Monday, May 20, 2013
More increases may be in store at BWI, National, and Dulles.
Airlines raked in more than $6 billion in baggage and change fees in 2012, accounting for a 3.7 percent profit margin, WTOP reports. The practice of collecting additional fees for the once-free baggage began in 2008, when prices for jet fuel rose nearly 50 percent as oil hit an all-time high. Since then, the fees have increased and are typically in the range of $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second. These baggage fees added $3.5 billion to airline coffers in 2012, 3.8 percent more than in 2011. While some commercials make light of the anger and frustration caused by the additional fees, a J.D. Power & Associates survey cited by the Los Angeles Times shows that a greater percentage of passengers who pay to check their bags …
After a nearly three hour Sunday meeting, the Riverdale Park Town Council voted 3-0 to send a letter of support to the county planning board.
After nearly three hours of review and discussion on Sunday, the Riverdale Park Town Council voted unanimously to send a letter to the Prince George's County Planning Board supporting approval with conditions of the Detailed Site Plan for the Cafritz property. The DSP will got before the planning board on Thursday, just one week after it unanimously approved preliminary plans for the development over the objections of both University Park and College Park. "The Riverdale Park Mayor and Town Council felt confident that after an exhaustive review of the DSP, staff comments/referrals, expert and legal testimony, that the applicant has met the requirements necessary to receive our support," wrote Riverdale Park Councilman Jonathan Ebbeler (…
Sunday, May 19, 2013
What advice did the first lady give graduates? Will electricity rates go up - again? Get all the Maryland news with one click on Patch.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, May 19
By Patch Staff It was a big news week in Maryland last week, with a visit by the first lady, a commuter nightmare in Montgomery and a heads up for a sixth casino in the state. All the headlines from 48 Patch sites across Maryland: Berliner Calls for Better Electricity Service with 'Utility 2.0' Montgomery County Council Member Roger Berliner asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to require that substantial changes be made to electricity services in the state. Meanwhile, Pepco is asking for permission to raise rates. Michelle Obama to Bowie State Grads: It's Time to Feel Hungry Again In a speech rich with historical references, the first lady reminded the BSU class of 2013 why education is important. Report: Quince Orchard Students…
New locomotives could put $300 million in electricity back on the grid.
Amtrak plans to replace a total of 70 locomotives on its Northeast Regional line, which transports passengers between Newport News, VA, and Boston, MA, according to the dcist website. Trains on the popular route, which often involve long lines of waiting commuters at DC's Union Station, are pulled by locomotives that are more than 25 years old and feature outdated technology, according to the article. In a May 13 news release, Amtrak president and CEO Joseph Boardman said, “The new Amtrak locomotives will help power the economic future of the Northeast region, provide more reliable and efficient service for passengers and support the rebirth of rail manufacturing in America.” The new locomotives, dubbed “Amtrak Cities Sprinters,” will …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The prize is the third largest in American history, according to lottery officials.
The Powerball jackpot for Saturday's drawing has been raised to become what would be the third-largest jackpot prize in American history. Due to strong sales, the jackpot for Saturday was raised from $475 million to $550 million, with a $350.1 million cash option. It is the second largest prize in Powerball's history. No ticket has had the winning numbers for the past 13 drawings—since early April, according to a Maryland Lottery press release. Maryland has had two winning Powerball tickets since the Maryland Lottery joined the game in 2010. One was a Pennsylvania couple who purchased a ticket in Elkton on Christmas Eve in 2011 that won them $128.8 million. That September, an Abingdon couple won $108.8 million, according to the release. …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
In the market for a house? Check out these recent listings.
- REAL ESTATE
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Thursday, May 16
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Members recommended, 5-2-1, that county officials reject the developer's preliminary plan of subdivision.
The College Park City Council voted 5-2-1 Tuesday night to oppose the preliminary plan of subdivision put forward by the Cafritz development team. By doing so, the council joined the University Park Town Council in asking the Prince George's County Planning Board to reject the plan—the next major hurdle in the proposed development of the Cafritz property. In Riverdale Park, where the 37-acre mixed-used project would be located, council members voted 3-0 Saturday to recommend passage of the preliminary plan. Councilmember Stephanie Stullich (Dist. 3), who introduced Tuesday's motion calling for disapproval, cited a range of reasons for her opposition, including: "Critical information was not provided to us or others in this process in the …
Monday, May 13, 2013
The preliminary plan goes before the Prince George's County Planning Board on Thursday.
Prince George's County has moved once step closer to possibly getting its first Whole Foods last week when—in a report dated May 9—the Prince George's County planning staff recommended approval with conditions of the preliminary plan of the Cafritz property. The approval comes after a recent agreement between UMD and Calvert Tract LLC, in which the University of Maryland granted developers right-of-way to build a CSX bridge, now referred to as the J-crossing, across its property. In January, the planning board staff recommended disapproval of the Cafritz property preliminary plan after developers failed to meet several conditions. Among those was the condition requiring them to secure right-of-way to build across the CSX tracks. …
Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing will compete against MGM Resorts to operate Maryland's sixth casino.
Three companies have submitted bids to operate Maryland's sixth casino slated to be in Prince George's County, according to reports. After spending nearly $40 million in ads supporting a sixth casino in Maryland, it was not a surprise that MGM Reports proposed an $800 million project at National Harbor Thursday, The Washington Post reported Friday. Penn National Gaming proposed a $700 million Hollywood Casino Resort at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, the Post reported, after spending almost $40 million in an anti-casino ad campaign run by a special interest group. The third bid came as a surprise, from the owner of Greenwood Racing, which owns a Pennsylvania casino formerly called Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino. That company…
The Riverdale Park Town Council discussing their approval of the Cafritz development preliminary plan.
Ken Montville
8:38 am on Thursday, May 2, 2013
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