State Officials

Maryland officials say they've detected little or no trace of radiation in the state from the Japanese nuclear reactor accident, though federal agencies are reporting slightly elevated levels of radioactive iodine in rainwater in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, Maryland secretary of health and mental hygiene, said that monitoring by state agencies of air, water and food supplies has found "no reason for public health concern. " The Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Sunday that "very small amounts" of radioactive materials might be detected in air and precipitation across the country using very sensitive equipment.

State officials have decided to forge ahead with a controversial offer to buy out about 10 homeowners on Smith Island as part of a plan for helping Somerset County recover from superstorm Sandy. The Department of Housing and Community Development earmarked $1 million for buyouts on the island, out of $8.6 million in federal aid the county is to receive to help businesses and residents repair and rebuild after the fall storm. Many islanders had objected to the buyout, saying they felt it unfairly targeted Smith residents for relocation when other coastal areas on the mainland suffered more damage and are arguably more vulnerable to future storms.

State officials lifted all restrictions on flu shots yesterday, saying there is enough vaccine on hand to offer influenza vaccinations to everyone - not just people at high risk from the illness. Maryland joins at least 17 other states that have done the same after the federal government eased restrictions last month, according to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. A national shortage of flu vaccine prompted Maryland officials to limit those eligible to receive it. The shortage occurred when 48 million doses of adult vaccine - roughly half the expected U.S. supply - were pulled from the market after bacterial contamination was found in a British production facility.

The freight train that derailed Tuesday in Rosedale carried one chemical classified as hazardous by the U.S. Department of Transportation and another that also posed risks for firefighters and others at the scene even though not similarly classified. There might have been residues aboard of a third chemical that also is highly corrosive and hazardous. State health officials, however, said the incident represented only a low risk to the public. CSX spokesman Gary Sease said at least one of the dozen rail cars that appeared to be involved in the derailment contained sodium chlorate.

Pointing to statistics on motor vehicle accidents and studies of a lack of maturity among teenagers, state officials urged a House of Delegates committee yesterday to support legislation to increase restrictions on young drivers, one of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s top priorities. Maryland transportation officials told the House Environmental Matters Committee that statistics from 2003, the state's latest, show that 146 of the 651 vehicle fatalities that year, 22 percent of the total, involved drivers ages 16 to 20. And nearly half of the young drivers involved in the fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts.

Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein is suggesting that he and other top state office-holders sacrifice part of their forthcoming pay raises because of Maryland's budget crisis and to demonstrate sensitivity to the 75,000 rank-and-file state workers whose cost-of-living raises seem to be in jeopardy.Goldstein, citing an alarming slump in state sales tax revenue, said at a Board of Public Works meeting last week that ranking office-holders ought to get smaller pay raises."I'm going to propose that state officials take a discount," the comptroller said.

Every morning a state trooper arrives at Oakland Hall, the Calvert County home of Louis L. Goldstein, to whisk the state comptroller 40 miles to work. For the next 12 hours, the trooper will not stray far from him.Mr. Goldstein is among an elite group of Maryland politicians who together receive nearly $2 million a year worth of protection and transportation from the state police.More than 30 troopers guard the governor and six other state officials, including the lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, Senate president and House speaker.

State officials sifting through the morass of records at the Baltimore City Detention Center are trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the incarceration of two men who have been in jail for over a year.What officials do know is that the men have been in jail longer than Martin R. Henn, the 54-year-old homeless man whose 13-month incarceration without trial focused attention on recordkeeping at the jail.Leonard A. Sipes Jr., a jail spokesman, said it will take state officials several days to resolve the questions about the two men. One investigator spent two days resolving Mr. Henn's case, he said.

A planned renovation of Baltimore's main probation and parole office is facing a legal challenge by a coalition of community groups and people who live nearby who want to stop the $15 million project and ultimately have the facility moved. Nine community groups and seven residents filed an injunction against the state yesterday in Circuit Court to halt the renovation of the office at 2100 Guilford Ave. The lawsuit also seeks $5 million in damages. "We really don't want the state to renovate the facility - it's totally inappropriate where it's located," said Jennifer Martin, a plaintiff who lives three blocks from the probation office.

