waters of this State to protect public health and comfort"; and

WHEREAS, under Section 9-206 of the Environment Article, land platted for subdivision may not be sold unless a plat has been submitted to the Department or to a delegated local authority, which includes a statement of the methods, consistent with title 9, Subtitle 5, by which the subdivision is to be supplied with water; and

WHEREAS, Section 9-222 of the Environment Article provides that, where the absence or incompleteness of a system operated by a political subdivision is prejudicial to the public health or comfort, the Secretary may order the political subdivision to install, alter, extend, utilize, operate or complete a water supply system; and

WHEREAS, under Section 9-512(b) of the Environment Article, the local authority has the responsibility not to issue building permits unless, taking into consideration all existing and approved development in the service area, the water system is adequate to serve the proposed development; and

WHEREAS, under Section 9-512(d) of the Environment Article, a subdivision plat may not be approved unless the water supply system would be completed in time to serve the proposed development and would be adequate to serve the proposed development once completed; and

WHEREAS, an adequate water supply system is one that is capable of meeting its average demand and its maximum demand under drought conditions. A water system’s capacity is determined by evaluating the ability of the sources and treatment facilities to produce water under drought conditions while taking into account the water sources, water storage, and water appropriation and use permit limits. A water system’s demand is determined from past usage patterns and the characteristics of the user community, including residential, commercial and industrial use. The projection of future growth is used to establish demand for future years. Demands under drought conditions are determined for average daily annual usage, average daily usage during the month of maximum use, and maximum day.

Factual Background

WHEREAS, the City’s Water Supply Systems are public water systems that are supplying water to apartments, businesses, churches, public facilities, residences and schools located within the City and portions of Carroll County, Maryland; and

WHEREAS, the City’s Water Supply Systems serve a population of approximately 33,000 located in Carroll County, Maryland. The City maintains 6.9 million gallons of available storage of treated water and owns and operates a series of eleven (11) wells and stream intake structures (on Cranberry Branch and West Branch (Hull Creek)); conveyance systems; a raw water reservoir; water treatment and pumping facilities; and a distribution system that includes water mains, fire hydrants, and water meters; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to nine separate water appropriation and use permits, the City is authorized to withdraw 1.476 mgd as an annual average from the City’s eleven (11) production wells. Pursuant to Water Appropriation and Use Permit CL1957S002(06), the City is authorized to withdraw 2 mgd as an annual average from Cranberry Branch and West Branch as long as the. stream flow is greater than 0.3 cubic feet per second (cfs) below the intake on Cranberry Branch and greater than 0.55 cfs in the West Branch; and

WHEREAS, as reflected in Table 1 below, an analysis of the safe yield of the Water Supply Systems under drought of record conditions revealed a total capacity of 2.229 mgd as an annual average, with 1.18 mgd from the City’s eleven production wells and 1.05 mgd from the two surface water sources;

WHEREAS, the annual average drought year demand, including the demand from all permitted but not yet connected users as of December 31, 2006 is 2.996 mgd, producing an estimated average annual drought year deficit of 0.767 mgd ("Drought Year Deficit"); and

WHEREAS, the City and MDE evaluated the capacity of the City’s sources to meet the average annual system demand during non-drought conditions. Well 11 was not included in this analysis as it does not have a permanent connection and would not be used during an average hydrologic year.

MDE’s analysis of the City’s production data showed that the average year capacity under non-drought conditions, as shown in Table 1, was 2.992 mgd; and

WHEREAS, the City determined that the average year demand under non-drought conditions (equivalent to a drought year demand with water restrictions in place) including the demand from all building permits issued prior to December 31, 2006, but not yet connected to the water system, is 2.853 mgd (also shown in Table 1), which represents a surplus of 139,000 gpd under average hydrologic conditions; and

WHEREAS, in order to address their drought year water shortages, the City applied for an emergency appropriation of 1.08 mgd on any single day from Medford Quarry during 2002 and again in 2005. MDE authorized temporary emergency withdrawals of 1.08 mgd for any one

day in 2002 and 2005 via Permits CL2002S042(01) and CL2005S028(O1). The annual average reported water uses were 0.15 mgd and 0.267 mgd in 2002 and 2005, respectively. In order to obtain a permanent emergency back up source of supply, the City secured an agreement with the owner of Medford Quarry in June of 2005; and

WHEREAS, after the Department completed its review of all the relevant information available and taking into account the amount of land owned by the Quarry, the Department issued a Water Appropriation and Use Permit (No. CL2002S042(02)) in June of 2006 to the City for up to 0.5 mad from the Quarry as a maximum daily amount. The use was permitted as a back up supply to the City’s other surface water withdrawals from Cranberry Run and West Branch (Hull Creek) to help address the existing deficit and not to support any new development; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with § 9-512(d) and after meeting with the Department and the City in June 2006, the Carroll County Environmental Health Department stopped signing record plats in July 2006 as the City had not demonstrated that its water system would be adequate to serve additional connections; and

WHEREAS, after reviewing the City’s final Capacity Management Plan, MDE directed the Carroll County Environmental Health Department in September 2006 to no longer approve building permits that would result in a net increase in water demand on the City’s water system; d.

WHEREAS, according to the City’s Water Supply Capacity Management Plan, dated August 2006, the City’s unaccounted for water was as high as 24% of the total water delivered from the City’s water sources. Water loss could include authorized unmetered water usage, water leakage, meter errors, unauthorized use or billing errors.

