civil and public service

Harford Teachers union election could signal a shift away from extreme posturing on public sector compensation issues

Three utilities defended the safety of "smart meters" Tuesday at a hearing called by the Maryland Public Service Commission after commissioners read reports of similar meters catching fire in Pennsylvania.

The Maryland Public Service Commission has scheduled a public hearing Tuesday to discuss the safety of smart meters, which are being installed by utilities throughout the state.

Letter-writer who criticized Obama failed to do his homework

An electricity reliability panel Gov. Martin O'Malley called together will meet Tuesday to begin discussions about burying power lines and other issues.

Baltimore County residents sought answers for their repeated power outages and BGE's lack of response at a hearing before the Public Service Commission of Maryland Thursday night in Towson.

About 50 residents of Anne Arundel County and surrounding areas gathered at a Public Service Commission hearing Monday night in Annapolis to voice their frustrations with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s response to the June 30 derecho storm.

Government expansion has been a bipartisan phenomenon, but it has not erased Americans' belief in entrepreneurship and individual initiative.

Seven senior federal employees and four employees' groups filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to stop their agencies from posting their personal financial disclosure forms online.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. had difficulty mustering crews necessary to tackle 762,000 power outages after a derecho storm June 29.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is seeking to raise distribution rates for electricity and natural gas, a move that would add about $11.80 a month to the median residential bill.

The Public Service Commission needs to consider not just BGE's request for higher rates but also the potential costs and benefits of investments to harden the electric grid against storm damage.

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The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold four August public hearings, including one on Aug. 16 in Towson, on BGE's storm response.

Maryland's elected officials are right to pressure the Public Service Commission to take a hard look at the patterns of power loss after the latest storm and to focus on prevention.

Kamenetz says Baltimore County has taken steps to rein in pension, health care costs

It's a mixed bag for consumers wanting some financial recognition for what they've gone through without power and services.

A Maryland congressman called on regulators to amp up pressure on the state's electric utilities Thursday after last month's derecho left some customers without power for more than a week.

Baltimore must guard its water system from private control

Rising costs and shrinking investment returns put Maryland's government pensions back in the fiscal spotlight

Maryland's state employee retirement system decided Tuesday to leave its assumption about how much it will earn on its investments over time unchanged.tate pension system decides to leave its assumed rate of return at 7.75 percent.

One week after Baltimore County's retirement system lowered its long-term expectations of how much it will earn on investments, the state system faces a similar decision Tuesday – one with potentially significant consequences for current and future retirees and Maryland taxpayers.

Alternatives to BGE: public-private partnerships

Maryland energy regulators have scheduled hearings investigating Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s response to a derecho storm.

Gov. Martin O'Malley joined Tuesday in calling for Maryland's utilities to explore burying at least some of their overhead power lines in the wake of the freak storm that left hundreds of thousands of households in the dark last week and vulnerable to a killer heat wave.

Maryland has pursued questionable investment strategies that have underperformed and produced high fees.

The City of Baltimore is selling records containing personal information about its employees that the city's own lawyers acknowledge cannot legally be disclosed under Maryland law.

Deadly storm leaves 257,000 still powerless in 100-degree heat

John Gage, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, has announced he will retire in August after leading the politically powerful union for the past nine years

One day after his death, Richard Dixon, 74, was the subject of tributes and accolades sweeping across all of Carroll County — where he was born, raised, built a family and served his community as a school board member, state delegate and Maryland treasurer.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. plans to submit a case to Maryland regulators by the end of the year that would allow it to raise its electric and naturak gas distribution rates, Chicago-based Exelon Corp., the utility's new owner, said Thursday.

The best and worst elements of the volunteer fire and ambulance service were on full public display over the past several days in Harford County, bringing into sharp focus exactly what is at stake as the county moves ahead with plans to evaluate the way fire, rescue and ambulance services are provided.

State Treasurer Nancy Kopp announced on Thursday, June 7, that Carroll County native and former Maryland treasurer Richard Dixon, 74, has died.

John Gage, who has served as president of the American Federation of Government Employees for nearly a decade, said Tuesday he intends to retire later this summer to spend more time with his family.

Utility customers who object to smart meters can defer installation of the new digital, wireless devices until state energy regulators render a final decision on whether to allow an opt-out feature, the Maryland Public Service Commission said Thursday.

Smart meter opponents asked state regulators on Tuesday to allow ratepayers to say "no" to new digital, wireless devices.

Where does our tax money go? At the DMV, you get what you pay for

While utilities tout smart meters as a major step in modernizing the electricity grid, helping consumers to control energy use and save money, opponents worry about their health, privacy and security risks.

Exelon Corp. and Constellation have made a $1.8 million donation for a new energy exhibit at the Maryland Science Center, the first public display of their charitable commitment to the city and state since the merger between the two energy giants closed in March.

Maryland shouldn't need to call a special session of the legislature to fix its budget

William J. Schmidt, a former department store buyer who became director of administration for the Baltimore City Housing Department, died Monday from complications of Parkinson's disease at his Bel Air home. He was 79.

Ravens coach Cam Cameron promoting skin cancer prevention.

Baltimore Gas and Electric's standard electricity price from June through May 2013 is expected to decrease customer bills by $54 on average, state energy regulators announced Monday.

Members of the news, editorial, sports, photography and web design staffs of The Aegis, The Record and APG News received 37 awards in the 2011 Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association's Editorial Contest. In addition to individual and team awards, The Aegis was named Newspaper of the Year among the association's non-daily newspapers with a circulation of more than 20,000.

Actually, any of these cuts could be made, if they were justified and a rational argument were presented for public consumption. That, however, would take astute politicking and, above all, political courage. Such qualities are too often in short supply, so it's reasonable to predict the balance of the budget hearings before the county council will be what they have been for years: discussions by the people in charge of what they would do if they were in charge.

Maryland energy regulators on Tuesday adopted new regulations designed to improve electric service and reliability in the state.

PSC orders new plant in Waldorf