WASHINGTON - In an important victory for patients, two federal appeals courts have ruled that poor people may sue state officials to compel them to provide benefits promised under the federal Medicaid law. Michigan, North Carolina and other states had argued that they were shielded from such lawsuits by the doctrine of sovereign immunity. But in separate rulings this month, three-judge panels of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Richmond, Va., and the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, Ohio, unanimously rejected those arguments.

The consent forms teenagers must get signed by their parents before using a tanning bed could soon change. The State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is recommending that the form include a clearer and more focused warning about the dangers of tanning beds, including the risk of cancer. Parents will also have to show a government-issued ID when signing the consent form for their children. The form will expire six months after being signed.   The health department was trying to better inform parents as they make the decision whether to allow their children to tan, said Dr. Clifford Mitchell, director of the state's Environmental Health Bureau.

The State Archives had inadequate procedures to prevent loss or employee theft of its $31.4 million art collection, and outdated software left its computers vulnerable to attack, an audit released Tuesday found. The Department of Legislative Services audit did not find evidence that computers had been hacked or art lost or stolen, but recommended the State Archives improve its oversight. State Archives officials agreed with the auditors' findings and said they have put into place the recommendations or will soon do so. The State Archives, with a $8.7 million annual budget, keep historically significant documents and art, as well as certain government and private records.

Maryland's deteriorating infrastructure could receive a boost from private investor dollars, thanks to legislation passed Monday designed to enhance public-private partnerships. The idea behind so-called public-private partnerships, or P3s, is to get investors to put up money for, say, highways or bridges in exchange for a share in the revenue stream later. Maryland has had some projects funded by public-private partnerships, but the bill aims to improve the process to attract more investors.

State tax officials should take steps to help ensure that Marylanders who receive the homestead property tax credit remain eligible for the popular discount, auditors said in a report released Wednesday. Auditors also said state officials should methodically review some past recipients to identify owners who have gotten large tax discounts improperly — and who should refund the government. "There are ways to be proactive about this and not depend on people providing tips," state Legislative Auditor Thomas J. Barnickel III said in an interview Wednesday.

The Federal Transit Administration has given its blessing to the environmental impact assessment for Baltimore's proposed Red Line, clearing the way for final design but adding new urgency to finding the means to pay for the $2.5 billion light rail project. In a decision released Tuesday afternoon, the FTA said the Maryland Transit Administration had satisfied all environmental requirements laid out in the federal law. "This is a milestone," said Henry Kay, the MTA's executive director for transit development and delivery.

Supporters of home births are trying to convince legislators to create a pilot program that could  eventually lead to the licensing of midwives without nursing degrees. The three-year pilot would allow certified professional midwives to deliver babies in a home setting without worry of arrest or prosecution. Certified professional midwives are trained in midwifery and meet standards set by the North American Registry of Midwives. Under the pilot progam, midwives would share their birth outcomes with the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Police and state transportation officials urged lawmakers yesterday to expand the use of speed cameras in Maryland, saying they want to save lives, not raise revenues. Baltimore City and Howard County are among the local governments seeking to join Montgomery County with state legislation authorizing deployment of cameras to catch speeders. Local and state officials told members of the House Environmental Matters Committee that the devices have proven effective in reducing speeding and accidents and that they are more economical than posting a policeman on the roadside.

Owners of the unlicensed assisted living facility in Owings Mills where a caretaker was fatally stabbed this week were running four other group homes in the area, health officials learned yesterday. One of the owners of A Touch of Love Assisted Living Group Inc. told health investigators last night that the company provided service to 24 mentally ill men and women at five group homes in the Owings Mills area. Four of the homes were in the Briarwood apartment complex where the stabbing occurred, and the fifth was nearby.

Maryland's business leaders are increasing efforts to speak with a louder, more unified voice to state officials, seeing in looming federal budget cuts the necessity — or opportunity — to focus more attention on the private sector. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is organizing business groups, trade organizations and employers across the state in a "competitiveness coalition" that aims to agree on a handful of priorities and talk about them with everyone — elected officials, candidates and the public.

State and local officials have returned to the Eastern Shore communities ravaged by superstorm Sandy's heavy rains and high winds to comb over the damage in hopes of appealing federal officials' decision to deny aid to Maryland. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declined the state's request for funds for individual residents because the damage was not considered substantial enough. But U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin, Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration and other state leaders vowed this week to appeal the decision, citing extensive damage to the area, where more than 300 homes are estimated to have been severely damaged.