Recent Actions Taken by the City to Improve System Capacity

WHEREAS, the City has taken the following steps to improve the system capacity and cover the Drought Year Deficit:

a. Secured engineering services for the design and permitting of a pipeline from Medford Quarry to Cranberry Reservoir;

Submitted a revised application for funding (low interest loan) to MDE to begin construction of the said pipeline and received an award of $6.5 million;

c. Made an application to withdraw 2.0 mgd as an annual average from Big Pipe Creek in May 2006;

d. Submitted in January 2007 an application to increase its appropriation from Medford Quarry to 1 mgd during the month of maximum use and 250,000 gpd as an annual average;

e. Submitted an application in December 2006 to withdraw water from Hydes Quarry as a back-up source for Little Pipe Creek. The total average annual withdrawal request for these sources is approximately 1 mgd;

f. Submitted an application in December 2006 to withdraw water from Little Pipe Creek initially as a back-up source to increase operational flexibility but then, if and when the Hydes Quarry withdrawal is permitted and connected to the Water Supply Systems, to provide an additional water source;

g. Evaluated the benefit of increasing the size of Cranberry Reservoir on the safe yield of the water system. Other sites for additional storage are also being evaluated to provide raw water storage;

h. Issued a Request for Proposal of Engineering Services to design a water treatment system for the Koontz Creamery Well. Alternatives being evaluated are direct treatment and use and pumping the well to the Cranberry Reservoir via pipeline;

i. Negotiating easements for a permanent connection for Roops Mill Well #11. Design is at 85% completion;

j. Contracted for installation of ion exchange treatment for nitrate removal at Vo¬Tech well with a Spring 2007 completion date;

k. Hired staff to review water billing to determine what portion of the 24% unaccounted for water may be due to accounting and billing errors; and

l. Participated in forming a task force with the County to evaluate and implement joint solutions to the water capacity problem.

m. Drafted amendment to the City’s portion of the Carroll County Water and Sewer Plan which describes the means and methods by which the City is addressing the Drought Year Deficit and what sources of additional water sources the City is considering to meet its future water needs.

NOW, THEREFORE, it is this (blank) day of (blank), 2007, pursuant to Sections 9-252,9-220, 9-221, 9-222, 9-268, and 9-335, AGREED between the Water Management Administration and the City of Westminster and ORDERED by the Director of the Water Management Administration that:

1. The City shall complete its technical study and meet all other regulatory requirements in support of its application to withdraw additional water from Medford Quarry and submit the completed application to MDE by November 1, 2007.

2. Within sixty (60) days of MDE’s decision on the Medford Quarry application, the City shall submit to MDE a final plan and schedule to complete all phases of projects necessary to eliminate the Drought Year Deficit. If the Medford Quarry source, as permitted, does not completely satisfy the Drought Year Deficit, the City shall apply toward the deficit all demonstrated reductions in unaccounted for water due to repairing leaks until the deficit is fully addressed. If, after considering the Medford Quarry permit and reductions in water loss, other projects are needed to fully address the Drought Year Deficit, the City shall complete all water use and appropriation applications for such projects within six months of MDE’s Medford Quarry decision.

3. The City shall complete its evaluation of the sources of unaccounted for water and submit a Water Loss Reduction Plan by June 30, 2007. The evaluation shall be submitted to MDE for review and comment.

a. The evaluation shall identify the average daily quantity and percentage of unaccounted for water believed to be due to:

i. leaks in the water distribution system;

ii. accounting errors;

iii. faulty/under reading customer meters or other meter errors;

iv. unmetered usage;

v. fire fighting;

vi. theft; and

vii. unknown sources;

b. The evaluation shall justify the estimates provided in subparagraph a above. Range of estimates shall be provided as dictated by available data; and

c. The Water Loss Reduction Plan shall identify those actions necessary to achieve a goal often (10) percent (%) or less unaccounted for water loss by 2012. The plan shall include to a description of capital improvement projects needed to correct significant leaks in the water supply system’s infrastructure. The plan shall include methods to comprehensively review the system to identify potential leaks no less than three times per year. The City shall annually submit a water audit following MDE guidelines and report on progress for implementing its plan by February 15 of each year for the preceding year.

4. By June 15, 2007, the City shall develop a Water Conservation Plan to promote the wise use of water to reduce excessive water usage. The Water Conservation Plan shall be submitted to MDE for review and comment. The Water Conservation Plan shall address the following:

a. Recommend changes to City Ordinance to promote establishing conservation measures, such as prohibiting outdoor lawn watering during certain daytime hours, establishing odd/even days for outdoor watering, granting incentives for planting new developments with drought tolerant grasses and using stormwater for outdoor watering;

b. Consider further replacement/rebate programs to promote greater use of low-flow fixtures;

c. Establishing a public education and outreach campaign;

d. Conduct water audits of the largest water users; and

e. By February 15 of each year, the City shall annually report on water conservation activities.

5. MDE agrees to review and make timely comments on all plans and reports submitted by the City.

6. Upon signing this Consent Order, the City shall be granted 60,000 gpd as an annual average to allocate in accordance with an Interim Allocation Plan, which the City will develop within 30 days from the date of this Consent Order. A copy of said interim Allocation Plan will be provided to MDE for its records.

7. MDE shall permit the City to maintain a flow-by of 0.2 cfs for Cranberry Branch and 0.37 cfs for West Branch as long as mandatory water restrictions are in place and until the project constructing the water line from Medford Quarry to the Cranberry Reservoir is complete.

The City shall conduct stream surveys/biological assessments of Cranberry Branch and West Branch in accordance with procedures contained in the 2001 Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) Sampling Manual. The surveys/assessments shall be made upstream and downstream of each intake site, with the locations proposed by the City and approved by MDE. Sampling of water quality and benthic macroinvertebrates shall be completed during the Spring Index Period (March 1 to May l, 2007). Sampling of fish and herptofauna and evaluation of stream physical habitats shall be conducted during the Summer Index Period (June 1 to September 30). The City shall submit a comprehensive plan to conduct such monitoring by April 1, 2007 and a final report by December 31, 2007.

8. By June 30, 2007, the City shall have in place the contract(s) necessary to haul a sufficient quantity of water equal to the difference between a system demand of 2.992 mgd and a drought of record year capacity newly calculated to account for the adjustment of the flow-by for Cranberry Branch and West Branch under paragraph 7 of this Consent Order. The City shall submit the revised mass flow analysis at the lower flow-bys along with copy of contract(s) by June 30, 2007.

9. By July 1, 2007, the City shall complete all permit applications needed to make a permanent connection of Well 11. Within 30 days of receiving all permits and completing easement negotiations, the City shall advertise the project for construction. The City shall provide a -schedule to MDE for the permanent connection of Well 11 and report to MDE when this well is permanently connected to the system.

