Maryland Counties

Jose Soto doesn't pay attention to politics in Frederick County. He's new to town and spends much of his time working at an apple-processing plant in Pennsylvania. But he heard something a few weeks ago about the county making English its official language. "I think it's a little racist," Soto said as he stopped by a Latino grocery store in Frederick before heading to work one afternoon last week. The 32-year-old was born in Guatemala and emigrated to Los Angeles as a child. Last month, the county became the first in Maryland to declare English its official language, though supporters of the measure acknowledge the move was largely symbolic because county business is done in English now. Anne Arundel and Queen Anne's counties are considering similar laws as well — part of a nationwide movement that supporters tout as a way to help immigrants assimilate.

Trying to make sense of the Obama administration denying federal relief to Maryland for the flooding and other damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and I'm coming up dry. No one besides maybe Grover Norquist would have beefed had Maryland picked up a few million bucks to help some homeowners in the Eastern Shore counties of Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester. There are, however, howls about the denial. The damage was limited here, but it was concentrated and significant, certainly enough to justify some help.

On a map of Maryland, using a ruler, draw a straight line from Wheaton to the point where Interstate 83 crosses into Pennsylvania. Then draw a second line from Wheaton to Annapolis and a third line from Annapolis to, again, the point where I-83 enters Pennsylvania.What emerges is a pyramid, which conveniently locates the seat of political power in Maryland. The state is comprised of 24 political subdivisions -- Baltimore City and 23 counties. If any part of a political subdivision is traversed by one of the lines forming the pyramid, the subdivision, generally as a whole, is a component of the seat of power.

A nor'easter storm was billed as Maryland's first potential snow event of the season, but if any flakes fell, they were only in flurries, according to National Weather Service reports. No reports of snow were posted by the weather service's Baltimore/Washington forecast office. Forecasters there  said Wednesday the storm tracked slightly too far east  to affect central Maryland, and with a narrow band of precipitation to its west. The weather service's Mount Holly, N.J., office, which covers the Philadelphia area including northern Eastern Shore counties in Maryland,  reported anywhere from a trace of snow to a foot  of it. Traces were measured just over the Maryland/Delaware border in Bear, Del., and further up Interstate 95 in Wilmington, Del. But no snow was reported in any Maryland counties.

Trying to make sense of the Obama administration denying federal relief to Maryland for the flooding and other damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and I'm coming up dry. No one besides maybe Grover Norquist would have beefed had Maryland picked up a few million bucks to help some homeowners in the Eastern Shore counties of Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester. There are, however, howls about the denial. The damage was limited here, but it was concentrated and significant, certainly enough to justify some help.

Faced with unprecedented hardships from the worst drought in three decades, Maryland farmers are petitioning for federal assistance to pay for livestock feed.C. William Knill of Mount Airy, president of the Maryland Farm Bureau, has written to Dan Glickman, U.S. secretary of agriculture, asking for federal emergency funds to assist farmers coping with soaring feed prices and facing unprecedented hardships this winter."For many, this is the last hope," said Knill, who wrote the letter Monday.

Most of Maryland's counties are planning to make up for budget shortcomings by cutting their spending, according to a new report.The National Association of Counties' "County Government Budget Shortfall Report," just released, claims that three-fourths Maryland's counties fell short of their proposed budgets in fiscal year 1991. The report says that of those counties, exactly half will close the budgetary gap by cutting spending.The association, which studied budget problems in 443 of the nation's largest counties, said that the other half of Maryland's counties experiencing budgetary problems planned to create revenue as well as cut spending to "offset the imbalance."

WASHINGTON -- The recession has hit Baltimore and Maryland counties harder than it has many local governments elsewhere, according to a survey by the National Association of Counties.The survey found that local governments, and their citizens, have fared worse in those states where local budgets are funded to a considerable extent by taxes closely tied to local economies. Maryland counties have suffered because of their reliance on income taxes and taxes based on real estate transactions, an association researcher said.

Manchester woman joins Md. Farm Bureau staffManchester resident Laura Kaminski has joined the Maryland Farm Bureau staff as a field representative for the Western Maryland District.She will work the nine Western Maryland counties.She is a 1993 graduate of Villa Julie College, with a bachelor of science degree in paralegal studies.Ms. Kaminski previously was an administrative assistant with a realty company and human resources assistant with the Maryland Port Administration.She is a partner in K&K Business Services, a temporary employment firm providing office duties and cleaning services.

