NEWS
By Julie Bykowicz | September 30, 2009
The Maryland Department of Human Resources' new effort to place children in family settings rather than in group homes when their parents can't care for them "is not working," a state lawmaker said at a hearing Tuesday. Sen. Joan Carter Conway, chairwoman of the Senate committee that oversees social services, also accused Human Resources Secretary Brenda Donald of unfairly putting private group home providers out of business. Conway called Donald to Annapolis to answer questions about her Place Matters strategy, which has resulted in the closings of dozens of group homes.
NEWS
August 19, 2009
Driver is arrested for fleeing after hitting Essex pedestrian Baltimore County police arrested the driver of a Jeep who sped off after hitting a pedestrian Tuesday in Essex. Police made the arrest shortly after the man hit a person attempting to cross Eastern Boulevard at the intersection of Wiltshire Road about 12:30 p.m. The pedestrian was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Police have not released identifications of the pedestrian or the driver. - Brent Jones Shooting caught on cameras leads to woman's conviction Officers monitoring Citiwatch surveillance cameras caught a 2007 shooting as it happened, leading Baltimore police to nab the shooter - 28-year-old Keah Wooden - within minutes after she fired the gun. The city State's Attorney's Office released the video footage Tuesday, saying it led to Wooden's conviction last week in Circuit Court on assault, handgun and reckless endangerment charges.
NEWS
June 25, 2009
The stories were horrifying and heart-wrenching: a boy beaten bloody while in foster care; a 15-year-old girl tortured and starved to death by a mentally ill guardian; a 5-year-old fatally scalded by his mother after state officials removed him from a safe foster home. It's no wonder such egregious cases of abuse and neglect have helped drive a 25-year-old lawsuit over how the Maryland Department of Human Resources and the Baltimore Department of Social Services care for the state's most vulnerable children and adolescents.
NEWS
By Julie Bykowicz | May 16, 2009
Maryland agencies that have already undergone several rounds of belt-tightening will have to get even leaner. State Budget Secretary T. Eloise Foster distributed a memo Friday asking department heads to take another look at next year's budget with an eye toward more program cuts. The memo was prompted by this week's announcement that, amid a national economic downturn, revenues through the end of April fell $200 million short of what the state anticipated. Agency leaders - from Public Safety to Human Resources to Environment - have until June 5 to "itemize and discuss ... reduction proposals" and single out three programs each that "do not deliver critical services."
NEWS
By Julie Bykowicz | May 12, 2009
Miracyle Thompson, a pregnant Baltimore County mother of two little boys who have sickle cell disease, was skipping meals and battling with angry doctors over unpaid bills. Her husband's sales job wasn't bringing in enough money to support the growing family. Seeking help, she applied in February for state food and medical assistance. Federal law requires that those emergency benefits be approved within 30 days. A month ticked by, and then a letter from the state Department of Human Resources arrived: "An agency delay has occurred beyond our control."
NEWS
By Frederick N. Rasmussen | May 8, 2009
Joan H. Williams, a retired hospital human relations executive and Parkville resident, died of lung cancer April 30 at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. She was 68. Joan Hoskins was born and raised in Chester, Pa. After graduating from Chester High School, she earned a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1963. Mrs. Williams, who also held a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University, began her career working in the personnel department for the city of Philadelphia.
NEWS
By J. Peter Sabonis | February 13, 2009
For a massive infusion of government aid to the needy to stimulate the economy, it is necessary for such aid to actually be delivered. Unfortunately, in Maryland, this is not a given. After the stimulus is approved, federal government transfers such as food stamps, unemployment insurance and health care likely will increase. But it takes state employees to process and deliver that aid. And in this state, recent history shows that human services personnel are expendable. Gov. Martin O'Malley's fiscal 2010 budget pares 1,875 state jobs with a broad sweep that includes all agencies, but the state departments of Human Resources and Health and Mental Hygiene will suffer more than the others.
NEWS
By Hanah Cho | February 7, 2009
The nation's unemployment rate climbed to a 16-year high last month, according to government figures released yesterday, and the pain of the recession is spreading to those fortunate enough to remain employed. U.S. employers shed 598,000 jobs in January, driving the unemployment rate up to 7.6 percent from December's 7.2 percent, the Labor Department said yesterday. January's worse-than-expected losses cut across nearly all industries, except for private education and health care, and economists expect more people will lose their jobs even as lawmakers work on a $900 billion economic stimulus package.
NEWS
December 28, 2008
HAR-CO names Lisa Taylor HR manager HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit Union has named Lisa Taylor its human resources manager/compliance officer. She has more than 10 years experience in human resources in the service industry. Her responsibilities will include staff recruitment and training, benefits administration, policy development, compliance and employee relations. She will work out of HAR-CO's Bel Air headquarters. Maritime Museum The Havre de Grace Maritime Museum's What Knots gift shop offers a variety of items for the holidays and special occasions year-round.
NEWS
By KATHLEEN PARKER | August 15, 2008
Even as China's opening ceremonies for the Olympics inspired awe, there was something repellent in the exactitude of such mass perfection. The military precision of 2,008 drummers moving in perfect synchronicity, pounding out the sound of a billion hearts beating, was both mesmerizing and slightly creepy. If they can do that, what else can this giant power do with a limitless supply of human resources and dedicated discipline? Inevitably, comparisons have been drawn to the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany.