The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said the cooling systems of three reactors at a second nuclear power plant, Fukushima-Daini, are malfunctioning, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The plant is 11km (7 miles) to the south of Fukushima-Daiichi, where the cooling system in one of its reactors is not working and pressure is rising.
It says the ability to control pressure in some of the reactors at Fukushima-Daini has been lost. Pressure is stable inside the reactors, but rising in the containment vessels, a company spokesman says.
Japan is “on the path of a core-melt accident,” a nuclear expert tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview.
The news Friday afternoon that the only nation that ever has endured a nuclear-weapons attack is venting contaminated vapor from a nuclear power plant’s containment core could indicate that the coolant loss is quite serious, says Mark Hibbs, a Berlin-based senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a nonprofit think tank. Hibbs, who works in Carnegie's Nuclear Policy Program, has spent 20 years reporting for nuclear-energy journals and has spoken with Japanese officials in the aftermath of the nuclear plant mishap resulting from the earthquake there.
Japanese officials have evacuated 3,000 residents who live near the damaged reactors as a precautionary measure, according to Fox News. The pressure inside the reactor containment domes is 50 percent higher than normal, the officials say, although they contend that a last-ditch emergency cooling system is intact.
“The Japanese public is generally very alarmed about things like radioactive emissions,” says Hibbs, who served for two decades as an editor and correspondent for the nuclear energy publications “Nucleonics Week” and “Nuclear Fuel.” “They have an extreme high standard of safety protection, and they don’t like to see risks like this taken even if the risk is small.
“It’s a very, very risk-averse culture in this regard. So if the authorities are willing to do this, that might be a sign of how serious they perceive the threat to the reactor.”
Although coolant interruptions to nuclear power plants are not all that unusual, says Hibbs, who adds that the surprising aspect of this incident is that Japan’s redundant systems apparently have been unable to counteract reactor core heating.
“What happened in Japan is very alarming because it would appear . . . that about 2:30 this afternoon Japan time, when the earthquake struck . . . three of the reactors that were operating were disenabled because of a loss of offsite power that was caused by the earthquake.”
The Japanese situation appears to be roughly analogous to the Three Mile Island incident in the United States, where authorities struggled for days to contain an improperly cooled reactor core but were able to avert a widespread release of nuclear material.
“We were in a situation as I recall then very similar to where we are now, where we were told by news media in 1979 that there was a core melt accident unfolding, we didn’t know how serious it would become, and what would happen,” Hibbs tells Newsmax.
At least one of the reactors in Japan, and perhaps more, “ are on the path of a core-melt accident. It’s called a loss of coolant accident. . . . And it’s up to the Japanese authorities, together with the industries in that country, to find a way to stem this problem,” he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that the United States is trying to help alleviate the situation. "We just had our Air Force assets in Japan transport some really important coolant to one of the nuclear plants," Clinton said, according to the Associated Press.
The Japanese reactors are designed to drop neutron-blocking control rods into the core as soon as the plants detect a seismic disturbance. These controls apparently functioned normally. But even after the procedure, scientists say a base level of heat continues to flow, and coolant is needed to constrain those temperatures.
Asked how long Japanese scientists have to correct the problem to avoid a core meltdown, Hibbs tells Newsmax that it depends on system design, adding, “it could be a day, plus or minus 10 hours.”
“After a while, with the heat building up in there, and lack of coolant, you’re going to see damage in your fuel, the cladding, the metal container around the nuclear material, begins to buckle or balloon or break, and after a little while you’ll get a situation where the fuel falls apart, melts, and falls into the core, and then you’ve got a classical core melt accident like you had in Three Mile Island that you had in the United States in '79.”
Hibbs spoke with Japanese government officials who told him the force of the tsunami was so severe that the water may have flooded the reactors, power generators, and cooling mechanisms, disabling the equipment. "Which means they have to resort to basically a military-type exercise, to rush in to the devastated site equipment that they can quickly hook up to the reactor to get power in there and start this emergency equipment, to get cooling water into that core and prevent that fuel from overheating.
“And if they can’t do that,” he told Newsmax, “then you’re going to have this meltdown.”
They have 24 hours or so to avoid a core meltdown, he says. But if one occurs, two scenarios could follow: The good outcome would mirror what happened at Three Mile Island, while the bad one could involve what he called a “Chernobyl scenario, where the damage to the reactor was such that the integrity of the structures were damaged.
The pressure inside one of the six Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant has built up because the cooling system was damaged by the earthquake. The heat produced by the nuclear reaction inside the core still needs to be dissipated even after a shutdown. If the outage in the cooling system persists, eventually radiation could leak out into the environment, and, in the worst case, could cause a reactor meltdown, experts say.
The Associated Press is also now citing Japanese nuclear safety agency officials as saying that radiation levels inside one of the reactors at the Fukushima-Daini nuclear power plant have surged to 1,000 times their normal levels after the cooling system failed. Pressure inside the reactor has risen to 1.5 times the level considered normal.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has said radiation may already have been released at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant.
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has announced that residents living within 10km (6.2 miles) of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear station must evacuate their homes, according to the Kyodo news agency. Engineers are trying to fix the cooling system of one of the plant's reactors, which was damaged by the earthquake. The authorities had earlier told some 3,000 residents living within 3km (1.9 miles) to leave.
Officials in Washington have said the US military has not provided any coolant to the nuclear plant in Japan. Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said US Air Force "assets" had been used to do so.
I know, I know … you never thought that you would read something written by me AND that was critical of freshman Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD). I’m a little surprised myself. However, I never would have thought that Harris would have voted for a measure that actually expanded ObamaCare. Unfortunately, he did.
The bill itself is not of major concern. It’s actually good for the Eastern Shore and the poultry industry. The problem is that the affected program is part of ObamaCare.
