The first lady's aunt and uncle - Stanette and Carleton Robinson of Columbia - did not speak, but one attendee commented for them after McPherson introduced them to the crowd.
"And no, they can't get you into the White House," Kristen Neville shouted, to laughter.
Bus future clouded
When state transportation officials were threatening to end commuter bus service connecting Baltimore to Columbia and reduce it elsewhere in Howard County, hundreds of riders turned out to protest and County Executive Ken Ulman stepped in with $200,000 in county funds to help preserve it through this fiscal year.
But what about next year?
Henry Kay, deputy administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration, told a meeting of Transportation Advocates recently that what he termed an "unprecedented" local contribution might have to become permanent to keep those buses running. As a temporary measure, Kay said it worked well.
"It was the best outcome we could have had," Kay told the group, which meets quarterly at the Florence Bain Senior Center.
With a $60 million reduction in MTA operating revenue for this year and federal stimulus money restricted to capital projects, it's hard to keep from cutting service, Kay said.
"We'll be talking to the county executive about what to do about fiscal 2010," Kay said.
From his perspective, Kay said the choices seem clear when budget reductions come.
"A North Avenue bus [in Baltimore] is so crowded, people are standing with their faces pressed against the glass," he said. "The Howard commuter bus is two-thirds full one way and empty the other way."
It's easier to save money by cutting more lightly used commuter services, he said.
"I don't know what the future of that is," he said.
