Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Pension issues and local funding to drive spending over next four years.
While Montgomery County spends approximately half of its annual $4 billion budget on K-12 education, that figure is expected to grow by more than $100 million over the next four years, according to a recent Washington Post article. Two state mandates uncovered by Montgomery County Council staff will drive the increased spending—the shift of teacher pension costs from the state to the counties and the “maintenance of effort” rules which require schools to maintain a level of per-pupil funding at least equal to the previous year, The Post reported. Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin (D-Dist 5) described the increases in education funding as “a runway train.” Montgomery County Council staff director Stephen Farber described the …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes met with Everett Davis, Assistant Principal at Montgomery Village Middle School, who was named the 2013 Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year.
Everett Davis, the Montgomery Village Middle School assistant principal named 2013 Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year, met Thursday with U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.). Davis is participating in the National Association of Secondary School’s Assistant Principals Week, along with other winners from around the country. “We count on principals to create the best environment for learning in our schools – not only as administrators, but also as instructional leaders,” Congressman Sarbanes said in a statement. “Mr. Davis is a stellar example of a public servant who has dedicated his life to helping Maryland students learn the skills they need to succeed in their education.” Davis, who had worked at Gaithersburg Middle School, was …
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Maryland House of delegates voted on March 15th to abolish the death penalty in Maryland.
The Maryland House of Delegates recently voted to abolish the death penalty. If Gov. Martin O'Malley signs the bill, Maryland would become the 18th state in the country to do so. According to a a poll released by Goucher College, 51 percent of respondents were in favor of capital punishment, versus 43 percent who were in favor of abolishing it. In Gaithersburg, similar mixed emotions were evident among people at a coffee shop in Quince Orchard. Mary Anderson, a 43-year-old writer, felt that more should be done to rehabilitate people convicted of murder. "I don't know how we are ever going to evolve as a society if we keep doing the 'eye for an eye' thing," she said. "Obviously, the death penalty doesn't scare people enough, it just doesn…
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Here are some of Patch's top Local Voices posts across Maryland this week.
Bevins Critical of Proposal to Tighten County Car Rules: Baltimore County Councilwoman Cathy Bevins said a colleague is only calling for the changes because he was questioned by a reporter for breaking a campaign promise not to take a county vehicle if elected. Sequestration to Have Serious Local Impact: Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young talks about what the impact of the sequestration's mandated federal budget cuts would be on city services. State of the River Address: The South River Report Card is discussed in this blog that details the health of one of the local waterways in Anne Arundel County. Anne Arundel 'School Hours Study' - Answers to the Questions: Blog reacts to a recent study as part of the ongoing …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
A letter to the editor about raising the speed limit on the Intercounty Connector and other state highways.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Greg Cohen
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Tuesday, February 26
The following is a letter from Fred Flaharty, a Montgomery County school bus driver, in regards to a late January story about the Intercounty Connector potentially having a 70 mph speed limit: The bill that would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 miles per hour is an incredibly BAD IDEA!....no...INSANE idea. As a regular daily driver of the ICC both in my personal car (twice per day) and as the driver of a Montgomery County school bus (4 trips per day) I protest in the strongest possible terms this proposed raising of the speed limit on the ICC. There are several important reasons for this the first of which is the road was never designed for faster speeds as are interstate highways. As is…
Monday, February 25, 2013
Share with your neighbors and friends in the Maryland Love Project.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley recently announced the “Maryland Love Project,” an on-line portal where Maryland residents can express what they most appreciate about their state. Born of a partnership between the State of Maryland, the Baltimore Love Project, the Digital Harbor Foundation’s STEM Engine program and the Maryland State Arts Council, the Maryland Love Project is designed to “showcase all of the reasons why people love Maryland while shining a light on the important role that the arts and technology play in our communities,” O’Malley said in an annoucement. With the assistance of two mentors, four middle and high school students from the STEM Engine project created the portal--love.maryland.gov--during a seven-hour session at …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
"It's the first time we've ever had a congressional office within city limits," Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz said.
Maryland's new 6th Congressional District leader will call Gaithersburg home for one of two district offices. Congressman John Delaney's team will work out of 9801 Washingtonian Blvd., Suite 330, in Gaithersburg. He also has offices in Hagerstown and Washington, DC. Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz said at Monday evening's City Council meeting it is the first time the city has housed a congressional office within city limits. “We have long enjoyed a close relationship with those who represent us on Capitol Hill,” Katz said. “We’re delighted that Congressman Delaney will have an office in our community, allowing him and his staff to continue to provide the high level of accessibility and responsiveness that Gaithersburg residents have come…
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Maryland gets extremely high grade.
Maryland ranks among the Top 5 for government transparency -- so says a 2013 report released by the Sunshine Review non-profit group, cited in a recent article in the Baltimore Business Journal. Alongside California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington state, Maryland received a grade of B+, the highest grade any state earned in the report. Broken down, Maryland earned an A- for its state website, while county, city and school district sites earned a B. Only 26 percent of county websites earned higher than Maryland's, and 60 percent earned a B grade for school district sites. Conversely, the five worst-ranked states for government transparency are Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska and South Dakota. Sunshine Review bases its …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sean Henderson and Julia Maldonado, Capital News Service
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, January 23
This interactive graphic shows the five people executed in Maryland since 1976, and the five people currently on death row in the state. Also includes an interactive map comparing the number of executions in Maryland since 1976 with the number of executions in other states in that period.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Start off your week with the news from around the state in crime, business and politics.
Public Safety: Naval Academy rape, gun control and school safety A Naval Academy professor is charged in the 2011 rape of a midshipman. Maj. Mark A. Thompson, 43, is undergoing an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a grand jury hearing, at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC. Two gun vendors were arrested in Timonium after they were caught selling illegal, high-capacity bullet magazines to undercover police at a local gun and knife show. In light of the Sandy Hook shootings, some Maryland legislators are hoping to make their schools safer. Anne Arundel County's delegation is introducing a bill that would put an armed resource officer in all of Maryland's public schools, while in Montgomery County, a councilman is hoping to …
Duke Ganote
6:30 pm on Monday, April 29, 2013
The traffic engineer who pointed out the references to me assured me that a nominal "design speed" usually has a wide safety margin. Sharper curves should be (as the ICC engineering report stated) have specific warning signage. more ›