Jacobs Offers Toll Plan

Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R-34) hopes the Maryland Transportation Authority will embrace her idea to offer Cecil and Harford county residents what she is calling "an E-ZPass version of the AVI decal."

"I'm hearing that the board really wants to get rid of the decal program, so I asked them to consider issuing an E-ZPass to Cecil and Harford residents for use on the Hatem Bridge only.

Jacobs said it would be a lower-tier Hatem "only" unlimited E-ZPass for those who don't use other toll facilities. Residents would be charged $10 for the plan starting Oct. 1 and $15 effective July 1, 2013, which is the second phase for increases being proposed by the MdTA.

She wants residents to be exempt from the one-time only transponder fee and the monthly service fee.

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Maryland State Trooper Drops Killer Emu

Maryland State Police say a trooper shot and killed an emu that had been on the loose for two weeks, blocking traffic and disrupting a North East neighborhood.

The trooper shot the large, flightless bird July 1 in the woods off Irishtown Road after residents complained about it. Police say the bird appeared sickly but behaved aggressively.

Although the emu had been on the loose for weeks, officials were unable to find its owner.

State Highway Administration workers removed the dead emu from the woods on Tuesday.

from the Baltimore Sun

Rising Sun Bank Robber Still At Large

A man who robbed a bank near Rising Sun at gunpoint late last week remained on the loose Monday night, despite an intense manhunt immediately after the crime, police said.

Dressed in military-style camouflage pants and shirt, the suspect brandished a handgun and demanded money about 11 a.m. on Friday after reaching the teller counter in the M&T Bank at 2841 Jacob Tome Highway, police said.

The armed bandit ran out the bank after the employee handed him cash and he was last seen heading toward Nesbitt and Harrisville Roads, police added.

"We don't know if he stayed on foot or if he had a getaway car waiting for him somewhere in that area. We also don't know if he had an accomplice," said Lt. Michael Holmes, a spokesman for the Cecil County Sheriff's Office. "We're asking anyone who saw anything suspicious in that area (about 11 a.m. on Friday) to call us."

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MD Planning Secretary Defends New Land Policy

The state isn't trying to take over land planning authority from local government, a cabinet secretary told a roomful of Cecil County officials Friday.

Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Richard Hall, who has been on the hot seat with local planning officials since April when his office released PlanMaryland, a draft for "smart growth," insisted the plan doesn't supercede local comprehensive plans.

Cecil County officials and the Bainbridge Development Corp. raised concerns a few weeks ago that the Bainbridge property is not shown on the state's map for PlanMaryland as a targeted growth area.

"This is just a straight-up honest mistake on the map to leave Bainbridge off," Hall admitted. "It's ironic because we've been working with the county and Port Deposit on this project."

Maps drafted for the plan break the entire state down into five categories for planning. Those areas include: green for priority areas for land preservation, dark green for public or privately owned lands under conservation protection, red for targeted growth, orange for established communities and land currently planned for development by local governments in Priority Funding Areas and brown for areas not currently targeted by the state for growth or resource conservation.

"This is a policy plan, not a regulatory document," said Rich Josephson, director of planning services in Maryland's Department of Planning.

Hall said local governments have overreacted to the plan's intentions.

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Rich Hall sounds an awful lot like “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Maryland citizens should be reminded that he also has stated, “WE gave them their property values.”, in response to farmer opposition over an attempt to strip Wicomico farmers of their property rights. – Ed.

Westminster Man Dies In Boating Accident on Elk River

NORTH EAST, Md. — Authorities say a Westminster man died in a boating accident on the Elk River near North East.

Maryland Natural Resources Police say a boat with four people on board took on water and capsized near the Chesapeake Isles Community on Saturday afternoon. Witnesses pulled the operator and three passengers from the water, and the operator was unconscious.

The 45-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police say the three passengers were unhurt.

The victim's name is being withheld until his relatives are notified.

Police say there have been 11 boating fatalities in Maryland this year.

from the AP and the Wilmington News-Journal

North East Mayor to Run for Cecil County Executive

Cecil County will change from commissioner to a charter form of government next year, and one official already has plans to run for the new post of county executive.

North East Mayor Robert McKnight tells the Cecil Whig that he will file his candidacy over the summer.

McKnight, a Democrat who has been mayor since 1993, has launched a listening tour of the county to find out what residents want from government.

Charter government will take effect in Cecil County on Dec. 6, 2012, when the new county executive and two new council members are sworn in. The three remaining county commissioners will become council members.

from WTOP