It has been a not-so-well-kept secret that part of the left’s strategy for ObamaCare has been to allow portions of the electorate to begin receiving benefit from the bill and voila! we have a new entitlement that is extremely difficult to alter without the risk of electoral consequences. This is precisely why conservatives have been adamant that a piecemeal approach cannot be taken to this measure. It must be repealed. If it can’t be repealed, if must be de-funded. The last thing we can do is EXPAND programs within the bill.
According to Congressman Harris’ press secretary Ryan Nawrocki, Harris was torn on this vote. However, poultry producers and the Maryland Farm Bureau were firmly behind the measure:
Congressman Harris has voted for full repeal. He has supported repeal of the onerous 1099 provisions within ObamaCare. But in the end, this bill is good for the Eastern Shore and the District. It means jobs and the Congressman felt that he needed to look at the entire picture.
Andy is wrong on this one! To date Harris has done a great job. He helped lead the revolt for greater cuts in the budget and should be commended. He voted to keep the GOP’s pledge of cutting $100 billion from the current budget (or lack thereof). That doesn’t excuse voting to expand a program that is part of ObamaCare.
I understand that jobs are important. Unfortunately, we can’t create enough jobs to keep America from going broke IF we allow ObamaCare to move forward. Even without ObamaCare, we must have meaningful entitlement reform if we are to ever get our debt back down to a manageable level.
Conservatives should view this vote as a “mulligan”. We should give it to Andy; BUT we should also let him know that we expect the man we elected to represent us. That doesn’t mean making “easy” votes that have dangerous long term consequences.
A week ago the look of fear on this couples faces was clear and evident. Today, Chuck and Vicki Campbell have a new outlook on life as Chuck is beating all odds with a successful double lung transplant just a few days ago.
Chuck and Vicki were kind enough to send me this updated photo just for everyone following Salisbury News. I put in the request early this morning because I wanted everyone to see the difference, so thank you Vicki & Chuck.
To the many of you who participated in raising the funds to help save Chuck's life, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!
While Vicki may be looking hot, Chuck, you're looking absolutely fantastic yourself. The two of you make a fantastic couple who have truly been blessed in so many ways.
Keep us posted as many are asking for updates several times a day.
Walker says bill will save $30M in budget year; union leaders plan to launch counterattack
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has officially taken away nearly all collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the state's public employees.
Walker signed the bill to do so privately Friday morning. He planned an afternoon news conference in the Capitol.
The explosive measure passed the Assembly on Thursday following more than three weeks of protests that drew tens of thousands of people to the Capitol in opposition. The Senate cleared the way for passage with a surprise move Wednesday that allowed them to vote on the bill without 14 Democratic senators present.
That ends — for now — a three-week battle that saw all Democratic state senators flee to a neighboring state and as many as 80,000 protest at the Capitol building.
The Food Lion on Tilgman Road has been closed all morning. The HAZMAT team has made entries on an unknown oder that evacuated the building. Delmar had to bring their DECON for them.
UPDATE: Truck 2 with the ladder to the roof and the hazmat team. Chesapeake
Utilities truck just pulled up.
Awhile back, when the initial campaign funding reports were submitted by the candidates in Salisbury’s city council election, we asked for information about Mr. Hopkins, who has made very substantial (for Salisbury) donations to Boda, Dryden and Dixon – the SAPOA slate. Because his address was listed as Fairfax Station, VA, we wondered about the basis of his largess. Now, our readers have responded, and we have double-checked.
Mr. Hopkins is heavily engaged in residential rental, mostly to students, in and around Salisbury as the manager of the LLC firm that in 2010 purchased much of the housing stock then owned and operated by Donnie Williams and his enterprise. The price was nearly $4 Million, which may well explain why Mr. Hopkins has so generously supported the SAPOA backed candidates, one of whom (Dixon) did not make it through the primary. Rental of the units is apparently being handled by Fairfax Station Enterprises, another LLC firm in which Mr. Hopkins may have an interest.
It seems that residential rental in Salisbury is so rewarding, financially, that it is attracting investors from far and wide who want to have a handle on the City’s government. Can you say “ca-ching”?
On March 11, 2011 at approximately 1:52 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police were on routine patrol and heard a single gunshot that originated in the area of Roland Street in Salisbury. As the officers responded to the area of Roland Street, the officers observed a vehicle driving away from the area at a high rate of speed. Officers stopped the vehicle and found that the vehicle had sustained damage as a result of a gunshot. The vehicle had been struck in the rear trunk area and a portion of the rear glass had been broken out. The occupants of the vehicle were unable to provide any information regarding the incident, to include suspect information. The occupants of the vehicle indicated that the vehicle had been shot while in the parking lot of Gully’s Nightclub, on Roland Street. Detectives of the Salisbury Police received information indicating that there were a number of witnesses to the event that were in the parking lot at the time the shot was fired.
The Salisbury Police are asking anyone that may have witnessed the incident, or has any information pertaining to the incident, to contact the Salisbury Police Department at 410-548-3165 or to contact Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776. Information may be left at both locations anonymously.
CC # 201100008859
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 3:16 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Superfresh Food Store on East College Avenue for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised that store employees had observed the below listed suspect take cosmetics from the store without making any attempts at payment before leaving the store. Officers, with the assistance of store security, located the suspect at a nearby residence. The suspect was positively identified and taken into custody. The cosmetics were not recovered.
ARRESTED: Tishea Lashay Green, 18 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100008790
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 4:00 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the PNC Bank on W. Isabella Street for the report of a check fraud. Upon arrival the officers met with bank officials who advised that the below listed suspect was attempted to cash a forged check. Salisbury detectives responded and learned that the suspect had forged and was attempting to cash a check stolen from the victim’s residence. The investigation is continuing as to additional thefts from the victim.
