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Government

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Protecting Pedestrians: Who’s At Fault in Accidents?

Police departments and public safety officials try to combat rash of pedestrian accidents in Silver Spring

Since February 2012, there have been 11 pedestrians killed by cars in Montgomery County. More recently and locally, four pedestrians and one cyclist have been killed in Silver Spring and Aspen Hill since Jan. 22. Those are substantial numbers but specific reasons and remedies are elusive. Resident Jazmine Jones assigned fault earlier this month to drivers, who should take it upon themselves to be more considerate, she said, as “90 percent of them (drive too fast).” “A lot of pedestrians are too bold, too, but they follow the traffic lights,” Jones said. “People just drive too fast here.” She was not sure how to fix the problem, though, and was hesitant to propose upping police enforcement. But, Shanda Stout—who moved to Silver Spring after…

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Top Maryland Headlines: 'Pimp on the Pike' Gets 20 Years, Blogger Slain, Governor's Race Ignites

From crime - hear about the backhoe bandits? - to politics and new places for Mexican food, be well-informed with one click.

  By Patch Staff Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown Kicks Off Gubernatorial Bid In a speech highlighting his military and government service, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown announced in his home county of Prince George's Friday night that he is running for governor of Maryland in the November 2014 election. Dan Bongino’s Home Burglarized Wednesday Night While Family Slept A spokeswoman says computers, purses and a wallet were taken from the Severna Park home of Bongino, the former Secret Service agent who ran for U.S. Senate in 2012.  Report: Anne Arundel County Top in State for Generating Tourism Money The county saw a more than 7 percent increase in money from tourism between 2010 and 2011, according to a new report.  Businesses Look to Marketplace Fairness…

CP

9:12 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Another top notch d-bag!   more ›

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Metro Updates: Adding Silver and Purple to the Red, Orange, Green Mix

Silver Line appears on new map, but when might the Purple Line appear?

The Maryland Transit Authority has scheduled a series of five open houses to update citizens on the status of the much-discussed Purple Line, according to a Washington Post story. The Purple Line is a proposed light rail extension of the current Metro system and would run for 16 miles between Bethesda and New Carrollton, and connect with the existing Red, Orange and Green Lines. Among issues that have been discussed is how the line’s construction would be funded. A February Post article stated that for Maryland to receive federal funding, the state must demonstrate that it can pay its half ($2.15 billion) of the costs. The gas tax and public-private partnerships have been talked about as possible sources of funding, but no decisions have …

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Eric S.

10:14 am on Monday, May 13, 2013

Because no regular mortal can afford a house anywhere near Bethesda, but plenty of people work in the area? Double that with the crapton of people coming in one stop away at Medical Center. The beltway is crowded enough as it is in that direction, and could use some relief. This is a way more useful East-West route than the ICC. (Apologies if this posts twice. Patch keeps eating my comments.)   more ›

Friday, May 10, 2013

Live: Lt. Gov. Brown Announces Run for Governor

Hundreds gather at Prince George's Community College in Largo, MD for Brown's gubernatorial campaign announcement.

Follow @UMarlboroPatch for live coverage of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's announcement. 

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jag

1:52 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013

...DeDe wants to kill people, yet thinks it's everyone else who should be ex-communicated from the church. Hilarious. I think it's safe to say you hating Brown, O'Malley, etc. probably means they're doing something right.   more ›

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Insider Politics Blog

Poll: Americans Support Death Penalty For Terrorists

The results of the Quinnipiac University poll come as proponents of reinstating the death penalty in Maryland say the law is needed because of incidents such as the Boston Marathon bombing.

Americans support the death penalty for terrorists, according to a national poll released by Quinnipiac University. The national survey found that 63 percent favored the death penalty for someone convicted of murder involving an act of terrorism compared to 32 percent who said they opposed capital punishment. The results of the poll come as political leaders including Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger, a Democrat, and Washington County Republican Del. Neil Parrott announced a plan to collect more than 55,000 signatures in order to reinstate the death penalty in Maryland. "One only has to look back to Oklahoma City, Aurora, CO, Newtown, CT, and the recent massacre in Boston to recognize that if these crimes were …

Toilet Activist Files to Run for Maryland Lt. Governor

Duane Davis, known for leaving toilets as political protest outside the Historic Courthouse in Towson, is running as a Republican in 2014.

A Milford Mill man known for political protests involving putting toilets in front of a county government building in Towson has filed as a candidate for Lt. Governor in 2014. Duane "Shorty" Davis has filed as the running mate with Brian Vaeth, a Perry Hall man. Davis was charged in February 2011 with planting a fake destructive device in the form of a toilet outside the Historic Courthouse in Towson and making false statements about a fake destructive device. He was acquitted of those charges seven months later. Davis, a caterer, said in a February 2013 article that the incident in 2011 was a protest of alleged corruption in Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration. He claims that he had made political statements using toilets previously, …

Monday, May 6, 2013

Congress Gunning for Home Tax Deduction Favored in Montgomery County

A report by Pew Charitable Trusts found some areas in the Washington, DC suburbs benefit more from a controversial tax credit than any other place.

A home ownership tax credit favored by the wealthy disproportionately benefits residents of Maryland and Montgomery County, particularly Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Frederick, a report from Pew Charitable Trusts found. Some members of Congress, however, are working to cut the mortgage interest deduction from the tax code. In Maryland, 37 percent of tax filers claim the deduction, while more than 40 percent of tax filers in Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Frederick claim the mortgage interest deduction, the largest percentage in the country, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported. Nationally, only 22 percent of filers claim the deduction, Bloomberg reported. The deduction is typically filed in wealthy areas with high rates of home ownership.  Compare …

Agenda: Council Continues to Parse FY14 Budget

Montgomery County Council meets most Tuesdays in Rockville.

Montgomery County Council members will continue to discuss Fiscal Year 2014's budget at its next meeting, planned for Tuesday, May 7, at 9:30 a.m. in Rockville. Allotments for several county agencies, including public safety divisions, housing and affordable housing programs and education and early childhood programs will be approved based on recommendations from the Council committees.  Fiscal Year 2014 begins July 1, 2013.  (Read the entire council agenda, attached to this article.)   

Allison Rawlings

2:15 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Council should have heard what the Chief of Police said at the security meeting in Montgomery Village last night. The county needs more police officers on the streets and in the schools. Councilmen Rice was there and heard it loud and clear.   more ›

Discovery Launches STEM Education Initiative

Gov. Martin O’Malley, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and MCPS Superintendent Joshua P. Starr spoke at the launch event at Benjamin Banneker Middle School last week.

Financial Sector Helped Montgomery County Add 25,000 Jobs in Two Years

An outside company tallied the rate of job growth at 3.9 percent from 2010 to 2012, according to a report from county government.

Employers in the financial sector that included The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Capital One led the list of companies that have added the most jobs in Montgomery County since 2010, according to a release from county government. The county's job growth rate from 2010 to 2012 was 3.9 percent, the release stated, higher than those of bordering jurisdictions Fairfax, VA (3.6 percent) and the District of Columbia (2.8 percent.) Overall, 24,670 jobs were added during the period. The data was provided by Economic Modeling Specialists International, a private firm that provides jobs data on the county level.  FINRA, which operates four offices in Rockville, added more jobs than any other company, the county said, with 330 …

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