http://martinomalley.com/news Martin O'Malley News Clips en info@martinomalley.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-03T15:08:53+00:00 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030203851.html?wprss=rss_business The Washington Post on Mar 03, 2010 - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley called Tuesday for more training efforts to prepare the workforce to meet an expected surge in jobs requiring certification beyond a high school diploma but less than a bachelor's degree. "We want to raise the bar on skills training," so that more residents will have the qualifications needed to get hired, O'Malley said at a news conference at Prince George's Community College in Largo. "Our citizens need jobs, our businesses will increasingly need skilled employees," he said, adding that he wants to boost the number of workers prepared to fill middle-skill jobs by 20 percent in two years. http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.jobs02mar02,0,7056024.story Baltimore Sun on Mar 02, 2010 - Gov. Martin O'Malley will announce plans to help workers navigate a network of existing training programs and funding. During the event at Prince George's Community College in Largo, O'Malley plans to discuss access to education and training beyond high school. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.unemployment02,0,3145014.story Baltimore Sun on Mar 02, 2010 - Editorial - Our view: Gov. O'Malley's compromise strengthens the unemployment insurance trust fund, protects employers. http://wjz.com/local/maryland.governor.iraq.2.1523573.html WJZ on Mar 01, 2010 - Video - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was in Baghdad visiting Maryland-based soldiers and members of the Maryland National Guard. http://www.wbaltv.com/video/22686665/index.html WBAL on Mar 01, 2010 - Video - Gov. Martin O'Malley was in Iraq on a Defense Department-sponsored goodwill trip to visit Maryland troops and discussed his mission with 11 News. http://www.gazette.net/stories/02252010/prinnew174049_32555.php The Gazzette on Feb 25, 2010 - As Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown walked through Oxon Hill Elementary School on Feb. 17 — watching several classes being held simultaneously in an open area due to a lack of funding for partitions — he said it was clear that facility updates were needed. The kindergarten through sixth-grade school has 22,000 square feet of open-space classroom, meaning there are no walls or partitions to separate most classes. Brown was on hand Wednesday to present a $2.1 million check from the state to the school to fund the costs of enclosing the classrooms. This check comes as part of the $28 million the school system is receiving for school construction this fiscal year to be used for school repairs and improvements. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33226.html Politico on Feb 22, 2010 - A chorus of Democratic governors called on Congress Saturday to quickly pass what the executives see as a modest jobs bill the Senate is set to vote on this week – but then move quickly to send additional aid to their states. “Whatever they think is appropriate, as long as they do it quickly,” said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, the vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association, at an afternoon press conference. “Don’t look for a comprehensive solution in just one fell swoop that everybody can agree upon. There isn’t one. Take the steps. Fight the fight. Call the votes. Fight the battles one at a time. We might not win every one, but the people of our country need to see us fighting for that. And right now, that fight is for jobs.” O’Malley called on congressional leaders to force Republicans to take uncomfortable votes against measures they've supported in the past. He thinks that would help Democratic candidates on the ballot this year, including him, argue that the G.O.P. is putting politics before job creation. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.omalley22feb22,0,7979465.story Baltimore Sun on Feb 22, 2010 - President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser told governors Sunday that federal agencies still aren't sharing enough critical information with state and local officials, more than eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks. John Brennan, the president's special assistant for homeland security, said information-sharing has improved since 2001. But "we still have a long way to go," he said. "We're not there yet, certainly." Brennan made the remarks in response to a question from Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, at the first meeting of a new National Governors Association committee on homeland security and public safety. O'Malley, who chairs the panel, said the continuing lack of information-sharing among federal and state law enforcement and intelligence agencies remains one of the biggest stumbling blocks to improving the nation's ability to respond to terrorist incidents or keep them from happening in the first place. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.cellphones0218,0,5077614.story Baltimore Sun on Feb 18, 2010 - Editorial - Our view: Correctional officers need every tool available to maintain security behind bars. There's a growing sense among the nation's correctional institutions that the most dangerous contraband being smuggled into prisons isn't drugs, and it's not weapons. It's cell phones. They're turning up by the thousands in prison cells in Maryland and across the nation, and they're being used to coordinate criminal activity behind bars and on the outside. The ability of correctional officers to communicate and coordinate their activities has long been a key advantage in their efforts to maintain order and safety behind bars, said Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Gary D. Maynard, and that advantage is rapidly being neutralized. Authorities in Maryland have gone to extraordinary lengths to try to crack down on the problem -- including the use of cell phone-sniffing dogs -- but they haven't been able to take the most obvious step: jamming the cell phone signals. The Federal Communications Commission has long held that a law dating back to decades before the invention of the cell phone prohibits signal jamming by anyone except a few federal agencies. Prison officials are salivating for the technology, but they haven't been allowed to do so much as test it. Until yesterday, that is. Federal officials tested cell phone jamming technology at a federal prison near Cumberland, and Maryland officials are hoping that if it is successful, it could lead to a move in Congress to overturn the ban. http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_048233530.html Cumberland Times News on Feb 18, 2010 - Gov. Martin O’Malley toured American Woodmark’s local cabinet manufacturing plant Wednesday, telling management there that state and federal legislation he envisions could result in substantial tax breaks for the company when it hires new employees. O’Malley said he is hoping for a state-level tax break of $3,000 and a $5,000 break on the federal level for each employee hired. http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_048233818.html Cumberland Times News on Feb 18, 2010 - Gov. Martin O’Malley traveled to Allegany County on Wednesday to be on hand while the National Telecommunications and Information Administration jammed cell phones at the federal facility and also ran tests to see if off-premise phones were being affected as well. Contraband cell phones in prisons throughout the country may end up being legally jammed based upon this tests at the Federal Correctional Institution-Cumberland and the reaction of the U.S. Congress. FCI-Cumberland Warden Jim Whitehead said jamming would have no impact on prison operations because even employees are not permitted to have cell phones at the facility. Radios are used for internal communications. O’Malley said the state uses all legal efforts, including phone-sniffing dogs and body-orifice scanning equipment, to keep cell phones out of state prisons. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/legislature/bal-md.foreclosure16feb16,0,7187525.story Baltimore Sun on Feb 16, 2010 - Gov. Martin O'Malley will put the force of his office today behind a plan that would enable struggling homeowners to negotiate better mortgage terms before banks can take their houses. The governor is scheduled to testify before Maryland House and Senate committees on legislation that would create a mandatory mediation process for owners at risk of losing their homes and require lenders to prove they tried to modify a borrower's loan before foreclosing. http://wjz.com/local/martin.omalley.2.1462988.html WJZ on Feb 02, 2010 - Video: Gov. O'Malley sat down with Vic Carter to discuss a year filled with tough decisions. http://mddailyrecord.com/video/2010/02/01/newsmakers-gov-martin-omalley/ The Daily Record on Feb 01, 2010 - Video: Gov. Martin O'Malley stopped by the Daily Record newsroom for ongoing Newsmakers series. http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.gm27jan27,0,1480765.story Baltimore Sun on Jan 27, 2010 - General Motors Corp. has chosen its White Marsh plant for a new effort to build electric motors, and on Tuesday it laid out plans for an expansion that will generate 180 much-needed jobs and provide a boost for the hard-hit manufacturing sector. The automaker, which would become the first car company to produce its own electric motors, announced that it plans to start making the devices in 2013. The company is investing $246 million, including state funds and federal stimulus money, to construct a new 40,000-square-foot facility next to the site where workers now build transmissions, including some that go into hybrid vehicles. "It provides not only stability for the plant, but a future," said Gov. Martin O'Malley. http://mddailyrecord.com/2010/01/25/o%E2%80%99malley-agenda-includes-foreclosure-mediation/ The Daily Record on Jan 26, 2010 - Homeowners would be able to request face-to-face meetings with their lenders to find alternatives to foreclosure under a proposal announced Monday as part of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s legislative agenda. The governor’s legislative package also includes a slate of business and green energy initiatives as O’Malley has made job creation his primary focus during the legislative session. