Incentive Program

The Maryland Racing Commission passed a revised incentive program Tuesday meant to persuade thoroughbred breeders to operate in the state and owners of those horses to run on its tracks, but might have shattered the harmony achieved among the sports' stakeholders in recent months. Breeders, who have pushed for a stronger program to reward Maryland horses, hailed the new measure as the final step in rejuvenating the state's horse racing industry. Purses at Maryland tracks have been bolstered by slots revenue - rising from about $160,000 a day to nearly $300,000 since casinos began operating in 2010 - and are again competitive with those in nearby states that legalized gambling earlier.

The Maryland Racing Commission passed a revised incentive program Tuesday meant to persuade thoroughbred breeders to operate in the state and owners of those horses to run on its tracks, but might have shattered the harmony achieved among the sports' stakeholders in recent months. Breeders, who have pushed for a stronger program to reward Maryland horses, hailed the new measure as the final step in rejuvenating the state's horse racing industry. Purses at Maryland tracks have been bolstered by slots revenue - rising from about $160,000 a day to nearly $300,000 since casinos began operating in 2010 - and are again competitive with those in nearby states that legalized gambling earlier.

Despite questions about a 1989 agreement with the county, about 95 farmers will be eligible for thousands of dollars' worth of bonuses for putting their land into the state's Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.The Carroll County Commissioners voted yesterday to honor the agreement, which rewards those who preserve their land by paying them a percentage of the value of the development rights, in addition to money they receive from the state for entering the program. The agreement could cost the county up to $1.05 million.

Baltimore Ravens player Torrey Smith couldn't stop smiling when he entered Linton Springs Elementary School's gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Greeted with thundering cheers from a sea of purple, the wide receiver was there to kick off the school's Project ACES (Active Children Excel in School) initiative - a program partnered with the NFL's Play 60 Challenge - to fight childhood obesity with 60 minutes of daily exercise and healthy eating. "All that purple is nice," Smith said, greeting the crowd.

Despite questions about a 1989 agreement with the county, about 95 farmers will be eligible for thousands of dollars' worth of bonuses for putting their land into the state's agricultural land preservation program.The Carroll County Commissioners voted yesterday to honor the agreement, which rewards those who preserve their land by paying them a percentage of the value of the development rights, in addition to money they receive from the state for entering the program. The agreement could cost the county up to $1.05 million.

The Bowie Baysox' annual reading incentive program - which gave out about 30,000 minor league baseball tickets last year to children in 10 school systems - is under way again. The "Read and Hit a Home Run" program, in its sixth year, gives children the chance to win two free tickets each by reading four books outside of their regular classroom assignments and submitting one-paragraph summaries of those books to their teachers. It also includes a bookmark contest. The reading program began in Prince George's County and last year included pupils from that county, as well as from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's and Montgomery counties; Baltimore City; and Fairfax County, Va. A key element of the program is the selection of a pupil-designed bookmark with a baseball theme, which will be reproduced and distributed to thousands of children at participating schools.

Baltimore Ravens player Torrey Smith couldn't stop smiling when he entered Linton Springs Elementary School's gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Greeted with thundering cheers from a sea of purple, the wide receiver was there to kick off the school's Project ACES (Active Children Excel in School) initiative - a program partnered with the NFL's Play 60 Challenge - to fight childhood obesity with 60 minutes of daily exercise and healthy eating. "All that purple is nice," Smith said, greeting the crowd.

For 30 years, the University of Pennsylvania has guaranteed mortgages to employees who buy homes near the university in West Philadelphia.Now, community leaders in Southeast Baltimore have begun a similar "Live Near Your Work" campaign to persuade local employers to offer financial incentives to workers who buy houses near their work.The program, designed to increase homeownership and stabilize several struggling Southeast Baltimore neighborhoods, got its start with a conference Friday at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

In an effort to improve the quality of life in Baltimore, Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson III yesterday unveiled a 10-point plan designed to increase homeownership in the city.The initiative -- which includes some existing programs -- provides grants, tax breaks and other incentives to city employees and others to bolster home sales among all income groups in all areas of the city, Henson said. It also seeks to entice those not living in Baltimore to become city dwellers."Homeownership is the lifeblood of a city," Henson said.

Harford County Transit hopes to take advantage of a state tax incentive program for commuters to boost ridership. The Maryland Transit Administration offers a tax credit, known as the commuter choice program, for those who leave the car at home and join a van pool or ride the bus or the rails for their daily trek to work. Participating companies make passes or vouchers available to their employees, who can save as much as $2,000 annually on the cost of getting to work. The program allows businesses a tax credit on the cost of providing commuter benefits of up to $50 per month for each employee.

