Friday, May 18, 2012
Local organizations hosted an event on Friday to show support for area bicyclists.
As part of National Bike Month, Annapolis bicyclists showed their solidarity at City Dock on Friday. Hosted by the Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association, Annapolis Department of Transportation and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, the downtown Bike to Work Day event promoted riding bicycles to alleviate traffic congestion, encourage better health and protect the environment. "What this is, is a mode of transportation," said David Humphreys, executive director of the Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association. "This is a 17th century city—biking here makes sense." Jack Nicholson, an Arnold resident who works at the Naval Academy, said he bikes to work everyday, weather permitting. "I think its important …
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-…
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The building owner has one month to complete the initial phase of stabilization work.
The Annapolis Historic Preservation Committee voted to allow the owner of the Factors Row property to stabilize the historic building. During the commission's meeeting on Friday, it ruled that building owner Dana Florestano could make masonry repairs and install steel reinforced bracing on the Fleet Street walls of the property, according to a city news release. Florestano has one month to complete the first phase of stabilization on the building, which has been vacant for a number of years, the release states. He said the initial work is expected to start before June 4 and be completed no later than June 14. Long term work is expected to finished by Aug. 31. The decision came after the commission recommended to Mayor Josh Cohen on May 8 …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Annapolis City Council heard arguments against the project on Monday night.
A community garden proposed for Kingsport Park is facing some push-back. On Wednesday, Joel Bunker, executive director of Grow Annapolis—a nonprofit promoting and sustaining urban agriculture—posted a statement on the organization's Facebook page encouraging friends of the group to express their support for the project to the Annapolis City Council. "What you should know is that the city may be pulling back support from the Annapolis Community Garden Project off Bywater Rd.," Bunker wrote in the statement. "This is due to the pressure of few loud and influential voices from the Kingsport Development which is adjacent to proposed site." The project—spearheaded by Grow Annapolis—is included in Mayor Josh Cohen's fiscal year 2013 capital …
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…
At the end of a Tuesday night Annapolis Housing Authority meeting, Snowden accused the newspaper of unfair and erroneous coverage.
Carl Snowden, the beleaguered civil rights director for the Maryland Attorney General's Office, implied that he would pursue legal action against The Capital at an Annapolis Housing Authority meeting Tuesday night. Snowden is also the chairman of the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners. The Capital journalist Elisha Sauers writes that Snowden delivered an unexpected 20-minute tirade against the newspaper, which he reportedly accused of providing unfair and inaccurate coverage of him. "When I see a newspaper recklessly print information without checking the facts … I move aggressively, and I use the courts," Snowden said at the meeting, according to Sauers' article. Tom Marquardt, editor and publisher of The Capital, told Patch that …
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 …
The schools superintendent rails against the county executive in a speech at the second budget hearing.
Hundreds of parents and teachers raised their voices in support of a fully funded school system at the Anne Arundel County budget hearing on Monday night. An estimated 800 people filled the auditorium at Old Mill High School with applause after dozens of parents testified before the County Council during the second hearing on the budget for fiscal year 2013. The County Council holds the purse strings for the school system, which takes up $572 million of the county's proposed $1.2 billion budget. Most who testified on Monday implored council members to fully fund the school budget, but had some additional projects in mind for their local schools. Some of these projects included a replacement for Edgewater Elementary, construction …
Monday, May 14, 2012
A planning commission representative will also present a report to the city council regarding the budget on Monday night.
The Annapolis City Council will continue to receive public input on the fiscal year 2013 capital budget Monday night. The hearing will also include comments on Mayor Josh Cohen's capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2013-2018. Notable expenditures in the proposed budget include a $1.56 million restoration of City Hall, $2 million for roadways and $2.32 million for sewer rehabilitation and upgrades. The budget also calls for $600,000 from the operating fund to repair sidewalks. The funding for this would come from a proposed property tax hike that some residents opposed at an April 30 council meeting. At that same meeting, representatives from various Annapolis nonprofits pleaded with the council to continue providing grants to their …
Now is the chance to speak up about the county's budget for the coming year.
The second public hearing on Anne Arundel County's fiscal year 2013 budget—which includes the school system's budget—will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at Old Mill High School. Sign-ups to speak at the public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. The members of the County Council will be present to hear testimony on the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Later this month, they will be reviewing and voting on the operating budget, which weighs in at $1,243,571,900 (see attached PDF). The first public hearing, held May 7, brought out many Severna Park High School parents asking to secure funding for a new school. The second hearing is expected to draw parents from other schools that need renovated or replaced. Much of the controversy over the …
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Tom E
9:43 am on Saturday, May 19, 2012
BS. Have you tried to ride in Annapolis. Has anyone noticed that none of the bike lanes actually go anywhere? more ›