State Officials

State officials plan to study the viability of locating a national animal quarantine facility at Fort Meade's shuttered equestrian center to serve the Mid-Atlantic region's bustling horse breeding industry. Legislation submitted Monday on behalf of the state Department of Agriculture asks the County Council to endorse state funding for a $60,000 study, which would explore creating what would be the fourth such facility in the country. The others are in Newburgh, N.Y., Miami and Los Angeles.

City and state officials missed yesterday's court-ordered deadline for finding a social services chief for Baltimore, but they assured a Circuit Court judge that after a yearlong battle over the appointment, they are working together. Lawyers for the city and state submitted a joint status report to Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock, assuring her that progress was being made in the search for a director of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services. The one-page report noted that the city and state had advertised the position and that Baltimore had hired a search firm.

Remains of the Wye Oak, a tree dethroned by wind as the nation's foremost white oak, were hauled by heavy-equipment operators yesterday to a Kent Island warehouse, where its trunk and limbs will remain pending decisions on how to transform the wood into a fitting memorial. The largest section, 40 feet long and weighing 61,000 pounds, was moved on a platform used to relocate houses, said John Surrick, a spokesman for the state Department of Natural Resources. "The enormity of it is amazing," said Surrick, adding that the 5:30 a.m. transport closed sections of U.S. 50, one of the main highways on the Eastern Shore.

Days before a long-anticipated town meeting on the renovation of Sykesville's Main Street, the state is wavering on its support for the project. With Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. set to take office tomorrow, state officials are reconsidering their offer to pay for improved lighting, better sidewalks and other enhancements to Main Street, which is part of state Route 851. Although no firm cost has been attached to the plan, in its early stages, the...

Glendening administration officials have told lawmakers that David L. Blackshear was ousted as the top executive of Baltimore-Washington International Airport in part because of allegations that he made comments offensive to women and African-Americans. The administration has declined to publicly discuss the reasons behind Blackshear's forced resignation. But officials have privately offered an explanation to several lawmakers after some criticized the administration for the sudden departure of the well-regarded airport executive.

An article in yesterday's editions incorrectly characterized a proposed percentage that federal employees would contribute from their salaries to their retirement plans by 2001 to help balance the budget. The correct percentage is 0.5 percent.The Sun regrets the error.WASHINGTON -- Maryland appeared to be off to a good start in the opening round of this year's budget process, winning presidential support for several expensive state projects while apparently avoiding any deep fiscal cuts, according to analysts.

Interim state Comptroller Robert L. Swann said Maryland should convert an abandoned hospital in Marriottsville -- until this week under consideration for a controversial humanitarian center -- into parkland.At a Board of Public Works session Friday in Annapolis, Swann said it is time for the state Department of Natural Resources to take over the 70-acre Henryton Hospital property, which adjoins Patapsco State Park.The board, which includes Gov. Parris N. Glendening and Treasurer Richard N. Dixon, makes the final decision on the disposition of all state properties.

A contractor accused of stealing from clients was acquitted of two counts of theft scheme Wednesday, after an Anne Arundel County judge said the cases turned on civil, not criminal, law, and that criminal penalties wouldn't apply. Gregory L. Haigis, 51, of Arnold was found not guilty by Judge Laura S. Kiessling in a nonjury trial that began Monday. Prosecutors dropped three other charges in April. Clients claimed Haigis took money for work that was not completed, asked them for more money and did a shoddy job. "The judge indicated these cases were controlled by contract law," said David P. Putzi, Haigis' attorney.

A San Diego-based national security contractor may eliminate up to 125 jobs at its Prince George's County operation, the state announced Friday. A San Diego-based defense and security contractor may eliminate up to 125 jobs at its Prince George's County operation, the state announced Friday. Layoffs at the Lanham office of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc. could begin as early as December 30, according to a statement from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

This land is my land, this land isn't your land. The variation on Woody Guthrie's anthem is being sung by hunters, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts as they line up for their share of Chesapeake Forest, the 58,000 acres of Eastern Shore woods and wetlands the state bought last summer. Like the settlers who took part in the great land rushes of the 1800s, many Marylanders have visions of the future built around their interests. State officials will spend the next several years listening to the competing requests and setting priorities.