Free Republic

As he travels the state with top administrators from the Maryland Department of Transportation, Secretary Pete K. Rahn hears a frequent plea from business leaders, environmentalists and the public — expand bus and rail options, so travelers don’t have to be so dependent on their cars. Rahn has a ready response for transit advocates: Under Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), Maryland is spending more on transit than at any other time. “We’re at 42 percent of the state [transportation] trust fund going to transit already, with 3 percent of the revenues coming from transit,” Rahn told a reporter in...

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Maryland state lawmaker Tawanna Gaines, a Democrat from Prince George's County, has abruptly resigned after being suspected of using money she raised for her reelection campaign for personal use. She submitted her resignation to House Speaker Adrienne Jones on Friday, Oct. 4. She now faces a federal wire fraud charge. Gaines, 67, has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2001 and, according to the AP, defrauded her campaign and its contributors of more than $22,000 from at least January 2015 through April 2018. "After much thought and consideration, I have decided to submit...

Maryland voters narrowly oppose adding express toll lanes to widen three of the state’s most congested highways, a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll finds, highlighting public skepticism about one of Gov. Larry Hogan’s signature transportation plans. The centerpiece of the Republican governor’s proposal — a $9 billion project to add four lanes apiece to the Capital Beltway, Interstate 270 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway — is even opposed by voters in the Washington suburbs, whom the plan is supposed to help. More than half of voters in the D.C. suburbs prefer to invest in public transit rather than building more roads....

It’s hard to know whether Maryland’s Intercounty Connector, also known as the ICC and Route 200, will ever become informally known as Ehrlich Highway or the Ehrlich Connector, but it now has a shot. On Thursday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) dedicated the 18.8-mile toll road to his Republican predecessor and onetime boss, former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., whom he credited with reviving and championing a road mired for decades in political controversy. “It wasn’t until Governor Bob Ehrlich made it a top priority of his administration that the Intercounty Connector project finally moved forward and became a reality,”...

The spigot will run dry, toilets won’t flush and there will be no cooling shower on sweltering days for more than 100,000 people in Prince George’s County as crews wrestle to repair a major water main that serves their homes and businesses. The shutdown was carried out Tuesday night and may last up to five days, water officials said. The warning triggered a headlong rush Tuesday to stock up on bottled water, fill bathtubs and gather any container that might hold water. Firefighters, hospitals and other services that depend on the water supply made contingency plans to handle emergencies. The...

About 50,000 criminal warrants have not been served, Prince George's County Sheriff Melvin High said, a major concern as the county reels from a spree of homicides at the beginning of the year. High, the former county police chief, told the County Council that he wants some old warrants -- some going back as far as the 1960s -- thrown out. "We have to look at those cases in conjunction with the State's Attorney and the courts to see if those are the situations that should be recalled," he said.

Wealth of Washington Principals by: Deborah Lambert, February 25, 2008 You can't blame Washington, D.C.’s newbie Mayor Adrian Fenty for wanting to overhaul the city’s underperforming public school system. But regardless of whether his plan succeeds or fails, the average annual compensation package for each D.C. area school superintendent will run well over $350,000 per year, according to The Washington Post. “In Montgomery County, Maryland, the $242,686 salary paid this year to School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast represents not quite half of a total compensation package valued at $489,763. John E. Deasy in Prince George’s County will receive $424,080 in...

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin yesterday tried to rally support among black Democrats in Prince George's County, while Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele campaigned with county Democratic leaders who broke ranks this week to endorse him. Mr. Cardin appeared with Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson and about 30 other lawmakers in Hyattsville, aiming to keep a diminishing lead in the polls. In his first public show of support for Mr. Cardin, Mr. Johnson ... But the rally turned sour later. State Sen. Nathaniel Exum, Prince George's Democrat, berated Mr. Cardin for excluding him and other local delegates from speaking...

UPPER MARLBORO, Md., Nov. 3 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Committee for Common Sense Government, No on B,F,C,G today announced that the campaign to tell Prince George's County voters to vote no on ballot questions B, F, C and G is gaining momentum. Parents, seniors and civil workers, who have seen their television advertisement, have accessed their Web site in large numbers seeking more information about how the charter amendments waste taxpayer dollars, creates a $23 Million slush fund and compromises the safety of Prince George's families. "Voters are outraged when they learn about these ballot questions and how they compromised...

Contact: Cleve Mesidor of the Committee for Common Sense Government, 202-277-7381 (cell), cmesi@aol.com UPPER MARLBORO, Md., Nov. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Committee for Common Sense Government, No on B,F,C,G kicked off its efforts today to educate Prince George's County voters about ballot questions B, F, C and G. The Committee asserts the questions are Bad for County Government, waste taxpayer dollars, creates a $23 Million slush fund and compromises the safety of Prince George's families. The Committee rolled out a new television advertisement on Prince George's cable television stations to get the word out before the general election on...

MITCHELLVILLE, Md. (AP) - Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley formally announced state Delegate Anthony Brown on Monday as his running mate in the governor's race, saying the veteran is someone who understands leadership. The men appeared with their families before about 50 sign-waiving supporters in Brown's home county of Prince George's. They then left for a series of joint appearances in Baltimore, Frederick and Hagerstown. O'Malley and Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan are seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who will seek a second term next year. O'Malley referred several times to Brown's military service and said...

JUST BREAKING!! FIRE ALL OVER THE PLACE!

With more than $7.7 million raised so far, the 8th District in Montgomery and Prince George's counties is the site of the nation's most expensive congressional race. It's also a critical campaign stop in the gubernatorial race. But all of that cash and campaigning will mean little if voters are too fearful of the Washington-area sniper to go to the polls Nov. 5. Like everybody else, officials at the Montgomery County Board of Elections are hoping the sniper is caught soon. But if the killer remains at large on Election Day, the county is exploring ways to keep people feeling...