Campaign

Democratic Howard County Executive Ken Ulman raised 20 times more cash than his Republican rival Trent Kittleman did in the latest campaign finance reports that cover most of August, continuing a pattern established in a first round of reports last month. Ulman reported raising $23,090 to Kittleman's $1,110, and the Democratic incumbent has $723,945 left on hand compared to Kittleman's $16,111. The reports were due Friday. Both candidates said money is not the most important thing in their campaigns.

If Maryland's 6th District election was a poker match, Democrat Milad Pooran would be all in. The Jefferson physician, whose campaign for the Democratic nomination has largely operated in the shadow of two better-known opponents, announced today he will put $200,000 of his own money into his campaign -- a significant investment of his personal savings, aides said. The unusual decision comes after a poll the campaign conducted showed nearly 40 percent of voters were still undecided in a race that has so far been dominated by state Sen. Rob Garagiola and businessman John Delaney. Pooran, 35, has cast himself as a progressive alternative to Garagiola and Delaney.

Unfortunately, the fake campaign that consumed the media for several months has come to an end. Pretend GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump -- who we dubbed His Royal Pomposity -- bowed out gracefully strike that arrogantly , predicting that he would have won the presidency had he continued.  "I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election," he...

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice will be the first player featured during the upcoming season in USA's "NFL Characters Unite" campaign, the cable channel will announce later today. Rice will also announce an expanded relationship between the NFL and USA at the upfront TV presentations in New York City later today. Here's the release from USA: NEW YORK - May 16, 2012 - USA Network announced today that it is expanding its Characters Unite collaboration with the National Football League.

This afternoon, I received a call from someone asking if I would participate in a quick survey on an issue. I agreed, and she posed a question on the amount of revenue the gambling would generate, furnishing multiple choice responses. I replied that I had no idea. Whereupon, she gave me the "right" answer, and launched into a lecture on it. I stopped her to point out that she said this was a survey, in which she takes and tabulates my answers. She replied, "I was just giving you the right one. " When I asked what made it right, she hung up. I had not really cared one way or another on this issue, as I generally regard gambling as a tax on stupidity (State Lotto?

Having just observed Yom Kippur, Zoey Solomon knew what it felt like to be hungry. But, as the 9-year-old walked through an exhibit Sunday depicting the lives of malnourished children from around the world, she still wrinkled her nose at a container of brown paste that smelled like peanut butter, as a doctor explained that children in other countries enjoy it and rely on it to keep them healthy. "We fasted to observe Yom Kippur yesterday, and she was so hungry by noon," said Lorna Solomon, who brought her daughter to the weekend exhibit in Patterson Park, put on by Doctors Without Borders, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian organization that works in 65 poor and blighted developing countries.

An interfaith peace garden in Northeast Baltimore builds tolerance among religions through annual conversations about forgiveness. At-risk youth forgive others and themselves with the help of drumming and dance. It's all part of a four-year Maryland Public Television campaign wrapping up this Tuesday to promote love and forgiveness. But participants say the program, part of an effort to build the concepts nationwide, will have a lasting impact. MPT was one of five stations that worked with the Fetzer Institute, a foundation based in Michigan that "engages with people and organizations to bring the power of love, forgiveness and compassion to the center of individual and community life," said Linda Grdina, an officer with the Fetzer program.

As the political campaigns edge closer to their end, the two contenders for Howard County executive are pursuing different paths to hoped-for victory. The night before the final candidates forum before the Chamber of Commerce at a Columbia hotel Wednesday, Democrat Ken Ulman hosted a fundraiser at Turf Valley for more than 200 people, though his last report showed $713,000 cash on hand compared with $23,000 for Republican Trent Kittleman. In addition, he released results from a weekend poll his campaign conducted Oct. 10 and 11 showing him ahead of Kittleman 57 percent to 32 percent among 400 randomly selected voters.

Baltimore County executive candidate Kevin Kamenetz visited the Perry Hall- White Marsh Fair recently, being as amiable and neighborly as he could. You do these things in campaign season, especially when you're the sort of guy who might need to work on that part of your persona. So Kamenetz made some friendly chitchat with folks on a bright Saturday afternoon about schools and traffic and flashed a gap-toothed smile, crouching to hand a few kids a purple campaign balloon and a necklace.

Timed to coincide with its 20th anniversary in 2011, the Harford Land Trust recently announced the launch of its three-year Campaign to Preserve Our Lands, which is designed to increase awareness and raise funds to further land preservation in Harford County. The goal is to raise $250,000 for its various land preservation initiatives, the Harford Land Trust said in a news release. While the campaign was officially launched at HLT's annual meeting in March 2011, the initial phase of the campaign solicited donations exclusively from current members and past donors, Harry Webster, president of the nonprofit's board of directors, said in the release.