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Government employees treated unfairly by Maryland labor law

Baltimore County has installed GPS technology in more than 900 government vehicles. The devices are pricey, but officials say they will save taxpayer dollars in fuel costs. Some disagree, saying the technology isn't always worth it.

A Baltimore County union representing about 800 public employees rallied against County Executive Kevin Kamenetz on Thursday, after working for four months without a contract.

Coppin State University President Reginald Avery, who received a vote of no confidence last February, will step down in January.

The main ballot committee supporting same-sex marriage in Maryland has raised $3.2 million and still has $1.2 million in its war chest to defend the law in the Nov. 6 referendum, according to a disclosure filed last night with the State Board of Elections.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's appearance at Sen. Tom Harkin's "Steak Fry" in Iowa not only signals O'Malley's political ambitions, but also underscores the kinds of challenges undeclared candidates face as they juggle day jobs with hectic travel schedules.

Members of a Baltimore County public employees union are guaranteed not to be furloughed or laid off through 2015 under a new labor agreement announced Wednesday.

Coppin's problem is that Maryland has failed to fund the school adequately

Lloyd Campbell Mitchner, who had been director of Urban Services during the mayoral administration of Kurt L. Schmoke, died July 16 of lung cancer at Northwest Hospital. The Randallstown resident was 84.

A group of about 50 faculty members and students gathered Tuesday to protest the most recent round of staff cuts at Coppin State.

About 2,400 unionized Baltimore County public employees are set to return to work Monday without contracts following disagreements about workers' contributions to their health care benefits.

Baltimore circuit court employees marched to City Hall Monday afternoon, complaining of dangerous courthouse conditions and threatening to sue.

The General Assembly's speedy embrace of Gov. Martin O'Malley's income tax increases this week cleaned up a political mess in Annapolis, but the rate hikes could come back to haunt the Democrat if he seeks national office when his time in the governor's mansion is up.

A 30-year-old woman has been charged with attempted murder and child abuse after police said she stabbed her infant daughter in the head and neck during a supervised visit at a social services office in East Baltimore

Baltimore police say a distraught mother stabbed her 8-month-old child in the neck while visiting the baby at a Department of Social Services office.

Youth violence and staff uses of force skyrocketed in 2011 at Maryland's most troubled juvenile detention centers, plagued with overcrowding and staff turnover.

The rout in Maryland's 6th District raises questions about the political potency of the state's labor groups, which is particularly important as Democrats gear up to take on Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett in November.

More than a year into his tenure, Kamenetz has an uneven relationship with Baltimore County's public employee unions as his administration works toward new agreements with several labor groups.

Baltimore County Council members on Monday tabled legislation proposed by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz that could have reduced some workers' pensions, after pressure from unions that said the bill undermined labor rights.

Union members from around Baltimore are planning a rally Monday to protest legislation by Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz that would reduce some county employees' pension benefits.

The Baltimore school system has paid its employees about $65 million for unused leave over the past five years, a rare perk that many employers have abandoned and that has come under fire as school districts have experienced shrinking budgets.

Public-employee unions are urging Baltimore County Council members to reject a proposal by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz that would cut pension benefits for some workers.

A preliminary report by the Maryland Transportation Authority has concluded that converting seven toll plazas to all-electronic toll collection is feasible but would cost as much as $180 million to implement.

At their work session this afternoon, Baltimore County Council members plan to discuss a proposal by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz that would end the practice of using overtime to calculate pensions for members of AFSCME, the union that represents workers in the Department of Public Works and other agencies.

County executive Kevin Kamenetz's latest pension reform effort is good policy, but the way he's going about it is unfair and tone deaf.

A union that represents hundreds of public workers in Baltimore County is threatening to file an unfair labor practices complaint against the county.

Prosecutors did not persuade jurors to sentence to death the inmate they convicted of killing a correctional officer while he was already imprisoned for murder.

Some Baltimore County employees who retire in the future would receive smaller pensions under state legislation proposed by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's administration.

Perkins state mental hospital workers say more jobs will help improve safety

John Delaney, a Democratic candidate in Maryland¿s competitive 6th Congressional District, began running his first television advertisement Wednesday, a cable spot that highlights his middle-class roots, business background and focus on jobs.

Government watchdog group calls for more transparency

A convicted killer was found guilty Wednesday of murdering a correctional officer at the now-closed Maryland House of Correction.

One of 11 city workers arrested in a gambling raid at a city transportation yard last year is fighting to get his job back after being cleared of all charges. In fact, all but one of the people arrested in the high-profile raid was convicted of a crime, and got a suspended sentence.

State employees, retirees and their dependents could no longer fill their prescriptions at Walgreens under a contract being considered by Maryland's Board of Public Works.

Baltimore County school employees have reached a tentative agreement with the school system that will raise the contributions employees make to their health care plans over the next five years in exchange for guarantees that there will be no layoffs or furloughs for the next three years.

The superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools proposed a nearly $1 billion operating budget for the 2013 fiscal year on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, Baltimore County promised job security through 2014 for members of three public employee unions but county officials say they can't make the same guarantee with other labor groups.

Columnist Marta Mossburg has it wrong if she thinks generous government pensions are the source of the nation's extreme income inequality.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake plans to propose Monday a plan to boost yearly funding for public school construction by $23 million, in part by increasing the city's bottle tax to 5 cents.

Workers at Maryland's maximum security psychiatric hospital in Jessup, where two patients were slain recently, are calling on the state to address what they describe as problems in treatment and a pervasive climate of fear.

Leader of Spring Grove to take over amid recent violence at Perkins hospital

State still investigating killing at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center

Morgan State needs a world-class administration if it is to realize its new president's vision of a world-class campus

Cost savings, environment prompt government move to tap water

AFSCME's sweet deal with Maryland Democrats

Monday marks the five-year anniversary of the slaying of David McGuinn, a correctional officer and father of three. Many of those familiar with the case have been frustrated by the delays in prosecuting his accused killers, and former colleagues wonder why no one has yet been held accountable.

State employee union members tried to warn the state of potential problems in the State Highway Administration long ago, but they were ignored.