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.security0125,0,7896759.story Baltimore Sun on Jan 25, 2010 - In Maryland, we are addressing the challenge of cyber security head-on. For our state, meeting this challenge also happens to be a tremendous job creation opportunity. With a unique combination of assets, including our skilled work force and our vast resources of federal facilities, academic institutions, industry strength and intellectual capital, Maryland is answering the president's call to action to defend and protect our nation's information networks while simultaneously creating jobs. We must ensure that our citizens -- the college student doing homework on a laptop computer in a dorm, the online shopper, the small business owner managing inventory online, or the CEO overseeing a multibillion-dollar corporation -- are aware, informed and educated about the risks inherent in a global online community. Together, with our partners in the private sector and all levels of government, Maryland is answering President Obama's call to action to not only ensure the security of our digital infrastructure now, and in the future, but to also ensure economic prosperity with thousands of new cyber security posts. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.dna22jan22,0,5684654.story Baltimore Sun on Jan 22, 2010 - More arrests are being made using DNA, thanks to expanded collection and processing in Maryland. State Police Superintendent Col. Terrence B. Sheridan and Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III announced that the state's DNA database had assisted in the arrests of 101 people for serious crimes committed in Baltimore over the past three years, including 68 for rapes or sex offenses and 13 for murder. Officials said Gov. Martin O'Malley has made DNA collection a priority for his administration. In 2008, state police cleared a backlog of more than 24,000 untested and uncollected DNA samples from convicted felons, the result of additional funding and staffing. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/legislature/bal-md.assembly13jan13,0,4213164,print.story Baltimore Sun on Jan 13, 2010 - Gov. Martin O'Malley will push legislators to pass a package of renewable energy initiatives that would boost solar production, make the state more attractive for offshore wind development and offer incentives for purchasing electric cars. The proposals, which O'Malley detailed in an interview Tuesday on the eve of the General Assembly's 90-day legislative session, are designed to put Maryland on course to generate 20 percent of its electricity via renewable sources in about a decade. That was a goal the legislature set two years ago, and comes as President Barack Obama is set to promote green jobs at an appearance in Lanham today. http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2010/01/11/daily7.html Baltimore Business Journal on Jan 12, 2010 - Gov. Martin O’Malley announced an ambitious plan Monday to establish Maryland as the “epicenter” for the federal government’s cyber security initiative. It’s a push that could bring as many as 28,000 jobs to Maryland as the Pentagon and its array of government agencies seeks to insulate the nation from hackers and other computerized threats. O’Malley, speaking at a cyber security summit in Montgomery County, outlined plans to create a national cyber security center and boost marketing to lure defense contractors here, especially those in the fast-growing field of informatics. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.medicaid04jan04,0,1363889.story Baltimore Sun on Jan 05, 2010 - Our view: To fight the rising costs of health care insurance for the poor, Maryland needs broader authority to go after providers who commit fraud. There's a big difference between an error and a deliberate act of fraud. Those who knowingly and deceptively create a false medical claim in order to bilk the government out of large sums of money deserve no sympathy whatsoever. That's why one of the bigger errors made by members of the Maryland General Assembly last year was to reject a bill that would have helped the state crack down on Medicaid fraud. Legislation submitted by Gov. Martin O'Malley last January would have given the state the authority to seek triple damages in such cases. Governor O'Malley says he will re-introduce the legislation, and we urge the legislature to pass it this year. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/08/AR2009120803855.html?nav=rss_opinions The Washington Post on Dec 09, 2009 - Editorial - Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan could provide increased habitat and a cleaner Chesapeake. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley announced an ambitious three-part plan last week to help the oysters and the watermen who depend on them. By increasing the number of oyster sanctuaries and expanding leasing opportunities for aquaculture businesses, Mr. O'Malley wants to help improve the health of the bay and its tributaries by trying to restore oysters to their historic levels. Mr. O'Malley's proposal is the culmination of a process he started in 2007 with the Oyster Advisory Commission. What we've heard so far, on top of a renewed sense of urgency by the federal government, gives us encouragement that the cycle of unfulfilled promises to help the Chesapeake Bay could be coming to an end. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.oyster07dec07,0,3238135,print.story Baltimore Sun on Dec 07, 2009 - Editorial: Gov. Martin O'Malley's decision to set aside some of the Chesapeake Bay's most productive oyster beds as sanctuaries and spend millions of dollars on developing oyster farming in the state could prove the most positive development for the imperiled Maryland oyster in decades. Maryland's oyster harvests have fallen from millions of bushels a generation ago to about 100,000 today. Declining water quality, years of excessive harvest and parasitic diseases that attack the shellfish but pose no danger to humans have taken their toll. Maryland could no longer continue to neglect oysters by preserving the status quo. The plan Mr. O'Malley has embraced will ensure that future generations will have an opportunity to appreciate the Chesapeake Bay oyster and that its important role in the bay's habitat will be preserved. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/03/AR2009120302538_pf.html Washington Post on Dec 04, 2009 - Maryland plans to dramatically increase the area of the Chesapeake Bay that is closed to oyster harvests, Gov. Martin O'Malley said Thursday, offering an expanded foothold to an iconic species that has dropped to 1 percent of its peak population. Maryland has spent millions on a system that takes oysters from hatcheries and disease-ridden natural breeding grounds and dumps them in other parts of the bay to be caught. The idea was to save the oyster and the waterman. But the state wound up with fewer of both. The premise of the new plan is that the bay needs oysters, which provide a natural water filter. By setting aside large protected areas, officials said they could improve the odds that shellfish would reproduce and that baby oysters, drifting in the current, would "set" on an adult's shell. It also follows drastic changes to the Chesapeake's other famous shellfish harvest. Last year, Virginia and Maryland imposed new limits on the harvest of female blue crabs and reported later that crab populations seemed to have rebounded. http://www.gazette.net/stories/11302009/businew173838_32540.shtml The Gazette on Dec 01, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley is launching a series of traveling business conferences for minority business owners, beginning Tuesday morning at the Greenbelt Marriott in Prince George's County. More than 300 people are expected to attend what is being billed as MBE University, including minority and small-business owners, private contractors and representatives from local and state governments. Workshops will be offered to help inform and train minority business owners on government procurement and contracting and provide tips on how to expand business during the recession. "I thank the governor for stepping up and bringing this idea to fruition," said Hubert "Petey" Green, president of the Prince George's County Black Chamber of Commerce. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.port23nov23,0,5606556.story Baltimore Sun on Nov 23, 2009 - Our view: A 50-foot-deep berth and a huge financial investment in the port make a long-term lease with Ports America look like a golden opportunity for Baltimore. For a decade, a 50-foot-deep berth at Seagirt Marine Terminal has been on top of the wish list for Baltimore's port. Good things - including 2,700 permanent jobs - must come to those who wait because it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas has finally arrived in South Baltimore. In unveiling the arrangement Friday, Gov. Martin O'Malley envisioned it creating a total of 5,700 jobs. That includes the 3,000 temporary jobs made possible by construction at the port and on whatever projects the transportation authority chooses to pursue. Careful scrutiny will be required, but prospects for the deal look good. The port's work force, Maryland companies that depend on foreign trade, the local economy and taxpayers all stand to benefit from the new facility and the jobs that would be created. After such a brutal economic recession, that's enough to make the holidays a bit happier all around. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.port21nov21,0,6080003.story Baltimore Sun on Nov 23, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley announced a deal that would upgrade the Seagirt Marine Terminal so that it can unload the super-sized containerships that are expected to become a growing sector of maritime commerce after a widened Panama Canal opens in 2014. Under the deal, a local affiliate of the Ports America Group would invest an estimated $105 million to build a 50-foot-deep berth at Seagirt and equip it with four state-of-the-art cranes so the terminal can serve the mega-ships that are expected to bring cargoes from Asia through the canal and directly to the East Coast. In addition, Ports America is expected to invest up to $500 million in capital projects at the port over the 50-year term of the agreement. According to state officials, the agreement is expected to directly create 5,700 new jobs in Maryland, including 2,700 permanent jobs at the port and another 1,000 to build the expanded berth. Ports America officials estimated that construction would begin in 2011 or 2012. http://mddailyrecord.com/2009/11/11/md-va-del-agree-to-wind-partnership/ The Daily Record on Nov 13, 2009 - Governor O'Malley joined the governors of Virginia and Delaware in an agreement for a partnership to encourage the deployment of offshore wind energy in the region, hoping to capitalize on the mid-Atlantic’s enormous offshore wind resources. “Today marks another important step towards a clean energy future for our families and workers. The opportunity for renewable energy generation through offshore wind is outstanding,” said O'Malley. The measure aims to outline methods of offshore energy transmission and encourage market demand for this untapped resource, as well as pursue federal policies that would advance offshore wind in the region. Generating energy from offshore wind turbines would bring Maryland closer to accomplishing the governor’s aggressive environmental initiatives, which include a commitment to producing 20 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2022. Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, called the tri-state agreement “an exciting partnership among three states with enormous clean energy potential.” http://www.gazette.net/stories/11092009/businew171956_32540.shtml The Gazette on Nov 10, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley's latest plan to help small businesses drew positive reviews Monday. O'Malley outlined the 10-point strategy during the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's Business Policy Conference on Thursday in Cambridge. The plan includes creating the state's first-ever Commission for Small Business; creating a single loan application for small businesses applying for state financing; streamlining the state's permitting requirements; and waiving borrowing fees for Small Business Administration loans on the state level. O'Malley's plan seemed to be well-received at the chamber gathering, said William Burns, a chamber spokesman. Besides enacting the new plan, O'Malley said he would like to see the expansion of the Minority Business Enterprise program and another one started last year to help small employers subsidize medical insurance costs. He also proposed extending the small-business contract reserve program by six years. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/344670/Maryland_Leader_of_the_Pack?taxonomyId=69&pageNumber=1 ComputerWorld on Nov 02, 2009 - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley doesn't have to guess where federal stimulus funds will do the most good in his state: He can see for himself -- and his constituents can, too. The state has literally mapped out where every dollar from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is going. The data is displayed at StateStat, a Web site that pulls data from a geographic information system (GIS) that O'Malley's administration originally developed in 2007 to track the performance of state government. What makes Maryland unique is the breadth and depth of data it provides, says Phil Mattera, research director at Good Jobs First, a Washington-based nonprofit research center that has ranked state Web sites based on how well they disclose expenditures from the $787 billion stimulus bill. Maryland is ranked No. 1. http://somd.com/news/headlines/2009/10723.shtml Southern Maryland Online on Nov 02, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley, along with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, joined Vice President Joe Biden Friday to announce that federal stimulus funds had directly created or saved 640,239 jobs nationwide since Feb. 17. The event, held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, came one day after O'Malley announced that the federal stimulus had led directly to more than 4,464 jobs in Maryland, with roughly 10,000 additional jobs resulting either from indirect jobs, which are often subcontractors for highway projects, or induced jobs, which are created by consumers spending money at restaurants and stores. Biden as well praised O'Malley for how Maryland has been a leader in sharing information about the stimulus openly with the public. "We're trying to catch up with O'Malley's model," Biden said. "Literally. I'm serious." http://wjz.com/local/census.drive.maryland.2.1276529.html WJZ on Oct 29, 2009 - Maryland is among the first in the nation to launch its 2010 census drive. Governor O'Malley made it official in Baltimore County Wednesday. State and local governments are determined not to miss anyone in the coming national head count. It means about $1,000 a head in federal funding. http://www.gazette.net/stories/10292009/laurnew145822_32523.shtml The Gazette on Oct 29, 2009 - Laurel celebrated being the Capital for a Day on Monday, and with it came the announcement that it was receiving enough federal funding to hire three additional city officers and state funding to purchase new police equipment. At a morning appearance with Laurel Police Chief David Crawford and other local law enforcement, the governor announced $726,000 in federal funding would go toward the salaries of three new full-time Laurel police officers over a period of three years. He said the state would assist the federal effort by providing up to $30,000 for equipment that the grant does not cover, such as radios, bullet-proof vests and computers. State Senator Rosapepe, whose district includes parts of Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties, said O'Malley's visit was a sign of his dedication to the Laurel area. "He comes to Laurel a lot, and he really cares about these issues," Rosapepe said of the governor. "It's very encouraging." http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bal-omalleyletter1027b,0,3225499,print.story Baltimore Sun on Oct 27, 2009 - Op-Ed by Michael Enright, Senior Advisor to Governor O'Malley - From the moment that Constellation and EDF announced to the world that this deal was none of the state's business, the governor has fought to enforce Maryland law, to protect BGE and its customers from the risks associated with the deal, and to ensure, in the context of a $5 billion transaction, that the companies share some small portion of the proceeds of the deal with BGE customers, as Maryland law requires them to do. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bal-md.foreclosure27oct27,0,7784248.story Baltimore Sun on Oct 27, 2009 - More than a year after Maryland officials set out to quell the foreclosure crisis with some of the most aggressive prevention programs in the nation, the number of homeowners on the brink is again on the rise. The new state laws, enacted last year, slow down the foreclosure process, establish criminal penalties for those who commit mortgage fraud and require that lenders verify a borrower's ability to pay. The O'Malley administration is working on a new tactic: using mediators to ensure lenders are making a good-faith effort to renegotiate more affordable loan terms, and to ensure homeowners understand those terms. The Governor plans to introduce legislation requiring mediation in foreclosure cases when the General Assembly convenes in January. http://www.gazette.net/stories/10152009/collnew180521_32535.shtml The Gazette on Oct 15, 2009 - Chris Samuels, an offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins, joined Governor Martin O'Malley and several other public officials to praise the state's low-income Medical Assistance for Families program Tuesday afternoon at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt. The program, which was passed by the General Assembly in 2007 and introduced July 1, 2008, offers free or discounted prescriptions, doctor's and hospital visits and other medical services to low-earning families. "Up to 100,000 more Marylanders are going to be able to have quality health care because of the program," O'Malley said. "Every state can make progress ... and that's what we're trying to do." http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/story.aspx?articleid=37058&zoneid=2 WBAL on Oct 07, 2009 - The Senate on Monday passed the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 (S.251), which allows states to petition the Federal Communications Commission for the authority to "jam" - or block the use of cell phones from prison. Under current law, the FCC does not allow cell phone jamming of any kind. In 2008, Maryland corrections officers confiscated 847 illegal cell phones in Maryland, 2,809 in Californian and 1,861 in Mississippi. Prisoners are using these phones to commit crimes. "I want to thank the U.S. Senate for passing this bill to allow cell phone jamming in our prisons. We need every available technology to combat cell phone use by inmates to improve public safety in our communities," said Governor O'Malley. "Senate passage of this bill moves us one step closer to eliminating the current federal ban on jamming