Audit

After a long and intense three weeks of blind auditions, all four coaches have filled their teams. During last night's episode, each coach got straight to the point when picking the final member of their team. In this final round, there was much disappointment from both the coaches and those unlucky few who didn't' make a team. No one seemed more upset than Carson Daly when his longtime idol Mark Lennon didn't get picked. Team Blake was the first team to come together, as Blake chose dancer-turned-Warped Tour performer Jaqui Sandell.

Here's the gist of what legislative auditors discovered when they recently evaluated Baltimore's liquor board: It is doing a lousy job. And here's a short summary of the liquor board's response: Yup. It would be shocking if it weren't so predictable. Does anyone living in this city believe the Baltimore Board of Liquor License Commissioners has ever done an adequate job of overseeing businesses that sell alcohol? Maybe a few former commissioners, but probably not them either. Not that the business of regulating bars and package stores is without controversy elsewhere in the state.

Black scuff marks line the staircase at 922 N. Charles St., left there by frustrated tenants kicking the wall in a vain attempt to make their neighbor, the Museum Restaurant and Lounge, quiet down. Most nights, tenants say, the sound of DJs hyping up the crowd rattles china cabinets and nerves alike. "It's thump, thump, thump from the music," said Will Penn, 48, who lives in one of the apartments next door. Penn, like many other Baltimoreans who live near bars, said he has filed complaints using the city's 311 system but has seen nothing change.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Right-hander Jair Jurrjens was hoping to show the Orioles once more what he can do on the mound before the club makes its final roster decisions. A line drive off the bat of Thomas Neal ended Jurrjens' last audition 21 pitches into Wednesday night's Grapefruit League game. The New York Yankees designated hitter smashed a comebacker right at Jurrjens, who instinctively turned to the side and was struck in the right ribs. He immediately left the game, two batters into the second inning.

Audits released Wednesday offered new details about two of the city's ongoing financial problems: money wasted by the outdated municipal phone system and the unfunded liabilities of the Police and Fire departments' pension plans. The independent HPA Consulting Group of Rochester, N.Y., said the city phone system is wasting as much as $1 million annually. The system, run by Comptroller Joan M. Pratt's office, could save as much as $700,000 a year by eliminating lines that are "no longer being used," the report states.

A state audit found that the Maryland State Department of Education did not conduct routine but critical inspections of child care facilities and failed to follow up on red flags raised by background checks of staff working for the programs. The audit, released Tuesday by the state's Office of Legislative Audits, found that the department did not perform 31 mandated inspections of child care facilities in the region, primarily in Baltimore and in Prince George's County. The inspections "ensure that child care facilities protect the general health and safety of children under their care," such as supervision and cleanliness, according to the audit.

University of Maryland University College may have overpaid $3.3 million to a marketing contractor, state auditors found in a review that came just before the school's president was placed on indefinite leave and then abruptly resigned. The misstep was included as an addendum in a routine review of the university's operational and financial systems published Thursday by the state's Office of Legislative Audits. Auditors noted that after the conclusion of their fieldwork — which primarily occurred March 2011 through August 2011 — "we became aware of certain significant events that necessitated additional focused audit work.

Not sure what's better -- the auditions or the nutty antics between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey? Regardless of which, this season has proven to be very entertaining so far. Auditions were held in the Windy City -- the same town that gave us Jennifer Hudson, if this place could produce the Oscar-winning superstar, surely there must be others. First up, look what the wind blew in -- little Mackenzie, who Keith Urban described as "Dolly Parton-esque. " So we begin tonight with a little bit of country.

As a taxpayer who has to report yearly to the federal and state government how much I made and how I spent it, I find it hard to believe an agency that spends our tax dollars can dodge audits for years with no accountability and the leadership not get fired ("City parks agency turns over books for auditing after 3 years," Jan. 10). No wonder there is so much corruption. There should be full disclosure every year so taxpayers know how government agencies are spending our money. In the private sector you would be fired if you did not keep up to date records of money spent.

The state commission that regulates hospital rates has not kept adequate tabs on hospital billings, according to legislative auditors, who say that four hospitals they checked have overcharged by more than $13 million. An audit of three regulatory agencies under the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found "control deficiencies" at one, the Health Services Cost Review Commission, which left auditors with a "lack of assurance" that billings by the state's 53 hospitals were proper.