Benefit

Canine benefit -- Paws Pet Boutique will present the sixth annual Happy Tails Day from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 64 State Circle, Annapolis. It will include a raffle, walking tour, silent auction, refreshments, and animal care information. Proceeds will benefit Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training. Tickets for the walking tour are $14 for adults, $4 for children ages 3 to 11 and free for accompanied dogs and children younger than 2. Registration is recommended. 410-263-8683 or www.pawspet boutique.

Two new reports suggest that Maryland's economy has remained moderately strong through the middle of this year but could weaken somewhat as 1998 gets closer.One dispatch shows that the region's wealthier families have benefited more from recent economic growth than have moderate-income people. And the other reinforces reports showing that Maryland's recent growth has all but tapped out the worker supply in many areas and industries.A survey by the University of Baltimore shows that Maryland firms booked strong revenue gains in the April-June quarter but had considerable trouble hiring employees, as the state's unemployment rate fell to near its lows of the decade.

LONDON -- Britain's Labor Party shed another layer of its welfare past with a stern message to single parents last night: Get to work or get married before having children.With Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair quashing a rebellion from his party's left wing, the House of Commons approved a bill to reduce welfare payments to single parents.The action was Blair's boldest bid to refashion the remnants of Britain's Labor-built, cradle-to-grave welfare state.Blair, who claims to represent "New Labor," wants people to take responsibility for their lives -- and actions.

Without question, June is bursting out all over. In all my years of covering parties, I cannot recall June ever being filled with so many things to do. There's something for every taste and pocketbook, so have a good time.JUNE:3: Celebrate USO music at the B&O Museum, 8 p.m.-12 a.m., Ed Williams Big Band. Tickets $35 each or $65 couple. Dress uniforms or '40s attire. Call (410) 752-2393.4: Annapolis Jazzfest '95 to benefit the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. at St. John's College campus.

Black tie or blue jeans, sports events or concerts, there's something for every taste and pocketbook coming up on our social calendar. There are so many events planned over the next six months that we decided to run three months today. April, May, June events will be listed in March.JANUARY:9: 10th annual Fillmore Frolic, Sheraton Baltimore North inTowson, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., speaker Alan Walden, WBAL-radio. Voluntary contributions benefit the Women's Housing Coalition's literacy program. Call (410)

There's no reason to be lonely in October or November -- there are so many things to do that I have to save December's parties for a later date. So have fun, and I'll see you around.OCTOBER:1: Celebrity Small Talk, cocktail reception to benefit multiple sclerosis patients, lets guests meet and chat with area celebrities at the USF&G facility in Mount Washington. Tickets $50. (410) 561-4411.1: Race for the Cure, to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; 8:30 a.m. at Rash Field.

WASHINGTON -- Maryland was among three states that enacted the most dramatic reductions in welfare programs during 1992, says a report released yesterday by two research groups.Maryland, California and Illinois were cited mainly because of benefit cuts in two programs for the poor: Aid to Families with Dependent Children and general assistance.Maryland also was singled out for raising costs for Medicaid recipients.The report was compiled by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington and the Center for the Study of the States, which is affiliated with the State University of New York at Albany.

WASHINGTON -- Maryland was among three states that enacted the most dramatic reductions in welfare programs during 1992, says a report released yesterday by two research groups.Maryland, California and Illinois were cited mainly because of benefit cuts in two programs for the poor: Aid to Families with Dependent Children and general assistance.Maryland also was singled out for raising costs for Medicaid recipients.The report was compiled by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington and the Center for the Study of the States, which is affiliated with the State University of New York at Albany.

There are more comments to be made on the continuing travesty occurring at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ellicott City. Construction work on two houses progressed until Monday as if this were an ordinary building site. There is more at stake than this single issue.Construction work stopped Monday when bones were discovered. Last week, casket handles and bricks of the type used around graves were found on the cemetery property in the sewer line right of way. These findings were deemed "inconclusive" by the county Public Works office.