ARRESTED: Sheila Jean Jones, 44 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
Forgery
Possession of a forged document
Issuing a forged document
Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100008794
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 8:33 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant for a fraud and theft that was reported on February 23 of 2011. On that date, Salisbury officers met with a victim who advised that the below listed suspect, who was a family member, had fraudulently opened up a cellular telephone account with her information and without her consent. Salisbury detectives investigated the incident and obtained the arrest warrant.
ARRESTED: Brooke Nathaniel Allison, 34 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
Fraud – Identity theft
Fraudulent use of a signature
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100006019
On March 10, 2011 at approximately 11:11 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to a residence on the three hundred (300) block of Prince Street for the report of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival the officers met with an adult female victim who advised that she had been assaulted by the below listed suspect during an argument. The victim advised that while arguing with the suspect, the suspect threw her to the ground and kicked her. The suspect was located a short distance from the residence and taken into custody. The female victim refused medical treatment.
ARRESTED: Maurice Clayton Brown, Jr., 33 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Second degree assault
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100008840
'Pro-choice' comes up as Republicans attack energy efficiency standards
WASHINGTON — The humble light bulb became a lightning rod for philosophical differences in the Senate on Thursday — a debate so vitriolic that while the focus was supposed to be on more efficient bulbs the talk went as far off-topic as abortion.
"You favor a woman's right to abortion but not a woman or man's right to a light bulb," Sen. Rand Paul, R-N.Y., told an Obama administration official from the Energy Department testifying about the savings to consumers and the environment of energy standards.
"You're really anti-choice," he added, saying he supported a bill to repeal those standards.
"I find it insulting," Paul said, calling federal officials "busybodies" trying to tell Americans what to do.
After hours of lengthy debate and wrangling over amendments, the Senate gave tentative approval Wednesday night to a bill that would grant young illegal immigrants who have graduated from state high schools in-state tuition for community colleges and state universities. The estimated cost of the tuition is about $800,000 in fiscal 2014, rising to $3.5 million in 2016.
At a United Seniors rally in Annapolis Wednesday morning, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown made an unusual revelation in response to a question about in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. Turns out his Jamaican grandmother illegally immigrated to the United States sometime in the 1930s after the Cuban government had thrown out migrant Jamaican workers during the Depression.
Several tax watchdogs and policy analysts concerned about the state of Maryland’s economy and buoyed by a new report urged delegates to revisit a just-expired method of raising more money — extending the tax surcharge on millionaires. Enacted in 2008, the “millionaires’ tax” taxes all net income above $1 million at [...]
More than a third of the nation’s $9.3 trillion in pension assets belong to state and local government employees, even though they make up only 15 percent of the U.S. work force, a study shows.
Research by the Spectrum investment group found that public-sector employees, primarily through powerful unions, have accumulated by far the most generous retirement programs in the country. Meanwhile, many private-sector workers have had their retirement plans cut back and have had to delay retirement.
Even with $3.4 trillion set aside to pay public pensions, dozens of strapped state and local governments are struggling to make payments. Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida are calling on state employees for the first time to contribute to their retirement plans the way workers do in the private sector.
These efforts have met sharp opposition from public-sector unions and are at the center of battles over whether unions should have the right to collectively bargain with the government over pension and health care benefits.
The $3.4 trillion total set aside for public pensions understates the burden for states and taxpayers since the plans collectively are underfunded by as much as $2.5 trillion, said Milton Ezrati, senior economist at Lord Abbott & Co.
“The undeniable fact is that most states and municipalities offer more generous pensions than they can afford,” he said, noting that the plans typically allow employees full retirement benefits after 20 or 30 years of employment and include generous cost-of-living increases, health care benefits and other perks that are not common in the private sector.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) said he stood-by a proposal he made last week that could result in the federal government providing an Ipad for every student in the nation, despite a barrage of criticism he has suffered from the media in recent days.
"Let me be clear about a few things," Jackson said, brandishing both an Apple Ipad and an Amazon Kindle on the House floor. "These devices are revolutionizing our country-- and they will fundamentally alter how we will educate our children."
Jackson said he had been skewered on conservative radio and in the blogosphere and was called "misleading" and “malicious” names.
"Now, because I've suggested this idea, I've been called a communist and a socialist and any number of another things,” Jackson said.
Jackson is promoting his idea to amend the Constitution so that it guarantees every American the right to an equal education. Under that amendment Congress would be given discretion to implement the educational reforms which, Jackson said, may lead to an Ipad, Kindle, or Nook for every schoolchild.
Tempers flared and tears flowed Thursday at a tense hearing on the radicalization of the American Muslim community.
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) rejected calls from nearly 100 Democratic members to cancel the highly controversial hearing as he carried out his attempt to explore whether the U.S. Muslim community is being radicalized.
King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the four-hour hearing was “successful” and announced plans to hold another in the next several months on the radicalization of Muslim Americans in the U.S. prison system.
“This was an extremely productive, worthwhile hearing,” King told reporters after it ended. “I am more convinced than ever that it was the appropriate hearing to hold. We broke down a wall of political correctness on an issue which has to be addressed.”
While members spent much of the hearing itself talking about whether it was proper to hold such a forum, lawmakers did launch a series of questions at four witnesses who have all dealt personally with the issue of Muslim radicalization.
Labor unions at the heart of a burning national disagreement over the cost of public employees want to frame the debate as a civil rights issue, an effort that may draw more sympathy to public workers being blamed for busting state budgets with generous pensions.
As part of that strategy, unions are planning rallies across the country on April 4 — the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Union officials want the observances in dozens of cities to remind Americans that King was supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., the night he was shot.
By portraying collective bargaining as a human rights issue, union officials hope the rallies can help fuel a backlash against Republicans in Wisconsin and other states trying to curb collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Sen. Jim DeMint said Wednesday that the resignations of National Public Radio's chief executive and a top fundraiser weren't enough as the South Carolina Republican led his party's drive in Congress to defund public broadcasting.
