Maryland Commission

Maryland has become the ninth state to make testing for the AIDS virus mandatory for professional fighters and kick-boxers licensed by the state.The Maryland State Athletic Commission, headed by chairman D. Chester O'Sullivan, voted unanimously Thursday night to require annual blood tests for AIDS and highly contagious Hepatitis B no more than 30 days before a first-time licensee or a boxer seeking a license renewal will be allowed to fight within the...

Last April, The New York Times reported on a startling spike in the deaths of horses running at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. The investigation found widespread use of drugs to prop up horses that were worn out, broken down or otherwise unfit for the contests in which they were entered, contributing to a 100 percent increase in the horse fatality rate in the first few months of the year. Why were horse owners suddenly taking those kinds of risks? The answer was simple: money. A slot machine gambling parlor opened at Aqueduct in late 2011, subsidizing a massive increase in the purses paid to winning horses and creating financial incentives for owners to take advantage of a lax regulatory structure.

Burdette C. "Bud" Terry, former executive director of the Maryland Commission on Physical Fitness and owner of Mr. Bud's Fit by Five Inc., died of pancreatitis June 29 at St. Agnes HealthCare. He was 67 and lived in Arbutus. Mr. Terry was born in Celeron, N.Y., and raised in Erie and Warren, Pa. He earned a bachelor's degree in health education from Slippery Rock State Teachers College in 1956. From 1957 to 1967, he worked for the YMCA in Pennsylvania. He later was associate physical director at the YMCA in Washington until being named executive director of the Maryland Commission on Physical Fitness in 1968.

Minutes before Tuesday's meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission, officials representing tracks and horsemen from throughout the state staked out space in a darkened lounge at Laurel Park. They shuffled through paperwork, then wrote quickly on the last page of the document and passed it to the next person in line. This was not a discreet ceremonial signing of the 10-year racing deal meant to bring stability to an industry that has repeatedly relied on government help. That deal, announced Friday, was already in place and was the subject of resounding praise.

The Maryland Public Service Commission's recent decision to charge customers for a 1989 breakdown of Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.'s Crane power plant suggests that it is more understanding of utilities' excuses than of consumer interests.The money involved in this case is small, less than $1 for each customer. The implications of the decision, however, could mean significant charges for consumers in future PSC verdicts.The commission, and its hearing examiner, found BG&E "management action" was responsible for the three-month outage of the Crane generator.

A former state public affairs official and the director of a program development center for the National Council of Negro Women have been named to head the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture.Carroll H. Hynson Jr. of Arnold, retired public affairs director for the Maryland State Lottery and formerly with the State Aviation Administration and the old Provident Hospital, was chosen as chairman.Mitchellville resident Lucenia W. Dunn, national director of the Bethune Program Development Center of the women's council, will be vice chairwoman of the commission.

In yesterday's editions of The Sun, Ronnie Smuck wa identified incorrectly as a co-promoter of an unsanctioned boxing show that had been scheduled at Tiffany East in June. John DiRossi was the sole director of the event, which was enjoined by the Maryland State Athletic Commission. Mr. DiRossi, who said the show would benefit the United Society of the Handicapped, raised $500 for Easter Seals through the advance sale of tickets for the non-sanctioned card.The Sun regrets the errors.Baltimore welterweight Eddie Van Kirk has been suspendefor a year by the Maryland State Athletic Commission.

One student, who is gay, dropped out of school because of sexual harassment. Another had condoms taped to her locker.Both shared their stories with a group of educators, state officials, students and parents recently in Bel Air in an effort to increase awareness of sexual harassment in Maryland schools.In conjunction with the American Association of University Women, organizers from three agencies -- the Maryland Department of Education, the Maryland Commission on Human Relations and the Maryland Commission for Women -- said they were responding to surveys and national and statewide incidents of sexual harassment.

Westminster resident Naomi Benzil, a member of the Maryland Commission for Women since the fall, is eager to increase participation in the advocacy group in Carroll County and elsewhere. "Lots of people say why have a commission for women," said Benzil, who was appointed by Gov. Parris N. Glendening to a four-year term. "For those who wonder, I share this philosophy: when the concerns for women are positively addressed, the result is that family life and the economic wellbeing of entire community benefit."

Anne Carey Boucher, former chairwoman of the Maryland Commission on the Status of Women and member of Morgan State University's board of regents, died in her sleep of undetermined causes Friday at her Towson home. She was 66 and had lived for many years in Cockeysville. She and her husband, Greater Baltimore Committee Director William Boucher III, were recalled yesterday as an "inseparable civic team" who promoted the rebirth of downtown Baltimore. Mr. Boucher, who died in 1995, headed the civic group for 26 years.