technology, and want to encourage the House of Representatives to move quickly to pass the bill." http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bal-md.gr.registry01oct01,0,7273662.story Baltimore Sun on Oct 01, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley stopped by a Coca-Cola bottling plant in East Baltimore on Wednesday to promote the company's environmental efforts and urge more Maryland businesses to jump onto the green bandwagon. He used his visit to plug his administration's "Maryland Green Registry," a self-nominating who's-who of businesses, universities and government agencies seeking recognition for voluntarily recycling waste and reducing energy use or pollution. The registry also includes smaller companies, such as British American Auto Care, a Columbia repair shop that offers what it touts as "green car care." Co-owner Brian England said the business has cut its energy costs by switching lights and even removing some, and plans to install a skylight. "Protecting the environment makes sense," he said. "It makes sense for big businesses like [Coca-Cola], and it makes sense for the tiniest of businesses." http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.ar.fitness30sep30,0,5819186.story Baltimore Sun on Sep 30, 2009 - Students at Corkran Middle School in Anne Arundel County had quite the exercise routine Tuesday. They ran agility drills on their school field with Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk. They stretched with Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo. They high-fived Gov. Martin O'Malley. And they heard repeatedly from some of their sports heroes that they should get out from in front of the computer and TV and get some exercise. The visit by members of the Baltimore Ravens was sponsored by the NFL Network's "Keep Gym in School" initiative, which advocates for physical education classes in schools across the country. O'Malley, who predicted a Ravens victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, called physical education in school "critically important. "That's what makes a child whole and able to grow to their fullest potential," said O'Malley, who said he tries to make it to the gym every day. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=95634 Frederick News Post on Sep 24, 2009 - Frederick became the seat of state government Wednesday, when Gov. Martin O'Malley visited and brought more than 20 Cabinet secretaries and other top officials with him. "I've found it's a good way to keep all of us accountable and to keep us responsive, especially in difficult times," he said. Frederick 's day was also Governor's Day at The Great Frederick Fair, so O'Malley began his visit by having lunch with the fair board. While at the fair, O'Malley said, he was most looking forward to meeting with dairy farmers who have been facing low prices. "Every time you lose a farm, you don't get it back," O'Malley said. "There's a limited amount of land, and when that farm's gone, it's usually gone forever." After meeting with farmers, O'Malley went to a ribbon cutting for the new Maryland School for the Deaf elementary school building. He then convened the Cabinet meeting. http://mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?category=6&page=1&id=13390&type=UTTM Maryland Daily Record on Sep 16, 2009 - The Maryland Biotechnology Center’s Baltimore office opened Tuesday, delivering on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s BioMaryland 2020 initiative to advance the state’s life sciences industry. The center, and its sister site in Rockville, will serve as “one-stop” shops for the state’s biotech entrepreneurs, giving them access to information about Maryland’s grant-funding programs, opportunities to collaborate with scientists at local universities and help with developing their businesses. The governor announced the BioMaryland 2020 initiative last year, a $1.3 billion program to nurture the expansion of Maryland's bioscience industry over the next decade. Other goals of the initiative are increasing the biotech investment tax credit, adding technology incubator space, increasing funding for stem cell research and creating a venture capital trust to advance investment in the state’s bioscience firms. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.psc16sep16,0,442822.story Baltimore Sun on Sep 16, 2009 - Op-Ed by Governor O'Malley - This week the Maryland Public Service Commission began a public hearing into Constellation Energy's proposed $4.5 billion sale of half its nuclear assets to a huge French company, EDF. As currently proposed, the deal appears to be a good one for Constellation's CEO and his shareholders but presents enormous risks and no real benefits for more than 1.1 million ratepayers who depend on BGE to provide a vital service at reasonable rates. http://wjz.com/local/OMalley.participates.in.2.1177944.html WJZ on Sep 15, 2009 - Commemorating 9/11 with a national day of service included projects in Baltimore. A new basement drew quite a crowd. Volunteers joined a Habitat for Humanity work crew to seal cinderblock walls in a 10-unit townhouse development on East Fayette Street. Governor O'Malley was one of those pitching in. "It's a day of service to commemorate 9/11 and those who lost their lives in that attack. And it's a beautiful commemoration of the president's asking all of us to take part in, by giving of ourselves," O'Malley said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203067_pf.html Washington Post on Sep 03, 2009 - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Wednesday said it was residents' "patriotic duty" to get seasonal flu shots in coming weeks to make it easier for health officials to determine if outbreaks are related to H1N1, or swine flu. If residents do not get vaccinated against seasonal strains and later get sickened by them as a result, there will be little way to determine if those falling ill this fall and winter have been infected by less worrisome strains, or by the more contagious H1N1 virus, O'Malley said. Maryland, home to the nation's swine flu summit in July at the National Institutes of Health, was notably aggressive compared to Virginia and other states during the initial H1N1 scare this spring in terms of releasing information to the public about possible and confirmed swine-flu cases. The state has since enhanced its own contingency plans for dealing with the virus, adding to, for example, its web of backup operations centers, should sickened employees force officials to close key offices. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/31/AR2009083102827.html?hpid=sec-metro Washington Post on Sep 01, 2009 - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will announce two midterm Cabinet appointments Tuesday, elevating Beverley K. Swaim-Staley to transportation secretary and naming Edward Chow Jr. veterans affairs secretary. Swaim-Staley has been acting transportation secretary since June, after the departure of John D. Porcari to serve as U.S. deputy transportation secretary in the Obama administration. Chow, an Army veteran, will be the first Asian American to serve in O'Malley's Cabinet. He most recently worked as director of programs for an organization that advises Congress on issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.dunbar01sep01,0,6607812.story Baltimore Sun on Sep 01, 2009 - As Baltimore schools opened Monday, students streamed into Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, which even the seniors didn't recognize after a two-year, $28 million renovation that transformed the worn interior into one better able to support students studying math and the sciences. Among the school's new features are science labs and a robotics lab where students can design robots on computers, build them in a shop and operate them in a large room. The interior boasts wide hallways, larger windows, and a new cafeteria and library. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.sat26aug26,0,1108432.story Baltimore Sun on Aug 26, 2009 - The number of students in Maryland taking and passing an Advanced Placement exam rose significantly this past school year, reflecting a national trend in the use of the rigorous high school exams. http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-stimulus-funding-0820,0,7463215.story Baltimore Sun on Aug 21, 2009 - Maryland's housing department has authorized developers of 15 "shovel-ready" multifamily rental housing projects around the state to receive $33.5 million funds that will enable them to create $216.7 million worth of new or rehabbed "work force" housing for families and seniors -- 1,439 units in all. The bulk of the money, $31.7 million, is federal stimulus funds from the Tax Credit Assistance Program. The remainder, about $1.8 million, is from assorted state rental housing funds. Maryland has been praised by the federal government for its "speedy, tranparent and effective management of Recovery funds," said Gov. Martin O'Malley. "We will continue our skillful distribution of resources with the Tax Credit Assistance Program, increasing affordable housing opportunities and creating jobs for Marylanders." http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.sweden21aug21,0,6755947.story Baltimore Sun on Aug 21, 2009 - A Swedish bioenergy company will open its U.S. headquarters in Annapolis, two months after Gov. Martin O'Malley met with the company during an economic development mission to that country, state economic development officials announced Thursday. Swebo Bioenergy International, which develops equipment for heating and electricity production using waste fuels, plans to open a Maryland office in the fall and hire three people to begin operations here, said Mattias Lindgren, a Swebo managing director who will head U.S. operations. Swebo's move is the latest foreign company to invest in Maryland, a strategy that state economic development officials have been pursuing aggressively. