Friday, March 15, 2013
Officials are readying Maryland's workforce, but funding for the light rail projects still remains uncertain.
The heads of Maryland’s transit administration and labor department say they’ll work together to prepare the state’s workforce for nearly 7,000 construction jobs that could be generated by the planned Purple Line and Baltimore's Red Line light rail systems. Funding for Maryland’s transportation projects has been a key issue in this year’s legislative session. A gas tax bill introduced by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley this month would raise more than $3.4 billion over the next five years, some of which would go towards the 16-mile Purple Line, which, like many other state transit projects, is not yet fully funded. Following the introduction of the legislation, Maryland Transit Administrator Ralign T. Wells and Maryland Labor Secretary …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The federal government has $20 million in funds available for things like sidewalks, shared paths and wetland creation. Could any of the money come here?
The state of Maryland announced a new program yesterday that could offer cash to communities like College Park to fund bike paths, sidewalks and other projects that encourage alternative forms transportation. The federal government has about $20 million set aside for so-called "non-traditional" transportation projects, and the Maryland Department of Transportation is currently seeking proposals. According to a press release from the State Highway Administration, these funds are available under the new Transportation Alternatives Program. The money could be used for things like "planning, design and construction funds for on and off-road facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized transportation." In other words, places…
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
A new poll by Annapolis-Based Gonzales Research shows support for banning assault weapons while only 25 percent of those polled want to see Gov. Martin O'Malley run for President.
Nearly two-thirds of Marylanders surveyed say a sentence of life without parole is an acceptable alternative to the death penalty. The results are part of a survey released early Wednesday morning by Annapolis-based Gonzales Research. The poll 801 state residents found that support for the death penalty in the state has slipped to 49 percent. In 2011, that same poll found that 56 percent of those polled favored the death penalty. Opposition to the death penalty comes from Democrats and blacks at nearly 60 percent each. Republicans, independents and whites all favor the retention of capital punishment, according to the poll. Gov. Martin O'Malley has made the repeal of the death penalty one of his legislative priorities for the 2013 Maryland…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The governor touts $325 million in cuts even as proposed spending increases by 4 percent over the current levels.
UPDATED (6:32 p.m.)—Gov. Martin O'Malley Wednesday presented his budget plan for the coming year that he called "a jobs budget." The budget contains no tax increases though O'Malley declined to discuss the possibility of a tax for transportation projects. "These have been challenging times to say the least," O'Malley said. He was referencing the seventh budget of his tenure as governor at the same time that the state has weathered one of the most severe economic downturns in history. O'Malley said Maryland taxpayers "expect their government to do more with less." The proposed $37.3 billion spending plan is for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The governor's proposed budget contains $325 million in spending cuts even though the …
Christopher Kidwell
10:11 pm on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Actually, correction to my statement: assault weapons are already incredibly highly regulated. In order to own one legally, you need a special gun license that costs nearly 20K to get, the money to buy one (50K-100K is the going prices for one), and a bunch of other stuff to adhere to the regulations on the special gun license. Assault weapons are NOT a real worry in the real world. more ›