Staff

Gov. Martin O'Malley picked an Annapolis veteran Thursday to oversee the waning years of his administration, appointing as chief of staff a man who has worked under four governors and earned respect in the environmental community for his candor. Department of Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin will take over for the final 18 months of O'Malley's administration, as the governor decides whether to set his sights on the White House and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown launches a campaign to succeed O'Malley.

Gov. Martin O'Malley has ordered the Maryland flag to be flown at half staff in memory of the victims of “the senseless acts of violence” at the Boston Marathon on Monday. The announcement follows a proclamation Tuesday from President Barack Obama, who ordered the U.S. flag flown at half-staff at federal buildings, military bases and embassies throughout the world “as a mark of respect” for the victims. The flags are to remain at half staff each day until sunset on Saturday.

Former Maryland basketball star and assistant coach Keith Booth, who has spent the past two years as an assistant women's coach at Loyola, was added Tuesday to the men's staff by newly named men's head coach G.G. Smith. Booth, 38, left College Park after Gary Williams retired in 2011 and Mark Turgeon retained only one member of the previous staff, Bino Ranson.  Booth, who grew up in Baltimore and starred at Dunbar, wanted to stay in the area with his daughter in high school and took a job on the women's team.

With staff members at the Baltimore office of the Department of Veterans Affairs spending a month in training, Maryland's senators called on VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to dispatch more analysts to help work through one of the worst disability claims backlogs in the nation. The Baltimore staff is training through early May to help improve performance at the office, which has the worst error rate, one of highest percentages of backlogged claims and some of the longest wait times for disabled veterans.

Gov. Martin O' Malley has ordered the U.S. and Maryland flags at state facilities flown at half-staff on Monday to honor Army Capt. Sara M. Knutson, a helicopter pilot from Eldersburg who died last month in Afghanistan. Knutson, 27, was one of five soldiers killed March 11 in the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during training near Kandahar, the Pentagon said. A 2003 graduate of Liberty High School and a 2007 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Knutson is the only Marylander to die in Afghanistan this year.

It's one of the ironies of the art world that major cultural institutions like the Baltimore Museum of Art are home to priceless collections of paintings, sculpture and other works by the world's greatest masters, yet they often struggle to come up with money to fix a leaky roof, pay the electricity bill or hire staff. We'd hesitate to guess the value of the BMA's holdings, but surely the total must reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet no museum that valued its reputation could sell off a Picasso or a Matisse every time the basement flooded or a heating and air-conditioning unit failed.

More than five years after a financial crisis ravaged the U.S. economy, the Baltimore Museum of Art has finally run out of options. Museum administrators announced Monday that after exhausting other cost-cutting measures, they have laid off 14 employees, or 9 percent of the 154-member staff. The cuts, which affected 11 full-time and three part-time employees, took effect immediately. The job cuts are needed to make up a projected deficit of more than $500,000 by July 1, according to museum director Doreen Bolger, and to accommodate a budget that is shrinking by $1 million from its current level of $12.9 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

Aileen Riley was selected as Carroll Hospital Center's Associate of the Month for March. A staff member at the hospital for six years, Riley was nominated for her high attention to detail to her work in the food services department. "Aileen is a spectacular team player and true asset to our department. " said Marcea Cotter, director of support services in a release. "She always goes above and beyond what is expected to ensure our team succeeds. " Each month, Carroll Hospital Center recognizes a member of its staff through its Associate WOW Service Awards.

Three moving trucks hauled furniture out of the city's Circuit Court buildings Saturday, as the Baltimore state's attorney's office left its century-old lodgings inside for an upgrade that prosecutors say will protect crime victims and witnesses. "This move represents a sea change in our operations that will substantially contribute to our efficacy and efficiency," State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein said. He added that he thanked the state and city "for recognizing the importance and need for space that will better position us to fight for the safety and security of our citizens.

Willow manages to be a lot of things all at once. The Fells Point restaurant, opened in July by the team behind RYE and Stuggy's, shares its name with the graceful weeping willow tree. With gray walls, hanging lanterns and gauzy curtains, Willow's interior is in sync with the moody look of its namesake. The space - like the staff - is casual but stylish. Willow's menu, on the other hand, is full of fresh takes on Tex-Mex and bar-friendly pizzas and burgers. Flavors occasionally veer into sophisticated territory, but overall, the food is straightforward, fun and approachable.