Friday, May 18, 2012
Ruling stems from divorce case filed by a couple married in California in 2008.
UPDATED (5:12 p.m.)—Same-sex marriages legally performed out of state must be recognized by Maryland Courts, according to a decision issued Friday by Maryland’s highest court. “Maryland courts will withhold recognition of a valid foreign marriage only if that marriage is ‘repugnant’ to State public policy,” wrote Court of Appeals Judge Glenn Harrell Jr. in the 7-0 decision. Legal experts and Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler said the decision has both immediate and long-term effects—even as the state moves toward a possible referendum on the recently passed law allowing same-sex marriage in the state. Gansler, who in 2010 issued what he called “a forecast” opinion predicting the court would ultimately recognize out-of-state same-…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor calls budget package "good for all Marylanders." Republicans say burden to local governments may force county governments to increase taxes.
The Maryland House of Delegates gave final approval Wednesday to a package of three bills that increases taxes on some state residents, shifts part of teacher pensions to local governments and undoes the so-called "doomsday budget." The votes Wednesday afternoon capped the three-day special session called by Gov. Martin O'Malley in order to override more than $500 million in cuts made in a budget passed in early April. The Senate approved the same three bills Tuesday. As part of the package, legislators approved by a vote of 86-51 what amounts to a 50-50 split of teacher pension costs with local governments. The split will be phased in over the next four years beginning July 1 with the new budget year. That bill also includes a doubling of…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Protestors argued that pit bulls are being unfairly targeted by the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Annapolis resident Stehle Harris is afraid she won't have a home. As the owner of a bull terrier, Harris said the recent Maryland Court of Appeals opinion that pit bulls and pit bull crossbreeds are dangerous could lead to a slippery slope. The opinion also states that landlords can prohibit the dogs from their properties. "I think pit bulls capacity to do damage is no greater than a chihuahua," she said. "I'm more apprehensive about smaller dogs." Harris was one of a group of Marylanders protesting the court's opinion at Lawyer's Mall in Annapolis on Tuesday afternoon. Erin Harty, of Baltimore, said Harris' fears aren't unfounded. As a volunteer at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, she said the center is already being …
Can't make it to the council meeting? Watch it online.
A discussion about rent stabilization in the city is included on tonight’s College Park Mayor and Council worksession agenda. The Sage Policy Group, Inc. produced a study in March that found there “remains a rational basis for Rent Stabilization in College Park,” a rent cap law that has encountered strong opposition from landlords who rent out single-family homes in the city. The report from Sage can be found on pages 82 to 93 of the council’s agenda, which accompanies this post. Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Anyone who wishes to attend can pick up a free parking pass on the first floor. The meeting will also be live streamed and archived on the city’s website. Below is a summary of other …
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4500 Knox Rd, College Park, MD
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Some say light rail will ease commuting, while others are wary of funding issues.
For more on the Purple Line, check out our series. Speak Out: What do you think about the Purple Line coming to Prince George's County? Will it help or hurt local businesses?
State funding hurting from gas tax rejection. Future federal funding uncertain until 2015.
The Purple Line, the proposed 16-mile light rail transit system extending from New Carrollton to Bethesda, could be missing one vital component for its progression: funding. With the Maryland budget in crisis and a congressional stalemate over highway funding, the Purple Line’s construction could be pushed back, although several officials interviewed about the project would not predict how long the delay might be. The federal government approved preliminary engineering for the project in October, qualifying it for funding through New Starts, a federal program for new transit projects such as the Purple Line, bringing it a significant step closer to construction. From there, cost estimates and construction schedules could be fine-tuned …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
This week's top Prince George's County news.
Speed, Buzzard Contributing Factors in Sunday's Motorcycle Fatality David Christopher Norris, of Upper Marlboro, died Sunday after his motorcycle struck a buzzard causing him to veer off the road. Engine Overheats in NASA Goddard Building Containing Radioactive Material An engine at NASA Goddard overheated and smoked in a building containing radioactive material Thursday. Cafritz Hearing is Adjourned After six days, the Prince George's County District Council ended the evidentiary hearing for the Cafritz rezoning request. The developers want to rezone about 37 acres just south of College Park, in Riverdale Park, to Mixed-Use Town Center so that they can construct a Whole Foods Market, almost 1,000 residential units, and both retail and …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Residents, officials and attorneys provided testimony and closing arguments at the sixth and final district council hearing for Cafritz.
5:20 p.m.: Hearing is Adjourned Seven hours after it began today, the hearing before the Prince George's County District Council is adjourned--without a continuance. Before Harrison dropped the gavel, People's Counsel Stan Brown provided a closing argument. He reminded listeners that his role does not involve supporting one side or the other. Among his points: He noted that the planning board took more than its allowable 105 days to submit a recommendation to the district council, which "is not fatal to this application, but it is there," he said. He also said that the planning board's recommendation came with conditions rather than the allowable modifications. "One could argue the planning board decision is erroneous because it allows for…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Diamondback interviews residents and students who reflect on the positives and negatives that the mixed-use development in Riverdale Park could bring to the area, if rezoning is finally approved.
Days before what could be the final Prince George’s County District Council hearing devoted to the rezoning of the Cafritz property, students and residents of College Park reflect on the potential positives and negatives of the project, in The Diamondback. The Cafritz family seeks to have its approximately 37-acre parcel on the north end of Riverdale Park rezoned from single-family detached residential (R-55) to mixed-use town center (M-UTC), easing the way for the construction of more than 900 units of housing, a 35,000-square foot Whole Foods, a 120-room hotel, and additional office and retail space. The location of the property is just south of the Calvert Hills neighborhood in College Park. “Traffic is just going to be overwhelming,” …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
In an interview on ABC News, the president says he supports same-sex marriage. The issue is likely to go to referendum in Maryland this fall.
President Barack Obama picked the day after a decisive vote in North Carolina to announce that his "evolution" on the issue of same-sex marriage was complete—he now supports it. In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Obama said: I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage—at a …
anthrogirl
10:19 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012
@Elizabeth. The bible is not the best document to look at for moral guidance in a literal sense. Here's a quote from Bishop Spong. "The Bible has been used for centuries by Christians as a weapon of control. To read it literally is to believe in a three-tiered universe, to condone slavery, to treat women as inferior creatures, to believe that sickness is caused by God's punishment and that mental… more ›