Rohrbaugh

The Maryland State Prosecutor Tuesday released a scathing memo supporting the plea deal that will lead Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon to resign this week, calling her attitude "unrepentant" and "laughable." The three-page memo blasted her for failing to show any public contrition after a jury in December found her guilty of embezzling roughly $500 worth of retail gift cards. Dixon in January also pleaded guilty to one count of perjury. "It seems Ms. Dixon's unrepentant position is that the people of Baltimore should be willing to tolerate some corruption from their political leaders," wrote State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh.

WESTMINSTER - Carroll County Bank and Trust Co. has been approved as an unconditional direct endorsement mortgage lender by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Baltimore Office, Region III, announced Robert E. Chrest, the bank's senior vice president.The approval gives the bank the right to underwrite and close mortgage loans without prior HUD review in the Baltimore jurisdiction.HUD's Baltimore office noted that participation in the Direct Endorsement Program is a privilege accorded only to mortgagees who continue to demonstrate the ability to originate mortgage loans in accordance with HUD underwriting policy.

Armchair analysts will no doubt try to play down the significance of the indictments State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh has brought this week against Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton and bakery magnate, developer and political kingmaker John Paterakis. Mr. Rohrbaugh will be cast as a rogue, Kenneth Starr-like prosecutor bent on taking down Baltimore's powerful Democrats and willing to grasp at any legal technicalities to do it. But the issues raised by those indictments - whether Ms. Dixon perjured herself by failing to disclose thousands of dollars in gifts from someone doing business with the city and whether Mr. Paterakis and Ms. Holton broke campaign finance laws when he helped fund her re-election poll - are fundamental to our trust in our elected officials.

The Maryland state prosecutor has fined five companies - including a Baltimore strip club that has given money to Mayor Martin O'Malley and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. - for exceeding the state's legal limit on campaign donations. State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh said his office discovered the violations by researching a campaign finance database maintained by the Maryland State Board of Elections and through tips from the campaign watchdog group Common Cause and anonymous sources. "There doesn't seem to be any pattern" to the giving, Rohrbaugh said.

SILVER SPRING -- University of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams received a year of unsupervised probation and a $250 fine for driving under the influence of alcohol last May.Appearing yesterday in District Court before Judge Louis D. Harrington, Williams was given probation before judgment and will have his driving record wiped clean if he satisfactorily completes the alcohol-education program in which he is currently enrolled.Williams, 45, was stopped at 1:49 a.m. last May 12 on the Capital Beltway between Routes 355 and 185 in Montgomery County, and charged with driving while intoxicated.

Long & Foster employees to help Shepherd's StaffAgents and staff members from Long & Foster Real Estate's Westminster office will participate in the company's annual Community Service Day on Wednesday.The group will volunteer at Shepherd's Staff on Carroll Street, where it will create a back-to-school store and paint and repair the building, inside and outside.More than 30 people from the office are expected to help the Christian outreach program from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.Maryland Public Television appoints vice presidentMaryland Public Television has appointed Jeff Hankin of Westminster vice president of marketing communications.

The Maryland state prosecutor released a scathing memo Tuesday supporting the plea deal that will lead Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon to step down Thursday, calling her attitude "unrepentant" and "laughable." The three-page memo blasted Dixon for failing to show any public contrition after a jury found her guilty in December of embezzling roughly $500 worth of retail gift cards. In January, Dixon also pleaded guilty to one count of perjury. "It seems Ms. Dixon's unrepentant position is that the people of Baltimore should be willing to tolerate some corruption from their political leaders," wrote State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh.

Back when I first joined The Baltimore Sun, a photographer and I were coming back from an assignment in Fells Point, and he was doing what all good old-timers do - pointing out significant sites along the way for a newbie. That's where Grace Hartigan paints, that's where the body turned up the other day. Waving toward some low-slung nondescript buildings where tractor-trailers were maneuvering on and off a narrow street, he said something like, "And that's owned by one of the most powerful men in town.

TEN VOLUNTEERS and seven staff members at the Harford County Humane Society make life as comfortable as possible for the animals who wait there.On a recent visit, a bright sun and brisk wind spread over the society's 25 acres. A peacock called, a horse let out a soft whinny from the barn and from the kennel runs, beautiful throwaway dogs gazed at the nearby fields and woods.The fate of some of the animals there has already been determined. They are the permanent residents who live in the barns or amble freely in the main building where a homey, hopeful atmosphere settles on the visitor.

O'Malley due in D.C. today to discuss inauguration Gov. Martin O'Malley will meet in Washington this afternoon with Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to discuss arrangements for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama. O'Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec said the two governors will talk with Chertoff about transportation, security and other issues surrounding the inauguration, which is expected to draw an estimated 2 million visitors to Washington.