10. By March 1, 2008 the City shall submit an updated Capacity Management Plan to MDE for review and approval. The Capacity Management Plan shall be consistent with MDE’s Guidance Document (2006). The Capacity Management Plan shall describe in detail how the City will manage its existing and future water commitments, the criteria it will use for distributing future flow allocations, and how it will limit the issuance of building permits and approval of subdivision plats so as not to exceed the capacity of the water supply system. The City shall implement the approved plan.

11. By April 1, 2008 the City shall submit a plan and schedule to ensure that the Water Supply Systems have sufficient capacity to meet all existing demand and demand for future planned growth under drought of record conditions. The plan shall also provide for a water reserve capacity to ensure no water deficit in the future.

12. Upon MDE’s approval of the City’s plan and schedule, the Department will issue notice to the City allowing it to allocate the remaining 79,000 gpd (of the 139,000 gpd surplus under average hydrologic conditions) as an annual average if the following conditions are met:

a. The City has received all approvals needed to construct the emergency pipelines from Medford Quarry and is on schedule with construction of this conveyance system (see paragraph 2 above);

b. The City has entered into all contracts necessary to complete the connection of Well 11 and has begun construction of the connection; and

c. The City is in compliance with all other conditions of this Consent Order.

13. The City shall implement water use restrictions, both voluntary and mandatory, d shall haul water from an approved source in accordance with the City’s Drought Management Plan dated July 24, 2006, until all of the projects needed to eliminate the drought year deficit and supply the 139,000 gpd authorized by this Consent Order are completed.

14. MDE reserves the right to require measures to make habitat improvements, revise flow-by conditions (see paragraph 7) or revise contract hauling requirements (see paragraph 8) based on the stream surveys and biological assessments provided under paragraph 7 of this Consent Order.

15. The City waives any right it may have to request a contested case hearing concerning the terms of this Consent Order.

16. Nothing in this Consent Order shall be construed to limit any authority of the Administration to issue any orders, enforce any applicable permits, or to take any action it deems necessary to protect the public health or comfort, or to limit any authority the Administration has or may hereafter be delegated. Any delays in meeting the requirements of this Consent Order, whether justified or not, may result in termination of this Consent Order at the discretion of the Administration. Subject to the two preceding sentences and any amendment of this Consent Order, this Consent Order shall be in effect until the City’s long-term measures to ensure an adequate water supply come are completed.

17. The provisions of the Consent Order shall apply to and be binding upon the City of Westminster.

18. It is the intent of the parties that the provisions of this Consent Order are severable and that, should any provisions by declared by a court of law to be invalid or unenforceable, the other provisions shall remain in effect to the maximum extent reasonable.

19. This Consent Order shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland.

IT IS SO AGREED AND CONSENTED TO:

Date Virginia Kearney, Acting Director Water Management Administration

Date

The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster by

Thomas K. Ferguson, Mayor

Approved as to form and legal sufficiency This (blank) day of (blank), 2007.

Adam Snyder

Assistant Attorney General

20070404 What is so funny about this picture?

What is so funny about this picture?

Hat Tip: “Land of the lost: Left-wing blogs get punked”

To find out – go here.

Or better yet – go here.

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20070404 Ford for the spring of 1947

Spring 60 years ago - - Ford for the spring of 1947

“Ford’s Finer in ’47. Spring’s smartest styling … inside and out.”

Hat Tip: http://www.jitterbuzz.com/lif0414.html

Car ads were back. Ford announced that "Ford's Finer in '47." ( the advertising agency had opted to ignore the general editorial proscriptions on aliteration (sic)...) Spring was the time to renew all things and, of course to buy a new car. This was the first year that most manufactured goods had become available in quantities sufficient to generate advertising. Hitherto, autos were a scarce commodity because of war production -- anything available was snapped up. Now, gasoline, tires and leisure time were available. This year, Ford cose (sic) to sell the 1947 models on "smart styling." This was very logical, because nothing else had changed from the 1940 models because the industry had been making tanks for six years and had not had the opportunity to change much of anything besides the instrument panel and the grille. The ad even mentioned that the '47 had "new hub caps." Ford's slogan had been altered slightly to say, "There's a finer Ford in your future."

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20060403 The growing imperative of energy independence

The growing imperative of energy independence

PEAK OIL

America 'unnecessarily at risk' by looming fall-off in petroleum

http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1175555418198000.xml&coll=1

Hat tip: Lisa Lyons Wright, Press Secretary for Representative Roscoe Bartlett

Harrisburg - The Patriot-News

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Excerpts:

The nation has been put "unnecessarily at risk," according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office.

The reason: failure of federal agencies to have a "coordinated or well-defined strategy either to reduce uncertainty about the timing of a peak [in oil production] or to mitigate its consequences."

Peak oil is the point at which the production of "conventional" oil reaches the highest level it will ever achieve. After that, it will decline at a fairly rapid rate.

...peak oil poses enormous consequences for our way of life, which is heavily dependent on petroleum to move people and goods.

There is little public awareness of the phenomenon of peak oil and the gravity of its consequences... The endless calls by politicians for "energy independence" are perhaps the most striking example of how little this issue is understood by the people in charge.

...Everyone in the industry knows that the United States cannot drill itself to energy independence. There simply is not enough oil left in the ground.

... For a variety of reasons, alternative fuels may not be sufficiently available to make up for any drop in petroleum.

...That's why the push for conservation and pumped up investment in alternative energy is so urgent.

U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., one of the few individuals in Congress who has been sounding the alarm on peak oil, called the GAO report "a clarion call for leadership at the highest level of our country to avert an energy crisis unlike any the world has ever before experienced and one that we know could happen at any time."

But is anyone listening?

Read the entire editorial here.

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20070403 MDE: Westminster Sign Agreement to Protect the City’s Water Supply and Maryland’s Water Resources

20070403 MDE: Westminster Sign Agreement to Protect the City’s Water Supply and Maryland’s Water Resources

Press Releases

Maryland Department of the Environment

Media Contacts

Julie Oberg (410) 537-3003

Robert Ballenger (410) 537-3012

MDE, Westminster Sign Agreement to Protect the City’s Water Supply and Maryland’s Water Resources

http://www.mde.state.md.us/PressReleases/971.html

Westminster, MD (April 3, 2007) – Maryland Department of the Environment and the City of Westminster today signed a Consent Order that exemplifies a cooperative and comprehensive approach to address the City’s water supply needs at the same time that it ensures the protection of Maryland’s water resources.

