County Officials

In 1994, I worked closely with residents all over Howard County to gather the 10,000 signatures needed to put a charter amendment on the ballot that allowed county residents to take to referendum changes to the general plan, the zoning map and zoning regulations. In what was described at the time as the nastiest race in county history, and over the vehement objection of county officials and the development community, 67 percent of voters wisely approved the amendment in the 1994 election.

Three Maryland counties have essentially violated the state's new law aimed at limiting growth on septic systems, a top O'Malley administration aide said Wednesday, adding that state officials are "weighing our options," including possible legal action or withholding of funds. Cecil, Frederick and Allegany counties did not follow the 2012 law in drawing up maps that were supposed to restrict where large housing subdivisions on septic may be built, Planning Secretary Richard E. Hall told lawmakers in Annapolis.

A 22-year-old man who attempted suicide at the Howard County Detention Center in Jessup over the weekend is back at the facility and under 24-hour watch, officials said Sunday. Demetrius Hunt, 22, who was serving an 18-month sentence for second-degree assault, tried to hang himself using a bed sheet Saturday afternoon, county officials said. He was taken to Howard County General Hospital with a neck contusion, then returned to the detention center Saturday evening. "He is under 24-hour supervision," said Mark Miller, a spokesman for Howard County.

Anne Arundel County will not revive the new emergency dispatch system that it unplugged a year ago, but will instead scrap it and modernize its old system. Launched in December 2011, the new dispatch system operated for just three weeks before it was shut down when law enforcement officials and fire chiefs were besieged by complaints from police officers, firefighters and dispatchers, officials said. The county could not immediately provide figures on how much money it spent specifically on the computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, system, but officials said the county has paid an overall $6.2 million on a $6.6 million technology contract that included the dispatch component.

A Hispanic woman was eating her lunch near a pond outside her workplace when deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office arbitrarily accosted her. They questioned her about her immigration status, arrested her and placed her in detention, where she remained for 46 days, separated from her 1-year-old child. This 2008 incident has been echoed countless times across the country, as local police officers - deputized as immigration enforcers - engage in racial profiling to fulfill their mandate to detain undocumented immigrants for deportation.

Baltimore County has maintained its top bond ratings from the major rating agencies, county officials said Friday. The county received AAA bond ratings from Fitch, Moody's and Standard & Poor's. The agencies pointed to factors including the county's manageable debt burden, conservative fiscal practices and a large, diverse tax base. Less than 1 percent of counties in the country have AAA bond ratings from all three major rating agencies, county officials said. Favorable ratings help the county save money when it borrows.

Baltimore County has asked a judge to suspend proceedings in an age-discrimination case, saying in federal court filings that determining damages owed to employees and retirees could be a "lengthy, costly and complex" process that requires the review of 10,000 pension files. County officials think it could take at least two years to determine how much people are owed in the case, according to the court documents. U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg ruled last month that the county's pension system discriminates because older workers had to pay more toward their retirement than younger workers.

Most roads were cleared of snow and fallen trees in Garrett County as of late Sunday, and most federal and state emergency officials who'd responded there following superstorm Sandy's damaging blizzard had departed. Still, thousands remained without power. "The only thing that's still lacking, as far as I understand it, is power restoration, and that's a slow, tedious process because of the damage that's been done and because of the vastness of Garrett County," said Jim Raley, chairman of the county's Board of Commissioners.

Watersedge resident Jean Parker was dealing with a backyard and basement full of water Tuesday afternoon after Storm Sandy - but the Baltimore County resident was still counting her blessings. Her home has fared far worse in past storms, said Parker, who has lived there since 1959. "It's nothing compared to Isabel" in 2003, Parker said. "And we didn't lose electricity. … We're really blessed with that. " Parker got a surprise visit from U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger and County Councilman John Olszewski Sr., who were touring eastern Baltimore County neighborhoods to assess storm damage in an area that is prone to flooding.

Officials for Carroll County Emergency Operations said Thursday they are monitoring the projected path of Hurricane Sandy, and that weather models from the National Weather Service indicate the hurricane will strike land somewhere between New York and Maryland - impacting the area Sunday evening, and perhaps lasting through as Tuesday. Officials said high winds and rain are expected and may cause some flooding and power outages. During the storm, the county will post weather related information on various county websites and social media outlets, and will also communicate with the media.