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.act20aug20,0,6048866.story Baltimore Sun on Aug 20, 2009 - Maryland students continued to post slight gains on the ACT this year, with scores consistently remaining above the national average, according to results released Wednesday for the Class of 2009. http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?category=1&page=1&id=157731&type=Daily The Daily Record on Aug 12, 2009 - The first crop of oysters grown by volunteers in a new restoration effort were transplanted Tuesday to a sanctuary reef on the Tred Avon River. The Tred Avon was the first river to have volunteers grow oysters under the year-old program between the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Services, which provided the spat, and the Maryland Department of Corrections, which provided the wire mesh baskets. Oyster restoration efforts are important to state officials, conservationists and watermen because of their commercial value and because they are keystone species that filter bay water and provide habitat for other species on their reefs. The oysters transplanted Tuesday were placed on a nearby sanctuary reef that is closed to commercial harvesting. http://www.thebaynet.com/news/util_files/util_printstory.cfm/story_ID/14387/storytype/textarticle The Bay Net on Aug 12, 2009 - With the help of several watermen and volunteers, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Oyster Recovery Partnership staff today collected the first batch of oysters grown through Maryland’s citizen oyster growing program from private piers along the Tred Avon River, and planted them on a sanctuary near Oxford. “I am very pleased at the success of Marylanders Grow Oysters,” said Governor Martin O’Malley, who launched the program last September. “Our citizen stewards in Talbot County have not only done a terrific job giving these baby oysters a head start on life, but they also have been a source of inspiration for other conservation minded Marylanders; this year, we are expanding the program to eleven additional Bay tributaries.” http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bal-md.solar06aug06,0,4432717,print.story Baltimore Sun on Aug 06, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley and his wife, Catherine Curran O'Malley, plan to have solar panels installed on the roof of the governor's mansion. The work will begin next week. Other planned upgrades include more efficient lighting and temperature controls. The changes are part of a widespread effort to save energy at state buildings. Once installed, the panels will provide about half of the hot water used in the mansion. The O'Malley's have made other environmental upgrades since moving into the mansion in 2007. They've ramped up recycling, planted a vegetable garden and installed an irrigation system that uses rain water. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080502184.html Washington Post on Aug 06, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley and other state officials recently participated in a foreclosure prevention workshop in Prince George's County designed to help housing officials learn what homeowners on the brink of foreclosure are experiencing, provide homeowners an update on the state's efforts to prevent foreclosures and encourage troubled homeowners to seek assistance. O'Malley said the state launched a hotline last year that has fielded more than 25,000 calls from homeowners across the state. Counselors on the hotline have helped more than 6,800 people avoid foreclosure, he said. Anyone who is facing foreclosure should visit the state site http://www.mdhope.org or call 877-462-7555 for assistance. Maryland created a task force in 2007 to find ways to preserve and promote homeownership. Its recommendations led to some of the most sweeping pieces of legislation to address the foreclosure crisis in the country. The initiatives included emergency regulations that extended the amount of time before a home goes into foreclosure and tougher penalties for those involved in illegal mortgage schemes. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080502205.html Washington Post on Aug 06, 2009 - Facing a bevy of local officials and surrounded by his cabinet secretaries, Gov. Martin O'Malley listened to a discussion of issues involving Rockville and Montgomery County last Thursday at a cabinet meeting in Town Square. The meeting capped a day of activities, tours and meetings attended by the governor and his top aides as part of his Capital for a Day program, which takes the state officials to Maryland communities to meet local leaders, residents and business owners. After the meeting, O'Malley said one of the best parts of bringing the state capital to municipalities throughout Maryland is "getting to meet his counterparts in local government." http://www.govtech.com/gt/707317?topic=117676 Government Technology on Aug 04, 2009 - In Baltimore, the program CitiStat, became a sensation. Working under four simple tenets - accurate and timely intelligence shared by all; rapid deployment of resources; effective tactics and strategies; and relentless follow-up and assessment - CitiStat achieved startling results. From repairing potholes to eliminating blight, by 2003 the mayor's office reported CitiStat had saved the city $100 million, thanks to much improved and more intelligent service delivery. Meanwhile, crime was also declining, though it was still high by national standards. Since being elected governor in 2006, O'Malley has worked on applying the four tenets of CitiStat to an entirely new animal - state government. Now, with StateStat operational, Maryland's executive leadership and the general public can see where the state is succeeding and where work remains to be done. O'Malley said StateStat at its core is the rational application of human effort to human knowledge. By using GIS as StateStat's foundation, O'Malley said Maryland is afforded an unbiased look at the progress being made and how to confront the state's failings. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.msa22jul22,0,7928776.story Baltimore Sun on Jul 22, 2009 - Students throughout the state continued to improve on the Maryland School Assessments given in March, according to results released Tuesday. Across the state, some pass rates are so high in some counties and at many schools that it will be difficult for them to continue to improve. About one-third of the state's 910 elementary schools have 90 percent or more of their students passing the tests. In some cases, the counties saw dips in achievement, which state officials said was normal because statistically it becomes more difficult to get every student to pass. The results also show the state continues to close the gap in achievement between students of different races, a key goal of federal and state programs. The difference between the test scores of African-American and white pupils in elementary school math has been cut in half over the past six years. http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=226984&format=html The Herald Mail on Jul 16, 2009 - Five Washington County residents and two women from a Shepherdstown, W.Va., bistro will travel to Annapolis Thursday to prepare local food for a cookout at the governor’s mansion. The Tri-State-area residents submitted recipes for Gov. Martin O’Malley’s second annual Buy Local Cook Out. Their recipes were selected from among 60 submissions, and about 15 dishes will be prepared today. The cookout is part of O’Malley’s Buy Local Challenge Week, which runs July 18 to 26. During the week, Marylanders are challenged to eat at least one locally grown, made or harvested product each day. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.civic16jul16,0,1869830,print.story Baltimore Sun on Jul 16, 2009 - When disaster strikes, a swift response from the private sector can be just as crucial as the government's response. Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to announce Thursday the creation of a "Civic Guard" to better connect disaster victims and first responders with businesses and nonprofit organizations that might be able to help with extra manpower or resources such as shovels and medical supplies. The initiative allows private-sector volunteers to log on to Maryland Emergency Management Agency's Web site to submit information about what they may be able to offer during an emergency. While such public-private partnerships have proven invaluable in the past, this is the first time the state has formalized them in advance. http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/07/14/americas-first-global-warming-cap-and-trade-program-is-working-and-heres-why.html U.S. News & World Report on Jul 14, 2009 - As the debate over energy independence, climate change, and "green jobs" heats up this summer, Congress and the American public should take note one of the most significant accomplishments related to climate change to date and some of the lessons we've learned. In September 2008, 10 northeastern states, including Maryland, launched the United States's first greenhouse gas "cap and trade system"—and it is working. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative requires carbon-producing power plants to purchase one allowance for each ton of carbon they emit. Each state auctions a share of allowances quarterly. The goal is reduced carbon emissions. How is carbon reduced? In two ways: First, the number of allowances decreases over time, so by 2018 we collectively reduce carbon from these power plants—a major source of greenhouse gases—by 10 percent. Second, proceeds from the sale of these allowances are plowed back into consumer benefits: energy efficiency programs, renewable energy, technology development, rate relief, and other programs that benefit energy consumers and create "green jobs." http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bal-te.md.flu10jul10,0,6106451,print.story Baltimore Sun on Jul 10, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley said Thursday that Maryland and other states will be better prepared to deal with a swine flu pandemic this fall because of problems encountered in coping with the outbreak earlier in the year. The governor made the remarks at the National Institutes of Health during a daylong meeting that brought state and federal officials together at a White House flu "summit." O'Malley, who moderated a panel discussion, praised the administration for refining the advice it gives state and local officials. In an interview, O'Malley said Maryland is "well prepared, and we want to become very well prepared" to deal with a pandemic this fall. He said state officials would be able to communicate with the public and local officials in more "predictable and regular ways" as a result of lessons learned. http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=71512 WHAG on Jul 08, 2009 - Governor Martin O’Malley announced today the appointment of Dana Moylan Wright to the District Court for Washington County. Ms. Wright, who will be the first female judge in Washington County, will fill a vacancy on the District Court created by the retirement of the Honorable Ralph H. France. Ms. Wright’s extensive community involvement includes chairing the Washington County Ethics Commission and serving as the secretary of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission Board of Directors. She also has served on the boards of the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce and the Hospice of Washington County. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090702/wct01/907020324/ The Daily Times on Jul 02, 2009 - OCEAN CITY -- Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Tuesday that his BayStat initiative has, for the first time, set two-year milestone goals toward Bay cleanup efforts. "That doesn't mean it's going to be totally cleaned up in two years, but at least we've got the benchmark set," O'Malley said. "If we hit some of them, then we know we had the right amount of effort on the front end. And if we don't, people will know that, and then we can have an honest discussion as the great republic that we are instead of hiding under the cloak of 'just wait 20 years.' Since O'Malley launched BayStat in February 2007, Maryland has preserved more than 24,000 acres through Program Open Space, enacted landmark legislation to reduce greenhouse gases, and seen bay grasses and blue Crab populations rebound. In northeast Maryland, some rivers are showing signs of significant recovery from pollution. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090702/wct08/907020335/ The Daily Times on Jul 02, 2009 - BERLIN -- Students at Buckingham Elementary School had a special treat Tuesday -- Maryland's First Lady, Katie O'Malley, was there to serve lunch. O'Malley, traveling with Gov. Martin O'Malley as he attended a governmental convention in Ocean City, visited Buckingham Elementary and reminded the school's summer school students of the importance of nutrition. O'Malley served 87 BES students a lunch of whole-wheat, reduced fat pizza and carrots and diced pears that was provided through the Summer Food Service Program, which provides free meals to students during the summer. Two O'Malley-backed initiatives that are helping Maryland's school children are the Summer Food Service Program and the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland. While the summer program provides children with free lunches during the summer, the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger is designed to improve access to programs that provide food to families in need, strengthen systems for getting healthy food to kids and improve parents' knowledge of healthy food choices. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090702/wct01/907020321/ The Daily Times on Jul 02, 2009 - OCEAN CITY -- Maryland's third-year governor strolled into the exhibit hall mostly unnoticed. But by the time he completed a loop of handshakes and posed photos with dozens of municipal leaders and representatives, Martin O'Malley had drawn a crowd that kept its distance in a dance hall-style circle. Later, the governor later gave municipal leaders an inside look at BayStat, a program that tracks the health of Maryland waterways. Earlier in the day, the governor addressed a gathering of chiefs of police, announcing that the state would use federal stimulus funds to pay police officers overtime as they reduce a backlog of unserved arrest warrants. He also presented a 'Top Cop' award to the Salisbury Police Department's Ken Wilson. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.turnbull21jun21,0,2675918,print.story Baltimore Sun on Jun 23, 2009 - New Maryland Democratic Party Chair, Susie Turnbull, is back in Maryland, where she first entered the political scene through Montgomery County's Democratic Central Committee and then her efforts to improve breast cancer screening, inspired by her mother's bout with the disease. She returns to lead the party as it works to re-elect Democrats such as Gov. Martin O'Malley and Rep. Frank Kratovil in 2010. She's spent more than a decade in the national arena, having risen to the Vice Chairwoman post at the Democratic National Committee, advising campaigns across the country and frequently appearing on talk radio and cable TV programs as a party spokeswoman. Party leaders said, it was her skills and contacts cultivated through her national political work that made her the ideal candidate to build formidable campaign treasuries and keep the diverse wings of the party unified. O'Malley said she not only brought her "network" but also an ability to bridge various interests, such as suburbanites and city dwellers, and labor groups and environmentalists. "She was willing to work hard and make the necessary calls," he said, referring to the conversations with donors and activists required of the party's figurehead, a volunteer job. http://www.somdnews.com/stories/06192009/rectop142143_32189.shtml Southern Maryland Newspaper on Jun 22, 2009 - The state capital temporarily shifted to Calvert County on Friday as the O'Malley administration continued its Capital for a Day program with a series of events and meetings designed to underscore local priorities and challenges. Unlike past Capital for a Day locales in which the administration has descended on a specific town or municipality, Friday's program was spread out throughout the county. Friday was O'Malley's second visit to Calvert in less than a week. The previous Sunday, he joined U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), former Democratic state senator Bernie Fowler and other state and local luminaries for the 31st annual Patuxent River Wade-In. That shows a commitment to one of the state's fastest-growing counties and the issues it faces, said Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert), who praised the governor's efforts to clean up the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay. http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/money/061809_money_home_weatherization Fox 5 on Jun 22, 2009 - Richard Lowery's home is the first in Maryland to get energy improvements courtesy of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Maryland is getting $61 million dollars from the US Department of Energy for home weatherization programs. Maryland homes with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level can get up to $6,500 worth of work performed. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley toured the work being done at the Lowery home, and said the money will help nearly 7,000 other families. Energy improvement companies say the stimulus is helping their businesses. A total of $11 million of the weatherization funds will be set aside for job training programs. http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/17/omalley-asks-for-prison-jamming/ The Washington Times on Jun 18, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski have asked federal officials for permission to hold a cell-phone-jamming demonstration at a Maryland prison, saying unauthorized cell-phone use by inmates is posing a serious safety problem. Mr. O'Malley and Miss Mikulski, sent a letter Monday to the National Telecommunications Information Administration, asking that they be allowed to hold a 30-minute demonstration of the technology. The letter cited recent incidents in which inmates were able to use cell phones to engage in criminal activities - including arranging contract killings - from their prison cells. "There is an urgent need to combat the use of illegal cell phones and other wireless devices in our country's prisons," the letter said. "Unfortunately, Maryland and other states currently are unable to deploy electronic technologies that may provide more reliable protection against unauthorized inmate communications." http://www.gazette.net/stories/06182009/uppenew174214_32527.shtml The Gazette on Jun 18, 2009 - Maryland's Lieutenant Governor touted new laws aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and praised the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office for its efforts against domestic violence at a June 11 morning tour of the sheriff's office in Upper Marlboro. The two laws, both of which were signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on May 19, give judges the option of confiscating guns when they issue temporary protective orders against people suspected of domestic violence and require judges to confiscate guns when they issue final protective orders. Both laws will go into effect Oct. 1. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.highschools17jun17,0,32552.story Baltimore Sun on Jun 17, 2009 - Maryland public high schools offer the highest percentage of college-level courses in the nation, according to Newsweek magazine's June 15 analysis in its annual "America's Top High Schools" issue. According to Newsweek, Maryland ranks first with 29.5 percent of schools offering college-level courses - more than 5 percentage points higher than the second-place state, Virginia. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090616/OPINION01/906160312 The Daily Times on Jun 16, 2009 - In a recent meeting with managers and chairmen from the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Gov. Martin O'Malley introduced an exciting, innovative and user-friendly Web site, www.baystat.maryland.gov. The governor's concern for the problems facing the Chesapeake Bay led to his involvement in the development and design of this Web site. The Governor is to be commended for bringing this new tool to fruition. The Soil Conservation Districts view it as money well spent. It is encouraging to see from BayStat's charts and graphs that 10 out of 13 agricultural conservation programs are making progress in approaching nitrogen, phosphorus and sedimentation goals. Lee McDaniel is president of the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/15/AR2009061502954_pf.html Washington Post on Jun 16, 2009 - A state program, introduced by Governor O'Malley last year, that grows baby oysters in cages before planting them on reefs will be expanded this year to 11 more tributaries in Southern Maryland, Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore, state officials announced last week. The Marylanders Grow Oysters project, handled by the state Department of Natural Resources' shellfish program, now operates only on piers in the Tred Avon River in Talbot County. With the additional waterways, DNR staff will shift their workload to 13 local organizations. One DNR cage filled with spat about a half-inch to an inch in size can filter as much as 50 gallons of water an hour, Judy said. One adult oyster at three to four inches will filter 50 gallons of water a day, making the oysters the bay's natural filter. http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=156573&type=Daily The Daily Record on Jun 16, 2009 - The state on Monday announced two new planning areas for the military base realignment and closure process, or BRAC, bringing the statewide total to seven. The BRAC zones make it easier for developers to pay for infrastructure improvements for their projects, as Maryland looks to speed development related to job growth around Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County. In the zones, local governments can use special tax financing to allow developers to pay for things such as roads and water connections to get their projects online. The state is preparing for upward of 60,000 jobs to come to the areas around the two bases in the next several years. http://www.gazette.net/stories/06112009/collnew175850_32523.shtml The Gazette on Jun 12, 2009 - Five Prince George's high schools were named to the America's Top Public High Schools list by Newsweek magazine for 2009. The list, released Monday, named the 1,500 top schools nationwide. It included High Point High School in Beltsville, Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, Oxon Hill High School and Bowie High School. Schools were named to the list based on the number of Advanced Placement and other advanced tests taken by students divided by the total number of graduating seniors, called the "Challenge Index." Statewide, 83 public high schools were named to the list. http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/story.aspx?articleid=29260&zoneid=2 WBAL on Jun 12, 2009 - The Maryland Port Administration says 2008 was a  record-breaking year for the Port of Baltimore's public marine terminals. "Last year was another strong year for the Port of Baltimore, even as the global economy began to struggle," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "Clearly, the Port is not immune to the economic downturn. However, with strong management and wise investments, we have been able to sign long-term contracts with major business partners that will help maintain stability at the Port in the days ahead. This is good news for thousands of workers and their families who depend on the Port of Baltimore for their livelihood." Activity at the Port of Baltimore generates about 16,500 direct jobs. The Port is responsible for $3.6 billion in personal wage and salary income. Activities at the Port of Baltimore generate $388 million in state and local taxes. http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2009/06/061109-Maryland.aspx The National Guard on Jun 11, 2009 - The Governor and Brig. Gen. James A. Adkins, Adjutant General of Maryland and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, are in Normandy as guests of the 29th Infantry Division Association, which represents veterans who previously served in the historic division. The 29th Infantry Division was the only National Guard division to land on the Normandy beach on D-Day, and was comprised of units representing Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. "In a broader sense, Gov. O'Malley's trip to Normandy not only honors those Marylanders who participated in the D-Day landings, but also those men and women who have served and continue to serve our state and our nation in times of peace and war" said Adkins. "Of the more than 288,000 Maryland men and women who served in World War II, nearly 6,500 never made it home.  They made the ultimate sacrifice, all in the name of preserving freedom for generations to come." http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.dday06jun06,0,393154.story?track=rss Baltimore Sun on Jun 06, 2009 - More than six decades after the invasion that turned the tide of World War II, Normandy still beckons to the American soldiers who fought on its beaches, scaled its cliffs and battled to free its towns. Many D-Day veterans from Maryland feel that pull and have traveled repeatedly to France to pay homage to fallen comrades and to remember the valor that distinguished an era. The Maryland contingent will join a determined but dwindling band of veterans who will watch President Barack Obama participate today in the international commemoration. The group will also meet with Gov. Martin O'Malley, who accompanied a dozen veterans on the trip to France. http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/default.aspx?a=28732&template=print-article.htm WBAL on Jun 05, 2009 - The First Family of Maryland has celebrated the high school graduation of oldest daughter Grace. Governor O'Malley said it seems like yesterday when Grace was a little girl watching her dad be sworn in as the Mayor of Baltimore. O'Malley's best advice for Grace? "I tell her to always do her best, try to make this world a better place, follow her heart and do in life what she is passionate about," says O'Malley. http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bal-coastal-council-0604,0,1714518.story Baltimore Sun on Jun 05, 2009 - Maryland joined four other mid-Atlantic states Thursday in creating a council aimed at protecting shared coastal waters and their natural resources. The Governors' Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on Oceans; which also includes New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia; will look for ways to protect habitat and promote renewable energy resources. The group's representatives will work in tandem in coming months to identify ways to specifically protect 10 offshore canyons that stretch from New York to Virginia, corals, fish and marine mammals. The council will also encourage wind development offshore where appropriate, coordinate climate change plans that protect each state's economic and environmental positions, encourage federal investment in wastewater infrastructure that could aid tourism and fishing industries, and host a stakeholder summit later in the year. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.crime03jun03,0,4110640.story?track=rss Baltimore Sun on Jun 04, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael E. Busch on Tuesday credited a year-old law enforcement partnership with a major drop in Annapolis crime, and said the initiative should be extended to other parts of the state. In the first year of the Capital City Safe Streets program, crime in Annapolis is down 32 percent, and violent crime - including homicide, rape and aggravated assault - is down 39 percent over the past year, officials said. In 2009, there has been one homicide in Annapolis, compared with six killings in the first six months of 2008. There were nine in the entire year. Safe Streets brings together city and county police, the U.S. attorney's office, the state Division of Parole and Probation and other agencies, with an emphasis on more strategic policing methods as well as closed-circuit cameras in high-crime areas such as the city's public housing complexes. http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/story.aspx?articleid=28629&zoneid=3 WBAL on Jun 04, 2009 - Governor O'Malley will leave for France tomorrow as a guest of the 29th Infantry Division Association where he will commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day and Maryland's historic role in the Allied landing on the French shores of Normandy. The 29th Division was the only National Guard division to land on D-Day and was comprised of units from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. While overseas, the Governor will also travel to the Republic of Estonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to meet with military and civilian leaders representing both governments as well as business leaders as part of the State Partnership Program (SPP). While in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Governor O'Malley is expected to meet with Charles L. English, U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nebojsa Radmanovic, member of the Tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Selmo Citokic, Minister of Defense for Bosnia and Herzegovina and local business leaders during a luncheon hosted by the local chamber of commerce. In Estonia, Governor O'Malley will meet with Lieutenant Colonel Raivo Lumiste, Commander of the Estonian Defense League, as well as Juhan Parts, Minister of Economic Affairs for Estonia. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.standards02jun02,0,3274787.story Baltimore Sun on Jun 02, 2009 - Maryland and 45 other states have agreed to develop a common set of academic standards for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, a national shift away from local control over schools that seemed unlikely even a few years ago. The agreement signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley and state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick was led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. It would only commit Maryland and the other states to craft a common core vision for what every student should know in math and reading, but it is a step that is expected to eventually lead to the adoption of national standards and tests. Teachers unions and local superintendents now embrace the idea of common standards. "I look at it from a practical perspective," said Baltimore County Superintendent Joe A. Hairston. "It seems to me if a child moves from Maryland to Oklahoma, reading must still be one of the things they must learn." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053102061.html Washington Post on Jun 01, 2009 - As mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley (D) embraced the ambitious goal of driving down his city's stubbornly high homicide count to 175 a year. His boosters say O'Malley's focus helped galvanize a significant reduction in violent crime. Now in the backstretch of a first term as Maryland's governor, O'Malley seems to be employing the same strategy again. In spades. Drawing little public attention so far, a small team of aides has developed a list of 15 major goals -- and several dozen smaller ones -- intended to guide the remainder of O'Malley's term, as well as a second one if he wins reelection next year. The team of aides that developed the targets and is responsible for pushing state agencies to meet them has been dubbed the Governor's Delivery Unit. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.constellation31may31,0,1851522.story Baltimore Sun on Jun 01, 2009 - The prospect that Constellation Energy Group CEO Mayo A. Shattuck III could wind up with an $87 million windfall is terrible politics. It's no wonder that Gov. Martin O'Malley's negotiations with the company over rate relief tied to the prospective purchase of half of Constellation's nuclear business by Electricité de France have stalled over the potential payment. But to simply dismiss Mr. O'Malley's concerns as political is to shortchange one key fact: It actually is outrageous that Mr. Shattuck could wind up with an extra $87 million in his pocket. http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/05/30/news/local_news/sunday_centerpieces/995energy3.txt Carroll County Times on Jun 01, 2009 - As Maryland works toward ensuring future electricity supply and reducing per capita energy consumption by 15 percent by 2015 as part of Empower Maryland, the state government is working to reduce its own energy consumption in its government buildings. "Government should lead by example; that is basically what we are trying to do," said Hatim N. Jabaji, director of the Maryland Office of Energy and Conservation. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.constellation29may29,0,5149004.story Baltimore Sun on May 29, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration is seeking ratepayer relief and other concessions from Constellation Energy Group as part of behind-the-scenes negotiations related to the Baltimore company's proposed deal to sell half its nuclear power business to a French utility. According to internal correspondence obtained by The Baltimore Sun, O'Malley's office and Constellation may be nearing a settlement agreement that could include immediate electricity price reductions for strapped consumers, longer-term discounts and commitments that the company will make investments in environmentally friendly energy projects. http://www.gazette.net/stories/05272009/businew170918_32538.shtml The Gazette on May 27, 2009 - A week after NASA completed repairs to its Hubble Space Telescope, whose daily orbital operations are managed by the space agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday announced plans to bolster Maryland's aerospace industry as the state has already done for life sciences. Speaking before the Maryland Space Business Roundtable in Greenbelt, O'Malley (D) proposed forming a Federal Facilities Advisory Panel through the state Department of Business and Economic Development. The panel's particular focus would be on aerospace opportunities, to harness the potential of the 50 federal installations in Maryland. He is also planning a Maryland Federal Facilities Summit. Maryland hosts 16 of the nation's top 25 aerospace companies, with about $1.6 billion annually flowing from NASA-related business, O'Malley said. Private-sector space industry companies in Maryland include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences, Science Applications International Corp., General Dynamics, Hughes Network Systems and Honeywell. Lockheed Martin and Hughes have headquarters in Maryland, in Bethesda and Germantown, respectively. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.omalley27may27,0,6036559.story Baltimore Sun on May 27, 2009 - Hoping to tap into an economic engine that can weather the recession, Gov. Martin O'Malley unveiled a strategy Tuesday for bolstering the space industry's foothold in the state by lobbying for more federal dollars and emphasizing science and mathematics in schools. O'Malley, speaking to more than 500 aerospace industry representatives in Greenbelt, outlined a plan to harness what he characterized as the state's "unsung economic hero." The vision is similar to one the governor has articulated for the biotechnology industry as a way to further move the state from a manufacturing- to a knowledge-based economy. With a strapped budget, O'Malley said the new impetus will streamline and leverage existing programs, rather than inject new state dollars. O'Malley said he would work with the congressional delegation to double NASA's budget for earth science and global warming monitoring and continue funding the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble successor scheduled for launch in 2014. http://wjz.com/local/Maryland.Governor.veterans.2.1018156.html WJZ on May 27, 2009 - The Governor honored Maryland veterans including those who fought in World War II at a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day. "The Governor wanted to recognize World War II veterans, obviously there are fewer and fewer of those. In addition, I, as national commander invited him to come with us to Normandy" said Robert Finn, Director of the 29th Division Association. Also honored in Annapolis the guard's 224th Area Support Medical Company. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.dday24may24,0,7763383.story Baltimore Sun on May 27, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley today held a ceremony at Government House in Annapolis, commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944, when Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of French coastline. O'Malley also plans to travel to France next month with representatives from the 29th Division, the only National Guard unit that landed on D-Day.  Veterans from the greatest generation will join the current one at today's event, which includes a welcome-home crab cake feast to celebrate the return from Iraq earlier this year of the 224th Area Support Medical Company of the Maryland Army National Guard. O'Malley had promised the troops Maryland crab during their deployment, but his office couldn't find a way to safely ship it over such a long distance. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.viewpoint14may14,0,2334378.story Baltimore Sun on May 20, 2009 - Maryland was the very first state in the nation to enter into a conservation partnership with the federal government, back in 1997. Since that time, Maryland has enrolled nearly 70,000 acres into the program, and those acres have prevented 8.6 million pounds of nitrogen, 820,000 pounds of phosphorus and 149,000 tons of sediment from washing down to the Chesapeake Bay. We hope more Maryland landowners will enroll so we can reach 100,000 acres and do more to protect the fresh water that flows to the bay. Last month on Arbor Day, Gov. Martin O'Malley and I went to the Soper family farm to sign an amendment to our agreement, simplifying the program for farmers and increasing incentives for landowners to practice conservation. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.briefs20a3may20,0,3960951.story Baltimore Sun on May 20, 2009 - Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday the planned opening of the Maryland Biotechnology Center in Montgomery County, intended as a resource for the state's life sciences sector, as he prepared to head for a conference in Atlanta on the industry's future. The center, expected to open within 60 days, will be in the Shady Grove Life Sciences Park with another office "co-located" at the World Trade Center in Baltimore, state Commerce Department officials said. O'Malley said the new biotechnology center would be "a one-stop shop, yes with two locations" for the industry. Maryland is home to more than 400 biotech companies. O'Malley plans to detail a state strategy for courting and sustaining the industry while in Atlanta that would include assisting companies to find venture capital and sustain job growth. He noted that the industry has continued to generate jobs, even in the economic downturn. O'Malley made the announcement after a tour of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation in Rockville, which is working to develop and distribute a new tuberculosis vaccine worldwide.