The aqueduct took a year to complete. From the cool mountains in the North it traveled 1,000 miles, transporting life-sustaining water to the sweltering South. Every 100 yards, gargoyle spouts permitted people to draw sustenance from this river of life. It was an engineering marvel.But all was not well. On the day of completion, no water ran in the aqueduct, and the people in the South were dismayed. Would relief never come?A courier arrived with grim news: War had broken out in the North.

The Dixon administration introduced legislation Monday that would halt future cost-of-living increases for Baltimore's retired police officers and firefighters, the latest turn in an ongoing effort to reform the city's ailing $1.6 billion public safety pension fund. City officials stressed that the new legislation is a "stopgap" measure intended only to prevent the already depleted fund from plummeting further while they fashion a broader fix that will ultimately include post-retirement increases.

Neurochem Inc. Shares declined $2.40 to $3.16 after the drug developer said a study of its Alzheimer's disease drug candidate Alzhemed did not show a statistically significant benefit, compared with a placebo.

Canine benefit -- Paws Pet Boutique will present the sixth annual Happy Tails Day from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 64 State Circle, Annapolis. It will include a raffle, walking tour, silent auction, refreshments, and animal care information. Proceeds will benefit Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training. Tickets for the walking tour are $14 for adults, $4 for children ages 3 to 11 and free for accompanied dogs and children younger than 2. Registration is recommended. 410-263-8683 or www.pawspet boutique.

Culinary benefit -- Nick Malgieri, a James Beard Award nominee for his cookbook, A Baker's Tour, will be among the chefs on hand at a benefit for Mercy Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Center Club, 100 Light St., 16th floor. The cost is $60 and includes beer and wine tastings, food, cooking demonstrations and music. Call 410-332-9290 or visit mdmercy.com. JCC cooking class --Sarah Mogol teaches an "Asian Spring Inspiration" cooking class at 7 p.m. May 18 at a residence in Pikesville.

Worried that Maryland is losing top educators to other states, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. signed into law yesterday an enhanced pension benefit for teachers and other state employees, elevating what workers said was one of the worst retirement plans in the nation. Once fully phased in - a process that will take decades - a teacher who retires with 30 years of experience will get a benefit equal to 54 percent of his or her final salary, up from 38 percent for current retirees. Teachers union officials say that will bring Maryland to nearly the middle of the pack nationally.

I work for a private company that links merit raises to attendance. I feel my employer unfairly penalized me for a three-month leave I took to recover from a serious illness. I went out under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the company maintained my benefits and my job. But I lost a substantial portion of a merit raise for 2005, and I'm wondering if the company made a mistake. I thought that between the FMLA and my stellar record, I would get the full merit raise. Am I right? I don't think so. Timing is key. If you had earned the full merit raise before your time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the company couldn't have legally reduced it simply because you didn't have perfect attendance.

ATLANTA -- If they really wanted to, your representatives in Washington could dry up illegal immigration almost before you could say, "Tom Tancredo is a tiresome demagogue." All they would have to do is require U.S. employers to check the legal status of all employees and impose stiff sanctions - including multimillion-dollar fines and prison time - on employers who flout the law. After a few executives had done the perp walk, others would get the message. Illegal hiring would drop precipitously.

It's projected to cost $724 billion over the next 10 years. It's expected to enroll nearly 30 million seniors and people with disabilities. It relies on private insurance companies to deliver a big new government benefit. It begins today. And as experts discuss the new Medicare prescription benefit, one word keeps recurring: experiment. "It's a fascinating social experiment in using private sector resources to deliver a social benefit," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health LLC, a Washington consulting firm.

Eclectic jazz/soul sextet Fertile Ground will play a Hurricane Katrina benefit tomorrow at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. N.W., Washington. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at tickets.com or by calling 800-955-5566. All proceeds will directly benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Some call it the perk that will never go away. But airline workers who get free flight privileges as a benefit have found it harder recently to cash in and go anywhere. Record low fares have filled airplanes with paying customers and left little room for employees who for years have been able to fly standby. Further changes to the industry have meant deep cuts to pay and benefits at some troubled carriers that have left workers with less time and money for vacations. Younger workers who are likely to travel more have been laid off. And many workers have seen their jobs move hundreds of miles away to other cities, and now use their free flights more for commuting to work than for fun. To be sure, the benefit is still one workers say they treasure.