Maryland's casinos will be allowed to open 24 hours a day under new regulations approved Thursday by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission that also relaxed limits on ATMs and lending to gamblers in the facilities. With the advent of full-scale casino gambling in Maryland after voters approved table games in the November election, the commission is updating the regulatory regime and relaxing some restrictions. The changes also added new rules, including some governing junkets that casinos provide to high-rolling gamblers.

Maryland said today that it has formed a commission that, among other tasks, will recommend which of seven athletic teams - eliminated in budget cuts last June 30 - may be reinstated. The commission will be headed by Barry Gossett, a regent and top donor, and Linda Clement, vice president for student affairs. In 2011, Gossett and Clement were co-chairs of the commission that recommended that eight of the university's 27 teams be discontinued because of severe, longstanding budget issues.

The Maryland Racing Commission set a Nov. 30 deadline for the completion of what could be an unprecedented 10-year deal to outline the future of horse racing in the state . It will come and go without signatures on the contract. "I wouldn't read anything negative into that," said Alan Foreman, lawyer for the state's horsemen. There's no impasse, he said, on any significant part of the agreement. Mike Hopkins, executive director of the racing commission, said he has spoken to members of the board, including chairman Bruce Quade, and they are satisfied with the progress made so far. They expect a deal to be finalized before their final meeting of the year on Dec. 18. Tom Chuckas of the Maryland Jockey Club, owner of Laurel and Pimlico, struck the most measured tone saying "when it is appropriate, we will make an announcement.

After a vigorous discussion, the Maryland Racing Commission approved the first raise in 12 years for losing jockeys during Tuesday's regular monthly meeting at Laurel Park. All losing riders -- those who finish out of the top 3 spots in a race -- will now make $75 per mount instead of a sliding scale that started at $45. The commission debated whether $75 was a large enough increase but passed the raise with an amendment requiring the board to reassess the amount of the raise, based on available funding numbers six to 12 months after it goes into effect Jan. 1. The $75 plan was proposed by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association by unanimous approval of its board.

Secretariat wins again. More than 39 years after the super horse won the Preakness on his way to a Triple Crown, the Maryland Racing Commission ruled Tuesday that he had set what was then a track and is still a race record, covering the mile-and-three-sixteenths in 1:53. Secretariat now holds the race record in all three Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont) events. "It's nice to finally have this recognized, because the sport depends on accuracy," said Secretariat owner Penny Chenery, who helped pushed for the adjustment.

It's time for someone to say it aloud. As a member of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights for more than a decade and its chairman for much of that time, I'm willing to take the risk of being misunderstood. African-Americans are no longer the principal targets of discrimination. Notice I said "discrimination," not prejudice. In the universe of laws to enforce equal opportunity, discrimination is easy to allege but difficult to prove. And prejudice doesn't exactly matter. Corporate America and a good many small organizations have learned how to fire employees without violating anti-discrimination statutes.

The owner of a Maryland chain of education supply stores has agreed to pay $16,000 to a Muslim former employee who complained that she was fired shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks because of her religious beliefs. As part of the settlement, which followed an investigation by the State of Maryland Commission on Human Relations, the owner of Learning How also sent an apology to the fired worker, Shabana Ahmed, and agreed to send his managers to cultural and religious awareness training. Ahmed, 27, worked as a saleswoman at the company's Columbia store for several weeks in October 2001.

Annapolis. Maryland's needs for the long-term -- in education, in transportation and the infrastructure -- are undeniable. Marylanders at every income level have indicated a willingness to invest more money to improve the quality of education throughout the state. There is equally strong evidence that many of these same citizens understand the need to invest in long-term improvements to Maryland's transportation system, infrastructure and capacity to deliver essential services such as public health and public safety.

Risselle "Rikki" Fleisher, a former general counsel to the Maryland Commission on Human Relations who was a legal advocate in civil rights cases, died Tuesday of breast cancer at Stella Maris Hospice. The Bethany Beach, Del., resident was 77. "She wanted to right any wrong," said former Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. "She was a caring person who grew up at a time when things were happening that never should have. She worked to change that. " Born Risselle Rosenthal in Baltimore and raised on Mohawk Avenue, she was a 1953 graduate of Forest Park High School, where she was a three-letter athlete, her yearbook's features editor and homeroom class president.

A day after the lack of oversight at Maryland race tracks came to light in a hearing before the Maryland Racing Commission at Pimlico Race Course , the commission's executive director, Mike Hopkins, said steps are already being taken to improve the situation. One of the biggest issues in the hearing that resulted in upholding the disqualification of the Rick Dutrow Jr.-trained King and Crusader from the Dec. 17 Maryland Juvenile Championship at Laurel Park was the disregard for a regulation mandating slips for each horse being treated before a race to be reviewed by the stewards or their representatives within an hour of each race.