Campaign

Four years ago, employees at the Howard County Office of Environmental Sustainability came up with an idea for people who want to do their part for Earth Day but don't know where to start. It's called the 20-Minute Cleanup - essentially a way to urge people, either on a whim or through precise planning, to pitch in to aid the environment. "Every year, just before Earth Day, the county government would get a lot of calls from people saying,'We want to do something for the environment, what's going on?

Your editorial, "Good government wins," (April 15) falls short of the mark. Bestowing kudos to the General Assembly for passing legislation that makes campaign finance more helpful in "restoring integrity to the political process" is, with all due respect, misguided. As you point out, these reforms are offset with other provisions which result in a process that facilitates throwing more money into the political arena instead of getting money out. The actions of the General Assembly with regard to campaign finance reform bring to mind the following analogy.

Millions of people put their lives on Facebook, but thanks to the site's convoluted and ever-changing privacy policies, they often have little idea who else can see the information they provide or what the company itself is doing with all the personal data it collects. For that reason, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler's effort as president of the National Association of Attorneys General to partner with Facebook on a public information campaign is welcome - so long as it doesn't give the public the impression that the problem of Facebook privacy has been solved.

When the General Assembly created a commission to study Maryland's campaign finance laws two years ago it was difficult to tell whether the effort would lead to much. Certainly, the need for reform was there, but even given how Democrats have been decrying the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United ruling and the lack of limits on political spending, it wasn't clear how far elected officials in Maryland would go to rein in their own fundraising. Fortunately, advocates for reform had an ace in the hole: Maryland's current limits on campaign contributions - both to individual candidates and to all campaigns during any four-year election cycle - hadn't been raised in two decades.

On Monday, Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler is expected announce a partnership with Facebook on a national campaign to educate teens and parents about safety and privacy when using social media. Gansler, president of the National Association of Attorneys General, will discuss the initiative as he kicks off the NAAG Presidential Initiative Summit, "Privacy in the Digital Age. " The summit is being held at National Harbor, in southern Prince George's County. According to a release from the attorney general's office, the goal of the summit is to bring together attorneys general and representatives of the information technology industry, government and education and others to explore privacy risks and how to limit them.

Maryland will help sponsor eight festivals this year commemorating the War of 1812, an effort officials hope will boost tourism and economic development. The state would put up $2.1 million in matching grants to various non-profits for 23 War of 1812 projects, Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. and Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary Dominick Murray announced Wednesday. About $400,000 will help pay for the festivals, which run from late April through September and most of which are in rural areas, except for one in September, called "Star-Spangled Banner Weekend" in Baltimore.

Chestertown physician John LaFerla, who waged a write-in campaign for the First Congressional District last fall after the withdrawal of Democratic primary winner Wendy Rosen, is planning another run for the seat. LaFerla said he would file papers in Annapolis Wednesday for the 2014 Democratic primary in the First, now represented by second-term Republican Rep. Andy Harris. LaFerla lost the 2012 primary to Rosen by 57 votes last April, but returned to the race in September after Rosen withdrew amid allegations she had violated election law by voting in two states at once.

Harford County Executive David R. Craig recently recognized Scouts and Scout leaders from the Boy Scouts of America, Baltimore Area Council, for the upcoming 2013 "Scouting for Food" campaign. Several Scouts and Scout leaders were greeted by Craig at his office and presented with a donation of two bags of food. "Scouting for Food" is a food collection effort carried out by the Boy Scouts, Venture Scouts, Cub Scouts and adult volunteers from scouting organizations and local communities.

With most of the heavy lifting behind them, Maryland legislators will convene Monday for a final frenzy of lawmaking before the 2013 General Assembly session adjourns at midnight. Bills that could affect every dog owner and every driver who talks on a cell phone still await approval, as does legislation that would craft tighter rules on speed cameras, legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes and put new restrictions on government speed camera programs. Most lawmakers said these remaining issues and scores more will likely find resolution by the end of the day. "We're in pretty good shape," House Speaker Michael E. Busch said as his chamber adjourned Saturday afternoon.

Shirley Gregory of Dundalk takes pride in her home, but unwelcome visitors have sometimes thwarted efforts to keep her yard tidy. When she and her husband had a brick patio laid, it wasn't long until the bricks were caving into the ground. Rats had burrowed in a nearby yard and dug tunnels into Gregory's property. "I was, like, shocked - that's what a rat did," said Gregory, president of the St. Helena Community Association. "Well, more than one rat. Quite a few rats. " Gregory was one of more than 100 people who turned out Saturday morning for a community cleanup.