Showing posts with label News from The Baltimore Sun. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Hogan names Boyd Rutherford as running mate

By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun

Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan introduced Boyd Rutherford, a former Ehrlich administration Cabinet secretary, as his running mate Wednesday night at a rally at an Annapolis-area crab house.

Hogan, the Anne Arundel County resident who was appointments secretary for GOP Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., became a late entry in the governor's race last week. He joined a field that includes Harford County Executive David R. Craig, Del. Ron George of Anne Arundel County and Charles County business executive Charles Lollar.

Of Hogan's rivals, only Craig has named a running mate, Del. Jeannie Haddaway of the Eastern Shore.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Trips from BWI to Aruba, Jamaica, Bahamas to change banners starting July 1

January 27, 2014 / by Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun

Southwest Airlines will make its first international flights July 1, including flights between Baltimore and Aruba, the Bahamas and Jamaica, as the carrier takes over routes flown by subsidiary AirTran Airways.

Daily flights will operate between Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Aruba and Nassau, Bahamas. The airline will operate twice-daily flights between BWI and Montego Bay, Jamaica. AirTran currently flies on those routes.

Flights to those Caribbean locations also will be scheduled from Atlanta and Orlando, Fla.

"We are in the process of converting existing AirTran destinations with Southwest products," said Dan Landson, a Southwest spokesman. "This is the first in a series of announcements."

By the end of 2014, Southwest plans to add service to four more international airports to its route maps, destinations in which AirTran already operates: Cancun, Los Cabos and Mexico City, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

AirTran currently offers direct flights from Baltimore to Cancun. Together, the two carriers serve 70 percent of BWI passengers.

Southwest acquired AirTran in May 2011 in a deal it valued at $3.2 billion.

BWI's top executive welcomed the changes.

"This is an important first step as Southwest Airlines officially makes the move to the international market," said Paul J. Wiedefeld, the airport's CEO, in a statement. "The significant move by Southwest is important for BWI Marshall and our customers."

In addition to AirTran's international routes, BWI's international schedule includes flights to London via British Airways and to Toronto via Air Canada. During the summer, Condor offers flights from BWI to Frankfurt, Germany.

BWI's international traffic grew 21 percent in 2012, to about 704,000 of 22.7 million passengers. For the 12 months ending in November, the most recent month for which data are available, international traffic rose 20 percent, Dean said.

Southwest's integration with AirTran also could affect domestic flight schedules at BWI. Southwest is gradually taking over AirTran's routes within the United States, Landson said.

Read article here from The Baltimore Sun

State leaders give partial backing to minimum-wage hike

By Natalie Sherman, The Baltimore Sun

5:36 p.m. EST, January 27, 2014

Democratic legislative leaders gave partial support Monday to a push to raise the minimum wage, with some reiterating unwillingness to impose a "one size fits all" increase across the state.

They provided few other clues as to how they will respond to Gov. Martin O'Malley's call to lift the state's minimum pay from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 by 2016, with future increases tied to inflation.

"That's a debate we will have in committee," House Speaker Michael E. Busch said Monday at a breakfast for business leaders hosted by the Greater Baltimore Committee. "The governor sets the threshold. We determine if we're going to meet that threshold or go in a different direction."

Building a more entrepreneurial Maryland [Editorial]

The effort to focus the post O'Malley era in Maryland on developing private sector businesses and jobs got a big boost Friday from the unprecedented joint agenda of House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. It's encouraging that the two top leaders in the General Assembly are both focused on the issue at the same time that most of the candidates for governor next year are talking about the same thing and private sector advocacy groups like the Greater Baltimore Committee are pursuing similar efforts. But what is more intriguing is the nature of the ideas Messrs. Busch and Miller are putting forward.

Too often, the debate about whether Maryland is business friendly goes no farther than a glance at the Tax Foundation's reports on the state and local tax structure, as if the only choices are a Maryland heavily oriented toward government or one that radically slashes taxes and regulation. The truth is that there are other models for success, and the one that best suits Maryland's strengths is a strategy that leverages our great advantages in intellectual capital to produce jobs in high-tech fields like biotechnology and cyber security. The Miller/Busch proposal recognizes that through tax credits to attract superstars from the private sector to academia, build the cyber security industry and encourage business formation in the areas directly surrounding institutions like Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Miller, Busch vow no repeal of stormwater fees

By Pamela Wood The Baltimore Sun

11:25 a.m. EST, January 16, 2014

The leaders of the Senate and House of Delegates predicted Thursday morning that lawmakers won't be repealing the stormwater fees in the state's largest jurisdictions this year.

At a breakfast hosted by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. responded to a question about whether the fees would be repealed by saying flatly: "We're not going to repeal the stormwater fee."

House Speaker Michael E. Busch then quickly piped up: "Second!"

Monday, January 13, 2014

Economists' forecasts for Maryland vary — from better growth to worse

By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Baltimore Sun

Updated January 12, 2014

Maryland employers could pick up the pace of job creation to 40,000 positions this year, according to some forecasts, but one local economist expects a slowdown instead.

Moody's Analytics and Towson University's Regional Economic Studies Institute expect fairly broad-based job growth in 2014 — they're both predicting about 40,000 positions added in the state, which would be the best performance in years. Full results for 2013 aren't in yet, but Maryland employers added about 34,000 jobs in the 12 months ending in November, according to federal estimates.

The PNC Financial Services Group also expects improvement, "but not that much," said PNC economist Mekael Teshome.

Read full article here from The Baltimore Sun

Maryland's minimum wage increase would affect workers, business owners

By Jean Marbella, The Baltimore Sun

Updated January 11, 2014

At one end of the minimum wage battle, you'll find Marissa Greene in Randallstown, for whom an increase would mean not having to eat nearly every meal at the fast-food place where she works, because groceries are a luxury.

And at the other end, you'll find Bob Garner, co-owner of a regional chain of full-service restaurants, who says an increase could cost him as much as $187,000 a year at just one of his 20 locations.

Whether Maryland should raise its minimum wage above the current federal floor of $7.25 an hour is an issue that promises to dominate the legislative session that began last week in Annapolis — and have major implications for employers and employees alike.

Read full article here from The Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 9, 2014

8 people to watch in Annapolis in the 2014 General Assembly

As the annual General Assembly session begins, here are some key players to watch --Michael Dresser

Del. Maggie McIntosh

( Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun / July 22, 2011 )

The powerful chairwoman of the House Environmental Matters Committee last year stymied attempts to delay controversial storm water fees. The Baltimore Democrat has vowed to win the same battle this year. Critics call the fees an unfair and costly "rain tax," while proponents say they are needed to pay for projects to keep polluted run-off out of the Chesapeake Bay.

Md. may no longer technically be No. 1 in education

But that's only because Education Week has decided to only grade states, not rank them this year

By Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun

Maryland's superintendent of schools has no plans to take down dozens of signs in the windows of her agency's headquarters that proclaim Maryland No. 1 in education. Likewise, Gov. Martin O'Malley is unlikely to stop bragging that Maryland is No. 1 in the nation, a point he made again Wednesday on Twitter.

But technically, Maryland cannot claim that distinction anymore. Education Week, a national education newspaper that has given Maryland schools the top mark for the past five years, has stopped ranking the states in its annual Quality Counts report. It was considered the most comprehensive ranking of the nation's schools.

Released Thursday in a more streamlined version, the latest report focuses on just three categories, including student achievement, instead of the usual six. And unfortunately for Maryland's politicians and education officials, in those three categories the state never hits No. 1 in the nation.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Bay advocates say state lax in monitoring county stormwater controls

By Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun

Local governments are charged with enforcing state regulations limiting polluted runoff from new development, and the state is supposed to check on them.

Only state officials acknowledge they aren't doing it.

Environmental advocates say the lack of state oversight could lead to lax enforcement on the local level — and put efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay at risk. Rain washing dirt, fertilizer and other pollutants into storm drains and then waterways is a major source of bay pollution — the only category that has grown despite costly cleanup efforts.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Delaney urges business leaders to help shape minimum wage proposal

By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun

With momentum building for higher hourly pay in Maryland, Rep. John Delaney, a co-sponsor of a federal minimum wage bill and a former CEO, urged Baltimore-area business leaders Thursday to have a voice in a measure he said is long overdue.

The business community's involvement in crafting a law will be key in limiting damage to businesses while lifting the standard of living for low-wage workers, the Maryland Democrat said during a round table discussion led by the Greater Baltimore Committee.

While Congress is unlikely to act soon on the federal proposal, he said, momentum has shifted to the states, 19 of which now have higher minimums than the federal $7.25 an hour. Maryland has not raised its $7.25 an hour minimum since 2009.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Maryland health exchange director resigns after questions about vacation

Pearce leaves post among technical problems, controversy over vacation

By Erin Cox, The Baltimore Sun

The director of Maryland's troubled health insurance exchange resigned Friday amid ongoing technical problems and questions about a Caribbean vacation she took while the online marketplace faltered.

Rebecca Pearce, hired two years ago to build a $107 million exchange, leaves her post as officials struggle to repair the system that launched Oct. 1.

The exchange's rocky start and low enrollment have become ammunition for political attacks on Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who was tasked by the governor with overseeing the state's implementation of the federal health care reform law.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Bidders for Prince George's casino license enter home stretch

By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun

The three players bidding to build a new casino in Prince George's County have shown their hands, and the state will pick a winner by the end of December.

The stakes are high as the state prepares to hold a series of meetings beginning this week and culminating Dec. 20 to choose who gets to operate the state's closest casino to Washington. All three pitched casino resorts costing hundreds of millions of dollars to be built near where Interstate 95 crosses into Maryland.

The decision will be made by a special casino site-selection body, known as the Video Lottery Facility Location Commission, based on what it deems best for the state.