County Executive John G. Gary announced yesterday that he has hired Anne Arundel's first Washington lobbyist to help find grant money to boost an assortment of county programs.Waterman & Associates won a one-year contract worth $96,000 after bidding that attracted 14 other firms.The company also will work for the county Board of Education and Anne Arundel Community College.By hiring Waterman & Associates, Anne Arundel joins Prince George's and Montgomery as the only Maryland counties with lobbyists in Washington.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" is selling millions of copies around the world, but it's been banned from libraries of Harford County, Maryland. E.L. James' trilogy , which has been dubbed "mommy porn," for its S&M scenes, is too hot for the county, a typical exurban community along Interstate 95 about a half-hour northeast of Baltimore. In an email to The Aegis newspaper, materials management administrator Jennifer Ralston wrote:  "In the case of '50 Shades of Grey,' we read mainstream reviews that characterized the content as pornography.

The frost advisory for several Maryland counties was canceled overnight by the National Weather Service. Clouds over the area prevented the frost from forming, the service reports. So far today, temperatures reached 50 degrees at the Inner Harbor with a forecasted high near 59. Rain is possible after 4 p.m. Saturday is expected to be mostly cloudy with a calm wind. The frost advisory had been in effect for norther Baltimore, Howard and Harford counties. A freeze was possible for Frederick and Carroll counties, forecaster had predicted.

Editor:  The 2012 Session of the Maryland General Assembly came to a strange close Monday night. Ongoing disagreements and dysfunction among the House and Senate leadership produced a stalemate regarding three legislative bills. Although the House and Senate passed an Operating Budget, the accompanying revenue bills were not agreed to with a pending gaming bill in the mix. This dysfunction provided a short reprieve for Maryland taxpayers and Maryland counties. The tax revenue bill on the floor of both houses would have increased personal income taxes for families making over $100,000.

Maryland counties will face a loss of tax revenue if they fail to keep up their required levels of education spending under a deal agreed to by the Maryland House and Senate. The House Ways and Means Committee decided last night to accept the Senate version of a bill to enforce what is known as the state's "maintenance of effort" rule -- essentially a requirement that counties keep up their education spending to match increases in state aid. The vote in the panel was 12-5, along party lines, an indication the bill will have little difficulty passing in the full House.

Jose Soto doesn't pay attention to politics in Frederick County. He's new to town and spends much of his time working at an apple-processing plant in Pennsylvania. But he heard something a few weeks ago about the county making English its official language. "I think it's a little racist," Soto said as he stopped by a Latino grocery store in Frederick before heading to work one afternoon last week. The 32-year-old was born in Guatemala and emigrated to Los Angeles as a child. Last month, the county became the first in Maryland to declare English its official language, though supporters of the measure acknowledge the move was largely symbolic because county business is done in English now. Anne Arundel and Queen Anne's counties are considering similar laws as well — part of a nationwide movement that supporters tout as a way to help immigrants assimilate.

One of the great ironies of education reform in Maryland is that for all the standardization and testing directed at the classroom, the one place where there's no clear-cut formula for success is how school boards should be selected. Some boards are elected by voters (with candidates running at-large or by district), some are appointed (or appointed and then affirmed by vote) while others are hybrids of the two. There are arguments for and against various approaches, and the fact that so many of Maryland's public schools and school systems are well-regarded nationally (regardless of their governance structure)

WASHINGTON -- Maryland counties are suffering more from the recession than the counties of most states, according to a survey by the National Association of Counties.The main reason is that in states like Maryland, where county budgets are funded in part by taxes that are closely tied to the local economy, counties more heavily feel the impact of any economic downturn, the report found. Baltimore and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George's counties were a part of the survey.

I love the Dickensian sound of it: the Orphans' Court. One hears the phrase delivered from the lips of Dame Judith Dench or Ian McKellen: "The Or- phans' Court. " It has existed in Maryland since 1777, and its name derives from London's Court for Widows and Orphans, where the children of deceased male landowners were considered orphans whose inheritance had to be protected. The Orphans' Court operates in Baltimore and all but two Maryland counties, and — news flash from the 18th Century!

Howard has become the first county in Maryland to completely ban smoking at its parks, but it will likely not be the last. "We will see counties all over the state doing this," County Executive Ken Ulman said following a news conference Wednesday at Centennial Park, where he signed the executive order that prohibits smoking at the county's 57 parks. Many other jurisdictions have already placed some restrictions on smokers outdoors, prohibiting smoking on playgrounds or athletic fields or during major events.

The black-and-white Polaroid photo shows a building tilting precipitously to the right. Above what appears to be a picture window, a curving line of type clearly spells out "The Old Gold Store. " But when Ted Serios snapped that shot on May 13, 1965, he was sitting inside a hotel room, and the camera was pointed directly at his face. More than 46 years later, there's no consensus as to whether what Serios described as a "thoughtograph" is an example of a genuine paranormal event, or if it ranks among history's most clever cons.