“The droughts of 1999 and 2002 highlighted the need to fully evaluate water system capacities, as many sources in Central Maryland, including Westminster’s, were unable to meet public water demand without seriously impacting the natural resources that also depend upon that water,” said MDE Deputy Secretary Robert M. Summers, Ph.D.

“MDE applauds the cooperative approach that Mayor Thomas K. Ferguson and the City Council are taking to address the current situation in a manner that is environmentally protective.

We also appreciate the support provided by Carroll County throughout this process. Continued protection of the environment requires that we are able to support smart growth and meet the needs of our citizens living in areas served by state-of-the-art water and wastewater infrastructure. Our signing of this agreement today is evidence of MDE’s ongoing commitment to work with Westminster, Carroll County and the rest of our local governments to ensure that these goals are accomplished.”

The City followed MDE’s recently issued capacity management guidelines and performed a comprehensive analysis of the water system’s demand and capacity under drought of record conditions, which showed a significant deficit would occur. MDE, with the cooperation of the Carroll County Health Department, delayed approval of any new development that would increase the water system demand until the Consent Order was signed to ensure appropriate protection of public health and the environment when the next drought occurs.

The Consent Order:

provides the necessary framework to resolve the drought year deficit;

requires a schedule for meeting both short and long term water supply needs (e.g, the Medford Quarry pipeline will address the City’s short term needs);

establishes a timeline for completing plans (water loss reduction and conservation plans) to better manage the existing system’s capacity;

ensures that an interim contingency plan is in place to address drought conditions;

modifies operating conditions of the City’s surface water withdrawal permit under drought conditions; and,

grants a limited water quantity for planned development.

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20070402 Every picture tells a story

Every picture tells a story

April 2, 2007

The Rosie O’Donnell Rant Advisory courtesy of Scott Kirwin’s “The Razor.”

It's Rosie's world out there these days. I just live in it...

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20070402 President Bush and Senator Bryd

President Bush and Senator Bryd

April 2^nd, 2007

Hat tip: Don Surber – from last Friday.

Touching photo…

I found this picture on Don Surber’s blog:

“One of the most touching photos in years taken by an AP photographer moved across the wires last night (Thursday) and few newspapers published it. The Daily Mail did. It showed President Bush helping Robert Byrd walk.”

The rest of his comments on the photo can be found here: “1,000 words.”

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20070402 Baltimore Sun parent company sells to Zell

Baltimore Sun parent company sells to Zell

April 2, 2007

The Baltimore Sun is carrying a story:

“The parent of The Sun, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Cubs announced today that it is selling itself to real estate mogul Sam Zell.”

[…]

The sale is the latest transformation for The Sun, which was founded by the Abell family in 1837. And it comes as the media industry is beset by a steady decline in advertising revenue and circulation.

Times Mirror Co. purchased The Sun, the former Evening Sun and WMAR-TV in 1986 from the A.S. Abell Co. for $600 million. In 2000, Tribune acquired Times Mirror, which also owned the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers, in a deal valued at $8 billion in cash, stock and debt.

[…]

Theodore G. Venetoulis, a publisher and former Baltimore County executive who has been leading a local group interested in buying The Sun, said last week he is still hopeful that Tribune's new owner would have to shed some properties to pay down debt.

Venetoulis, Abell Foundation President Robert C. Embry Jr. and other unnamed civil leaders emerged as potential buyers for The Sun as Tribune put itself up for sale in September under pressure from its largest shareholder, the Chandler family. Venetoulis said the group has approached all potential buyers of Tribune to express its interest in purchasing The Sun from them should a deal go through.

Editor and Publisher has more details here: “It's Official: Tribune to Zell -- But Cubbies Not Sam's Club,” by Mark Fitzgerald.

“CHICAGO Tribune Co. is going private in a deal engineered by Chicago real estate tycoon Sam Zell that will give shareholders $34 a share in a two-stage transaction, the media giant announced Monday.”

The Tribune web site is carrying this story: “Tribune to Go Private for $34 Per Share.”

CHICAGO, April 2, 2007 -- With the completion of its strategic review process, Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB) today announced a transaction which will result in the company going private and Tribune shareholders receiving $34 per share. Sam Zell is supporting the transaction with a $315 million investment. Shareholders will receive their consideration in a two-stage transaction.

The Los Angeles Times is carrying its own unique take on the matter: “Real estate magnate wins bidding for Tribune.”

The deal represents the second potential sale in a little more than a year of one of the nation's top newspaper operators. McClatchy Co. of Sacramento bought Knight Ridder Inc., previously the second-largest chain by circulation, in March 2006. But McClatchy's subsequent swoon on the stock market – and Tribune's trouble finding a buyer, despite its roster of marquee assets – became emblematic of the decline plaguing old media companies trying to compete with the Internet.

The transaction would … would turn the 160-year-old Tribune and its flagship Chicago Tribune … over to a quirky businessman whose previous investments have not had nearly such a high public profile.

And the deal would effectively liberate the Chandler family of California – owners of the Los Angeles Times for more than a century – from a newspaper business with which they have become disillusioned. For the second time in seven years, the Chandlers helped push The Times into the hands of new, Chicago-based owners.

In 2000, the pioneering Los Angeles family sold its control of Times Mirror Co. to Tribune…

[…]

Zell, a maverick who fancies Ducati motorcyles, leather jackets and rousing games of paintball, had himself not entered the bidding until early February, after Tribune's deadline for offers.

Reading the rest of the Los Angeles Times piece is worth your time. Click here: “Real estate magnate wins bidding for Tribune.”

(Note: I have a free-lance contract with Patuxent newspapers: “The Baltimore Sun Co., which has 1,550 employees, owns The Sun and several weekly community newspapers in the region through its Patuxent Publishing Co. and Homestead Publishing Co. divisions….”

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20070330 News Clips

News Clips

Posted April 1^st, 2007

State News

2009 is coming fast for governor

With no progress on next years $1.5 billion budget deficit and a variety of unappealing possibilities on the table, the state has a lot of work to do

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211003_32322.shtml

If Gov. Martin OMalley has enjoyed a honeymoon since taking office in January, the months until the next General Assembly should show just how much work a marriage takes.