DeMint dismissed as a side issue NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller's resignation over a sting video in which fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) derides conservatives, tea party activists and "uneducated Americans" who back them.
"The issue about taxpayers funding public broadcasting isn't about who gets hired or fired," DeMint said. "It's about two simple facts: We can't afford it, and they don't need it."
DeMint said "Sesame Street" and other popular children's programs make tens of millions of dollars from the sale of puppets and other toys depicting Big Bird, Elmo and the Cookie Monster.
DeMint said mainly liberal donors provide huge additional funds to public broadcasting, led by billionaire financier George Soros' $1.8 million gift to NPR last year to hire 100 reporters.
A Republican-led U.S. House subcommittee voted Thursday to block the Obama administration from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions, advancing a measure that symbolizes a broader partisan battle over energy and environmental policy.
It's never been on a billboard, but the proof copy of a sign is still getting plenty of attention.
It quotes Planned Parenthood's Founder Margaret Sanger saying, "We do not want word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."
The group behind the sign is the Flint Area Right to Life and Black Americans for Life.
They wanted to put it up south of downtown Flint on Saginaw Street near I-475 during Black History Month.
"That's a direct quote of hers," says Judy Climer, director of Flint Area Right to Life.
She says it's a historical quote and perfectly acceptable for the public.
"It's deception by keeping her quote quiet because no one really wants to know that Planned Parenthood is behind this," says Climer.
Prolife advocates say the words speak for themselves, however Planned Parenthood says they are taken out of context.
Desiree Cooper, director of communications and media relations for Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan says, "She did not want the organization to be characterized in that way."
Cooper says Sanger was saying there was misinformation about birth control in that day, that it would wipe out entire races, and that she did not want that information spread.
"It is not black history to put up something that says that people don't want the black race to be on the planet. It's the opposite and it's insulting," says Cooper.
"If you read her biography, she was very much tied to the Ku Klux Klan, to the Nazis, to Hitler. She very much wanted thoroughbreds. That's the word she used, thoroughbreds, and the way to make that happen was to eliminate minorities. She called them weeds in the garden of life," says Judy Climer, director of Flint Area Right to Life.
Planned Parenthood says these criticisms are from groups twisting Sanger's words and taking them out of context.
The group admits Sanger was a product of her time and embraced some ideas that are not considered popular today.
Faulty counterfeit electronic parts are ending up in the Defense Department's weapons systems, and the problem poses a critical risk to national security, according to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), who chairs the panel, and John McCain (R-AZ), its ranking member, on Wednesday called the presence of counterfeit electronic parts in the DoD supply chain a "growing problem" and announced an investigation into just how they are ending up there.
"Counterfeit electronic parts pose a risk to our national security, the reliability of our weapons systems and the safety of our military men and women," the senators said in the release. "The proliferation of counterfeit goods also damages our economy and costs American jobs."
Roughly 150 various advocates — lobbyists for gays and lesbians, legislators, White House officials, at least one cabinet secretary and the first lady — gathered around President’s Obama’s bully pulpit in the White House Thursday to cheer for increased government monitoring and intervention in Facebook conversations, in playgrounds and in schoolrooms around the country.
No officials at the televised East Room roll-out of the White House’s anti-bullying initiative suggested any limits to government intervention against juvenile physical violence, social exclusion or unwanted speech. None mentioned the usefulness to children of unsupervised play. None suggested there were any risks created by a government program to enforce children’s approval of other children who are unpopular, overweight, or who declare themselves to be gay, lesbians or transgender.
“It breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, on the playground, or even online,” first lady Michelle Obama said.
“We’re going to prevent bullying and create an environment where every single one of our children can thrive,” the president said, as he announced a series of government actions intended to fund, guide and pressure state and local officials to adopt regulations and programs that would shield children from insults or social-exclusion as well as from physical harm.
Four years ago, Congress in its infinite wisdom extended daylight saving time (DST) by a month, with the goal of saving energy. Lots of energy.
The bill’s champion, Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, said it would save consumers a generous $4.4 billion over 15 years.
Of course, Mr. Markey was just repeating what has long been an established truism among policymakers: Setting the clocks forward in the spring saves energy because people don’t have to turn their lights on as much as at night.
Just one problem. While daylight saving time might “save” daylight, it doesn’t appear to save energy. In fact, it very well might do the opposite.
A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that daylight saving time actually ended up increasing energy consumption.
That study looked at Indiana, where until 2006, only 15 of the state’s 92 counties abided by DST. That year, a state law required all Hoosiers to “spring forward,” which let researchers compare the energy consumption of millions of homes before and after the change.
What did they find? Daylight saving added about 1 percent - or $9 million - to Indiana homeowners’ electricity bills, owing mainly to increased heating and cooling bills.
Another study looked at California before and after DST was extended in 2007 and found no statistically significant effect on energy consumption, nor did a study in Australia.
There have likewise been oft-repeated claims that DST saves lives by cutting traffic accidents. After all, we all know that driving in the dark is more dangerous, so it stands to reason that pushing sunset back an hour should cut crashes.
But while some studies found no meaningful overall effect, and some slight benefit, at least a few studies found that traffic accidents climbed as much as 7 percent in the days immediately after switching to DST - because drivers are more tired from losing the hour of sleep. And these studies found that accidents didn’t go down nearly as much after the clocks fall back.
Saudi police officers opened fire on a protest march in one of its eastern provinces on Thursday, wounding three according to witnesses and a Saudi official, the New York Times reported. The crackdown came on the eve of a planned "day of rage" throughout the oil-rich kingdom that Saudi officials say they will not tolerate.
Witnesses described the small protest march in the largely Shiite town of Qatif as peaceful, but an Interior Ministry spokesman alleged demonstrators attacked police before officers took the decision to fire, Reuters reported. The spokesman said police fired over the protesters’ heads, but that three people were injured in the melee, including an officer.
