Increase

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexually transmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don't seek testing because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing. Public health officials nationally and in particularly affected cities like Baltimore, however, say they've found a method that seems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies free in-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reported STDs. "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

The 7,000 households in Carroll County that receive public water from Liberty Reservoir are expected to see a slight increase in the water and sewer bills. The county is expected to adopt the new rates as part of its budget on Tuesday, May 28, said Roberta Windham, a county spokeswoman. New rates would take effect July 1. Carroll County buys water from the Baltimore Department of Public Works, which announced Monday it will seek a 15 percent increase for city water and sewer customers.

It is well known that HPV (human papillomavirus) can lead to deadly cervical cancer in women, but the virus is causing cancer in men as well. Throat cancers caused by HPV are showing up typically in men with little or no history of smoking, said Dr. Kevin J. Cullen, an oncologist who specializes in treating head and neck cancers. Cullen, the director of the University of Maryland's Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, talks about the growing cases of HPV-related throat cancers.

Baltimore County residents served by the city's water system won't see a rate increase this year, county officials said Tuesday, despite a city proposal to impose a 15 percent increase. Baltimore City's Department of Public Works proposed the rate increase this week. The city and county have had a cost-sharing agreement for decades. But a county spokeswoman said budget officials have already determined that the county can absorb the increased cost without passing it on to county customers - even though they don't yet have specifics on how much the county might have to cover.

Doesn't anyone realize that in this dreadful economy and with the equally dreadful Obamacare looming, an increase in the minimum wage would result in even more unemployment? ("Labor official brings minimum-wage push to Baltimore," May 13.) Simple arithmetic shows that a small business that is currently struggling to meet payroll will simply fire enough employees to be able to give the others their governmentally mandated "raise. " That's the only way to keep their payroll within reason.

Howard County would squeeze through another lean revenue year with a proposed budget from County Executive Ken Ulman that does not raise tax rates, raises spending slightly and furloughs most employees for four days for the second year in a row. The general fund budget for fiscal 2011, which is the part paid for with county residents' taxes, would total $824.3 million, up from $820.2 million this fiscal year. That increase includes about $7 million more for schools mandated under Maryland's maintenance-of-effort law, which requires that education spending per student not decrease from the previous year.

Maryland's Senate is backing a bill that would require power companies to increase the amount of electricity they buy from solar sources. Senators voted 31-15 Friday in favor of the legislation after days of debate. The bill would also increase penalties for companies that fail to buy the required percentage of electricity from solar sources. Some senators argued that companies would pass on those penalties to consumers and that Marylanders can't afford even slightly higher electricity bills.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is seeking to raise its distribution rates, a move that would add about $22 to electric bills and $48 to gas bills annually for the average residential customer. The request, which must be approved by state regulators, would be the first increase in 17 years for electricity distribution rates, which make up a portion of utility bills. But with worldwide commodity prices taking a dive — leading to much lower utility bills overall in the next few years — consumers aren't likely to notice the increase.

After taking hits for two consecutive years, the state's pension system saw gains well beyond its expected rate of return last fiscal year, officials said. The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System's portfolio returned more than 14 percent on investments, exceeding the assumed 7.75 percent assumed rate of return, according to the agency. The gains raised the assets of the system to $31.8 billion. The portfolio had a rough few years, dropping 5.4 percent to $36.6 billion in fiscal 2008 and then more than 20 percent last year to $28.5 billion.

Crime in Maryland increased 3 percent during the first six months of 2001 compared with the comparable period in 2000, according to statistics compiled by the state police and announced this week. Most of the increase stemmed from a 24 percent rise in arson and a 13 percent rise in car thefts. But homicides, rapes and robberies also rose slightly. The Washington suburbs saw the greatest increase, 7.9 percent, while the Baltimore metropolitan region registered a 1 percent increase.

