More money for consultant considered
The Baltimore County Council is considering paying more to a consultant handling lawsuits against contractors who worked on the addition to the detention center in Towson.
The proposed contract amendment would increase the cap on payments to Navigant Consulting Inc. by $100,000, to $325,000. The Chicago-based company is helping with several county lawsuits against the architect and several contractors who worked on the jail addition. The lawsuits seek more than $5 million in damages for allegedly faulty work.
County Council members recently increased to $250,000 the $150,000 payment cap for a law firm - Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald - that is working on the lawsuits.
The council is also considering approving the sale of property in Towson to a developer for $1.95 million, the lower of two appraisals on the slice of land at Towsontown Boulevard and York Road. Longwood Development was the sole bidder for the slightly more than half-acre site during an April public auction. The land includes a historic railroad abutment.
Laura Barnhardt
Maryland
Politics
Reject slots handouts, lawmakers urged
It's not enough for campaigns mobilizing to sway the November referendum on slot-machine gambling to reject money from gambling interests. A government watchdog group wants state politicians to do the same. Ryan O'Donnell, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said he plans to send a letter to members of the General Assembly, asking them to refuse campaign contributions from gambling interests until voters decide the matter. Common Cause, which doesn't take a position on whether to legalize slots gambling, asked for the same pledge from pro- and anti-slots campaigns. "This is no longer a legislative process; it's a democratic process," O'Donnell said in an interview. "But still, let's keep it clean." Meanwhile, anti-slots forces announced that the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce decided to remain neutral on the issue. The statewide chamber has endorsed slots, but local chambers, including Ocean City and Annapolis, oppose the referendum.
Laura Smitherman
Prince George's
Laurel
Woman's body found in River Front Park
A woman's body was found yesterday by someone walking in a wooded area behind a community pool, Laurel police say.