New-car sales registered in Maryland last month reached 25,251, several hundred less than a year earlier despite the wildly popular "Cash for Clunkers" program, according to figures from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Yet some dealers say they are happy with the clunker program, especially now that the government is finally reimbursing them for cash incentives they gave upfront to buyers. "It worked very well. We sold 20 percent more cars than we did the year before," said Ed Dreiband, president of Northwest Honda and Northwest BMW in Owings Mills.

Car dealers and manufacturers said the federal "Cash for Clunkers" program did its job in giving a much-needed boost to the struggling industry, but now they're bracing to see how long-lasting the effects will be. The program, which gave consumers as much as $4,500 to junk their inefficient vehicles for new models, ended at 8 p.m Monday with the Department of Transportation estimating that 700,000 to 800,000 vehicles sold under the program in just a...

It took just more than a week for American consumers to scoop up the $1 billion the federal government devoted to its "cash for clunkers" program as the incentive created a frenzy at the nation's car dealerships the like they haven't seen for years. The House of Representatives voted quickly last week to extend the program by transferring another $2 billion from another part of the federal stimulus program, and the Senate should follow suit. This program is exactly the kind of thing the stimulus should be made of because it accomplishes multiple goals with one investment.

Harford County Transit hopes to take advantage of a state tax incentive program for commuters to boost ridership. The Maryland Transit Administration offers a tax credit, known as the commuter choice program, for those who leave the car at home and join a van pool or ride the bus or the rails for their daily trek to work. Participating companies make passes or vouchers available to their employees, who can save as much as $2,000 annually on the cost of getting to work. The program allows businesses a tax credit on the cost of providing commuter benefits of up to $50 per month for each employee.

A plan to pay Baltimore high school students to improve test scores has caused a split on the school board and drawn the sharpest criticism that Andres Alonso has faced in his first half-year as city schools chief. Mayor Sheila Dixon came out in opposition to the plan yesterday morning, only to change her mind in the afternoon after speaking by phone with Alonso. Alonso said he expected to take heat for his decision to spend nearly $1 million to pay struggling students up to $110 each for improving their performance on the state graduation exams.

The Glenwood library, 2350 Route 97, Cooksville, will offer a Dungeons and Dragons program for teens ages 13 and older from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow. The role-playing game will be led by experienced Dungeon Master Peter Alexander. Registration is required. The library's Mother-Daughter Book Club, for daughters ages 11 to 17 and their mothers, will discuss London Calling,by Edward Bloor, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Refreshments will be provided. Copies of the books are available at the branch.

Are you looking to buy a house in Northwest Baltimore? Do you work for the city?Then Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson III wants to talk to you.The housing chief is accepting applications for a home-buying incentive program that offers grants and low-interest loans to teachers, police officers and firefighters who buy their first homes in Ashburton, East Arlington or Callaway-Garrison, communities of large frame houses and brick rowhouses.Prices in those neighborhoods, where about 40 homes are on the market, range from $75,000 to $125,000, Henson said.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court re-entered the debate over affirmative action yesterday, agreeing to consider whether a federal program designed to help minority-owned businesses violates the Constitution. The court's action puts the spotlight once again on a federal highway program that gives incentives to contractors who parcel out work to businesses run by racial minorities and women. And depending on how the justices rule, it could have widespread implications for other race-based preferences at the state and federal level.

With just days to go before the start of the new school year, Baltimore's school administrators are boasting a nearly full roster of teachers. After a summerlong hiring push -- bolstered, officials say, by a new incentives program -- the city school system has 1,000 new teachers on board and 35 vacancies. Last year at this time, the school system was struggling to fill 150 openings. "It's the most teachers we've ever hired," Charlene Cooper Boston, the system's interim chief executive officer, said yesterday at a back-to-school event at Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School in Northeast Baltimore.

Perched in a hairstyling chair, curlers and combs running through her dark tresses to form two sculpted braids, Brehms Lane Elementary School fifth-grader Miranda Maye was enjoying the fruits of classroom success. Enjoying a complimentary hairstyling session at Diamonds and Divas salon on Belair Road, Miranda was the latest pupil at the Northeast Baltimore school to cash in on an unconventional academic incentive called Smart is Beautiful. Salon owner Cherie Smith started the program last fall to reward a fifth-grader each month at the neighborhood school to encourage academic achievement.