The clashed underscored growing tensions between Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority, which is demanding greater enfranchisement from a government that officially sanctions Wahabi Islam, a zealous form of Sunni orthodoxy. Mohammad Zaki Al-Khabbaz, a human rights activist in Qatif, said that security forces fired tear gas and shot in the air trying to disperse the crowd.
Abdulwahab Al-Oraid, a Qatif resident who watched the march, said it was unclear why the police opened fire. “We think this is a message: ‘Don’t protest in any Shiite areas on Friday,'" Al-Oraid said. Witnesses could not say whether police fired rubber bullets intended for crowd control or other kinds of ammunition.
Residents across Saudi Arabia report beefed up security on the streets and closed access to major squares in big cities where protesters are expected to gather Friday. “Streets are packed with police vehicles,” said Mohamad Al-Qahtani, a human rights activist in Riyadh, the capital. “I have never seen anything like this. It says that the regime fears its people.”
Rattled by the protests that have wrought chaos in the Middle East and Africa, brought down regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, led to civil war, and led the monarchs of Jordan and Morocco to scramble for reform, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah previously announced a $37 billion domestic aid package upon his return to the Kingdom.
But aid dollars do not appear to have impressed the protest movement in Saudi Arabia and the winds of malcontent continue to blow in Gulf states.
A man's eyes popped out his head and went "Awoooga!" when they saw his receipt for pumping 13 gallons of gas: $2297.84! Since he paid with his debit card, that meant real money was immediately drained from his bank account, causing a $1,300 overdraft. At first the gas station manager just shrugged his shoulders and blamed the bank, but he changed his tune after news reporters walked in asking questions about the receipts.
The latest report from RealtyTrac on foreclosures shows a precipitous drop in the number of foreclosure filings between January and February, and that the total number of foreclosures in February was the lowest since February 2008. If you only want to hear the good news, stop reading now.
If your laptop is saddled with a battery so poor that you have to constantly be plugged into an outlet, you're missing out on all the benefits a portable computer can offer. There are steps you can take to make sure your batter lasts as long as possible before you need to replace it.
As you probably know by now, Japan was hit by a 8.9-magnitude earthquake earlier today that sent devastating waves crashing into the island nation and has triggered tsunami warnings in Hawaii and along the Pacific coastline of North and South America.
The Senate failed to pass either of two budget plans for fiscal 2011. Two odd twists marked the votes. Three Republicans joined Democrats against the GOP bill because they didn't think proposed cuts went deep enough. And 10 Democrats vote with Republicans against the Democratic bill, believing cuts were too deep. The current continuing resolution expires March 18. Congress goes a week-long recess March 19. Anticipating the lack of a deal, House Republicans are preparing another two-week continuing resolution with two billion dollars in cuts.
You might be able to let Uncle Sam or your employer pick up the tab
If unemployment rates and budget cuts have you down, there are still options for students who need someone else to foot their college bills.
Students can work their way through college, obtain a waiver or choose an in-demand field. Find out more about these and other ways to attend college without paying.
Grants and scholarships
The perennial way of eliminating college costs is still available. To up your odds, Doug Hewitt, co-author of "Free College Resource Book," advises students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and then focus on local prizes.
"There are more scholarships you'll qualify for in your home state than nationally," says Hewitt. "Look at local organizations and talk to your high school (guidance) counselor." Start early, too. While students usually don't start scholarship hunting until senior year, awards are available for all high school grade levels.
Redundancy, the budget and your pay are all connected: They all need to be viewed in the long term, said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in an interview with Federal News Radio.
Washington - In a sharp break from his predecessor's approach, President Barack Obama has decided to wait for European and Arab support before intervening in Libya, a stance that critics say will give dictator Moammar Gadhafi more time to launch brutal assaults on his opponents.
With Gadhafi's forces now in control of most of the rebellious city of Zawiya in west Libya and stepping up strikes on opposition-held eastern Libya, the White House is under growing pressure to make good on its call for Gadhafi to leave power after 42 years.
The administration insists that it has moved with unprecedented speed since the crisis erupted in mid-February. It has backed United Nations sanctions, frozen $30 billion in Gadhafi family assets, launched humanitarian operations and round-the-clock surveillance flights and held tentative talks with rebel leaders.
"It is very important for people to understand the kind of dramatic action that has been taken with the leadership of this president and will continue to be taken," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday. "There has never been a situation where the international community, with leadership by the United States, has acted as quickly as it has."
That's what Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a statement about why Wisconsin Senate Republicans on Wednesday evening carved the anti-union provisions out of the state's now-infamous Budget Repair Bill and quickly passed them, 18-1. There was no debate and not a single Senate Democrat was present; some observers say less than the legally required notice was given. The bill is widely expected to pass the Assembly on Thursday, then be signed into law by Governor Scott Walker.
"Enough is enough" also describes the sentiment on the other side of the debate. Following the vote, protesters streamed by the thousands into the capitol building they've been largely excluded from over the past several days, many of them chanting "This is not democracy."
'Silent witness rule' allowed sparingly, experts say
Federal prosecutors in the espionage case against a former National Security Agency employee, who allegedly gave classified information to a Baltimore Sun reporter, want to invoke a little-used rule that allows them to use code words in the courtroom — making portions of a public trial private.
The "silent witness rule," is meant to minimize the disclosure of classified information by allowing only those directly involved in a case — the judge, jury, witnesses, lawyers and defendants — to see it. Any public discussion of the secret details must be done in code.
"They literally have a key, a glossary, that the jury would have that the public would not," said Abbe D. Lowell, a Washington, D.C., defense attorney. He argued against the rule's use in an espionage case that was filed (and later dropped) against two pro-Israel lobbyists. More
Mayor says he will create an advisory board to look at options
by Tripp Laino | Staff Writer
Frederick Mayor Randy McClement is putting together an advisory board to evaluate the city's pension plan and look at ways it can be reformed.
