Cynthia Prairie, Author at MarylandReporter.com

State Roundup, November 19, 2015

Four teams submit bids to build Purple Line; BPW criticized MTA over lack of competition in bidding over ride service for those disabled; Public Service Commission give passenger railroad franchise to maglev company; huge development gets BPW OK despite environmental impact; state expecting balanced budget when legislature gets under way; Montgomery lawmakers ready bills for January session start; Democrats are critical of Gov. Hogan’s Vegas trip; after pedestrian deaths, lawmakers urge MTA to make roadway improvements; Republican attorney seeks to challenge Ruppersberger in House race; and 8th Congressional District Dems debate.

Board grants controversial wetlands license to Kent Island developer

The Board of Public Works granted a controversial wetlands license to K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons at Kent Island Wednesday in a 2-1 vote, after two previous appearances before the board and a court decision that restrained the three-member panel’s scope of authority.

Lazarick-Ward wedding photo at the State House

Rachel Lazarick and Kevin Ward were married Saturday at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Columbia and the wedding reception was at the Calvert House on State Circle in Annapolis.

State Roundup, November 18, 2015

Gov. Hogan back tracks a bit, asks Obama to halt Syrian refugee intake until threat to safety cleared; Maryland Historical Trust awards $9 million in highly competitive tax-credit race; Board of Public Works to review Kent Island wetlands development; on ground once home to racism, Morgan State opens $72 million business center; Prince George’s gives new casino a pass on countywide vaping ban; as Baltimore County Council pulls rain tax, resident protest the move; and out-of-court police brutality settlements rise in Baltimore City.

Md. commission studies testing in all 24 school districts

Maryland education officials and lawmakers, members of the state’s first commission to review standardized testing, appeared ambivalent on Tuesday about how they will determine the value of statewide assessments.

Some commission members wanted to look at the technology infrastructure for testing, while others want to further study the ancillary effects on students — such as school computers being used for exams instead of instruction.

State Roundup, November 17, 2015: Hogan cancer free

Gov. Hogan announces he is cancer-free, but says monitoring condition is needed; Hogan declines to follow other Republican governors on Syrian refugee ban; Sen. Mikulski to be honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom; in light of addiction crisis, Hopkins study urges strict monitoring of opioid dispensing; Prince George’s begins setting legislative agenda; women over 50 are crucial to Maryland House race; O’Malley shifting Maryland campaign staffers to early primary states; Clinton touts 70 Maryland endorsements; crowded Dem primary race for city mayor gets more crowded; and Montgomery Exec Leggett returns to work after back surgery.

Many blame big corporation, Pearson, for school testing malaise

When a state commission meets for the first time on Tuesday to open a probe on the use of standardized testing in Maryland public schools, the elephant in the room could well be the testing vendor itself. The company, Pearson, is viewed by some as a multi-pronged education conglomerate whose standardized testing component is either a bane of classroom existence or the future of student assessments, depending on whom you speak with.

State employees rally for pay hike

A labor union for Maryland public employees held rallies across the state Thursday to place pressure on Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration for a pay raise and more money to fill vacant jobs under their current contract negotiations.

Debate numbers don’t look good for O’Malley

The numbers don’t look good for former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley coming out of Saturday night’s debate, according to figures compiled by InsideGov.com based on talk times, Twitter traffic and Google search trends. They are visualized in three nifty interactive graphics by Graphiq.

State Roundup, November 16, 2015

Aide to Gov. Hogan urges pols to replenish Maryland’s public campaign financing coffers; University of Maryland hopes to raise $1 billion over three years; ban on Confederate license plates takes effect tomorrow; director of Parole and Probation resigns for consulting job where one client will be P&P; ACLU introduces police videotaping app in Maryland; new candidate for District 4 Congressional race; Montgomery council against changes in liquor system; and another newbie enters race for Baltimore City mayor.

Cynthia Prairie

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