Before lawmakers return to Annapolis in 2009, the governor faces the difficult task of convincing Marylanders that the budget surplus which played a prominent role in political advertising last fall no longer exists and the state capital needs more money from taxpayers.

I can tell you unequivocally we will not participate in any discussion of tax increases, said House Minority Leader Anthony J. ODonnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.

Senate considering granting tuition for illegal immigrants

http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6873&Itemid=35

The Maryland senate is considering granting the privilege of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The bill has already passed the House of Delegates and Governor Martin OMalley says he would sign the bill into law. Senate president Mike Miller told WBAL Radio that the bill has merit.

How tobacco bill flamed out at end

Millers block ends plan to expand Medicaid for 200,000 uninsured residents

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211013_32325.shtml

Lawmakers began the 2007 General Assembly certain that the session would be marked by a significant expansion of health coverage for Marylands 800,000 uninsured residents.

With 11 days to go until the legislature adjourns, it seems all but certain that the House of Delegates effort to provide health care to 200,000 through a cigarette tax increase will die in the Senate. Observers say only timid steps at best will reach Gov. Martin OMalleys desk.

Miller pressed to back health bill

Advocates bombard his offices with calls

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.health30mar30,0,6810316.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

The phones have started ringing in the stately offices of Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, and the deluge of calls is not expected to let up until the General Assembly session ends in less than two weeks.

The retiree organization AARP has set up a phone bank and plans to call 10,000 members who can then be patched directly to Miller's office to demand action on legislation that would extend medical coverage to uninsured residents.

State's attorneys push to amend anti-gang bill

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.gangs30mar30,0,3073263.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Maryland state's attorneys said yesterday that they would no longer support legislation to strengthen gang prosecution approved by the House of Delegates unless the Senate reinstates key provisions of the bill.

"With the current language, to say that the bang isn't worth the buck, is putting it mildly," said Frank M. Kratovil Jr., the state's attorney for Queen Anne's County and president of the Maryland State's Attorneys' Association. "Without the amendments we are proposing, it's not a reasonable compromise. It's simply not sufficient."

Blair Lee: Miller is right

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polilee204132_32326.shtml

Maryland has a money problem. It spends more than it makes. Specifically, the states budget is growing at a 10 percent clip while its revenues are only increasing 4 percent. And thats during a good economy.

Barry Rascovar: Marylands perfect storm

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/poliras204131_32325.shtml

Marylands transportation secretary calls it our own little version of a perfect storm expenditures rising faster than inflation, revenues failing to keep up with inflation and a backlog of projects worth a whopping $40 billion.

Legislature wont take up planned rate hikes in 07

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211044_32334.shtml

Note to Baltimore Gas & Electric ratepayers: Dont expect a reprieve from the General Assembly this year.

A year ago, the State House was in a frenzy over how to cushion giant electricity rate hikes for more than 1 million Marylanders. Lawmakers had no appetite for returning home with ratepayers seething and an election looming.

Passage of any bill that could increase electricity bills is like pouring gasoline on a fire, said Sen. Janet Greenip (R-Dist. 33) of Crofton. And that is evidence that last years mitigation plan was just grandstanding for the election, she said.

I think the General Assembly wants to move forward with changes, but I think we want to make sure it benefits the consumers in the short term and the long term, said Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) of Stevensville. Energy policy is front and center. ... We need to put the tools in the toolbox, and thats what this year is all about.

Child-witness crime bill may stumble in Senate

Key committee leaders question the proposal and may not bring it to a vote

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211040_32330.shtml

A measure that would increase punishment for violent crimes committed in front of children has gained ground in the House, but may fail because it lacks key support in the Senate.

Senate Judicial Proceedings Vice Chairwoman Lisa A. Gladden said the bill could get enough votes in that committee to reach the Senate floor.

However, it might not come up for a committee vote, although it passed the House on a 135-0 vote.

Minorities hit hard by subprimes

Foreclosure rates prove higher for Hispanics, African Americans

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211022_32327.shtml

State officials plan to aggressively enforce existing anti-predatory and anti-discrimination laws to prevent the widespread mortgage defaults that have struck homeowners nationally.

While foreclosures rose 42 percent nationally last year, they fell 12 percent in Maryland, according to RealtyTrac, a real estate information company. They rose 13 percent in January, then dipped 12 percent in February.

Officials defend ground rent bill

Real estate lawyer says 'big loophole' allows new leases

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.groundrent30mar30,0,5282384.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Legislators are confident that a new law meant to ban the creation of new ground rents accomplishes that goal, despite a Baltimore real estate lawyer's contention that the language contains "a loophole big enough to drive an ocean liner through."

The lawyer, Gregory Reed, says that the emergency bill enacted into law last week permits the creation of new ground leases as long as they aren't "renewable forever."

Miller, Senate put wind at donors back

Powerful advocates push for a looser approval process in bid to develop renewable energy sources

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211005_32323.shtml

Long-stalled efforts to develop wind-powered turbine fields in Western Maryland have shifted this year to the state capital, where the firepower behind the proposed legislation is potent.

The Senate earlier this week passed a bill that would streamline the public approval process for wind-generating stations, which proponents argue will put Maryland on par with other states that have already invested millions of dollars in renewable energy.

We should not take away the ability of constituents to state their voice on this issue, said Del. Wendell R. Beitzel (R-Dist. 1A) of Accident.

Across the hall, Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Dist. 1) of Grantsville said it isnt proper for the legislature to tinker with the utility review process when it has a direct impact on only one area of the state.

Rookies get an education and an earful

Montgomerys freshman class hits the ground running, learns hard lessons in first term

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211006_32324.shtml

Last years election has brought a lot of new faces to town.

The Montgomery delegation alone includes 11 new members and one delegate-turned-senator.

It is a group that colleagues and outsiders say is enthusiastic, hardworking, ambitious and incredibly intelligent. And one that some say is breaking all the rules.

Former senator takes Health Department job

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211042_32332.shtml

Former state senator Paula C. Hollinger has been appointed associate director of health occupations boards and commissions of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, she said Thursday.