McClement (R) and the Board of Aldermen held a special pension workshop March 3, spending just short of two hours discussing ways to alter the city's pension plans to save money.
The aldermen discussed adjustments that could be made, such as freezing the city's 30-year plan for new hires or asking employees to contribute more to their pensions.
The pension plans make up a significant portion of the city's budget. The city spends slightly more than $10 million on pensions, or about 9 percent of the city's $114 million overall budget.
The board is trying to lower that percentage, but a target number hasn't been set, according to Gerry Kolbfleisch, the city's director of finance. He said the process of pension review is still early, and he wasn't sure what changes might come.
The city offers a 22-year, 25-year and 30-year pension to employees, according to the city's website. The 22-year plan is for sworn officers only, and requires an 8 percent salary contribution, allowing employees to retire after 22 years with 60 percent of their final average pay.
The 25-year plan requires a 7 percent salary contribution, and allows employees to retire at 25 years of service with 50 percent of their final average pay. The 30-year plan requires no contribution from employees, unless they make more than the Social Security wage base, which was $106,800 in 2011, and allows them to retire with 36 percent of their final average pay after 30 years.
Alderman Karen Young (D) said the city need to quickly effect changes, as the plans are "hemorrhaging" money.
"When you have an $80 million unfunded obligation, and you have 16 percent of your general fund budget going toward pensions ... that is my definition of hemorrhaging," she said.
Alderman Shelley Aloi (R) agreed with Young's assessment, saying the city's pension plans will destroy the budget if not taken care of.
"It's not possibly to continue things the way they are unless you want the city of Frederick to go bankrupt," she said.
There were several suggestions about freezing either one or both plans available to employees other than sworn officers, though no decisions were made on the issue.
Alderman Michael O'Connor (D) said the city's 30-year plan, which does not require employee contribution, doesn't make financial sense, noting that other places nationwide are phasing out similar non-contributory plans.
But he said the city needs to provide an alternate source of retirement benefits if it closes the plans.
"There's broad agreement that pension plans without employee contribution are outdated," he said. "I think closing the 30-year plan makes sense. I think closing the 25-year plan may make sense, if we have somewhere for them to go."
Alderman Kelly Russell (D) agreed with O'Connor's assessment, and said the city's pension plans give them a boost in attracting new hires, since salaries can't compete with the private sector.
"If we decimate our benefits package to the point we can't be competitive, that's not good for the City of Frederick," she said.
One concrete change came at the suggestion of Alderman Carol Krimm (D), who proposed creating a pension board she said would allow the city to get outside input on pensions from residents with knowledge of the process.
"I think that would give us some expertise from the private sector," she said. "...I think if we had this board in place that would give us some guidance in the future."
McClement agreed, and also said he would work toward creating the board in time for it to provide input on fiscal 2012, which begins July 1.
The board will vote on two aspects of pension review — the 1,000-hour threshold for part-time employees becoming eligible for pensions and employees contributing to their pension from the first day they are hired — during their public meeting on March 17.
Other aspects of reform that were discussed, such as freezing the 30- or 25-year plans, will not be voted on until the board has further workshop time.
This is a fun quiz. Listed below are 10 direct quotes. You have to guess which American politician said it. Your four choices are:
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
Former VP Dan Quayle
President Barack Obama
Former President George W. Bush
Ready? Here we go!
1) "Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
2) "I've now been in 57 states I think I have one left to go."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
3) "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes, and I see many of them in the audience here today."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
4) "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost, about. It it it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It. Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to. It. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about hold on one second. I can't hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
5) "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
6) "I bowled a 129. It's like - it was like the Special Olympics, or something."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
7) "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
8) "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
9) "It was. interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
10) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
A. Barack Obama
B. Dan Quayle
C. Sarah Palin
D. George W. Bush
Sorry. This was a trick quiz. All of the correct answers are the same person. Each of these quotes are directly from President Barack Obama. And now you know why he brings his teleprompter with him everywhere he goes ... even when talking to a 6th grade class!!! Clueless.
Salisbury, Md - The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art is proud to host it’s first fundraiser of the season, “Hoot.” On Friday, March 25th from 7 to 10 p.m. the Chester River Runoff band will be entertaining guests for a night of music, dancing and celebrating. Purchase your early bird ticket by March 20th for $35. All Ward Museum members and SU faculty and students can purchase their tickets for $30. All tickets at the door will be $40.
Chester River Runoff is a local bluegrass jazz band with a strong following in the Salisbury area. Band members Nate Grower, Marc Dykeman, Ben Armiger, and Sam Guthridge got their start in Armiger’s family barn just fooling around with their instruments. This grew into the Chester River Runoff we know today. Chester River Runoff’s new album, “Blue Heron Farm” is available at cdbaby.com.
The Ward Museum nestled next to Schumaker Pond in Salisbury,Maryland, is surrounded by wildlife in the heart of the Atlantic Flyway, and features the world’s largest and finest public collection of decorative and antique decoys. The Museum hosts frequent changing exhibits with a variety of art forms.
Along with great music, light fare will be provided by Market Street Inn and craft beer by EVO Evolution brewery. Hoot will surely be a night to remember at the museum, so come join us and Chester River Runoff in supporting one of Salisbury’s proudest institutions.
To purchase tickets, please call 410-742-4988 ext 120. For more information about Chester River Runoff email chesterriverrunoff@gmail.com with inquiries.
