County Officials

Howard County has become a regional haven for massage parlors, which crime experts say are often a new suburban face of the world's oldest profession.Despite years of crackdowns, massage parlors have become increasingly prominent in the consumer landscape, operating side-by-side with doughnut shops and convenience stores in strip malls across the country."Business is booming in suburban areas, and people are spending more time there," says University of Maryland criminology Professor Lawrence Sherman.

Residents of Dundalk and Mays Chapel say they plan to join forces for a Saturday rally to protest the sale of the North Point Government Center in Dundalk. Although they live on different ends of the county, residents in both communities are angry about land decisions made by county officials. Some Mays Chapel residents have fought to stop the county from building a new elementary school at a park. In Dundalk, some are fighting the planned sale of the North Point Government Center.

At Baltimore County's animal shelter this week, dozens of animals were waiting for someone to adopt them. Among them were Cisco, a year-old pit bull terrier, a bulldog named Ivan and Sugar Pie, a tricolor cat. But judging by shelter statistics, potential pets are more likely to be put down than placed in a home. Now, under pressure from animal advocates and some lawmakers, county officials are looking for an animal-oriented nonprofit to take over the shelter. "Much like most animal-control agencies, their focus is really on protecting people from animals," said Ron Lambert, a board member of the Maryland Feline Society.

More than a year after a Howard County teen committed suicide following months of online harassment, county officials unveiled a program Wednesday meant to discourage bullying via computer and in person. "We know we need bold steps to really, truly take on this issue," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said. "We need a full community solution. " The effort — which could start in the fall if the County Council approves a funding request of $250,000 —would use a mobile application called Sprigeo, an online reporting system that's already in use in about 20 school systems around the country, as a way to make it easier for witnesses to report bullying.

The Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs is investigating Verizon's sales practices after the office received a half-dozen complaints, county officials said. Officials allege that the company's sales representatives have attempted to confuse customers and overcharge them for services they did not ask for when selling packages for cable, phone and Internet service. Sharyn Tolkach, a teacher from Columbia, said she saw an item on her bill called "cyber tube" for five months before she could get Verizon representatives to remove the $14.95 charge from her monthly statement.

The Frederick County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to adopt an ordinance making English the county's official language, the Frederick News-Post has reported. According to the newspaper, the board voted 4-1 to approve the law, which replaces a previous nonbinding resolution. The measure appears more symbolic than substantive, and does not override federal or state laws requiring the use of other languages in certain circumstances. Nor does it prevent county officials from using other languages in emergencies or to communicate with criminal suspects.

As expected, the recent proposals advanced by the Governor's Commission on Growth in the Chesapeake Bay Region drew quick criticism from overly protective county officials. Complaining of unwarranted state intervention, they oppose state guidelines in shaping new growth and preserving farmland and green spaces.Ironically, the loudest grumbling comes from jurisdictions that best make the case for such uniformity. Newly installed Howard County Executive Charles Ecker, for instance, says the plan would usurp "local control" of land use planning.

Maryland Department of Transportation officials will meet with Carroll County officials Monday to discuss local road projects.The meeting, open to the public, will be at 1:30 p.m. in Room 300A of the County Office Building, 225 N. Center St. in Westminster.Transportation Secretary David L. Winstead and other department representatives will explain projects and the priority given to them.The officials, who meet annually with county representatives from across the state, are likely to discuss the Route 30 and Route 140 bypasses planned in Carroll.

Anne Arundel County officials got mixed news at the state Board of Public Works meeting yesterday in Annapolis. They received $1.1 million to preserve a horse farm in West River but failed to win support to expand a park in Harmans. County officials said they were thrilled to receive state Rural Legacy funds to protect the 179-acre Leatherbury Farm. "I cannot express how excited I am that we have been able to preserve this beautiful horse farm," said County Executive Janet S. Owens. "This preservation provides a solid block of protected land that stretches from Route 255 in Owensville nearly down to Route 258 in Deale."

County officials have delayed asking the state Board of Public Works for approval to transfer the old Wiley H. Bates High School property in Annapolis to a Baltimore developer and a private foundation.Jerome W. Klasmeier, director of central services, said he wants to meet with Leonard Frenkil, the developer, and have Annapolis Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins sign a letter of support before going to the board, which must approve county real-estate transfers.County officials, who said earlier they had hoped to seek the approval this week, now expect to ask the board to vote in October.

