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As the legislative chair of the Maryland Association of Housing and Redevelopment Agencies, which represents the agencies that actually administer the Section 8 rental assistance program, it was disturbing to read the distortions in Marta Mossburg's recent column ("Forcing landlords to accept vouchers won't help the poor," April 23). In addition to Ms. Mossburg's misstatements related to the Maryland HOME Act bill itself, which is merely intended to protect every person in the state as long as they have a lawful source of income, she instead focuses on whether the discrimination Section 8 voucher holders experience at the hand of landlords really makes any difference at all. Well, in my experience it does!

The Senate voted Monday to allow states to assess a sales tax on purchases from Amazon.com, eBay and other online retailers in a bipartisan measure that would also reduce the increase planned for Maryland's gas tax. The bill, which passed 69-27, would resolve a long-standing complaint of brick-and-mortar business owners, who say they struggle to compete with online companies that don't charge sales tax. The legislation requires Internet sellers to...

The first troops showed up on a Saturday morning at the four-bedroom house in Columbia heavily armed: saws, hammers, crowbars, drills. They've returned three times since and are expected back again next week in hopes of making repairs upstairs and down, inside and out. The noise these volunteers made was ... well, homeowner Ryan Condillac first called it "manageable. " Then he thought a moment and said, "I want to use another adjective: awesome. " The hammering, sanding and whining of electric saws was, in the end, the sound of charitable effort.

I could not agree more with The Sun's editorial regarding Gov. Martin O'Malley and corruption in the city jail ("Spinning corruption," May 1). Governor O'Malley is running for higher office and is not taking responsibility for the corrections system corruption that has been going on for decades. Heads should roll and replacements be made, rather than allowing the current "leadership" to fix the system that is broken and needs rebuilding. Allowing the current secretary to continue in office sends the message that a Band-Aid is being placed on cancer.

Gov. Martin O'Malley says the Netflix series "House of Cards" brought $140 million into the state's economy ("'Cards' a good deal, Md. Says," April 30). Where have we heard this before? In 2010 the Detroit Free Press reported that "Michigan's bid to become a Midwest center of movie production is to get a huge boost Tuesday with the announcement of a Hollywood film production studio and talent agency opening shop in Pontiac. Motown Motion Picture Studios, a new company, will open a $54-million, 600,000-square-foot studio and production facility at General Motors Corp.'s former Centerpoint truck plant and office complex in Pontiac, said Gov. Jennifer Granholm's spokeswoman Liz Boyd.

President Barack Obama has named an Annapolis man to head the multibillion-dollar grant program through which the Federal Emergency Management Agency helps local governments prepare for disasters. Brian Kamoie, 41, will oversee a vast portfolio of federal grants used by states and cities to prevent and respond to terrorism and other disasters, the White House said. Kamoie was most recently senior director for preparedness policy on the White House national security staff. Kamoie takes control of the FEMA grant program as the Obama administration pursues a controversial consolidation of $2 billion in preparedness funding it says will streamline a system that grew unwieldy following the attacks of Sept.

The Rocky Gap Casino Resort hopes to open its doors for gaming in three weeks. In the meantime, the resort said today it's holding an open house this Saturday to offer customers - and the merely curious - a glimpse of the resort's upgrades The open house, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will allow the resort to show off its new hotel lobby and room renovations. Guests will be permitted to sign up for a loyalty program that will offer players points for frequent play on slots or table games.

Mid-Atlantic Fine Furnishings Show Rug maker Michael Heilman will highlight the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Fine Furnishings Show , which will take place at Maryland State Fairgrounds on May 3-5. Heilman will use handheld rug-making tools dating from 1870 to 1970 during his demonstration. Tools from the “Blue Nose Rug Hooker” to the “Rumpelstiltskin Hand Speed Needle” will be used while Heilman creates new rugs. The event promises to be both educational and entertaining. Attend the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Fine Furnishings Show, May 3 - 5 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.