ANNAPOLIS – Maryland Republican Party Chairman Alex X. Mooney issued the following statement today in response to Maryland’s dismal January jobs report:
“Unemployment numbers released today show Governor O’Malley’s tax and spend policies have failed to put Marylanders back to work. While Governor O’Malley gallivants around the country cheerleading for Democratic Governors in other states, Maryland has suffered the fifth worst job losses in the nation. Making matters worse, O’Malley’s talk about job growth throughout 2010 has proven to be nothing more than rhetoric, with the Department of Labor revising their statistics to show only 4,600 jobs created over the last year. Sadly with O’Malley’s own political ambitions dominating his agenda, unemployed Marylanders are stuck with a governor who cares more about furthering his career than putting them back to work.”
O’Malley’s out of touch with Maryland’s unemployment situation
Rhetoric – December 2010, O’Malley touts 36,000 jobs created since the beginning of 2010, claims Maryland is better off than the rest of the nation. “Last month’s jobs report shows Maryland continues to add jobs at twice the rate of the rest of the nation.” (Governor O’Malley, Statement from Governor Martin O'Malley on the Gain of 2,100 Jobs in November, 12/17/2010)
Reality – Revised job figures show only 4,600 jobs created in Maryland over the past year. Maryland has just 4,600 more jobs now than it did a year ago, according to new figures from the federal government. That's a sharp revision downward from the employment gains initially reported in 2010. (Jamie Smith Hopkins, “Md. job numbers fall by 7,100 in January,” Baltimore Sun, 3/10/11)
Reality – In January, Maryland Lost 7,100 Jobs.(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 3/10/10)
Reality – Since Martin O’Malley Became Governor Of Maryland The State Has Lost 101,700 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Doubled.(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 3/10/10)
Despite the dismal jobs report, O’Malley has better things to do
While the Labor Department announces 7,100 jobs lost in Maryland, Governor O’Malley instead issues press release through the Democratic Governors Association attacking Wisconsin Governor Walker for not focusing on jobs. Democratic governors are faced with the same challenges facing Republican governors like Scott Walker, but we understand that our primary goal should be bringing people together to create new jobs. (Governor Martin O’Malley, “Press Release: DGA Chair O'Malley Condemns Wisconsin Power Grab,” DGA, 3/10/11)
Like a lot of people, I've been watching the news about the earthquake and resultant tsunami that has hit Japan hard. Hawaii should get the first of the wave in the next few minutes. I hope that casualties are minimized by good planning and rapid action.
One thing that disturbs me about the news coverage is the map of the west coast of the U.S. and the news of the alert that those states have enacted. The tv map shows only the west coast of the U.S. as being affected, and the reporters only talk about that area, along with Hawaii. The red zone on the map stops at just south of San Diego, as if the tsunami won't hit Mexico or the rest of Central and South America. This seems odd to me. What gives with this limited view of the Western Hemisphere? Do the networks think we are the only country in it?
Will present Steve Phillips with prestigious Governor’s International Award
BALTIMORE, MD - Joining more than 350 Maryland business leaders at the 15th Annual World Trade Center Institute’s International Business Leadership Awards, Governor Martin O’Malley will announce that Maryland’s trade exports – a barometer of the State’s economic health – climbed 10 percent in 2010 to $10.1 billion. The State saw a significant increase in exports to the Korean Republic, which jumped 133 percent to $480 million, and to The Netherlands and Chile, which nearly doubled in 2010 from 2009. Commodities like mineral fuel and oil surged to $378 million, up from $163 million in 2010, and exports of metals like aluminum and copper rose to record highs.
“The significant rise in exports this past year – especially to emerging markets – demonstrates that Maryland remains a fierce global competitor,” Governor O’Malley will say tonight. “This positive news also proves that the targeted tactics we have taken are yielding results, providing businesses with the resources and support they need to explore new markets and expand operations.”
During his remarks, Governor O’Malley will provide an update on the economic development strategies he originally unveiled at the World Trade Center Institute event in 2009. He will also present the Governor’s International Award to Steve Phillips, a third generation waterman and President and CEO of Phillips Foods, for his outstanding leadership in transforming his family’s seafood business into a global company, encompassing eight restaurants, a growing franchise division, 18 seafood processing facilities and offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
To help small businesses boost exports and take advantage of global trade opportunities, Governor O’Malley launched the Maryland Export Initiative last year which complimented President Obama’s National Export Initiative to increase exports and create two million jobs by 2015. Maryland’s initiative focused on expanding assistance to small businesses through the State’s ExportMD program, creating jobs and leveraging the resources of existing federal and nonprofit partners. In FY 2011, more than two dozen small businesses received $5,000 ExportMD grants to market their products and services abroad, part of more than 100 businesses that have received grants since 2007.
“Increasing exports is critical to achieving sustained economic prosperity and job creation in Maryland and throughout the United States,” said Bill Burwell, Director of the U.S. Commercial Service in Baltimore. “The U.S. Commercial Service is committed to working with Governor O’Malley and helping Maryland companies maximize their exporting potential, enabling them to succeed globally.”
The O’Malley-Brown Administration has taken significant steps to ramp up the State’s international outreach, including opening a number of number of foreign offices in targeted countries, convening the Governor’s International Advisory Council to provide strategic direction and develop a plan to enhance Maryland’s global profile, expanding the capacity of the Port of Baltimore with a new 50-foot berth, and opening the State’s first International Incubator in 2009 at the University of Maryland, College Park to help foreign-owned companies launch U.S. operations.
The efforts have produced significant results. Since 2007, Maryland has attracted more than 40 foreign-owned companies from high-growth countries, including China, Brazil, Korea, Russia, India, Sweden and the United Kingdom, with about one-quarter of these companies locating in the International Incubator. Companies range from Ellickson Software, an Ireland-based supplier of software and hardware to the hospitality industry which has an American location in Baltimore City to Daewoong Pharmaceutical, the largest prescription drug supplier in Korea which has its U.S. operations in Montgomery County.
