Expansion

On Thursday, the day the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, a 47-year-old Baltimore woman went to the drugstore, and pulled out her debit card to pay for a prescription refill. But she didn't have enough money in the account to cover the $425 charge. So she asked the pharmacist and staff for a favor. "I asked them to break up the prescription to give me one-third," says the woman, who would not allow her name to be published because she didn't want to disclose her medical conditions.

Last Wednesday, at the company's Investor Day , Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank ended his opening statement by urging those in attendance to clap if they felt so compelled. There were, indeed, moments that inspired people in the crowd to bring their hands together. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady showed up. An adorable video featuring young athletes was shown. Jeremy Piven appeared in a rousing speech about what Baltimore means. Models walked the stage wearing new products. At other times, though, Under Armour officials were left to provide their own celebratory punctuation, saying, “Wasn't that cool?

Baltimore's Mondawmin Mall will be expanding with three new stores in newly constructed space that will replace the former Motor Vehicles Administration building, the mall announced today. A Ross Dress for Less, a Deal$ and a smaller, yet-to-be-named store will move into a 38,000-square-foot redevelopment on the site of the MVA building, which is being demolished. “Mondawmin Mall has been an integral part of the Greater Mondawmin community for more than 50 years,"  said Romaine Smallwood-Smoot, the mall's general manager, in a statement.

Maryland's MARC commuter trains, which have always operated Monday through Friday, will begin offering weekend service between Baltimore and Washington on the Penn Line in coming months. The expansion - put on hold in 2008 when the recession hit - is possible as the result of the new transportation revenue law that raises the state's gas tax, officials said. The governor signed the bill Thursday. The news was welcomed by Baltimore officials, who said it would offer city residents a less expensive means than Amtrak of traveling to Washington for weekend events while also encouraging D.C. residents to travel to Charm City.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

It used to be that the Maryland Film Festival was just a cool neighborhood event for Courtney Knipp - a bunch of obscure movies being shown just up the street from her home in Mount Vernon. Not anymore, not with thousands of film fans massing in and around the Charles Theatre , watching movies - 127 this year - - and comparing notes with hundreds of filmmakers from all over the world. This tiny corner of the Station North Arts District becomes the center of the film universe for one weekend every May. And that is so cool by Knipp.

Thank you for your recent article on a study of Medicaid the New England Journal of Medicine that addressed the role of Medicaid in promoting mental health and protecting families from financial ruin ("Study: Medicaid has mixed record in improving health," May 2). Maryland was among the first states to commit to full expansion of Medicaid under health reform, and we can (and should) learn a lot from the results of this study. Nearly 200,000 people are expected to gain coverage through the program starting Jan. 1, 2014, and we can expect that these people will also benefit from improved mental health and protection from financial ruin like those in the study.

He didn't get down on one knee, but Christopher Lee wooed his wife with a skyscraping crane she literally could call her own at the dedication of the port of Baltimore's berth capable of handling the world's largest cargo ships. As founder of Highstar Capital, the Ruxton resident provided the financial backing for a $105 million expansion at Seagirt Marine Terminal to make Baltimore one of only two East Coast ports — the other is Norfolk, Va. — ready to handle the larger ships that could pass through the widened Panama Canal in 2015.

The demise of steelmaking at Sparrows Point last year landed like a body blow on eastern Baltimore County. With 2,000 jobs and a 125-year-old legacy lost in the shutdown and subsequent liquidation of assets, the cost to families, to the local economy and to the very social fabric of a close-knit community was immense. Yet, nearly one year after RG Steel filed for bankruptcy, the outlook for the 3,300-acre property is significantly brighter. The potential for redevelopment could yield as many as 10,000 jobs within 10-15 years as new businesses - particularly those related to the Port of Baltimore - take the place of steelmaking.

Dallas-based chain of bakery/cafes La Madeleine Country French Café is eyeing the Baltimore area, with plans to open up to eight new franchised locations. A Baltimore-area restaurant is expected to open in the next year, with several more opening shortly after, a company spokesman said Monday. The restaurants in the Washington, D.C., market "are doing extremely well, and the company's momentum in the mid-Atlantic region is fueling its growth toward Baltimore," said Jason Gilbreth, the spokesman.

"We think it's reasonable to provide mandatory instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show. No loopholes anywhere for anyone. " - National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, May 27, 1999. Let's get one thing straight about the Senate's failure Wednesday to support a too-modest extension of the national background check system for gun buyers to cover sales at gun shows and over the Internet.

When I hear someone as credible as Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot speak, I listen. He urged Marylanders to vote against Question 7. It seems as if no one can prove that some of the casino profits will be used for bettering our schools. This proposal should have been shot down by voters in a very lopsided fashion. Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham

Wow. County Executive Ulman disagrees with your puritanical anti-gambling view (editorial, Sept. 27). Although you ascribe ulterior motives to his position, maybe he simply realizes that Marylanders like to gamble, and that they would like to gamble in Maryland. As a Maryland poker player who is tired of driving to New Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia, to play poker (a game that a New York judge recently ruled a game of skill, not chance), I urge Columbians to vote in favor of Question 7, which "allows" table games, including poker, so we can finally play here in a regulated, taxed, and secure Maryland poker room.

Breathe Books in Hampden says it will add a health-food cafe to its store next month. Owner Susan Weis-Bohlen says all the offerings will have at least one of five features: gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, raw or Ayurvedic -- Ayurveda is a holistic type of medicine that originated in India. This goes along with the store's stated mission to provide "books, music, and spiritual and inspirational items to help people continue their practice and journey. " "We will not be using white flour or white sugar; every ingredient will have some sort of nutritional quality," said Weis-Bohlen, who also lectures about Ayurvedic medicine at the University of Maryland's medical school.

Maryland is poised to join a growing number of states that allow voters to register and vote on the same day as lawmakers today endorsed plans to expand early voting. The Senate passed Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill, sending the measure to his desk for his expected signature. Early voting would be expanded from six to eight days and the hours extended, moves intended to alleviate the long lines seen during last year's election season. More voting centers would be added, and lawmakers created a $5,000 fine for illegally registering to vote, allowed for residents to apply to register to vote online and called for a host of studies on the voting system.