After a year off, Follies spare no one

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew210931_32321.shtml

The 2007 edition of the Legislative Follies Annapolis self-ridiculing variety show spared few from mockery and left all good taste at the door on Wednesday night.

Reporters Notebook:

After just nine weeks, pollsters setting OMalleys baseline

Longtime public servants Schaefer and Curran received the Senates First Citizen

Gimme more!

Early targets?

Rarely does a lawmaker get a standing O for offending others on the House floor.

Cha-, cha-, cha-, changes!

Hold that accolade!

Not just for VIPs

Paying respect

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211014_32326.shtml

Political Notes Talent to bemuse

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/reporters_notebooks_display.htm?StoryID=58433

Senators and delegates, including some of Frederick's finest, took to the stage at St. John's College in Annapolis for this year's Legislative Follies.

Campaign-finance reform bid faces uphill battle in Senate

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070329-114709-5273r.htm

The Maryland Senate plans to begin work today on a bill to provide public funding for some political candidates who agree to limit private fundraising.

Coastal bays bill pits senator vs. delegate

Stoltzfus, Mathias disagree on dredging ban around OC

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/NEWS01/703300301

Two Worcester County legislators entered a legislative boxing match this week on a bill that would ban hydraulic clam and oyster dredging in the coastal bays around Ocean City, and a vote to determine the victor could come today.

Maryland Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus, R-38-Worcester, and Delegate Jim Mathias, D-38B-Worcester, are in a rare Eastern Shore battle that has pit a senator and a delegate from the same district against each other in an environmental issue that has inconclusive scientific evidence.

Challenge of Gansler was 'too disruptive'

Late lawsuits harm the ballot process, court says

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.liddy30mar30,0,4962607.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

An 11th-hour challenge to the eligibility of Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to run for that office was dismissed because last-minute lawsuits are "too disruptive" to elections, the state's highest court said yesterday.

The unanimous Court of Appeals opinion says the judges are not considering whether Gansler met the requirements -- a lower court ruled that he did -- because the matter should not have been heard. The opinion elaborates on the court's Nov. 2 order that threw out the case for being filed too late for the Nov. 7 election.

Kweisi Mfume: Power to voters, not special interests

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/policol204129_32323.shtml

Having run last year for the U.S. Senate from Maryland, I know from firsthand experience that raising money lots of it is crucial for any campaign. In fact money has increasingly become the main factor frequently in deciding who wins and who loses.

Kristen A. Sheeran: Global warming solutions a must for Maryland

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/policol204130_32324.shtml

Climate change is more than an environmental problem. It is a civilization challenge with the lives of millions of people worldwide at stake.

Senate To Give Final Passage To Intersection Bill

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=55760

The State Senate today is expected to give final approval to legislation requiring motorists to stop at intersections where an exit ramp of an interstate crosses with another highway, even if the traffic light at the intersection is malfunctioning.

Local casino night bill declared dead

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_29-09/TOP

A bill to allow local organizations to hold "casino night" fundraisers will be left for another year.

As the General Assembly heads into its final week, some local legislation such as drug-free zones in Annapolis and compensation for the seizure of property under eminent domain is still alive.

Balto. County to lease new alternative school

District's fifth such facility is to open in the fall

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-md.co.alternative30mar30,0,540693.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Feeling pressed for time to open a school to help Educate hundreds of chronically disruptive students who are struggling to pass state standardized tests, Baltimore County school officials have approved a $43 million, 30-year lease with a Baltimore real estate firm.

The Secondary Academic Intervention Model School is scheduled to open in the fall at a large business park under construction along the White Marsh Boulevard extension in eastern Baltimore County. A developer began building the 50,000- square-foot school about a month ago.

Homeowners sue to stop the ICC

State awards $479 million contract to build the controversial highways first seven miles

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211041_32331.shtml

Now that the state has taken some concrete steps toward building the much-maligned Intercounty Connector, yet another lawsuit threatens the construction of the 18-mile highway between Laurel and Gaithersburg.

On Wednesday, the Shady Grove Woods Homeowners Association in Derwood, along with residents Max Sadtler and Connie McKenna, filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court to protect land they say would be used for elevated ramps at the ICCs western entrance in Derwood. Eight residents would lose portions of their back yards to the construction.

National News

Md. House Dems Crow About 2008 Federal Budget

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/5665.shtml

Maryland Democratic delegates proudly "pulled back the curtain" on the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget in a news conference Thursday afternoon, showcasing how it will improve the lives of working families in the state.

Both the Maryland delegation's Republicans, Reps. Roscoe Bartlett of Frederick and Wayne Gilchrest of Kennedyville, voted against the budget bill.

"The Democrats presented a budget with too much spending, no reform, and the largest tax increases in American history," Bartlett said.

Gilchrest said in a statement that "the bill would raise taxes by reversing the lower tax rates implemented in 2001 on investment income, restoring the tax penalty on married couples, and increases the estate tax, known as the 'death tax,' in the next five years."

House approves budget plan

Spending would rise; surplus seen in 2012 if Bush tax cuts expire

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.budget30mar30,0,6160641.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines

House Democrats pushed their budget blueprint to passage yesterday, promising a big surplus in five years by allowing tax cuts passed in President Bush's first term to expire.

The plan would increase spending next year for the Pentagon and domestic programs, but defers decisions about growth in federal benefit programs such as Medicare. It would give domestic agencies, on average, budget increases of 6 percent over current levels.

The Maryland delegation voted along party lines, with Democratic Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Chris Van Hollen and Albert R. Wynn supporting the spending plan and Republican Reps. Roscoe G. Bartlett and Wayne T. Gilchrest voting against it.

Congressman Bartlett Warns Of A Energy Crisis

http://wjz.com/local/local_story_089074239.html

Western Maryland Congressman Roscoe Bartlett is warning America of a looming energy crisis.

A new report by the Government Accountability Office says it could happen without warning anytime between now and 2040. At some point, scientists say the world will quietly reach the point of maximum oil production, followed by irreversible declines.

