Sunday, April 28, 2013
A new Gallup poll contains a surprise: We’re not as stressed as we think.
Maryland is among the top 10 least stressed states in the nation, according a new Gallup poll released this month. The data shows that Maryland is the ninth least stressed state in the country, with 38.8 percent of Maryland residents responding to a survey in 2012 saying they felt stress in the previous day. Nationally, 40.6 percent of Americans said they felt stressed the previous day, according to the survey results, which included more than 350,000 interviews conducted from January through December of 2012. Hawaii residents are the least stressed nationally, with 32.1 percent reporting feeling stress the previous day; West Virginia residents were the most stressed, according to the survey, with 47.1 percent reporting feeling stressed …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
A final Senate vote on the bill is expected by Monday.
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Sunday, April 7
By ETHAN ROSENBERG, Capital News Service The Maryland Senate Friday voted to approve medical marijuana use, putting Maryland one step closer to becoming the 19th state, along with the District of Columbia, to do so. The bill already passed the House 108-28. A final Senate vote on the bill is expected by Monday when the General Assembly’s 2013 session comes to an end. Friday’s action came via voice vote and without any debate. The bill, introduced by Delegate Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, would establish the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Commission would be granted the ability to designate academic medical centers, such as the University System of Maryland or Johns…
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Maryland lawmakers will likely vote on a gun bill this week.
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Wednesday, April 3
By LUCAS HIGH, Capital News Service An hour before what could be the biggest day in the months-long gun control saga, the State House and Lawyers Mall were oddly quiet. The hundreds of Second Amendment activists and gun control advocates who have organized raucous rallies to mark each legislative milestone in the gun control bill’s march to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s desk were mostly absent from the capital as the House prepared for it final debate on HB 294 at 4 p.m. Tuesday. O’Malley’s bill would ban the purchase of assault rifles, reduce maximum ammunition magazine size from 20 rounds to 10 and require handgun purchasers to submit digital fingerprints prior to licensing. Do you think this proposed gun bill will have a significant impact on …
A Georgia town passed a law this week requiring citizens to own guns and ammo, do you think this is something local towns should consider?
To be clear, Westminster's Common Council is not considering such a law at this time. But the town of Nelson, GA passed a law this week requiring citizens to own a gun and ammunition according to a NBC News report. Maryland lawmakers continue to debate a gun bill in Annapolis as Gov. Martin O'Malley tries to make stricter gun laws for the state. O’Malley’s bill would ban the purchase of assault rifles, reduce maximum ammunition magazine size from 20 rounds to 10 and require handgun purchasers to submit digital fingerprints prior to licensing. Legislators are expected to vote on the bill later this week. According to the report, the new law in Nelson, GA requires the head of every household to own a gun and ammo to provide security for …
Saturday, March 30, 2013
A new report says a 3 percent cut in Social Security would take more than $300 million from the state economy.
How much do Social Security and Medicare programs affect Maryland businesses? More than you might think, according to a new report by the Main Street Alliance, a national network of small business coalitions. The report, called “Business is (Baby) Booming,” looked at how Social Security and Medicare can drive economic activity and strengthen the retirement security of small business owners across the country. The group’s efforts focused on small businesses—defined as a business with 100 or fewer employees. The report found that more than one-third of small business owners were at or near Social Security’s full benefit age of 66. The report also cited a U.S. Small Business Administration study that found business owners are “significantly …
Friday, March 22, 2013
The final debate on the bill turns contentious amidst accusations that House Speaker Michael Busch cut short the debate and opportunity to vote.
Tempers flared Friday afternoon following the debate and final vote by the House of Delegates on a proposal to raise the gas tax in Maryland. When the final vote was taken, the House approved the bill 78-56 but the actual outcome, and roll call vote, remains a matter of contention amidst accusations from Republicans that the debate and final vote were ended too quickly. Carroll County Delegate Justin Ready (R-Carroll) told Patch that he was opposed to the bill. "I am opposed to this bill which almost doubles the gas tax over five years, with automatic hikes after that," Ready said. "And, the bill has no safeguards to keep the Transportation Trust Fund from being raided." The bill would increase the state's tax on gas by more than 20 …
Fourteen states have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, should Maryland be next?
This week, Maryland state senators passed a bill that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, making the possession of up to 10 grams of the drug a civil offense, punishable by the maximum penalty of $100. In a bipartisan vote, the bill passed 30-16 in the Maryland Senate on Tuesday. Senator Allan Kittleman (R – Howard, Carroll) was a co-sponsor of the bill. Kittleman told NBC Washington that there were 47,000 arrests for marijuana possession in Maryland last year. He said that police and prison resources could be better used on other things, according to the report. Carroll County Senator David Brinkley (R-Carroll) voted for the bill while Senator Joseph Getty (R-Carroll) voted against the bill. While the bill easily passed the…
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Maryland officials celebrate Groundwater Awareness Week.
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Sunday, March 17
A number of Maryland environmental officials met at Sandy Point State Park today in honor of Groundwater Awareness Week. Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Robert M. Summers, along with representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Environmental Service, discussed the importance of maintaining local and state wells, as well as septic systems. Groundwater has a significant impact on the health of the state's drinking water, the Chesapeake Bay, and the local economy. Officials urged Maryland residents to help keep it clean.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
By JULIA MALDONADO, Capital News Service
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Tuesday, March 12
One week after the Maryland Senate passed a bill to repeal the state’s death penalty, the House of Delegates is poised to do the same. But in spite of the expected success of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s bill to abolish capital punishment, there are Republicans and Democrats in the House still arguing that Maryland should be able to sentence to death the worst of the worst, such as people who enter schools and murder children and teachers. A number of them intend to offer amendments to that effect starting Wednesday. Amendments to keep the death penalty for contract killings and the murder of a law enforcement officer or correctional facility guard in the line of duty -- among others -- failed in the House Judiciary Committee last week. Many are…
Sunday, March 10, 2013
by Jocelyn Rubin, Capital News Service
Grace McComas, of Howard County, Md., was just 15 years old when she took her own life after becoming a victim of cyber-bullying. Her family gathered in Annapolis on Thursday to testify for HB396, a bill sponsored by Baltimore County Del. Jon Cardin, that would prohibit a person from using a computer or computer network to harass a minor. Under the proposed bill, if someone is convicted of using a computer to threaten, harass, or post private information about a minor, they could be sentenced up to a year in jail and have to pay a fine of up to $500.
Sanchez
7:40 pm on Monday, April 29, 2013
Does anyone who reads this who works for a living and raises a family and mostly obeys the rules and laws and has never taken government help never feel "stressed" at some point every once in a while or more often? more ›