I would like to suggest that our county officials need to practice what they preach - Choose Civility. Recently after coming back from an event in Baltimore City we returned via Route 175 and were shocked to see the bright lights of Blandair on full blast at just after 10 p.m. It was the first time that we became aware of why some of our fellow residents in Oakland Mills were so adamant in their dislike of these lights which are basically now in...

A technical training exercise for the Howard County Fire and Rescue Services' special operations team to practice high-angle rope rescues will be conducted beneath the bridge that carries Interstate 70 between Howard and Baltimore counties on Wednesday, bringing more than a dozen personnel to the span and shutting one lane to traffic. "During this exercise, firefighters and paramedics will respond to a practice scenario involving a worker who has experienced a medical emergency while conducting an inspection of the bridge," county officials said in a statement.

The Baltimore County police union says county officials have ignored a ruling by the state's highest court to reimburse some 400 retired Police Department employees for overpaid insurance premiums. A Maryland Court of Appeals decision in November required the county to reimburse the employees for wrongful deductions, but in a motion filed Friday in county Circuit Court, the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 4, says it hasn't happened. The union estimates the county owes retirees $572,887.10 through May 2011.

Work on a $4.7 million museum at Naval Air Station Patuxent River that is mostly paid for with state and federal grants has been suspended, and a prominent construction firm was recently pulled from the project, St. Mary's County officials said Friday. Broughton Construction, a Washington-based contracting firm with offices in Baltimore, was removed from the project after county officials learned that it had purchased fraudulent construction bonds. An attorney for Broughton said the firm purchased the bad bonds unknowingly.

At Baltimore County's animal shelter this week, dozens of animals were waiting for someone to adopt them. Among them were Cisco, a year-old pit bull terrier, a bulldog named Ivan and Sugar Pie, a tricolor cat. But judging by shelter statistics, potential pets are more likely to be put down than placed in a home. Now, under pressure from animal advocates and some lawmakers, county officials are looking for an animal-oriented nonprofit to take over the shelter. "Much like most animal-control agencies, their focus is really on protecting people from animals," said Ron Lambert, a board member of the Maryland Feline Society.

Several closures have been announced in Carroll County due to inclement weather on Wednesday, March 6. Carroll County Public Schools and offices, including the Central Office, are closed today, March 6. Gerstell Academy in Finksburg is closed. Carroll Community College and its Mount Airy Center are closed today. All classes and activities are canceled. Students should check Blackboard for instructor information. McDaniel College is closed through 11 p.m. Wednesday. All undergraduate and graduate classes are canceled, and Wednesday evening's performance of the play, "The Sleep of Reason," is also canceled.

Carroll County officials hope to get a better idea of the cost to renovate two vacant buildings on East Baltimore Street in Taneytown today when they tour the structures with a contractor.If the county simply repairs water-damaged walls and replaces the heating and cooling system, renovations could cost about $15,000, Citizen Services Director Jolene G. Sullivan said yesterday. If the adjacent buildings are made handicapped-accessible, renovations could cost at least $100,000, she said.City, county and state groups would like to convert the buildings -- one a former bank, the other a former drug store -- into a community center.

The ice skating rink at Quiet Waters Park near Annapolis will not open this winter - and probably won't next year either - because Anne Arundel County officials say it would cost too much to fix the apparatus that freezes the pond. "You can't be laying off ... police and spend $250,000 for coils at an ice rink," county recreation director Dennis M. Callahan said, referring to the 16 police officers who were laid off because of a budget crunch earlier this year. The rink typically opens after Thanksgiving and remains open until March.

Some courtrooms will soon be wireless in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Sixteen wireless access points will be installed in courtrooms and the State's Attorney's Office, allowing prosecutors to access Wi-Fi, reducing costs and improving efficiency, county officials said Monday. "Providing this real-time access to court-related documents reduces the costs of duplicative and unnecessary printing and significantly saves support staff time, enabling them to focus on higher priority tasks," County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said in a statement released Monday.

At Chick and Ruth's Delly in Annapolis, where politicians' favorite meals are named for them and listed in large print signs above the counter, a diner can order a "John R. Leopold" - chicken noodle soup. But that may not be for much longer. A new menu at the downtown restaurant comes out toward the end of February, and officials who are out of office are also off the menu. Whether Leopold will be removed from his position as Anne Arundel County executive - he's currently suspended, having been found guilty Tuesday of misconduct in office - is unknown, and owner Teddy Levitt said he's thinking about what to do with the menu.