bob mcdonnell

'Most important fish in the sea' is food for striped bass, birds

Release of big cats draws attention to owners of wild species

Maryland got an unexpected boost of cash when it ended the 2011 fiscal year, but that tells us little about how the state will fare in the future — and likely doesn't diminish the need to seriously consider tax increases.

Maryland finished the fiscal year with $990 million in unspent funds, showing an end-of-year surplus that was about 50 percent higher than expected, according to a memo obtained by The Sun.

Hurricane Irene fell short of the doomsday predictions of record-breaking storm surges in North Carolina and Virginia when it lumbered ashore. But a slow-crawling storm that spread out hundreds of miles was still hurling heavy rain and high winds at a wide swath of the East Coast a day after its first U.S. landfall, vexing officials attempting to gauge the full damage toll on the region.