Over the past two years, the State has opened foreign offices in Russia, India and Colombia to attract foreign-owned companies to Maryland and encourage trade opportunities. The offices, which are opened on a contingency basis with no up-front cost to taxpayers, are part of the State’s network of foreign offices in China (Shanghai), France (Paris), Israel (Haifa), South Korea (Seoul), Taiwan (Taipei), Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) and the Western Balkans (Montenegro).
In 2009, the State inked a 50-year agreement between the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) and Ports America Chesapeake that will allow the MPA to lease its 200-acre Seagirt Marine Terminal to Ports America. In return, Ports America has agreed to construct a 50-foot berth for the Port of Baltimore that is expected to result in increased business opportunities and larger vessels that will be able to dock at the Port. The partnership between the MPA and Ports America is expected to produce 5,700 new jobs, while the total investment and revenue from this agreement to the State of Maryland has the potential to reach more than $1.3 billion over the life of the agreement and will generate $15.7 million per year in new taxes for Maryland.
Maryland is well-positioned for growth in the global market, with more than 300 foreign-owned companies from 30 countries currently calling Maryland home. Roughly 105,000 Marylanders, or 3.5 percent of the workforce, are employed by foreign-owned firms, with companies headquartered in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany as the top three foreign employers in Maryland.
Maryland’s Office of International Investment and Trade works to stimulate foreign direct investment in the State, offers export assistance for small and mid-sized Maryland companies and coordinates international trade and investment missions and trade show opportunities for Maryland companies. For more information on resources available to business that want to market their products or services globally, visit www.choosemaryland.org
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley will testify today before the House Environmental Matters Committee and the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee in support of the Sustainable Growth and Agricultural Preservation Act of 2011, a measure which would restrict the use of polluting septic systems in new, major subdivisions in Maryland.
Maryland has approximately 426,000 septic systems on developed parcels and roughly 411,000 of these are on residential parcels. Yesterday, Governor O’Malley traveled to Goldsboro to wade into Lake Bonnie, where high bacteria levels in the lake have been linked to failing septic systems, an example of how failure to manage the long-term and far-reaching consequences of septic systems can impact the public health and economic health of Maryland's rural communities.
Governor O’Malley will testify first before the House Environmental Matters Committee, and then the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee.
WHAT: Governor O’Malley to testify in support of septic system restrictions on new, major subdivisions
WHEN: TODAY, Friday, March 11, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.
The Governor will testify first on the House side, then the Senate side.
WHERE: House Environmental Matters Committee
House Office Building
Room 251
Annapolis, MD
Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee
Governor introduces new major technologies for Maryland law enforcement
BALTIMORE, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley convened the latest in his series of “Maryland Forward” policy forums in Baltimore, focused on guns and gang violence. Joined by Mayor Rawlings-Blake as well as law enforcement and public safety stakeholders, Governor O’Malley facilitated a discussion on progress and opportunities for collaboration in the areas of guns and gang violence. During the presentation, Governor O’Malley introduced a new, comprehensive warrant database supplying a searchable collection of all open warrants in Maryland, accessible by law enforcement agencies statewide.
“Even in tough times, we've protected our investments in public safety, maintaining our commitment to protecting Maryland neighborhoods and families. Thanks to these efforts, together, we've driven violent crime, property crime and total crime to the lowest rates ever recorded,” said Governor O’Malley. “But in order to maintain this commitment of a safer Maryland, we must continue to provide the latest, most innovative tools to law enforcement and continue this ongoing dialogue with the men and women on the front lines of keeping our neighborhoods safe.”
“I want to thank Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown for creating an opportunity for local, state and federal criminal justice partners to come together to share ideas about how to reduce violent crime, particularly gun crime in Baltimore,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Attacking gun crime requires a collaborative approach between law enforcement, prosecutors, and other criminal justice partners at the city, state and federal level.”
Governor O’Malley introduced today a comprehensive warrant database, which for the first time in Maryland history, allows the Maryland Judiciary to supply a feed of all open warrants to the Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services. Using the Law Enforcement Dashboard, officers will now be able to view, search, map, and run reports on open warrants. This will help establish unprecedented prioritization and collaboration in the fight against crime.
In addition, today’s discussion included the introduction of new facial recognition software for public safety use. The technology matches a police department’s photographs against 2.1 million criminal booking images held by the State. This will enable investigators at a desk or in car to hone in rapidly on the identity of suspects or victims. It can save countless hours of work, and sharply increase law enforcement’s efficiency.
Through the innovative use of public safety technology, unprecedented information sharing across borders, and strategic reforming of long-troubled public safety state agencies, law enforcement personnel throughout Maryland have driven crime to historic lows:
Violent crime at its lowest rate ever reported.
Homicides at their lowest rate ever reported.
Robberies at their lowest rate ever reported.
Aggravated Assaults at their lowest rate since 1976.
Motor vehicle thefts at their lowest rate ever reported.
Property crime at its lowest rate ever reported.
Total crime at its lowest rate ever reported.
This legislative session, Governor O’Malley has introduced three pieces of legislation related to public safety. One piece of legislation would make it a separate crime to intentionally fail to provide necessary assistance and resources for a minor. In addition, the Governor has introduced two pieces of legislation related to gun violence. One bill would close a loophole in current Maryland law regarding persons who commit felonies and crimes of violence with firearms. A second bill would reduce good time / dimunition credits for serious gun offenders to ensure that the sentences they receive are commensurate with the crime they committed.
Prior to his inauguration for a second term, Governor O’Malley convened a series of five “Maryland Forward” forums designed to gather the input of various stakeholders, including recommendations for legislative in areas including jobs and the economy; skills and education; sustainability; children and health; and public safety and security. These day-long summits brought together stakeholders to generate concrete actions and recommendations that support the Administration’s strategic goals.
Following that series, Governor O’Malley has convened smaller groups of local stakeholders, including today’s discussion and throughout the 2011 legislative session, focused on specific policy areas that will help Maryland be a winner in the new economy, protect our neighborhoods, and create jobs.
As 
