State Of Maryland

Faced with an abundance of vacant space resulting primarily from the 1992 opening of a $165 million printing plant, the Baltimore Sun Co. is exploring either leasing space in or selling its six-story building at 501 N. Calvert St."In view of what we're doing to improve efficiency, we're looking at every option for our building, whether that means leasing space to someone else, moving or staying here and renovating space," said Jean Halle, a vice president and chief financial officer.The newspaper company, publisher of The Sun, is in the early stages of a possible lease transaction with the state of Maryland.

A decade ago, Maryland's three largest banks were based in Baltimore. Allfirst, the biggest with nearly $17 billion in assets, fell victim to a foreign-exchange trading scandal that resulted in the bank being sold to a New York institution. Out-of-state competitors bought out the other two several years later. Throughout that time, Sandy Spring Bank in Olney operated and grew in their shadow. Today, it's the largest bank headquartered in Maryland, with assets at nearly $4 billion as of the end of last year.

An article in yesterday's editions of The Sun about renaming Washington National Airport for Ronald Reagan incorrectly identified the agency that operates Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The airport, owned by the state of Maryland, is operated by the Maryland Aviation Administration, which is part of the state Department of Transportation.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 2/06/98

The Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America has won approval from state officials to buy 19 acres in Harford County to expand the Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation through an unusual method known as a land patent. After conducting a public hearing this spring, the state's Commissioner of Land Patents Edward Papenfuse ruled that the land had never been deeded to a private owner and that the scouts had the right to purchase it. His decision marks the first time since 2002 that a private entity has received approval to secure a land patent from the state, after proving that no one else owns the land it wants.

Does Uncle Sam owe you money?The Internal Revenue Service and the state of Maryland are looking for a number of Carroll County residents who are owed tax refunds. Checks ranging from $1 to more than $30,000 have been returned to the IRS and the state marked undeliverable.Tax officials say taxpayers may have moved or changed their last names and not notified them, or addresses may have been illegible. The IRS and state attempt to find the taxpayers and deliver the checks but in some cases are unsuccessful.

Rachael Berlinrut Rachael will not have a funeral as she elected have her body donated to the state of Maryland. In memory of Rachael and her love of gardens, donations may be made in her name to the Conservatory at Druid Hill Park, the Cylburn Arboretum, or to the U.S. National Arboretum Washington D.C.

Take a guy like Eric Brooks, for instance. He's 30 years old and he's been in trouble for - here's a shocker - dealing drugs in Baltimore. Last year, Brooks received a taxpayer-financed trip to a Maryland prison for seven months. He went to the Metropolitan Transition Center, which is the old Maryland Penitentiary, that Frankenstein castle commuters see from the Jones Falls Expressway. Based on what state officials have told me, it cost us about $14,000 to keep Eric Brooks there. Was this a good thing?

Can Baltimore's unhealthy air be cleared by California cars?Or will the West Coast import send auto and gas prices soaring, putting thousands of Marylanders out of work?The Schaefer administration and environmentalists are locked in high-stakes lobbying war with the oil and auto industries over whether Maryland should join California in setting stringent limits on automobile tailpipe emissions.Gov. William Donald Schaefer's top environmental priority this legislative session is a bill that would require all cars and light trucks sold in the state three years from now to meet California rules, which are stricter than federal standards.

The state of Maryland is trying to entice the former Yugoslavian republic of Slovenia to do business here by offering it loan guarantees to buy Maryland products or use state services.Although the U.S. government has yet to extend diplomatic relations to Slovenia, Gov. William Donald Schaefer and members of his Cabinet have decided to extend their own recognition. The state has agreed to guarantee up to $1 million for each transaction between that country and Maryland, officials said.Such transactions include buying goods from Maryland companies, employing state brokers for purchases or shipping through the port of Baltimore or Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Never again! Except in Cambodia, and Kurdistan, an Somalia, and Bosnia.Ross Perot is the running gag of this show.So many industries have left Baltimore or downsized here that nobody knows what makes the region run. We are all selling each other jeans and hamburgers.The state of Maryland still uses Blue Cross/Shield, so it must be OK.Marijuana is a cash crop in depressed Western Maryland, but state experts prefer an economy out there based on golf and white water rafting.

Not all occupation licensing laws on the books in Annapolis actually protect Maryland consumers from harm. It's pretty clear that many of these laws misuse state sanctions to protect existing businesses from unwanted competition. Now a new study by the Washington-based Institute for Justice can help Maryland lawmakers decide which of these laws serve the public and should stay - and which should go. The report, "License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing," examines licensing practices for 102 lower-wage occupations in all 50 states.

