BUSINESS
Lorraine Mirabella | March 15, 2013
Little Caesars says it's growing faster than just about any pizza chain - and eyeing Baltimore as a hot market. The chain's vice president of franchise development says the Baltimore metro area figures into a new strategy to target suburban and rural communities and to seek real estate on college campuses, military bases and within convenience stores. The carryout known for its $5 ready-to-go-pizza already has several dozen locations in Maryland, many in strip malls scattered throughout Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard and Harford counties.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun | January 22, 2013
An Anne Arundel County judge threw out a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the referendum last November in which Maryland voters approved an expansion of casino gambling after a $95 million campaign. Circuit Judge Ronald A. Silkworth rejected a contention by plaintiffs who opposed the expansion that the referendum required a majority of all Maryland voters — rather than a majority of those casting their ballots — to pass. Silkworth also said the plaintiffs waited too long to bring their suit.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun | March 11, 2013
The Senate approved Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed expansion of early voting Monday night, sending the legislation to the House of Delegates. Senators voted 35-12, with most Republicans opposed, to increase the number of days and hours that early voting centers will remain open. The bill would increase the number of early voting days from six to eight starting in 2014. The hours of voting would be longer in presidential election years. O'Malley's proposal follows a presidential election that saw voters waiting in line for hours at the limited number of early voting sites in each county.
NEWS
September 30, 2012
Baltimore City's priorities are skewed ("Tide point and taxes," Sept. 26). It should be selling bonds to finance a new courthouse, not a business like Under Armour that is worth millions and could finance its own expansions. D. Morris, Edgewood
NEWS
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun | October 16, 2012
Two prominent Maryland Republican leaders from the recent past threw their support behind the gambling expansion plan crafted by Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly, contending that a new casino in Prince George's County will yield hundreds of millions in tax revenue for the state's schools. Former Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, who also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee, and former Republican national committeewoman Audrey Scott jointly endorsed the measure, which is up for a vote on the Nov. 6 ballot, according to the ballot committee supporting Question 7. "Partisan politics should not interfere with economic development and the creation of jobs," they wrote.
NEWS
by Annie Linskey | September 11, 2012
Developer Milt Peterson will put $400,000 into an effort to expand gambling in Maryland, the first non-casino interest to write a check. Peterson hopes to partner with gambling giant MGM Resorts International to build a resort-casino on the Potomac River. But first Maryland voters need to approve a referendum question in November that would authorize a sixth casino and table games all gambling locations. "We believe Peterson's investment in Vote for 7 is particularly important given their first hand experience with the job growth and economic development that a project of this magnitude can bring to the region," said Kristin Hawn, a spokeswoman for Vote for 7, a committee supporting more gambling in the state. MGM has already put $5.4 million behind and effort to convince Marylanders to vote yes. Penn National Gaming is funding an effort to oppose the ballot measure.