NEWS
October 21, 2007
Baltimore officials are aggressively going after smoking products they think are causing particular harm in the city. Their efforts - to regulate cigarettes that pose an enhanced risk of fire and reduce consumption of little cigars that have become popular among young African-Americans - are a justified and welcome response to a couple of related public health issues. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that cigarettes sold in Maryland are considerably more likely to cause fires than those sold in states such as New York and California that have stricter safety standards.
NEWS
By Andrew A. Green | February 8, 2007
Seeking to head off legislation that would ban smoking in bars and restaurants statewide, a Baltimore County senator has revived a proposal to give tax breaks to businesses that voluntarily go smoke-free. Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier, a Democrat, said she wants to offer a "carrot instead of a stick," in an effort to blunt pressure for a mandatory smoking ban. "This bill is a compromise to allow restaurants and bars to voluntarily go smoke-free, but to allow them to make a business decision on whether or not to do so," Klausmeier said.
NEWS
By Andrew A. Green | March 18, 2007
As the General Assembly enters the final three weeks of its annual session, lawmakers still must decide whether to expand government health care for Maryland's poorest residents, to raise taxes, to OK an impact fee to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, to regulate ground rents, and to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. But this year's last-minute frenzy is coming without much of the usual high-stakes politicking or fierce debate. Lawmakers from both parties say that's fine with them. This year has shaped up as a breather between a four-year period of skirmishes between the Democratic-controlled General Assembly and the Republican governor, and next year's battles over taxes, budget cuts and slot machines.
NEWS
December 21, 2007
AAMC to add 600 parking spaces Anne Arundel Medical Center will add more than 200 spaces at the Sajak Garage early next month and a new 400-space garage at the Wayson Pavilion in March. Also, the Sajak surface parking lot -- primarily employee parking -- is closing this month for construction on a parking garage with more than 930 parking spaces. The new garage will accompany the hospital's new Ambulatory Services Pavilion, a building housing physician offices, a Health Sciences Institute and other health services.
NEWS
January 26, 2007
My robe gonna fit me well, Tried it on at the gates of Hell, Keep your hand on the plow, Hold on! - Negro spiritual You could hear the slight weariness, the semi-artificial cheer, the hurry-slowly tempo in Tony Snow's voice. The president's always pressed-for-time-and-running-late spokesperson was conducting still another pre-State of the Union conference call Tuesday afternoon at about 3:30 Washington compressed time. He was talking to a passel of us editorial writers in the hinterlands, well aware that even out here his boss' poll numbers were sinking almost as low as Harry Truman's during the lowest, most discouraging point in the seemingly endless Korean War. You had to be a hardhearted zealot or a Democratic operative, but we repeat ourselves, not to feel a twinge of sympathy for the always personable Mr. Snow.
NEWS
October 4, 2007
Schools chief in Arundel gets a bonus of $6,000 The Anne Arundel County school board unanimously approved yesterday a $6,000 bonus for Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell, boosting his salary to $237,750. Maxwell, a veteran of the Prince George's and Montgomery school systems who took over Anne Arundel schools last year, was praised by board members for a staff restructuring at Annapolis High School and for his work promoting specialized "signature" programs and magnet schools. The performance bonus follows a 3 percent cost-of-living salary increase that became effective July 1. Maxwell is the fifth-highest paid superintendent in Maryland.
NEWS
January 21, 2007
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE: -- Seeking to build momentum for a statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants, Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold has proposed prohibiting smoking at county establishments as a way of promoting public health and boosting the local economy. An initial violation would carry a fine of $500 for the establishment; a second offense would result in a $1,000 fine. Smokers could also be penalized. Such a ban would apply throughout Anne Arundel County, including in Annapolis, but the regulations would not apply to private clubs.
NEWS
By John Fritze | February 9, 2007
Baltimore's proposed smoking ban, which all but died late last year, will be back on the City Council agenda Monday, temporarily reviving the issue in the city as lawmakers in Annapolis consider a statewide ban. Council Vice President Robert W. Curran, the lead sponsor of the city legislation, has vowed to put the smoking ban up for a second-reader vote - a largely procedural effort that, if successful, will place the ban on the calendar for a final vote...
NEWS
January 12, 2007
Smoking ban seen likely to pass A statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants is likely to win approval from the General Assembly this year, state legislative leaders say. pg 1a Dixon cleared in ethics probe Baltimore's Board of Ethics has cleared City Council President Sheila Dixon of wrongdoing, nearly a year after allegations arose. pg 1a BUSINESS +DOW+72.82 12,514.98 +NASDAQ+8.97 1,423.82 +S&P+25.52 2,484.85 +SUN INDEX+2.36 368.38 WORLD Election delayed in Bangladesh After weeks of mounting political violence, Bangladesh's president declared a nationwide state of emergency and indefinitely postponed elections that had been scheduled to take place in less than two weeks.
NEWS
By John Fritze | February 19, 2007
Brian Fox follows the debate over Baltimore's proposed smoking ban - he can recite where every city politician stands on the issue - but that doesn't mean he's looking to City Hall for answers. Tired of waiting for action, Fox, who owns the Sly Fox Pub, recently made the Fort Avenue bar smoke-free. It was a gutsy move in South Baltimore, which many revere for its old-school and often smoky neighborhood corner bars, but the decision appears to be paying off. "I've always been for the smoking ban," said Fox, who opened his pub about two years ago. "This is very much a common-sense issue to me. There are more people who avoid places because they're too smoky."