Feeling pinched this Christmas season? Are your credit cards tapped from buying gifts? Are you underwater on your mortgage and wondering how you will be able to retire before 90? The answer is simple: Use government accounting! It will have you feeling rich in no time. Let's start with bills. If you do not have enough in your checking account to cover monthly expenses, take money from your children's savings accounts, their college savings fund and your retirement account — and run up your credit card bills, if you have any credit left on them.

Caught up in the harsh economy that is taking a stiff toll on public broadcasting across the country, Maryland Public Television laid off 18 employees Monday - about 10 percent of its work force. Two senior managers, including a senior vice president for content, are among those laid off. Calls to MPT were not returned Monday afternoon. "The staff reductions at MPT, while extremely painful, will result in no loss of programming and no on-air talent will be affected," Robert J. Shuman, president of MPT, said in a statement.

Karen Michele Putnam, daughter of Timothy R. and Mary Ruth Putnam of Sykesville, Maryland and Eric Michael Lubitz, son of Shelly K. Burns of Finksburg, Maryland and the late Larry H. Lubitz were married at The Best Western Westminster Catering and Conference Center in Westminster, Maryland on September 20, 2008. The groom is also the stepson of Michael P. Burns of Finksburg, Maryland and the grandson of Martha Kirson of Pikesville, Maryland. The blended ceremony was jointly performed by Rev. Dr. Judy Powell and Cantor Alvin Donald.

Pamela B. Mitchell, a retired businesswoman and recovering alcoholic, died from lung cancer July 3 at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The longtime Towson resident was 65. Pamela Bobbett was born in Baltimore and raised in Northwood. She was a 1961 graduate of Eastern High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Western Maryland College in 1965. She later earned a master's degree in business from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1993. From 1965 to 1980, Mrs. Mitchell was employed as a vocational counselor and later was a training staff development officer for the state of Maryland.

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. on Monday ruled out running for state comptroller next year, but gave no indication what he would do after his term expires 18 months from now. Smith, a Democrat, cannot seek re-election, and had been widely expected to oppose the incumbent comptroller, Peter Franchot, in the Democratic primary. He acknowledged to The Baltimore Sun in May that he was looking closely at statewide offices for a possible run. He has been traveling the state and building a campaign chest; finance reports show he raised more than $1 million during the four-year election cycle that began in January 2007.

AMONG BALTIMORE hoteliers, restaurateurs and leaders of major tourist attractions, two words have become the subject of endless debate and considerable anxiety: casino gambling.As the General Assembly prepares to decide whether to legalize casino gambling, tourism industry leaders say, few have a bigger stake than the hotels, attractions and restaurants. Would casino gambling prove an economic boon, as lobbyists promise, or divert money from other attractions?Would casino gambling help or hurt the city's image as a tourism spot widely viewed as a pioneer in transforming a moribund downtown area into a destination?

LOUIS BECKER PIEPER, 87, a former health officer for the state of Maryland, died from complications after open heart surgery at St. Joseph's Hospital, September 26, 2005. Mr. Pieper was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served as a lieutenant aboard P.C. 1217 in the North Atlantic. His P.C. survived the 52 hour ordeal of the great hurricane of 1944. He was a health officer in the environmental pollution division for Baltimore city before he transferred to the state of Maryland Health Department.

As of last week, it costs $1.50 a month to maintain an EZ-Pass account with the state of Maryland. That's a scandal. Not the fee. That's chump change. What's appalling is that it took the Maryland Transportation Authority so long to impose it. Not until there was a severe revenue shortfall did the authority's board muster the political courage to partially plug a leak that's been costing the state millions of dollars a year. The money could have gone toward repaving a section of the Kennedy Highway or enforcing traffic laws at the Fort McHenry Tunnel or planning the replacement of antiquated bridges.

The state of Maryland this spring announced that one of its public agencies would save up to $15 million a year on its electricity bill as a result of buying cheaper electricity in the competitive market.Gov. Martin O'Malley was rightfully ecstatic, proclaiming that "the state is leveraging its electricity buying power to provide a much needed measure of price stability and protection." Maryland taxpayers should be heartened by the governor's pronouncement. States across the country are facing significant budget challenges, so any opportunity to save taxpayer money and buy cheaper electricity should be welcomed.