Customers of Baltimore's water system would see their water bills go up 15 percent - more than expected - under a proposal the Department of Public Works announced Monday. The projected rate hike follows years of increases and will bring a typical customer's annual bill to nearly $800, up from about $500 a decade ago, city officials said. Public works officials had previously said an increase of about 12 percent might be needed for the year that begins July 1. They said Monday the 15 percent increase is necessary to meet state and federal mandates, accelerate plans to replace aging water lines that frequently break and update meter and billing systems.

Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas said Saturday that the Preakness brand “has changed dramatically” in the last few years, citing an attendance bump in the infield celebration and increased security all around the racetrack.   “The crowd in the infield is up, and the wagers are coming in,” Chuckas said. “All in all, it's pretty much what we expected, and we'll continue to fine-tune it.”   Speaking with reporters just after the seventh race Saturday at Pimlico Race Cource, Chuckas acknowledged that the Jockey Club has sought to find a balance between catering to old-school horse racing fans and drawing in new crowds who could become racing enthusiasts.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. asked Friday for another rate increase, three months after winning approval for higher charges, and company officials said they expect to seek more in the future. It's the third time in as many years that BGE has requested higher distribution rates. If approved, the typical residential customer getting both electricity and gas would pay about $72 more a year for distribution. Company officials said they expect to ask for frequent rate increases as they seek reimbursement for more aggressive tree-trimming, infrastructure upgrades and other work aimed at improving service.

Doesn't anyone realize that in this dreadful economy and with the equally dreadful Obamacare looming, an increase in the minimum wage would result in even more unemployment? ("Labor official brings minimum-wage push to Baltimore," May 13.) Simple arithmetic shows that a small business that is currently struggling to meet payroll will simply fire enough employees to be able to give the others their governmentally mandated "raise. " That's the only way to keep their payroll within reason.

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.

Maryland's in-state undergraduates will pay a few hundred dollars more per semester this fall under a new tuition-and-fee plan approved Wednesday by the university system's Board of Regents. Out-of-state students will be hit a little harder, paying as much as $1,060 more, for example, at the University of Maryland, College Park. The plan marks the fourth year that tuition for resident undergraduates at most Maryland schools has gone up 3 percent — an increase characterized by university system officials as moderate and lower than many states.

Effective today, the penalty on unpaid parking citations in Baltimore will increase from $12 to $16 a month. The new increased fee is not retroactive. All penalties accrued up to yesterday will be assessed at $12 per month. Parking fines not paid within 15 days from the date of formal notice of the violation are subject to a peanalty each month the ticket remains unpaid. A City Council ordinance authorizing the increase was signed into law in March 1999

The Mount Airy Town Council last night increased annual water and sewer fees by $12 to cover the cost of federally mandated toxicity tests.The four council members present all voted for the measure. Councilman David W. Pyatt was absent. The council approved the increases as emergency measures."We need to generate $22,000 to cover the cost of these tests," said Council President R. Delaine Hobbs. "This [increase] should generate the funds necessary to keep the budget in line."With the increase, each household in the town will pay $2 more per quarter for sewer service and $1 more per quarter for water, Mr. Hobbs said.

The day after riding in the Kentucky Derby, Kevin Krigger packed his family and gear and headed for Pimlico Race Course - by way of Cincinnati. A woman there had captured his heart. She was Liliane Casey, 88, whose father, Jimmy Winkfield, was the last black jockey to win the Derby, or any Triple Crown race, in 1902. "I had to meet her," said Krigger, 29, who chatted with Casey in the living room of her apartment for nearly 2 1/2 hours. "We had a great time. She educated me as to what her father had gone through in racing.

Jerry Bailey can look back on a Hall of Fame jockey career that featured 5,892 victories but also the searing memory of 17 fractures, including a broken back, jaw and collarbone, and several busted ribs. Yet Bailey considers himself lucky. He never sustained an injury that kept him off the track more than several months. And unlike many jockeys, he could afford disability insurance designed to fill the gap between what riders need after life-altering accidents and what they receive from racetrack policies.