Senator asks for report on Md. military medical facilities

http://www.examiner.com/a-646537~Senator_asks_for_report_on_Md__military_medical_facilities.html

Sen. Benjamin Cardin has asked the Pentagon for a "full and thorough" report on Maryland's military medical facilities after a recent tour at Fort Meade left him concerned about their ability to care for wounded soldiers.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Cardin, D-Md., asked for a report on the "capacity to accommodate the needs of wounded and ailing soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan" at Maryland military facilities.

Senate votes for reports on Walter Reed closing

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070329-111345-9327r.htm

The Senate yesterday voted to require the Defense Department to report to Congress on how it plans to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center and move most of its operations to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda by 2011.

Cardin revives his push to close Oak Hill

Senator says Laurel youth facility is 'disgrace;' suggests relocating center to Washington

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.ar.oakhill30mar30,0,3517355.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

With a higher-ranking post in Congress and the support of Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin reintroduced legislation yesterday to close the Oak Hill Youth Center in Laurel.

Under the legislation, Anne Arundel County and the National Security Agency would split the 900-acre parcel adjacent to Fort Meade and controlled by the District of Columbia. Land on the northern side of the Little Patuxent River would be used as a security buffer abutting the Army post, and the southern side would be designated mostly for parkland.

MD Senators Want DC Kid Jail Out Of Laurel

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=55761

Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin have introduced a bill that would move the District's troubled Oak Hill juvenile detention center to the city from its location in Laurel.

Challenger drafts plan for possible run next year

Activist, lawyers weekly meetings signal likely campaign to oust incumbent

http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211024_32328.shtml

Donna F. Edwards may not be a registered candidate for Congress yet, but she is certainly talking like one.

The Fort Washington activist and lawyer who gave U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Dist. 4) of Mitchellville a run for his money in last years Democratic primary is already discussing what shell do differently this time, as she prepares for a likely rematch.

President Bush Calls On Congress To Pass An Emergency War Spending Supplemental That Funds The Troops Without "Strings On Our Commanders." "'We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got a troop in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded,' [the President] said. 'And we've got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders. And that we expect the Congress to be wise about how they spend the people's money.' ... The administration has said the military needs the money by April 15, and the White House said Thursday that the Pentagon was already having to juggle accounts, shifting money from one program to another to buy more vehicles better able to withstand mines. Dana Perino, the deputy White House spokeswoman, said, 'This, again, underscores the need to get the show on the road, get the bill to the president, he will veto it, and then, we'll take it from there.'" (Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny, "Defying Bush, Senate Passes Iraq Spending Measure," The New York Times, 3/30/07)

Citizens Against Government Waste President Thomas Schatz Says Democrats "Shamelessly Used Pork" To Pass Iraq War Emergency Supplemental. "Behind all their lofty rhetoric about the Iraq war and bringing home the troops, members of the House and Senate were busy tacking on $20 billion and $18.5 billion respectively in unrelated spending to President Bush's $103 billion request. (He intends to veto the bill.) Despite their campaign talk about earmark reform last fall, the new Democratic leadership shamelessly used pork to buy votes before the vote, Representatives Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Peter DeFazio of Oregon acknowledged that add-ons for their districts would influence their decisions. The heavyweights also led by example: the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, added $20 million to eradicate Mormon crickets, and David Obey of Wisconsin, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, came away with $283 million for the Milk Income Loss Contract Program." (Thomas Schatz, Op-Ed, "Pork Goes To War," The New York Times, 3/30/07)

The Wall Street Journal Says Congressional Handling Of Iraq Funding Shows Why "Congress Can't Be Trusted To Micromanage, Much Less Lead, A War." "Mr. Bush has been warning about his veto for weeks, but Democrats have moved ahead anyway because the vote is really about political theater. Democrats need to appease their antiwar base, and the 'benchmarks' and 'deadline' lingo is the minimum that MoveOn.org and friends would accept. ... Meanwhile, the troops on the line are wait ing for their money, and they'll have to wait a while longer. When they return from their holiday, House and Senate leaders will have to 'reconcile' their bills, which could take more weeks. Because the bills are packed with some $21 billion in pork, as well as differing versions of a minimum wage increase, the Members will be fiddling over their domestic priorities rather than financing the war. ... The spectacle qualifies as a textbook example of why Congress can't be trusted to micromanage, much less lead, a war." (Editorial, "Accountability Act," The Wall Street Journal, 3/30/07)

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Says The "Democrats' Budget Could Bring Economic Growth To An Abrupt End." "The same folks who larded up the emergency war appropriations bill with billions of dollars in pork-barrel projects are at it again. Yesterday House Democrats voted to impose the largest tax hike in American history. ... The president's tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are a principal reason the economy has enjoyed an uninterrupted string of monthly employment gains. Tax relief under the Republicans has fueled five straight years of overall growt h and led to enormous capital investment. By coupling tax hikes with their insatiable appetite for political pork, the Democrats' budget could bring economic growth to an abrupt end." (Rep. John Boehner, Op-Ed, "Back To The Future," The Wall Street Journal, 3/30/07)

20070401 Townhall Top Ten

Townhall Top Ten - March 25-31, 2007

By Jonathan Garthwaite

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Global Warming was hot again last week with Walter Williams and Michael Barone commenting. Radical Islam and national Security too. The winning trifecta this past week was Coulter, D'Souza, and Mike Adams.

See what else Townhall.com readers were talking about during the week that was -- March 25 - March 31.

#10. The John Doe Manifesto
by Michelle Malkin
Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten reported last week that the imams, advised by the grievance-mongers at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also plan to sue "John Does" -- innocent bystanders who alerted the authorities about their security concerns.

#9. The Politics of Anger
by George Will
The politics of disdain -- e.g., Howard Dean's judgment that Republicans are "brain dead" and "a lot of them never made an honest living in their lives" -- derails politics by defining opponents as beyond the reach of reason. The anger directed at Bush today, like that directed at Clinton during his presidency, luxuriates in its own vehemence.

#8. Global Warming Heresy
by Walter Williams
Most climatologists agree that the earth's temperature has increased about a degree over the last century. The debate is how much of it is due to mankind's activity. Britain's Channel 4 television has just produced "The Great Global Warming Swindle," a documentary that devastates most of the claims made by the environmentalist movement. The scientists interviewed include top climatologists from MIT and other prestigious universities around the world. The documentary hasn't aired in the U.S., but it's available on the Internet.

