Partnership

A consultant charged by city officials with exploring ways of keeping Baltimore's Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum open and making it self-sufficient is recommending that it be operated in partnership with the nearby B&O Railroad Museum. Under the proposal, visitors would pay admission and board vans at the B&O Museum, then be driven the half-mile to the Poe House, which they would tour in groups of 12 to 15. Part of the B&O Museum's gift shop would be dedicated to Poe-related merchandise.

The Harford County Education Association (HCEA) and Freedom Federal Credit Union have announced that HCEA has endorsed Freedom as a financial services and benefits provider for its 2,070 members, including the county's public school teachers and employees. "Freedom is very proud to have been chosen by Harford County Education Association (HCEA) as the credit union of choice for their member base of Harford County Public Schools educators," Rose Ann Lambert, president/CEO of Freedom, said.

Amid all the hoopla about the budget and gambling, some significant bills that had been held up until the last day began making progress through the General Assembly. Among the bills whose proponents were trying to beat the clock was the administration's effort to write new rules governing public-private partnerships (P3s) and a Senate-originated effort to put legislators' ethics disclosures on line. The House agreed to the Senate's decision to leave a controversial amendment off the P3 bill but made other changes that required the approval of both the House and Senate before midnight.

When the Orioles open their season Friday, it's a safe bet that while many in attendance will be rooting for the home team (and some for the visitors, alas), all will appreciate the venue. Oriole Park at Camden Yards has remained one of the great showplaces of Major League Baseball even 20 years after its first opening day game. Yet even today, some naysayers still question whether the public investment in Camden Yards was worthwhile. Economists point out that the direct financial return on stadiums is not particularly good - a criticism heard two decades ago, as well, by the way - and that some alternative public investment of $110 million might have served downtown better.

One week after Maryland received a D- for corruption risk on a national report, legislators are poised to cement crony capitalism into the state code. Allegedly designed to expedite major developments and create jobs, legislation supported by Gov.Martin O'Malleyoutlining rules for public-private partnerships passed the House on Monday. The amendments in HB 576 - which give public-private partnerships special legal status, and do it retroactively - show this legislation is about one project near and dear to the O'Malley administration: State Center.

Pot holes are not liberal or conservative. Nor are bridges, sewer lines, roads, airports or tunnels. They are our infrastructure. And much of it is deteriorating, in Maryland and across the nation. There is simply not enough money. At least, not enough public money. And so, most state governments simply put off the new construction and slow down the maintenance. This is what happened with the state's two crumbling travel plazas along Interstate 95. What to do? A recent example of a creative solution to the state's infrastructure problem is instructive.

Ten-year-old Juliana Carver loves to swim. Unfortunately, between chemotherapy treatments, medications and routine hospital visits, Juliana doesn't always have the time or energy to be in the water. "Her 'Make a Wish' wish when she first got cancer was a pool," her father said. John Carver describes his daughter as a "fish in the water. " Now, at the end of her second battle with a rare form of muscle cancer, she'll be spending a lot more time with other young swimmers. On Tuesday, Juliana became part of a Carroll County swim team that practices near her home in Hampstead.

Temperatures climbed into the 50s and gentle winds buffeted those who had gathered outside Mount Clare Mansion to celebrate its reopening and affiliation with the B&O Railroad Museum. While bystanders waited for the official ribbon-cutting ceremonies to begin last week, they reveled in the spectacular view of Baltimore from atop the gently sloping hill where Mount Clare, built in 1760, stands overlooking Southwest Baltimore's Carroll Park. The Monumental City Fife and Drum Corps, dressed in colorful period costumes and wearing tricorn hats, serenaded those waiting with a selection of peppy 18th- and 19th-century airs.

St. Joseph Medical Center has narrowed its search for a strategic partner to three, the hospital said Wednesday. The troubled hospital did not identify the finalists, but several sources with knowledge of the process confirmed that the potential buyers are LifeBridge Health, which owns Sinai and Northwest hospitals; Ascension Health, which owns St. Agnes Hospital; and the University of Maryland Medical System. "The St. Joseph Medical Center Board met Jan. 19 and narrowed the number of potential strategic partners to three for the next round of discussions," reads a statement from St. Joseph.

Gilman star Cyrus Jones is one of 53 seniors chosen for PARADE Magazine's 49th annual All-America High School Football Team, which will be published Sunday. In partnership with Sporting News, PARADE editors picked a team a players "whose on-the-field performances represent the best of high school football. " The list of previous PARADE All-Americans includes the likes of Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, John Elway, Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow.