People In Maryland

Bank of America is not releasing details on how many Maryland workers are to be laid off in its job-cutting plan. The financial institutution, the largest in Maryland by deposits, said Monday that it planned to cut 30,000 jobs nationwide over several years. Bank of America says the move, along with other cost-cutting measures, will save $5 billion a year. The bank employs about 4,000 people in Maryland. It has not detailed the locations of any of the job cuts. hanah.cho@baltsun.com Text BUSINESS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Business text alerts

The heat has claimed two more people in Maryland, bringing the total to 12, according to state officials. One was a senior from Harford County who was found inside a building with the temperature exceeding 100 degrees. The second was an adult from Baltimore City, found in a residence where the temperature exceeded 95 degrees. Like most of the others who have succumbed to the heat, they both had heart disease or high blood pressure. Authorities are warning people with heart problems to consult their doctors on potentially altering their medications, particularly diuretics, and stay hydrated.

Comptroller William Donald Schaefer created a flap two years ago when he vented his frustration about fast-food workers who don't speak English well. Yesterday, he made a pitch for state Department of Education programs that help people learn the language. "It's startling to know that almost 800,000 people in Maryland don't have a high school diploma, and 20 percent of that number don't have the English skills to get one," Schaefer said in a news release. "The return from investing in programs to help people learn and speak English and get a high school diploma can make a real difference in people's lives."

We've got so many people in Maryland who have been waiting for former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to run again ("Ehrlich steps up for rematch," April 8). Gov. Martin O'Malley doesn't even understand the level of dissatisfaction with his liberal administration. Mr. O'Malley can be sure that this term is his last. He's done nothing for the people of Maryland. What Mr. O'Malley does do well is "kiss up" to President Obama. This country has had it with President Obama, and the state of Maryland has had it with Governor O'Malley.

Thirty-two people in Maryland have died because of extreme heat so far during 2011, according to a report released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Health authorities reported the same number of confirmed heat-related deaths in 2010. There were six deaths in 2009; 17 in 2008 and 21 in 2007. July was the hottest on record for Baltimore, with an average temperature of 81.7 degrees. Twenty-four days reached 90 degrees or more, a record for any July. Six of the first 10 days of August topped 90 at BWI, but the next 21 days did not. It was the longest stretch of sub-90 summer weather since 2009.

The state revoked yesterday the license of a Baltimore company operating group homes for the developmentally disabled, citing substandard care. Diane K. Coughlin, director of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, ordered Autumn Homes to cease operation by the end of next month. The company operates 14 group homes serving 32 people in Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. Its residents are among the most severely disabled people in Maryland, many of them profoundly retarded and unable to speak.

The flu continues to infect people in Maryland as state health officials described the intensity of the virus as high and widespread for the week ending January 19. But a report by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the flu activity appears to be hitting a plateau and beginning to trend downward. A total of 198 people were hospitalized for the week with flu-like symptoms and problems. About 59 percent, or 116 patients were older than age 65. No deaths were reported.

The pharmacy at the center of a fungal meningitis outbreak that has hit 19 states said Friday it has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Massachusetts. The New England Compounding Center also said it plans to establish a fund to compensate those affected by the outbreak. The outbreak has sickened 620 people and killed 39. In Maryland, 25 people have gotten ill and two have died. The outbreak is linked to three lots of a steroid injection used to treat back pain that clinics and medical facilities bought from New England Compounding Center.

Nashville-based HealthSpring Inc. said Tuesday it has finalized its planned $545 million cash acquisition of Bravo Health Inc., a Baltimore-based operator of Medicare Advantage health plans. The sale was funded by cash and debt through a revolving credit and new term loan facility, HealthSpring officials said. Jeffrey Folick, chairman and chief executive officer of Bravo Health since 2006, has joined HealthSpring's board of directors, the announcement said. HealthSpring owns and operates Medicare Advantage plans in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C., and also offers a national stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan.

Next weekend marks the sixth anniversary of Tropical Storm Isabel's deadly tromp across Central Maryland. The storm made landfall Sept. 18 near Ocracoke, N.C. with top winds of 105 mph. It quickly weakened. But Isabel's storm surge flooded the Chesapeake waterfront, including Baltimore, Annapolis and many bayshore communities. Seven people died in Maryland, and damages came to more than $1 billion.