Read the full article here from the Baltimore Sun

Friday, November 15, 2013

The Baltimore Sun - BWI ranks as fourth healthiest airport for dining

Report shows improvement in healthy eating options

By Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, 1:18 p.m. EST, November 12, 2013

BWI-Marshall Airport ranks fourth in the nation when it comes to U.S. airports that offer travelers the healthiest food options, according to a recent report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The airport improved its standing significantly from last year's Airport Food Review, when it ranked near the bottom - 10th place - in the survey of large airports.

This year, the report found that 80 percent of the restaurants at BWI offer healthful menu items that include vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.

The report singled out BWI eateries Chesapeake Cafe, Rams Head Tavern and Nature's Kitchen Fresh Cafe for their fresh-cut greens and seaweed salad. Silver Diner was noted for its vegetarian stir-fry and veggie chili.

In the nationwide survey, Denver International Airport was ranked first in healthy airport dining, followed by Detroit Metropolitian Wayne County Airport and Chicago O'Hare International. Reagan National tied with Los Angeles International for third place. Dulles International tied with BWI in fourth place.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, known as the nation's busiest airport, again came in last place.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine advocates a plant-based, high-fiber diet to boost immunity, heart health and more.

Read full article here from The Baltimore Sun

Advocates line up in defense of Maryland taxes

Election-year calls for tax cuts trigger campaigns to keep them

By Erin Cox, The Baltimore Sun

Sensing an election-year push to cut taxes in Maryland, advocates of environmental, health and social service programs are plotting to ensure that that doesn't happen.

The call by some politicians to repeal a stormwater fee, cut the corporate tax rate or otherwise deliver relief to the business community has energized advocates who spent years persuading Annapolis to raise more cash for state programs. They are determined to convince the public and lawmakers that cutting taxes in 2014 is a bad idea.

"We're calling it offense on the defense," said Halle Van der Gaag, executive director of the environmental group Blue Water Baltimore, which supports the stormwater fee derided by critics as a "rain tax."

Monday, October 28, 2013

Community colleges cut adjunct hours to avoid Obamacare

Impact amounts to a pay cut, teachers say

By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun

As the federal health reform known as Obamacare takes hold, many community colleges in Maryland and across the country are capping the hours of adjunct faculty — who make up the bulk of their teaching force — to avoid paying for the instructors' health insurance.

The limits put the adjunct teachers on the leading edge of fallout from the Affordable Care Act, whose critics predict that a range of employers will increasingly rely on part-timers to sidestep insurance requirements that go into effect in 2015.

Cash-strapped community colleges in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard and Prince George's counties, among other places, have pre-emptively limited adjuncts' hours, starting this year. Expanding health coverage to such instructors would cost schools across the state $17 million, officials at the Maryland Association of Community Colleges estimated.

MGM proposes $925 million casino for P.G. County

By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun

Playing the last hand of the week in a round of bidding for the rights to build a casino in Prince George's County, MGM Resorts said Friday that the merits of its $925 million resort next to the Capital Beltway trump the others.

Its ace in the hole is a location on a hill above the Potomac River at National Harbor, said Jim Murren, MGM's chairman and CEO.

"We have never seen a site more perfectly tailored," said Murren during a site visit Friday by members of the state's Video Lottery Facility Location Commission.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Maryland 'stumbled out of the gate' with health exchanges, Brown says

Lt. Gov. says glitches will be fixed in time for deadlines for coverage under Obamacare

By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun

Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who was tapped to oversee health care reform in Maryland, spoke for the first time Wednesday about the bumpy rollout of the effort's centerpiece, the marketplace for the uninsured. He said he was "not satisfied."

"The state stumbled out of the gate," he said at a meeting of the Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, an advisory panel that he co-chairs. It was the first meeting since the health care exchange was launched Oct. 1.

State officials have seen a deluge of complaints from uninsured or underinsured consumers who wanted to buy coverage on the exchange but said they could not register, browse plans or complete applications because of technical difficulties.

U.S. Supreme Court urged to overturn Md. tax ruling

Decision by state's top court could cost counties about $50 million a year

By Ian Duncan, The Baltimore Sun

The Maryland attorney general's office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling by the Court of Appeals about the way Maryland handles the taxation of out-of-state income that could cost counties $50 million a year.

Maryland provides credits for taxes that are paid to other states but does not extend those credits to the local portion of the state taxes that is used to partly fund counties and Baltimore. Brian and Karen Wynne, a Howard County couple, contested the second part of the law and the state's top court ruled this year that it violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, the attorney general's office said the nation's top court has long recognized the power of states to tax the entire income of their residents and called the Maryland high court's finding "unprecedented."

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

State workers busy — processing federal workers' unemployment claims

By Michael Dresser and John Fritze, The Baltimore Sun

8:22 p.m. EDT, October 7, 2013

Furloughed federal workers have filed more than 16,000 unemployment insurance applications — more than four times the number typically received from that sector in a year.

While idled federal workers are eligible to collect unemployment benefits, they will have to repay the money if, as is expected, they receive back pay after the shutdown ends, said Maureen O'Connor, spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

The House unanimously passed legislation over the weekend to provide back pay to furloughed employees once the government reopens, and the Senate is likely to take that measure up in coming days. President Barack Obama has indicated he would sign it.