#7. Gore's Faith Is Bad Science
by Michael Barone
Al Gore likes to present himself as a tribune of science, warning the world of imminent danger. But he is more like an Old Testament prophet, calling on us to bewail our wrongful conduct and to go and sin no more.

#6. Dangerous Demagoguery
by Thomas Sowell
One of the dangers in being a demagogue is that some of your own supporters -- those who take you literally -- can turn against you when you start letting your actions be influenced by realities, instead of following the logic of your ringing rhetoric.

#5. Rosie O' Donnell is Bad News
by Lorie Byrd
It would be bad enough if all Americans had to worry about was bad reporting on their television newscasts. In addition to the many recent cases of not only bias, but outright false reporting on the newscasts, there is a lot of "news reporting" working its way into entertainment media and the result is a misinformed public.

#4. New Form of Evil Is Why America Has Not Won Iraq War
by Dennis Prager
I never thought we could see a new form of evil. After the gas chambers of the Holocaust, the tens of millions murdered in the Gulag, the forced starvation in the Ukraine, the hideous medical experiments on people by the Germans and the Japanese in World War II, the torture chambers in all police states, I had actually believed that no new forms of evil existed. I was wrong.

#3. 'Sorry' doesn't seem to be the hardest word
by Ann Coulter
When will Republicans learn to stop apologizing? The Bush administration is embroiled in the most ridiculous non-scandal scandal in human history -- set off when the administration stupidly apologized for firing its own employees.

#2. Liberal Myths about Radical Islam
by Dinesh D'Souza
As the Pelosi Democrats attempt to steer the debate on Iraq and the war on terror away from President Bush's approach, it is useful to examine the premises behind the liberal Democratic understanding of the war on terror.

#1. University Officials Buggered by Gay Unicorn
by Mike Adams
I don't have any patience, tolerance, or open-mindedness when it comes to certain things. And one of those things is a damned liar. That's why I could never work as a UNCW student newspaper editor or as an assistant to my boss, Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo.

Jonathan Garthwaite is the editor-in-chief of Townhall.com.

20070401 3002 Dead In Iraq YouTube Women in Black Westminster

3002 Dead In Iraq

The death toll in the war in Iraq hit 3000 on December 28^th, 2006 – see: “20061231 BBC News: US Iraq death toll 'hits 3,000' on December 28, 2006.”

I’m not sure when “Women in Black Westminster” held the vigil depicted in this YouTube video – but it was added to YouTube on March 26, 2007

Women In Black Westminster stand for peace every second and last Saturday of the month at the Library on Main Street in Westminster, Maryland

Sadly, we reached the 3000 Dead in Iraq. what is not known, is how many are injured, maimed and not getting treatment.

####

20070331 President Bush’s Weekly Radio Address

President Bush’s Weekly Radio Address

Transcript: President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Good morning. In recent days, the House and Senate each passed emergency war spending bills that undercut our troops in the field. Each of the Democrats' bills would substitute the judgment of politicians in Washington for that of our generals on the ground. Each bill would impose restrictive conditions on our military commanders. Each bill would also set an arbitrary deadline for surrender and withdrawal in Iraq, and I believe that would have disastrous consequences for our safety here at home.

The Democrats loaded up their bills with billions of dollars in domestic spending completely unrelated to the war, including $3.5 million for visitors to tour the Capitol, $6.4 million for the House of Representatives' Salaries and Expenses Account, and $74 million for secure peanut storage. I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but I believe the security of our troops should come before the security of our peanut crop. For all these reasons, that is why I made it clear to the Democrats in Congress, I will veto the bill.

Democrats in the House and the Senate also recently passed their annual budget resolutions. Their budgets would raise your taxes and raise government spending in Washington. And their budgets fail to address the most serious challenge to our Nation's fiscal health: the unsustainable growth in entitlement programs, like Social Security and Medicare.

Overall, the Democrats would raise taxes by a total of nearly $400 billion over the next five years. To put this in perspective, this would be the largest tax increase in our Nation's history, even larger than the tax increase the Democrats passed the last time they controlled Congress.

Let me explain what it will mean for your annual tax bill if the Democrats get their way. If you have children, the Democrats would raise your taxes by $500 for each child. If you're a family of four making $60,000 a year, the Democrats would raise your taxes by more than $1,800. If you're a single mother with two children working to make ends meet, the Democrats would raise your taxes by more than $1,000. If you are a small business owner working to meet a payroll, the Democrats would raise your taxes by almost $4,000. And more than five million low-income Americans who currently pay no income taxes because of our tax relief would once again have to pay. Whether you have a family, work for a living, own a business, or are simply struggling to get by on a low income, the Democrats want to raise your taxes.

The Democrats plan to spend all those extra tax dollars. In the Senate, Democrats have passed a budget that would spend $145 billion more than I have requested over the next five years. In the House, Democrats have passed a budget that would spend even more — $213 billion above my request.

With their budgets, the Democrats have revealed their true intentions. During the last campaign, Democrats said that under their "pay as you go" approach, they would pay for their new spending. Now we see what they meant by that. The Democrats have chosen a "tax as you go" approach that requires you to cut your spending to pay higher taxes. And Democrats will use these higher taxes to spend more of your money on their special interest projects.

Our Nation cannot afford such reckless taxing and spending. Under my Administration, we have kept your taxes low and restrained government spending in Washington. Now, America's economy is leading the world, with an economic expansion that has produced 42 months of uninterrupted job growth and created more than 7.5 million new jobs. The fastest way to stop this growth in its tracks would be to allow the Democrats in Congress to impose higher taxes on you so they can spend more of your money.

I believe there's a better way to balance our Federal budget. Last month, I sent Congress a plan that would eliminate the Federal deficit in five years, without raising your taxes. In the months ahead, I will work with Republicans and responsible Democrats in Congress to pass a disciplined budget and to stop the Democratic leadership from taking our Nation back to tax-and-spend policies of the past. By setting clear spending priorities and keeping taxes low, we can keep our economy growing, support our troops in the war on terror, and ensure our children and grandchildren inherit a more prosperous and hopeful America.

Thank you for listening.